"Not Always Right" Customer Stories?

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by PhantomX

Some customers will pick up on the sarcasm and get further enraged. They see it as you being passive aggressive towards them.

Either way, no money in the world is worth taking that kind of abuse. I'm sure @Kaotic Lazagna would also agree that we get that kind of attitudes, and if you don't show that you won't take that kind of abuse, they'll just continue to take advantage of you. They think they're in a position of power when they act like they do, yet they don't realize they're walking a fine line of being shown the door and refused service.

Her money is worth it!
The secret of successful verbal sarcasm is to never, ever, let your tone of voice show it.
and yes I am probably a passive aggressive Jedi but I know I am so can use it to my advantage!
These are also the reasons I no longer work in retail!

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Originally Posted by PhantomX

Some customers will pick up on the sarcasm and get further enraged. They see it as you being passive aggressive towards them.

Either way, no money in the world is worth taking that kind of abuse. I'm sure @Kaotic Lazagna would also agree that we get that kind of attitudes, and if you don't show that you won't take that kind of abuse, they'll just continue to take advantage of you. They think they're in a position of power when they act like they do, yet they don't realize they're walking a fine line of being shown the door and refused service.

I, and my dealership have let people leave when they've been overly rude and we've shown nothing but respect to them. That's two fold for me, cuz 1, I'd rather not do business with people like that, and 2, part of my pay plan revolves around customer satisfaction, and people like that sure as heck won't give me a good survey no matter what. I've had one bad survey affect me for three months before!

[TheVoiceOfReason]

I've worked part time at a hobby shop for about 8 years. Over that time, we have had tons of customers who think they can buy a product like a $500 remote control car that goes 70mph, crash it, and then want to return it because it crashed and shouldn't break because it cost $500. Well run your real car in to a curb at 70mph, it cost 20k+... Same goes for helicopters, but usually they say "It doesn't fly." We then fly it for them to prove that it does in fact fly, and they usually don't complain after that. It is an issue when someone buys a difficult RC for an 8 year old and wants to return it after they destroyed it when we told them they were too young in the first place.

Many people don't seem to understand that the people who sold them a product did not design, make, or test the product before it reached their hands, but they will come in the store with an attitude when something is wrong because it has been taught that that is how you get what you want in retail. I don't know about everyone else, but I do the exact opposite usually. Someone comes in with a new broken vehicle and are nice, I usually fix it for no charge besides parts while trying help them get going as much as possible. I'll even give them spare parts I may have laying around to get them going as cheap as possible. You come in the store with an attitude because YOU broke YOUR toy. Sorry, but we are going to charge to fix that.

If you bend over backwards for those types of people you lose money on them anyway because they are never happy as they drain resources. You can only treat them like they deserve if your management is of the same mindset though.

[Poodles]

Kinda terrible at telling stories...


It's a busy Saturday and we've got about ten people waiting to be helped.
My fellow employee calls for the next person, and this guy that just walked in says he's next.
My employee asks if he was the next person, customer says no but he just has to return this stuff.
My employee says, "So you're not the next in line." And then goes and helps the person that was actually next in line.
Moron customer storms out saying we just lost his business when he was going to return stuff...so we already have his business


I deal with idiots on a daily basis that have confirmation bias and it pisses them off to no end that I won't agree with them that their issue with their car is what they think it is.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Poodles

it pisses them off to no end that I won't agree with them that their issue with their car is what they think it is.

A bunch of guys on here would be your worst nightmare then!


But, when I asked about the click I hear on the forum everybody told me that I am not getting oil and my engine is going to blow up so it must be that and you are just trying to cover it up because the company doesn't want people to know about the problem everybody is having and you just want to blame me for changing my own oil because the shop monkeys don't know anything about cars like I do and if my fault you can charge retail because you make more money then you do from doing warranty work!

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by TheVoiceOfReason

I've worked part time at a hobby shop for about 8 years. Over that time, we have had tons of customers who think they can buy a product like a $500 remote control car that goes 70mph, crash it, and then want to return it because it crashed and shouldn't break because it cost $500. Well run your real car in to a curb at 70mph, it cost 20k+... Same goes for helicopters, but usually they say "It doesn't fly." We then fly it for them to prove that it does in fact fly, and they usually don't complain after that. It is an issue when someone buys a difficult RC for an 8 year old and wants to return it after they destroyed it when we told them they were too young in the first place.

