The customer is always right, Or is He/She?

Dublinstiofán

Working in a bar for almost a year now and im gettin sick of the **** i put up with off customers.THEYRE NOT ****ING ALWAYS RIGHT dispite the fact that they might think they are. The amount of problems ive had with people claiming that i have given them the wrong change (when i clearly havent as i keep the note on top of the till until i give the change back) and stupid things like that to get extra money back is unbelievable. Con artists.

I suppose its even more interesting for me dealing with the public is slightly different than many others as ya see them in every way that a person can be seen. Depressed, Exstatic, Locked, Sober, Aggressive, suducive etc.And to be honest a lot wont see exactly where im comin from as ya cant ever realise have the crap ya have to deal with unless ya have worked in a bar/Club yourself.

I still havent lost my cool and would never be rude and stoop so low as to insult someone but im gettin very close to it. And then when ya do your the worst in the world for it.

Im sure there are loads of people here have plenty of amusing stories of awe to share with the boards about experiences workin in pubs, clubs, shops etc
Dont think its been done before and thought it might be interesting to hear them.

Also its prob a good idea if ya deal with difficult customers every day to have somewhere to go to moan and grown about it (boards) where nobodys hurt or has to listen to ya if they dont want to. Instead of moanin about it when ya get home as we know well we can all do sometimes.

Id say nearly everyone has a story to tell about that one difficult customer they will always remember..................so lets hear em.

Would also be interested to hear how people reacted in the different circumstances they found themselves in or any possible solutions that anybody has where everybodys happy in the end.

Silverfish

Way back in the day I used to work in a Centra.

Centra attracts all the truly crazy customers. I remember one woman screaming at us because we didn't have a particular brand of coffee. She wouldn't accept that we didn't stock it.
We told her she could get it in the Spar across the road. She didn't want that, she wanted the manager to go across, get the coffee, come back, and sell it to her.
When he refused, she started screaming 'Don't you know the customer is always right? Its the LAW'

Apparently, some people out there genuinely believe that ' The customer is always right' is an actual enforcable law.

I weep for people who have to deal with the public, I really do. Thankfully I quit dealing with the public years ago and now hide away in an office where I only have to speak to ....marketing....people....OH GOD MY LIFE SUCKS.

For example .....There's This.

hullaballoo

Give it time, eventually you'll be just like all the other barmen in the country. You won't be able to hold your tongue, and you won't take any of that wrong change crap.

I worked as a barman for about four years part-time. You do have to put up with a lot of siht. I dealt with it by being as nice as pie all the time. I eventually started getting loads of tips, even from the worst customers. I left it then and started giving grinds. It's a lot less hassle.

Dublinstiofán

Silverfish wrote:

I weep for people who have to deal with the public, I really do.

They can be very difficult and dont think theres a solution no matter how nice ya are to people theres always gonna be the one that ruins it for the rest.

Whats worse is that as soon as ya put on that uniform no matter what establishment your workin for your treated (almost instantly) by some as a different person its unbelievable how it works.

monkeyfudge

I had an angry customer ring me up yesterday complaining that they caught a cold in my internet café.

Larianne

monkeyfudge wrote:

I had an angry customer ring me up yesterday complaining that they caught a cold in my internet café.

LOL I can well believe it!

cormie

monkeyfudge wrote:

I had an angry customer ring me up yesterday complaining that they caught a cold in my internet café.

You should get some anti virus software;)

Thomas_S_Hunterson

Customers have always got to be on their guard in a bar though, because the oppurtunity to short change drunken messes i presume can sometimes be too much to resist

monkeyfudge

Larianne wrote:

LOL I can well believe it!

And they are waiting to hear what I'm going to do about it... I'll have to work extra long hours now to find a cure for the common cold.

metaoblivia

I worked in retail for five years.
I had one lady call up once. She wanted me to refund her money onto her credit card over the phone and she would come in later in the week to return the clothes. Couldn't seem to understand why that wouldn't work out.
Another lady called up and wanted us to ship her clothes from the store to her home. Our store policy was strict about not doing that - a customer had to order something online or through the catelogue if they wanted it shipped to their home. She got so angry. She called back at least five times within half an hour trying to talk to different people, hoping to get another answer. She threatened to write, get us all fired. Eventually she stopped calling.
Some customers can be brutal. During Christmastime, I got shoved out of the way by rampaging customers, I've had clothes thrown at me, I've been sworn at for giving someone back their correct change (I didn't round it up to the nearest dollar).

I noticed that the, "No, I'm sorry, we can't do that. It's against store policy," followed by a walk away works most of the time in retail. Customers will stand and argue with you for as long as they can. They don't listen to reason, they don't understand why you can't make an exception. Just say no and walk away. Hmm, kind of like how my mother always told me to avoid drugs.

