[rparke1]

this morning i was doing my twice a week fill up of my one gallon water jug in my schools cafe, in the middle of filling it up, one of the workers told me that i cant fill it up anymore "i've paid for the water" (which i have since i pay for the food fees so i can eat/drink there, part of the entire college bill) anyways, she told me that its an unwritten polocy that they have. i just smilied and filled the rest of the gallon up, she barked at me saying didnt you hear me? i nodded and capped the jug off and left. i've been filling it up (not the same one, but always just a gallon) for the past 2 years without anyone telling me i cant.

my question: since the policy is unwritten and i have already paid for the food/drink privlages, can she actually legally make me stop filling my water jug without anything posted (and i checked around) or any such policy written down?

edit:
im in MA right now, so if there's any state laws i should know about also, let me know

[turtle777]

Just ignore them. That worker has no say in enforcing anything.

BTW, what school are you in ? College ?
If so, don't forget: YOU are the customer.
The school cafe is a service provider. They have no business telling you off like that.

[black bear theory]

Originally Posted by rparke1

this morning i was doing my twice a week fill up of my one gallon water jug in my schools cafe, in the middle of filling it up, one of the workers told me that i cant fill it up anymore "i've paid for the water" (which i have since i pay for the food fees so i can eat/drink there, part of the entire college bill) anyways, she told me that its an unwritten polocy that they have. i just smilied and filled the rest of the gallon up, she barked at me saying didnt you hear me? i nodded and capped the jug off and left. i've been filling it up (not the same one, but always just a gallon) for the past 2 years without anyone telling me i cant.

my question: since the policy is unwritten and i have already paid for the food/drink privlages, can she actually legally make me stop filling my water jug without anything posted (and i checked around) or any such policy written down?

edit:
im in MA right now, so if there's any state laws i should know about also, let me know

you probably use more water when you flush the toilet. do they have people monitoring how often you go to the bathroom? i would hope not.

since it's 'unwritten', you should continue to do it, until it's brought to you in writing (as each enforceable policy should be) or are told not to do it by an administrator.

[Tardbus]

Write an editorial in your school's newspaper. They'll never bother you again.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Tardbus

Write an editorial in your school's newspaper. They'll never bother you again.

Nah. Won't work. It's a darn cafeteria worker who doesn't give a rat's ass about anything but his personal agenda. Gotta ignore him/her, that's it.

[Monique]

Get the school policies and if that person bother you again just show him the real rules, not the one he decided to invent for that day.

[Dork.]

Were you filling it up from a water fountain? The only think I can think of is that in older buildings, the water in the utility sinks or bathrooms may not technically be potable water -- i.e. water that has passed all the State environmental checks. These buildings likely have an entirely different water system for potable water. In that case, this "unwritten rule" may actually be a Health Department regulation.

Also, water fountains have an internal tank which is cooled, and when you take a lot of water out at once, that tank needs to re-fill and re-cool itself. That cafeteria worker has probably had to deal with people coming in after you complaining that the water isn't cold. Soda fountains that have a separate lever for water probably behave the same way.

As you said, though, wou already paid for access to the water, so absent a written policy prohibiting this there probably isn't anything they can do. If the guy is too belligerent, you could probably ask the manager of the place for an explanation. If he offers my "cold tank" explanation, offer to make a separate trip during the cafeteria down-time to refill the jug, when the tank can re-fill and re-cool in time for the next customer.

I can't believe I spent so long thinking about this! Back to work for me!

[RAILhead]

I would have said "okay" and poured it out all over him/her. Of course, I'm 6'4" and 225 pounds, so I can get away with stuff like that.

[wdlove]

That certainly isn't right. Though a very typical thing to happen in luny MA.