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Thread: Poor Pub Experiences

  1. #1
    I'll stay on me own
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    Default Poor Pub Experiences

    Having visited lots of pubs over the years i have been quite lucky in only having a few bad experiences in pubs.

    I went in the Ketts Tavern in Norwich yesterday,great looking pub from the outside and good choice of real ales,but when you have a **** Head behind the bar it can spoil things a bit.
    I got in the pub at 12.15 and there were about 7 other customers in all but 2 were sat at bar stools,i stood at the bar waiting while **** Head sorry landlord was doing something at the far end of the bar,i kept waiting has he had looked up at me when i first got to the bar,i kept on waiting untill an oldish bloke who was sat on a bar stool close to me shouted to the landlord "paying customer been waiting a while can you serve him" landlord replys "i know i clocked him when he first got here" Old Guy says "why did'nt you serve him then he replys "he did'nt order a drink" i said " i dont usually shout down the bar to be served".
    He then stomps up the bar and says "have you made your mind up yet" i had made my mind up has soon has i got to the bar,i then orded a half of Phoo Bear,when he started to pull it off beer spluttered everywhere and i got a good amount on my face hair and T shirt,**** Head says nothing a quick light hearted sorry and i would have been happy,he then stomps into the back room after a short wait a woman comes from same room with a half in her hand and gives it to me.
    This landlords poor service spoiled my short visit here and knocked 2 points off the pubs rateing.

    Have any others on this site had similar or worse experiences ?

  2. #2
    I'll stay on me own PaulOfHorsham's Avatar
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    Well, 3 of us survived the Ketts experience back in March - I even ordered the Pooh myself!
    Keeping breweries in business for more than 40() years

  3. #3
    Still about Mobyduck's Avatar
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    There have been a few over the years ,most recently the Palm tree as related in the thread -Strange Goings on at the Palm Tree AKA I don't bloody believe it. Also the Paxtons Head in Knightsbridge where we we were systematically ignored by the student bar staff and when finally attended to expected to accept a three quarter full pint ,and also The Carpenters Arms Marble Arch, after seeing good reviews on the other site,tried it only to reject not only the first and second pint but also a third on the grounds of them all being rancid , and the uncomprehension of the bar staff of there being any problem, made for a hasty and welcome retreat to the Harp
    "Everybody's got to believe in something. I believe I'll have another beer."
    -W.C.Fields

  4. #4
    This Space For Hire AlanH's Avatar
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    We went in to a John Smiths pub in the Yorkshire Dales area (forgotton it's name). We were pleased to see that it had cask ale on. Several people were waiting to be served but the two bar staff seemed to find little jobs to do that avoided serving customers. After waiting ages and seeing people served out of turn before us, we finally ordered two pints of bitter pointing to the handpump. He went round the corner and pulled two pints of keg bitter. We said we ordered cask. He pulled a face and said, "Oh, the locals prefer keg!" He reluctantly changed them for cask then went round the corner to serve someone else. As our pints settled, they were about one and a half inches below the line. We finally caught his attention and after another grumble he topped them up (a bit!).
    We then gave up and sat down. We took a sip each and "ugh", pure vinegar. Oh no! back to the bar again.
    "I did warn you that locals prefer keg, not THAT stuff. There is no more, do you want the keg"
    AAAARGH!! We left!

  5. #5
    Old & Bitter oldboots's Avatar
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    I've lost count of the amount of poor service I've suffered in British pubs, usually along the lines of gruff noises from semi trained bar staff, half filled pots, refusal to change pints of vinegar, being ignored, being served out of turn etc etc. I've walked out of pubs that resemble the Marie Celeste both sides of the bar, I've suffered surly bar staff, potty mouthed landlords and ladies, I've been ignored by more young barmaids texting their friends or chatting up young male customers than you can shake a stick at, I've almost given up asking for a top-up as short measures are so common. A bad example of the ungracious top up was in one of Lincoln CAMRA's favourite pubs, a 500ml of beer was offered, I asked for a top-up and was told "oh you want flat beer do you?" he then almost topped it up from another pump of different and indeed cheaper beer.

    This one was pretty bad, we had just sat down at a table when some bar person strode over and rudely chucked us off it as they were waiting for diners to sit there, no reserved sign of course, my wife left the pub instantly and I propped up the bar while finishing my poor pint (I had paid for it!)

  6. #6
    Humble Wordsmith ETA's Avatar
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    This was my latest one: St Stephens Tavern although it's by no means my worst ever.

    The review is a bit understated - the wait was a very long one, the staff could barely speak English, they couldn't pour a pint properly, and said malignant dwarf got quite aggressive with me until he realised I wasn't on my own. If all he wanted was coffee, there's a perfectly good Starbucks nearby, ffs. For a GBG pub the beer was disappointing. rant rant rant...... Still gave it a 6/10 though, as I like to be objective about these things.

    I put it down to the location, as teh other GBG (and indeed non-GBG) pubs nearby are mostly quite good.

  7. #7
    Fully paid up beer belly Farway's Avatar
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    Mostly I have been lucky, but tow do stick out The Painters Arms usual poor service, in fact no service, my review score of 2 says it all

    The other I had better not name, it is in Portsmouth, large chain pub, the place stinks of stale beer & urine, you can smell it as you walk by
    I drink to make others more interesting

  8. #8
    It wasn't me Quinno's Avatar
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    Like OB I've had to put up with all sorts in my (comparatively short) time as a customer of the Great British Pub. Generally in reviews I simply refer to that sort of thing as 'surly staff' or similar. It takes a real humdinger for me to devote more than five words. My most magnificent diatribe is contained below:

    The Last Plantagenet

    Still ranks as my number one Bad Experience . The only thing that could have made it worse would have been terrible beer quality in my eventual 'half'.

  9. #9
    Still about Mobyduck's Avatar
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    This one happened to me about three years ago but still winds me up,unexpectedly found myself with a day off work and decided to walk up town about a mile and a half from where I then lived.I found myself in the local Wetherspoons The Prince Arthur (JD Wetherspoon) ,similar scenario as Quinno in that I was confronted with the Eastern European connection.Ordered my pint ok and payed with what money it turned out I had in my wallet only a tenner,no problem at £1.99 a pint that would do for the time being.Decided to have another before moving on so wanting some pound coins used the five pound note from the previous change,served by the same girl as before she took the note ,got to the till then came back,"sorry sir I cant take this money this note is out of circulation" I said but that's the note you gave me twenty minutes ago out of your till!"Sorry I cant take it" Your kidding me I said incredulous ,at which point the eighteen something manager intervened ,heard the story and said "I'm sorry we can't take out of date money".At which point I told them what they could do with there pint, left ,went to the bank and changed the offending note ,topped up my funds and went elsewhere.Iv'e not been back to the Prince Arthur since.
    "Everybody's got to believe in something. I believe I'll have another beer."
    -W.C.Fields

  10. #10
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    One of the advantages of the beerosphere is that new towns can be quite easily researched and the best pubs found..granted this means I'll never be likely to find a great pub off the beaten track. I've had a good think and nothing stands out in my memory as that bad an experience recently. I've left pubs because of noisy kids, or because of people playing music on their phones, or due to abysmal beer choice...I'll have to keep thinking!

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