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.

deisemum

Unfortunately it's not just in retail that you come across such cr*p.

My husband is a carpenter and often comes across customers changing their minds from what was originally agreed and then not wanting to pay for alterations. ie. a woman wanted worktops for her workshop at a certain height, he advised her that they were lower than normal. She assured him that's the height she wanted them at but then when he'd done the job she realised they were too low and wanted them higher after all but didn't want to pay him.

He now gets customers to sign the order form describing work to be carried out including measurements.

He finds it's the more well off customers that try to delay or wriggle out of paying or try to pay less than agreed and that the less well off will pay up front.

whiskeyman

cormie wrote:

You should get some anti virus software;)

Can't let that little gem slip by without a ROFL!!!


As already mentioned, there's just some nuts out there who are always on for an argurment with a company, no matter what.
A lot of it is down to people skills to be honest, as they refuse to see the employees and fellow humans and almost have a personal vendetta against them for being part of the company.

Sam Vimes

Fajitas! wrote:

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.

my girlfriend was dropped off in athlone. the driver pulled in at the side of the road to let her off a few miles before the bus station. he opened the luggage thing, one of the new automatic ones, and then while she was climbing in to get her bag, he drove off with the thing still open. she had to jump off the bus without her bag rather than be killed and had to get a taxi to the bus station to collect her bag. then the driver outright refused to apologise. not just that he didn't give her one, she asked for one and he said no. sometimes the customer is right.

TheGooner wrote:

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....!

well she has a point. who are you to be telling an arts graduate what to do? that degree took four years of hard drinking and dossing to get.


i was working in an internet cafe type thing and someone phoned up and asked if he could use limewire to download music on our computers. i said no. then he asked if he could use it to download windows. i said he could buy it from us for €189 (i think it was). he didn't seem to realise it was illegal

then he asked me where i get my music. with only a moments hesitation i said "the itunes music store"

Manolo Blahnik

Okay 3 months ago I went into Peter Marks to get my hair cut. My hair was pretty long an I wanted 3 inches off it and get a fringe. Nothing out of the ordinary right?

When I told the hairdresser what I wanted done she told me to wait too minutes and came back and told me ''Sorry I don't think you'll like it''. I told her that is what I want but she wouldn't listen. Then I got the manager coming down to me saying that the hairdresser would feel uncomfortable doing it so I had to walk out of the place. Bit pissed off since I took the day off work so they could fit me in for a time and I had my cousins wedding to go to the next day. What kind of hairdressers doesn't cut your hair! I went straight over to Toni and Guy and they cut it no problem and it turned out great.

It not like I was asking for some insane haircut. That's the last time I'll ever step into Peter Marks. Sometimes hairdressers only do what they want not what the customer wants.

Last week I was in Mango and brought a top up to the counter with 40 euro on it's tag. The girl scanned it through and then was like ''oh sorry those tops are actually 60'' and slapped a 60 euro sticker on it. They all said 40 on the rail. I told her you can't display them for the wrong price and she just gave me a look.

My point - sometimes the customer is right but I guess not always.

MrPinK

Manolo Blahnik wrote:

Last week I was in Mango and brought a top up to the counter with 40 euro on it's tag. The girl scanned it through and then was like ''oh sorry those tops are actually 60'' and slapped a 60 euro sticker on it. They all said 40 on the rail. I told her you can't display them for the wrong price and she just gave me a look.

It doesn't sound like the retail did anything wrong here, unless they knowingly priced it incorrectly. They informed you of the mistake before you paid, and they fixed it straight away. That's all that the law requires them to do.

EDIT: and option 3 in the poll just seems odd to me. Always right in certain circumstances? It's like saying I'm always right, except for when I'm wrong.

Manolo Blahnik

Well they didn't fix the rest of them when I was in the shop. Maybe they did when I left but it's against the law in the first place to display goods for the incorrect price. The strange thing is that it was printed on the tag 40 euro and underneath the amount in english pounds she just put on a plain black sticker just saying 60.

MrPinK

It's only against the law if it's done intentionly. The law allows for them to make mistakes, as long as they correct them when they're discovered.

Pythia

Manolo Blahnik wrote:

it's against the law in the first place to display goods for the incorrect price. .

This is exactly what I'm talking about!
People who think they know what they're talking about when they don't.

FranknFurter

While working in B&Q I was passing by a customer who was giving me a funny look, not unusual for me (Use a wheelchair but my upper body strenght is good as I used to race in a manual chair and weightlift),.....

Customer : You, you shouldnt be working in a place like this, what If I wanted that carried to the till, you wouldnt be able for it. (It was a freestanding fireplace, one of those black iron type ones, fake with a orange bulb inside :rolleyes:

Me: well, as you didnt think to get a trolley, I'd probably do you a favour and do this! (Picked up said box and carried it to the counter).

