Open Letter To An Obnoxious Customer

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Neal Stevens

Most people are arses. Just pop into the SH5 forum for a reminder.

LMA (no pun intended) O

[Bubblehead Nuke]

Retail can be SOOO much fun. I *LOVE* to take a pissed off customer and kill them with kindness. Of course, if that does not work sometime befuddling them works just as well.

Once, when I was the manager of a well known automove repair establishment, I had a gentleman TEAR into me that we were ripping him off because he was a black man. I looked at him square in the eye and asked if he was. Dumbfounded. he looked at me, held out a hand and said "Can't you SEE". I just answered him deadpan with 'I'm sorry sir, I am black/white colorblind. I did not know you were black".

All of the sudden he was EMBARRASSED. He apologized for his actions and we went on to resolve the issue to his (and my) satisfaction.

The LOOKS I had from the other customers and my employees. I remember them to this day. I still wonder if they were amazed I tried it, or that I pulled it off. Nobody called bull or anything. They just sat/stood there and watched in silence.

I had some very good teachers.

[krashkart]

That takes the cake.

[TLAM Strike]

Originally Posted by Neal Stevens

Most people are arses. Just pop into the SH5 forum for a reminder.

"How many @$$holes we got on this ship anyhow?"

>YO!

"I knew it! I'm surrounded by @$$holes... keep firing @$$holes!!"

[ZombieKillerPeter]

I work retail as well (movie rental store ), and I sympathize with your plight, brother.

[krashkart]

Originally Posted by ZombieKillerPeter

I work retail as well (movie rental store ), and I sympathize with your plight, brother.

Welcome aboard, ZKP!

[Feuer Frei!]

You'll find that a lot of customers who go on rants (unjustified ones), are looking for a reaction, attention-seeking, insecure, lack of authority-type of figures, who will spark up, sometimes for no reason at all, almost to the point of schizo.
I had a customer years ago, who out of the blue started sparking up about something i can't remember what about, up until that moment he was very pleasant and polite, but something got his goat up and he just went all psycho.
He asked for the manager, who conveniently happened to be me and i listened to his gripe, comiserated with him (empathetic, eye contact, not interjecting, acknowledging what he was saying, all the stuff you are supposed to do when someone complains), i "filtered" out all the b***s*** and thought to myself: Is it really worth the trouble to put my foot down and recede to his unjustified rants.
I receded, asked him what i could for him, can't remember what he asked for but after that he calmed right down and went about being a pleasant customer again!
He had an audience, he was sitting with 15 other guests on his table, and half the restaurant heard him. A few of his dining party actually apologised to me during toilet breaks, seemingly very embarrassed. One actually commented that he seems to do this "quiet regularly". Oh really, i said.
In the case of our wonderful service industry, where we have customer contact day in, day out, sometimes we find that it is better to give in, so to speak and be flexible in our conflict resolution.
Within reason of course.
One thing i have learnt out of all of this is that, no matter how much of an a** h*** a person is to me, i smile, i nod, am polite back, never ever lose my cool (i'm very proud of that fact) and know that i at least wasn't a prat like that person was and have no guilt trip afterwards.
I must also say that i do give credit to customers who actually have the courage and politeness and good upbringing to apologise afterwards, which i have happened on numerous occasions as well, so congrats to those types of customers.
One more thing, this is important for all of us in the service industry, where you have direct customer contact:
Never ever forget that we are all human beings, you, as well as the customer.
The customer may have had or is having a bad day, from the downright tragic bad (family member lost, lost job, etc etc) to just having got up out of bed the wrong side type of bad day.
We have to be empathetic and caring, we have to be psychologists, counselors and best friends all at the same time, as soon as the customer walks through your doors, we should be able to sum up that person, and gauge what sort of person that will be to deal with, using the true and tested old tools of the trade, body language, facial expressions, eyes, dress, etc etc.
We need to be able to instantly come to a decision as to how we will deal with this person, professionally, efficient, "get in, get out" type of service, or do we need to give them the "full" service, have a chat, how's the wife type of conversation and then the sales spiel....if you get my drift.
I am not taking sides here, but we must above all give great service, and with a smile, for if we do not, is it sometimes any wonder that a customer does complain?
Do we really know sometimes why a customer complains? Do we? We assume that he/she is because well, they are a prat or because they're "probably always like that".

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Bubblehead Nuke

Retail can be SOOO much fun. I *LOVE* to take a pissed off customer and kill them with kindness. Of course, if that does not work sometime befuddling them works just as well.

Once, when I was the manager of a well known automove repair establishment, I had a gentleman TEAR into me that we were ripping him off because he was a black man. I looked at him square in the eye and asked if he was. Dumbfounded. he looked at me, held out a hand and said "Can't you SEE". I just answered him deadpan with 'I'm sorry sir, I am black/white colorblind. I did not know you were black".

All of the sudden he was EMBARRASSED. He apologized for his actions and we went on to resolve the issue to his (and my) satisfaction.

The LOOKS I had from the other customers and my employees. I remember them to this day. I still wonder if they were amazed I tried it, or that I pulled it off. Nobody called bull or anything. They just sat/stood there and watched in silence.

