Pub annoyances #834

[Lady Grey]

In recent weeks, I've noticed a rather unpleasant practice from a certain (Un)Enterprise(ing) pub company. My boyfriend and I, have been in two local pubs owned by the aforementioned pub company. On those occasions, he has ordered a pint for himself, and a half for me. On each occasion, he was given two pints instead of one and a half. The bar staff are not deaf or silly, rather they are probably doing what is expected of them. Has anyone else experienced this?

[Rex_Rattus]

Not me - but there again I can't remember ever ordering a pint and a half in said chain. Did your boyfriend pull them up on it; if so what was the response? Or did you just have to force yourself to drink the pint? I wouldn't have thought it was a deliberate ploy to increase profits. Possibly simple incompetence? I would have thought a better way (which I have encountered far too often for comfort) is to boost the price of half a pint to much more than half the price of a pint. The worst example I've encountered is £4 for a pint of Bombardier, and £2.50 for a half.

[Strongers]

2 years ago in Gillingham, the jewel of the garden county.

Me: ‘half a Stella please.’
Barmaid pulls a pint whilst I watch a bit of golf.
Me: ‘sorry, I asked for a half’
Barmaid: ‘yeah, I erd ya’
Me: ‘but that’s a pint’
Barmaid: ‘appy hour init’
Me: ‘is it’
Barmaid: ‘yeah’
Me: ‘but I wanted a half’
Barmaid: ‘why?’
Me:’erm……. because I’m not staying long’
Barmaid: ‘just drink half of it then’
Me: ‘you what?’
Old local gent: ’it’s £1.20 a pint or £1.50 a half.’
Barmaid: ‘appy hour innit’
Me: ’oh okay’
As I walk away from the bar
Barmaid: ’FFS, it’s gonna be one of them days innit’

[ETA]

2 years ago in Gillingham, the jewel of the garden county.

Every garden needs a compost heap.

[Lady Grey]

Did your boyfriend pull them up on it; if so what was the response? Or did you just have to force yourself to drink the pint?

We both drank the pints without comment, it has happened 3 times in 2 pubs.
I'm glad to notice that the discerning drinkers of this website, have spotted the selling more drinks ploy.

[sheffield hatter]

In recent weeks, I've noticed a rather unpleasant practice from a certain (Un)Enterprise(ing) pub company. My boyfriend and I, have been in two local pubs owned by the aforementioned pub company. On those occasions, he has ordered a pint for himself, and a half for me. On each occasion, he was given two pints instead of one and a half. The bar staff are not deaf or silly, rather they are probably doing what is expected of them. Has anyone else experienced this?

My brother, who has lived in France for over 25 years, was on a visit to London recently with his partner. They went to the pub with my daughter, ordered a pint and two halves and paid for them with his debit card. They were served a pint and two halves, but as my daughter observed when my brother showed her the receipt, they were charged for two pints and a half. Of course, they got the other half, but that doesn't go very far between three people, so they ended up staying for another round.

[NickDavies]

2 years ago in Gillingham, the jewel of the garden county.

Me: ‘half a Stella please.’

You get this. In tourist central Knightsbridge:

Me: Half of Stella* please.

Lad starts pouring a pint.

Me: I asked for a half mate.
Lad: I thought you said "I'll have a Stella"
Me: In which case you should have asked if I wanted a pint or a half.

Lad glares at me and faffs around tipping the pint into a half glass thus knocking it flat and raising the temperature several degrees. I sigh and stump up the best part of two and half quid.

*Other beers are available but the probability that the Pride/Doom Bar/GKIPA has been sitting in the pipe all night in a Taylor Walker pub at noon is about 100%.

[Al 10000]

It happened to me twice yesterday on my Rotherham crawl,

This usually happens on most pub crawls i do,i always say firmly but politly that i ordered an half not a pint,i have not had any bother doing this.

[london calling]

As the thousands of beers I have drank are nearly always in half pints. it helps if you use sign language as well.Staff are so used to serving pints they automatically grab a pint glass and don't really think about the measure more about the beer you have asked for.I say can I have a half then hold my thumb and forefinger about 2 inches apart to signify a half.Never fails.Dont mean to teach you how to suck eggs but I have had a few angry barstaff argue that I ordered a pint and are reluctant to change it.Of course they are usually crap pubs never to be revisited.

[london calling]

I went into a pub in central London with deafing music.I struggled to convey to the barman that I wanted a bottle of the rarely seen Little Brew beer that was in the bottom of the fridge.He came back and told me they had none.I shouted that I could see it the bottom of the fridge .He sighed and went looking for it and came back with two bottles which he removed the caps from.No no I only want one holding one finger up but he thought I wanted one more .Off he went got another bottle took the cap off and I rather than argued the toss scarped out of the pub leaving the beers.Bad customer or bad service.Who cares.