I bumped her on the queue at the till by saying to the girl at the till, (Who I knew would love this), and those in the queue, "its a bit heavy does anybody mind if I just run this ahead for the lady"?
her attitude cost her €199.99

Silly mare was so embarrased with 6 people behind, she had no intention to buy one originally, she was just using it as an example. LOL

Some days customers can just be pure entertainment.

Manolo Blahnik

Pythia wrote:

This is exactly what I'm talking about!
People who think they know what they're talking about when they don't.

Pythia, Okay so you're saying that, when I walked out of the shop that they are entitled to leave them wrongly priced.

They're not.

Pythia

Manolo Blahnik wrote:

Pythia, Okay so you're saying that, when I walked out of the shop that they are entitled to leave them wrongly priced.

They're not.

No, I didn't say that. You said

it's against the law in the first place to display goods for the incorrect price.

I replied to this. You are wrong.
K? Thanks, bye.

Manolo Blahnik

Key word - Intentionally

See ya

Stench Blossoms

Fastface wrote:

You're suppossed to take them back in that case. If it's the same company, you can return faulty goods to any branch.

Who said they were faulty? Larianne only said that she wanted to return them, nothing about there being anything wrong with them. And if there wasn't anything wrong with them then they don't have to take them back.

TheWolf

Fastface wrote:

But that's irrelevant - either way, she should have allowed the transaction - credit note, exchange, or whatever.

Why?

DublinWriter

FranknFurter wrote:

While working in B&Q I was passing by a customer who was giving me a funny look, not unusual for me (Use a wheelchair but my upper body strenght is good as I used to race in a manual chair and weightlift),.....

Customer : You, you shouldnt be working in a place like this, what If I wanted that carried to the till, you wouldnt be able for it. (It was a freestanding fireplace, one of those black iron type ones, fake with a orange bulb inside :rolleyes:

Me: well, as you didnt think to get a trolley, I'd probably do you a favour and do this! (Picked up said box and carried it to the counter).

I bumped her on the queue at the till by saying to the girl at the till, (Who I knew would love this), and those in the queue, "its a bit heavy does anybody mind if I just run this ahead for the lady"?
her attitude cost her €199.99

Silly mare was so embarrased with 6 people behind, she had no intention to buy one originally, she was just using it as an example. LOL

Some days customers can just be pure entertainment.

Brilliant. There is a God. Make that man a manager.

Sometimes rudeness in shops pisses me off, but then again I look at what the general shop assistant has to put up with from the great unwashed in this city and I can't say I blame them.

I was in a queue in Centra in Camden St. a few weeks ago, and the guy in front was wearing a builders hard hat and spoke with a northern accent.

He asked the Chinese guy at the counter for an AA battery and the guy proffered him the usual Duracel pack of 4. "No, no I only want one" and the Chinese guy started to explain that he couldn't split the pack. Mr.Builder storms out of the place like he's just been told he's been fired and had the greatest ill of the world put on his shoulders.

I asks ya.

Stench Blossoms

Fastface wrote:

Same shop, different branch - it's still the same company.

If I want to return something to Dunnes, I'll do it in any branch.

But they dont have to take it back if theres nothing wrong with it.

Larianne

Well its slightly different because its Travel Retail so prices are different/barcodes different etc to those bought in the high street.

Hey that's what Im told, we can't take anything back that wasn't bought in the store.

Stench Blossoms

Fastface wrote:

I'm aware of that, BUT that's not what she's saying - she WAS going to take it back until she realised it was bought in a different branch, which shoud be irrelevant.
I know she doesn't HAVE TO take it back if it's not faulty, but the fact remains that she was going to! Therefore, your point is null and not up for discussuion.

Well i used to work on the customer service desk in Dunnes and we had a "sale department" and items purchased in there could only be returned to our particular Dunnes store because other stores didn't stock them items.

Betsy79

i know that feeling! i'm working in dublin airport and we have a sign, that luggage trolleys are not allowed in the restaurant area cause of fire regulations and you won't believe the amount of arguments i had with customers about that!!
they are just so lucky that i never ring airport police! the abuse i have to put up with sometimes is just unreal! i try not to loose my temper but it is very hard!

customer always think that they in the right and they sometimes make you feel like you don't know how to do your job!

ages ago i had some 50 year old woman calling me a bitch and she told me i should go back to my own country!!! sorry it was: "****ing bitch go back to your own country!" i wasn't impressed bout that to be honest!!!:mad: :mad:

dimerocks

I work in a video store and they are rarely right. I have gotten so muhc abuse over the last while. And its always the same type of people who throw the abuse bucket at you. Facking mother with their children and there Land Rovers!!