I'm so glad I don't work in retail anymore. I tutor children now and they can be a hassle, but I tolerate a five year old pitching a fit more readily than I can a forty year old.

gerrycollins

i have books and books of stuff i used to work for Dunnes Stores and now for Supervalu and you can imagine the lot i get. I also worked in bars,nightclubs and resturants for 5 years so i've seen it all and nothing bothers me anymore
I find repeating policy or saying the same thing over and over agin usually gets the message across but at any point that someone uses physical or verbal abuse on me I am fully within my right to walk away and i usually do and it embarrasses the customer enough
manys the time that other customers have stuck up for me and like that coffee woman I've had a fair few of them and similar to her and the best advice is to keep your voice calm and cool(i know its hard) and look them in the eye and if they dont like it well then im afraid you have done all you can so walk away
My life has been treathened a million times,ive been called fatty,shrimp(and he was the same size)"ill never shop here again" and punched,headbutted and every other name under the sun and im still smiling they aint worth losing sleep over

Larianne

5 years in retail! :eek: I don't know how you've lasted that long!! Im coming up to a year in June and thank god getting out of it that same month!

I can't believe how rude some people can be...and the majority of the time they are well to do people with their Louis Vuitton bags and their Gucci shoes. Makes me so mad. And with younger girls coming into the shop its even worse. There's no "excuse me, would you mind helping me with this please". Its "I want.."

I know people do complain about shop assistants being so uninterested in their jobs but if you get some b*tch of a customer it is hard to be a big smiley face to the next one. I have learnt in the past year not to let it get to me and try and be nice and helpful to each customer. I have noticed aswell when I go into a shop and buy something, the girl/guy looks slightly shocked when you say thank you with a smile. They almost don't know how to respond.

gerrycollins

Larianne wrote:

5 years in retail! :eek: I don't know how you've lasted that long!! Im coming up to a year in June and thank god getting out of it that same month!

im in retail 8 years this year and staying put

Dr. Octagon

I worked in a shop for about two years and witnessed alot of excessively stupid people who don't have a clue what they are talking about..being shortchanged and so on. Of course I made mistakes but I always rectified them and apologised.

There are two sides to this coin though, some people working behind the counter can't accept that they are wrong.

I can think of two incidents:

1. I ordered a pizza, waited almost an hour for it and when I called to complain I was told that a driver had arrived at my door and that it was my fault for not answering the it. The funny thing is that I was on my couch watching a movie right beside the door the whole time and the bell was in perfect working order too! The manager proceeded to tell me that I was at fault because that particular driver doesn't make mistakes.

2. I purchased something in Boots but forgot to claim 10% student discount. The person behind the till wouldn't cancel the sale and put it through again because they were lazy and it was close to closing time. He told me that he couldn't cancel a sale even though I had done the exact same thing a week before without a problem, in other words he was lying to my face.

projectmayhem

i worked in retail all last summer and i can tell you, 99% of customers are damn wrong. i had people arguing over buying kids rental videos to people saying the playstation3 is, in fact, already out.

Ruu_Old

Where my wife works in a pet grooming place, the amount of people arriving back in claiming that the haircut on the dog isnt right is unreal. They sign the paper beforehand saying they want x for their dogs and then leave saying that the dog looks fine. Weeks later they call back and say the dog wasnt groomed right, WEEKS AFTER! Of course instead of telling them where to go, the management give them a refund or a free touch-up. Everyone who deals in any sort of customer service, print this out and stick it on your clothes, see linkeh

Linkage

The_Minister

metaoblivia wrote:

During Christmastime, I got shoved out of the way by rampaging customers, I've had clothes thrown at me, I've been sworn at for giving someone back their correct change (I didn't round it up to the nearest dollar).

LOL

Fajitas!

I do relief work for a travel centre with Bus Eireann... I know everybody has their grudges against public transport, but some of the calls are unreal.

Pythia

I've worked part time in retail for almost five years. I found that customers don't know their rights. They think they do, and they tell me 'by law I'm entitled to x' but they're wrong.

Quite often, they literally have no idea what they're talking about. Sometimes they come in complaining, giving out stink and I discover what's happened to the product is entirely their fault.

People also treat my shop as an information bureau. They expect us to do the job of other shops and get annoyed if we try and tell them it's not our job. They ask extremely vague questions and get pissed off if we can't answer them.

I'm taking a break for a couple of months, thank god.

Agamemnon

It's only when you get a job in the services industry that you realise just how many stupid and ignorant people there are in the world. I've worked part-time in retail for 3 years now and every day I meet someone I want to punch.
The best way to deal with difficult customers is to never lose your cool. Keep repeating yourself and telling them no. It drives them into a rage! Then they either storm out or make such a spectacle of themselves that they realise they can't win. The queue of customers forming behind them and giving them filthies will take your side as well.

The_Minister

If they go away angry then the company loses as the person doesn't shop there any more. Thus they (the customer) win. So, in effect the customer is always right.
This is why you people only work in retail:rolleyes:










joking

Pythia

Firespinner wrote:

This is why you people only work in retail:rolleyes:
joking

Once I get my B.Sc, I am outta there!
It's a great way to earn some cash during college.

