Has anyone else encountered BP managers getting really irate/upset/hysterical when asking them to sign the completed forms? Most I've dealt with just sign the form without really even looking at what is marked yes or no, say thank you, and get on with their day, but some have really been unreasonable.

I've had this happen twice now. Once was in February. The manager argued with everything I had marked as no. I went through the standard "I don't work for BP, I don't know how they score the evaluation and I am not qualified to discuss the results". She would not sign the form and started crying.

Then yesterday I had a manager who was all smiles and niceties until I asked her to sign the form. "What, I've always had that sign there, I'VE NEVER HAD IT MARKED WRONG, are you new, you obviously don't know what the h*ll you're doing, THIS IS B*LLSH*T".

Then she got to the second page where I had a damaged curb marked off. "What the **** is this? How the h*ll do you think you have a gas station and keep all the curbs clean. GET THE **** OUT OF MY STORE!!"

And on top of that, she kept my good pen.

I sent all of that to the scheduler, but I have a feeling it will somehow be my fault. Oh well, the manager of the BP I audited after that one was one of the sweetest little things I've ever met.

I did a series of them a few years ago and got some garbage. I of course was not going to discuss it or explain anything to them. When the protested and spluttered I just mentioned that I felt sure that if they were allowed the exceptions they would be given them. I just needed to report and document what I saw ::smile, smile, smile::

It was not a pleasant position to be in and at that point BP was not under attack for dumping 50,000 gal/day x 50+ days of oil into the Gulf of Mexico with their CEO sitting in front of a Congressional committee today continuously indicating he knew nothing of any issues or problems with the well despite a stack of internal memos commenting on the difficulties of the well until Congress brought them to his attention. Nor was the CEO aware that more than 90% of OSHA's reports on the worst refinery safety compliance between 2007 and 2009 were at BP refineries. My guess is that customers are boycotting BP in droves and those who are there are none too pleasant to the proprietors. I know I certainly would be worried if I was running a BP station at this point!

Flash Wrote:
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> My guess is that customers are boycotting BP in
> droves and those who are there are none too
> pleasant to the proprietors. I know I certainly
> would be worried if I was running a BP station at
> this point!

This is very true.

If we had BP here, and we don't, I would probably be actively trying to get people to not visit as a customer or a shopper. I surely would not take their money. Better they put it into repairing the damage they have done, instead of ensuring station managers and owners get their bonuses.

Don't worry about the managers reaction. You back up what you report with pictures. You are under no obligation to discuss problems you have marked. If they don't sign - No Problem. Note this on your report. Submit it and do a follow up call with your scheduler. You have nothing to worry about...

I had a clerk who started yelling,in her native tonguel, at the guy that came in to pick her up about the audit and name tag. Name tag was the only word I understood. There were customers in the store and they just stood there. Everytime I tried to say something to the clerk, who had just came on, she would yell louder.

I was finished and all I was trying to do was get it signed and get out of there. The second clerk signed it and I left. I called the scheduler and requested to be taken off the second shop I had because I knew these folks were going to the next store to pick up a clerk there. It would be a toss up who got there first. I told them what happened and said I would never go back and I never did. I did the Debrand but there was no problem That was last year and since then BP has pulled out of the state except several stations close to Tennessee.

I didn't worry about it much. That clerk, doing all the yelling, usually was on her cell and never got off of it regardless of how many customers she had. I just knew I would not go back.

I was in Lexington, KY and saw two different closed BP stations. I wasn't trying to shop them, but they were shut up tight! Maybe they can stick those closed stations in that well and get it stopped.

I haven't done BP shops in a couple of years, but had two incidents that puzzled me when I did. The first I did the shop according to the book and the owner/manager signed off after reading over the report, then I did the same station months later and he told me that I had lied about some things on my report - he read and signed off for heaven sake.

The second was done at a newer station and the owner/manager tried to bribe me with merchandise to give him a good report, the station was in great condition and the report said so.

Around here a few BP stations have closed and those that haven't aren't getting the customers like they used to. The only ones with any type of business are those that have sit down food shops attached to them.

If someone is yelling and screaming at you, using curse words, or speaking in a language you don't understand while doing the above, certainly you can call the police about a disturbance. The police can talk to customers who were witnesses. Most of the customers would know you were polite and quiet, and they might guess you are there on business because of the safety vest.

Even if the above isn't happening, from a surreptitious post behind a fixture you can record from your cell phone the clerk on the phone. If there has been yelling and screaming before, and your state allows one-sided recording, stick a recorder with fresh batteries in your pocket before you go. If you get the yelling and screaming on your cell phone video, you can send it to your TV station. If it is only a recording, maybe your radio station would like the part that doesn't include you trying to placate. Of course, the MSP might have something to say about the media contact(s), but they might not know it was you who contacted.

I just don't like the feeling of being victimized. No one does. I'd much rather feel empowered by doing one or more of the above. I would probably go back to the screamer next time and smile while doing the work, just to show that person I can.

I have done these before and a crabby manager was precisely the reason I don't do them anymore. Well that and the fact that I was spending a lot of extra time on the computer resizing pictures because my camera wouldn't automatically take the size they wanted...

Anyway I went into one and encountered a manager with no uniform and no nametag who just happened to be cashiering. After I revealed myself and told her I was going to be taking some pictures, she looked visibly irritated. I went out and evaluated everything and found a few decals that needed to be replaced but that was the only thing besides her lack of a uniform and nametag. Anyhoo... I went back in and showed her the checklist to have her sign it. She went over it in detail and then began to argue with me about how she didn't need to wear a uniform because the station wasn't actually owned by the gulf destroying company. I said, "Ok, well I just have to check this off because the question asks if you are wearing a uniform and you are not. I will make note of what you told me though." This seemed to annoy her more. I wrote a note right underneath that question and she did sign the paperwork but gave me a hard time. I made sure to make note of that and let the mystery shopping company know everything that she said. I dont' know what all happened with that but she was a PITA so I moved on from that company and those shops.