I had some very good teachers.

Now that I would have loved to have witnessed

[HunterICX]

Since I work in the Bike Rental, you sometimes get these complete utter morons.

like this kid with his father to rent a moped

Me: You driven on a moped before?
He(the kid): Yes, I own one of those 50cc bike with gears

his father guaranteed he drives well...

so after the paperwork was done I send him off with everything explained.

I turn around and head back to my desk and before I'm there I hear him going off with a noise that is so familiar...the noise of a vehicle out of control...Kablang!

turn around and yep, there he lies on the ground...
so I head towards him to make sure he's ok....before I ge there he's up his feet and has the moped held by the steer with the engine is still runing...so I ask what just happend and then he was about to explain something then he yanked open the throttle again while standing NEXT to the moped.
after a 5 - 10 second him struggling with the moped doing all kinds of weird movements bike goes noes up and then falls sidewards with him on top of it...Game Over! engine suddently has a change of sound

He had a little scratch on the leg, nothing serious.
the moped however had a nice crack in his crankhouse

best part was the idiot tried to get his way out of blame by saying the brakes wheren't ok... even he father stepped in..you know the drill...it wasn't my son...it was that thing.

I don't think so...our vehicles are well maintained besides he didn't even use them...he just yanked open the throttle with 0% thought and flew off ..... the dipsh!t just didn't know how to handle a moped.

so for his 1 minute of loonyness he had to pay up 150€ for the replacement of the Crankhouse (he was lucky as the crankhouse are 2 parts and he broke the smaller one of the 2)

HunterICX

[Feuer Frei!]

Originally Posted by HunterICX

I work in the Bike Rental, you sometimes get these complete utter morons.

They must be everywhere! I get them too!

[UnderseaLcpl]

I have nothing but respect for people who work in the service industry or in retail; I've been there before, many times. I once had a customer at Home Depot yelling at me because our 2x4s were not 2 inches by 4 inches (In case any of you don't know, planed lumber is measured by its rough-cut dimensions, and then they take about a quarter-inch off each face to make it smooth and uniform). I think there's a dignity that comes with being a courteous and professional employee, especially in service.

On the other end of the spectrum you have my current employer, BNSF Railways Inc, "Where the customer is always a hostage" We abuse our customers on a regular basis because we're a subsidized, unionized, lazy monopoly. I've seen facilities have to temporarily shut down production and send workers home because we delivered late and then had the gall to charge them a storage fee for having their car sit in our yard.

Yeah, it's a travesty, but what're they gonna do? Move the factory? Build their own railroad? That's the attitude our management and many of our employees have. It disgusts me, but I can't turn down the ridiculous pay and benefits, so I just try to do my best and treat our customers with respect. Where possible, I'll shuffle cars for them for free (by not recording the moves) or bad-order (report as defective) cars we delivered so they can get a discount, even if I have to break the things myself. It's about the only job satisfaction I get.

Hopefully, things will change now that we've been accquired by Berkshire-Hathaway. Warren Buffet is a pretty shrewd guy and he's looking to make BNSF turn a better profit. Whether he can overcome the union and the FRA remains to be seen.

A to all the customer-service professionals who work hard to make all our lives a little better every day.

[STEED]

Shopping is a pain in the ass at best of times but when you encounter some shoppers there behavior is so damn odd, I do wonder if there is a full moon out.

[Subnuts]

I'd like to thank everyone who's given me encouragement and support these last two days. I talked to my Human Resources manager where I work who told me that I'm a great worker and everyone who works there appreciates what I do there.

I try to remember that 99% of the human race is basically good - if only the other 1% didn't justify the existence of shallow ditches and machine guns. I've been accused of being lazy, slow, weak, and racist by other customers, and even had a guy report me to the manager for not putting his bread in a paper bag a week after my father died, and damned if I've ever seen any of these folks hold a door open for a woman. Certainly never seen flies swarming around them after shoving carriages for four hours in the middle of August, or seen them clean up after an incontinent granny who couldn't hold it in in aisle 18.

OTOH, I am due for a raise within the next month, and I just got my "I am exceptional" pin...so maybe I'll get the last laugh.

[krashkart]

^^ All goes to show that hard work pays off. Congratulations on your raise and your pin.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Subnuts

I'd like to thank everyone who's given me encouragement and support these last two days. I talked to my Human Resources manager where I work who told me that I'm a great worker and everyone who works there appreciates what I do there.

I try to remember that 99% of the human race is basically good - if only the other 1% didn't justify the existence of shallow ditches and machine guns. I've been accused of being lazy, slow, weak, and racist by other customers, and even had a guy report me to the manager for not putting his bread in a paper bag a week after my father died, and damned if I've ever seen any of these folks hold a door open for a woman. Certainly never seen flies swarming around them after shoving carriages for four hours in the middle of August, or seen them clean up after an incontinent granny who couldn't hold it in in aisle 18.

OTOH, I am due for a raise within the next month, and I just got my "I am exceptional" pin...so maybe I'll get the last laugh.

Good for you....and I'm sure it's well deserved