Larianne

agamemnon wrote:

It's only when you get a job in the services industry that you realise just how many stupid and ignorant people there are in the world. I've worked part-time in retail for 3 years now and every day I meet someone I want to punch.
The best way to deal with difficult customers is to never lose your cool. Keep repeating yourself and telling them no. It drives them into a rage! Then they either storm out or make such a spectacle of themselves that they realise they can't win. The queue of customers forming behind them and giving them filthies will take your side as well.

Yeah, make them look like a complete ass! The slower and calmer you talk to them the more it annoys them.

Had a girl in the store just after Christmas and she wanted to return 2 items. I said no problem, I just need the receipt. I was about to put the nessacary details into the till but noticed the items were bought in a different store. They were the same brand but for different reasons we can't take in these returns. Anyway, yes it is a pain in the hole for the customers and I understand this and apoligised to the girl, was really nice about it to which she whips the reciept out of my hand, takes back her items and in a fit that I can only describe was like a child that didn't get sweets storms out of the store. I was disgusted and shouted "Your welcome" at her. She heard and came back in a fury asking "what did you say?" to which I replied "eh I just said 'Your welcome'" with a smile. She stormed off out of the shop.

tSubh Dearg

Pythia wrote:

I've worked part time in retail for almost five years. I found that customers don't know their rights. They think they do, and they tell me 'by law I'm entitled to x' but they're wrong.

You are so right about that. The amount of people who think that they can get a refund on something just cause it's the wrong colour or size is unreal.

When I was working in a shoe shop I actually rang up the public information bureau and got them to send us out the material on people's consumer rights and I kept it near by so I could show people they were wrong. Then I would offer and exchange or gift vouchers, as a token of good will. I was just so sick of people saying "no you're wrong" that it was nice to have the back up to point to.

Naos

I agree with the majority, the customer is not always right. Some of the questions I've heard whilst working are shameful. I used to work in a deli, had a lady come up to me asking do we sell cherrys. I brought her to the Cherry jars, she then proceeded to pick one up, look me straight in the eyes and ask "How many cherrys is in this?".

I was stunned.

Huggles

I worked in a video store during college and I had a lady bring back a DVD late one night. She said sorry its is a night late and I rang in the number and said that will be 4.75 for the extra night (i think it was at the time). She freaked about paying it having admitted to being late. Anyways...she completely lost the rag and went on a rant and was really rude. Normally i'd tell the customer to stick on the account and pay it next time or whatever, but your one was so rude to me I wasn't taking any ****e.

Anyways, you know what her arguement for not paying was?

And this is true...

She says: Do you know I have a degree in English and your just a shop girl....!

Metacortex

Having worked in customer service for almost a year now i think i can say, its only on a rare occasion when the customer is right.
The worst are the ones you deal with over the phone, because you're not face to face with them, its obviously much more acceptable for them to yell and scream at you. Which is something i know most of them would not be doing if they were standing in front of you.

crosstownk

The customer is not always right - it has to depend on the circumstances. In a tight situation maybe the customer should be given the benefit of the doubt. It never helps if either side start a shouting match - it's always down hill from there!

iguana

You've never met so many crazies until you work in a charity shop. The amount of people who come in and think they can decide how much things cost.

10 times an hour people come up to you with something clearly priced 14.99 and say "how much will you give me this for?"
I say "It's 14.99"
They say "I've only got 10"
I say "Then you can pay by credit card or you will have to choose something else"
Then they start screaming at the top of their voice "you are supposed to be a charity shop"

I had one volunteer lose it with someone and scream that the €3 they were trying to haggle off a shirt would feed a family for a week and that they should be ashamed of themselves. Another volunteer was a psychiatric nurse who said she had met more crazy people in two shifts in the shop than she had in her professional career.

Or people come in with random items of clothing claiming to have bought them from you and asking for a refund, when we have signs at the register saying that we will only do exchanges if they have the reciepts, and more importantly the correct tags still attached. And what they have is obviously some **** they found in the back of their wardrobe that they are trying to con you for.

The_Minister

iguana wrote:

10 times an hour people come up to you with something clearly priced 14.99 and say "how much will you give me this for?"
I say "It's 14.99"
They say "I've only got 10"
I say "Then you can pay by credit card or you will have to choose something else"
Then they start screaming at the top of their voice "you are supposed to be a charity shop"
.

I once bargained for a comic book. They wanted a euro but i got them down to 50c. The funny thing is it was a first issue first edition of the Immortals (I think that was the name). In mint condition it would be worth over €500 but the soiled nature of my one would lead it to being worth a bit less than a hundred. Still......good bargain.


price estimate provided by that Dun Laoire shop that closed down

Agamemnon

Pythia wrote:

Once I get my B.Sc, I am outta there!
It's a great way to earn some cash during college.

I know what you mean. Once I get my degree I will never set foot in the place again. But I will remember the experience and always be nice to people who have to deal with the public.