Many people don't seem to understand that the people who sold them a product did not design, make, or test the product before it reached their hands, but they will come in the store with an attitude when something is wrong because it has been taught that that is how you get what you want in retail. I don't know about everyone else, but I do the exact opposite usually. Someone comes in with a new broken vehicle and are nice, I usually fix it for no charge besides parts while trying help them get going as much as possible. I'll even give them spare parts I may have laying around to get them going as cheap as possible. You come in the store with an attitude because YOU broke YOUR toy. Sorry, but we are going to charge to fix that.

If you bend over backwards for those types of people you lose money on them anyway because they are never happy as they drain resources. You can only treat them like they deserve if your management is of the same mindset though.

Although I try to be nice in all my dealings I learned many years ago to always be nice as humanly possible to the people that:


A) Serve/prepare your food
B) Come into your home to provide a service
C) Sell/repair your vehicle
D) Are important regular suppliers for your major hobby

[PhantomX]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Although I try to be nice in all my dealings I learned many years ago to always be nice as humanly possible to the people that:


A) Serve/prepare your food
B) Come into your home to provide a service
C) Sell/repair your vehicle
D) Are important regular suppliers for your major hobby

This is true. Even though I make only $200 for each vehicle I sell, not only will I try my best to get them the best price, but I'm more than willing to buy (out of my own pocket) my customers coffee cups, tumblers, hats, teddy bears, shirts, etc when the customers are great.

[themadscientist]

Very smart, T. I was at a restaurant and my freind was being a real jerk to the server. I asked him why he was doing that and he said she was getting everything wrong. She was, I agreed, but I then pointed out she was now mad at him and in the back, unattended, with his food.

[themadscientist]

How about some stories about when you guys were nightmare customers? I know I have been.

One time my Amazon order was cancelled because it wouldn't ship to my PO Box. i guess it was my time of the month and I went to work. I cancelled the rest f the items I ordered, I deleted all my wish list and save for later items and fired a seething email to Amazon detailing my displeasure and all that I had done and that i was done with them.

A very nice lady got back to me really quick, apologized and checked everything out. Turns out is was a vendor policy, not an Amazon policy that had done it. She even tried to find some alternate sources for the item, but it was just one of those things that couldn't mail through the Post Office. She apologized again, encouraged me to give them another chance and asked me if there was anything else she could do to help.

Mortified I gave her specific instructions.

"Please print out this email traffic and post it on the bulletin board in your break room so everyone can at least laugh at what a dramatic asshole I am. Something positive has to come from this."

[TheVoiceOfReason]

Heres a story I remember read a few years ago about a woman complaining about Southwest Airlines, and how their CEO dealt with it.


"One woman who frequently flew on Southwest, was constantly disappointed with every aspect of the company’s operation. In fact, she became known as the “Pen Pal” because after every flight she wrote in with a complaint.

She didn’t like the fact that the company didn’t assign seats; she didn’t like the absence of a first-class section; she didn’t like not having a meal in flight; she didn’t like Southwest’s boarding procedure; she didn’t like the flight attendants’ sporty uniforms and the casual atmosphere.

Her last letter, reciting a litany of complaints, momentarily stumped Southwest’s customer relations people. They bumped it up to Herb’s [Kelleher, CEO of Southwest] desk, with a note: ‘This one’s yours.’

In sixty seconds, Kelleher wrote back and said, ‘Dear Mrs. Crabapple, We will miss you. Love, Herb.’”

[themadscientist]

Did that once myself. I just couldn't deliver what the customer wanted and would prefer she go somewhere else and be happy then be frustrated with us. She realized I was honest when I said it was all I could do and she was suddenly satisfied and had a great stay.

[dem00n]

I don't know about you guys, but i always return things if i break them and it's within the return period when it comes to the big brand stores. Toy R us, Best Buy, Target, etc. I don't feel guilty, because they'll end up with my money one way or another.

Local or online stores, if i break it, then it's my problem.

A Best Buy employee could care less if you broke it or if it's actually broken.

I don't fight, argue or even make up a story. Just say i wanna return it and i get my money back, i think that's why i like these large corporate stores, they can be really easy to work with.

[YukiHachiRoku]

I was in the service/hospitality industry for a good 15 years. Do you know how much weed I had to smoke to forget all the dumb shit I was bombarded with?

I'm glad I don't remember anything anymore. Jesus Christ.

[Pkush]

Tcoat changed his avatar and I didn't even realized it for a good 20 minutes