(Untitled)

[noodledays]

What's the dickest thing you ever did or said to a service/retail person? In hindsight, was it fully deserved or was something else playing into your actions?

For those of you who've worked in service/retail, what's the dickest thing you've ever done/said to a customer? Was it fully deserved?

Comments

[thewalkingman]

When my Xbox 360 got the Red Ring of Death, I took it back to Futureshop (the Canadian Best Buy) and told them to give me a new one. They told me that they couldn't give me a new one because of a deal that Microsoft apparently has with stores selling 360s that all defective machines have to be sent directly from the customer to Microsoft to be fixed. Microsoft sends you a "coffin" which is a prepared box designed to ship 360s and you are supposed to mail it back to them yourself and wait for them to either fix it or send you a new one. I knew this before I took it back but I wanted to try and exchange it anyway. The lady was very nice in explaining how their hands were tied and so I said to her "Look, I'm not leaving until I get a replacement. So we can either argue about it and it can turn into a big scene or we can make this happen. So in order to avoid that, I need to talk to whoever can make that happen

[qa]

I did too.

No, you are not special.

[thewalkingman]

I'm not usually like that, but I bought the friggin extended warranty. And I was very nice about it.

Also, I used to work at that Futureshop. I knew they could do it.

[rotf_lmao]

...You're the type of customer who makes me threaten to quit my job on a daily basis.

[qa]

That;'s when I love saying "I'll be happy to connect you to a supervisor, but they're just going to tell you the same thing I just said." 9/10 times, that worked.

[thewalkingman]

that's the thing! I knew that she would do that, which is why I told her that I just needed to talk to whoever could make that happen. I didn't chew my way to the top. I knew that I had to go person to person, and she knew that, so I just basically said "let's skip the drama and go right to that".

That's what I do when I get dick customers. I figure I don't get paid enough to deal with that bullshit so you can talk to the boss.

[qa]

I guess that's better then.

It just really pissed me off when I worked retail, somebody bitched and complained, talked to a manager and got what they wanted even though it was against the rules.

They always had such smug looks on their faces too. Assholes.

[thewalkingman]

I wasn't smug at all about it at all. I was very gracious. I just knew how it worked.

[rotf_lmao]

LOL! I love saying that too, but for a different reason. It seems that whenever I say that, the fucking dimwit on the other end thinks that they've won or something. Little do they know that when I transfer them to the supervisor's queue, they're going to spend a minimum of 45 minutes waiting to speak to a supervisor, who IS going to tell them the exact same thing.

So, I love transferring ignorant, irate customers over to a supervisor.

[qa]

LOL, nice.

[rotf_lmao]

Well, I mean, the thing is? Where I work, if what the customer wants is against policy, they're simply not going to get their own way, no matter who they speak to. They can talk to my supervisor, my supervisor's supervisor, whoever....but policy is policy, I know what the damn policies are, and the answer is not going to magically change just because the customer demands to talk to someone "more important".

[noodledays]

I could have maybe lasted longer in customer service at a place that had such consistent policies.

[qa]

Exactly, but people think you're just lying to them or you won't do it simply because you don't want to. You couldn't possibly be telling the truth that you don't do that.

[rotf_lmao]

Oh, I mean, obviously. Every customer who wants to bypass policy thinks I won't do it just because I don't want to. They don't seem to understand that I can't. (AND I don't want to anyway, but that's beside the point, because -- HA! -- I don't HAVE to!)

Sometimes I get really frustrated when people seem to think I can override policy for them. Yes, I think some of my company's policies suck, but there's not a damn thing I can do to change them. I had one customer say to me last night, "Look, all I want to have done is [this]. You have to understand: I'm just the guy who pays his bill on time, you know?" and I responded with, "Yes, I understand sir, but you have to understand this: I'm just the girl who answers the phones. I can't change the policy."

[i_am_famous]

Oh I hate it when they make you transfer you anyway and you have a dickhead manager who DOES let them get away with whatever they like and completely undermine you and you end up looking like an idiot.