Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

The "I'm sorry for taking it out on You" Thread

Collapse
This topic is closed.
X
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #16
    There is also absolutely no excuse how some companies jerk us around ... companies to whom WE PAY MONEY. And, if you happen to be the CSR on the phone when the camel's back gets broken, I'm sorry ... and I'll say I'm sorry to you that it's not your fault.

    There's only so much garbage a customer, even a good customer, can take before they lose it.

    And, you want to talk about basic human decency? Think about how your respective companies treat some legitimate customers. If your management treats its customers like dirt, management puts you in the middle.
    Oh and that's the CSR's fault? Look, if the company is screwing the customer that's their problem not mine. And also, I work at a call center where customers will say oh but they told me i was supposed to get this price and there will be NOTHING noted that this person even gave them this price.

    BTW, some customers will not be jerked around if they wouldn't give the company a reason to jerk them around. You don't pay your bill on time and refuse to make any payments for 2 months, we will turn your service off. WE are not to blame for customers incompetence. Sure, there are those who were supposed to be credited and wasn't and stuff like and that;s fine by me. However, some of what these customers complain about is strictly stupid and pathetic. Like a customer getting mad over a lousy 30 cent raise and she will cancel her service if we keep raising her bill. Please, that's really dumb to be canceling the service because of a stupid raise.

    Prices raise ALL the time, that's life.

    Comment


    • #17
      I used to believe that it actually meant something when customers said, "I'm sorry for taking it out on you," or anything along those lines.

      Not anymore.

      I now firmly believe that the vast majority of the time that customers say that, they're only trying to make themselves feel better . . . or at least look better.


      I'm not saying that this is true of all customers, but I do believe it is true of most of them . . .

      The customer rips into you for matters that aren't your fault . . . And then, about halfway through his/her ranting, the customer begins to realize what a jerk he/she is being, and starts back-pedalling.

      But when the customer then apologizes, it isn't because the customer cares anything about you, or about making things right with you. They're only apologizing to try to ease their own guilty consciences.

      Either that, or the customers realize (again, about halfway through their ranting) that they might catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, and they apologize in the hopes that it will make you more willing to help them out.


      Also . . .

      In order for an apology to really be meaningful, it must be freely given and freely accepted. An apology means nothing if the person is forced to apologize . . . and it also means nothing if the recipient is forced to accept it.

      Simply put, the person you're apologizing to has to feel free to tell you to take your apology and shove it. If the person doesn't have the freedom to do that . . . If the person is pressured, coerced, or required to accept your apology, then the apology doesn't mean anything.

      And in the case of a customer apologizing to a CSR . . . Suppose that the CSR refused to accept the apology? What would happen then?

      Would the customer accept that? Or would the customer say, "Well, you're very rude!" and complain to the CSR's supervisor about it?

      CSRs do not have the freedom to refuse to accept customers' apologies. For this reason, I generally view it as meaningless when a customer apologizes to me for anything.


      Quoth CancelMyService View Post
      I just hate it when SCs use it as a way to be completely abusive and whiny, as if peppering in the occasional "I know it's not your fault" somehow makes it easier to hear how the company singled out the SC specifically for whatever tale of woe I get subjected to.
      I completely agree with this.

      I also hate it when customers say "I'm sorry, I know it's not your fault," and act as if that makes it all okay. As if saying "I'm sorry" totally erases all of the abuse they've just spewed in your direction.

      Guess what? It doesn't erase the abuse, and it doesn't make it all okay.

      And if I wasn't obligated to say, "That's okay," I probably wouldn't.


      Quoth marasbaras View Post
      And, if you happen to be the CSR on the phone when the camel's back gets broken, I'm sorry ... and I'll say I'm sorry to you that it's not your fault.

      There's only so much garbage a customer, even a good customer, can take before they lose it.
      I think it would be more accurate to say that there's only so much garbage that some customers can take before they lose it.

      I have never taken out my anger or frustration on a front-line CSR, no matter how badly I was treated by a company. I know plenty of other people who haven't, either.

      Please don't assume that just because you would blow up at a CSR at some point, that everybody would. It simply isn't true.


      Furthermore, marasbaras, you make it sound like a typical occurrence that customers who act like this have legitimate reasons to be angry.

      In my experience, the vast majority of the time that customers rail at CSRs in this manner, it's actually the customers who are at fault, not the company.

      Customers who don't pay their bills and get their service shut off, customers who are refused cash refunds because they don't have receipts, students who get ticked off because they waited until the last minute to get a book they needed and found the store was sold out of it, etc.

      These are, in my experience, more often the people who take out their anger on CSRs, not the people who have legitimate complaints.


      Quoth marasbaras View Post
      If your management treats its customers like dirt, management puts you in the middle.

      So it's all the management's fault, then?

      Does the customer not bear any guilt at all for taking out his/her anger on people who had nothing to do with the problems in question?

      If the company really is mistreating the customer, then, certainly, the management is at fault. And not only does the customer have reason to be angry at the management, but the CSR does as well, as the management left the CSR to bear the brunt of the customer's frustrations.

      But in my view, none of this mitigates the customer's responsibility. The customer was still at fault for taking out his/her anger on the front-line CSR. And for the customer to then say "I'm sorry" does not make it all okay.
      “Excuse me. Is this bracelet real jade?”
      “Ma’am, this is a thrift shop. The tag on the bracelet says $1.50. It comes with a matching mood ring. What do you think?”
      “I don’t know.”
      “Yes, it’s real.”

      Comment


      • #18
        80% of the time, I do mean it.
        Under The Moon Paranormal Research
        San Joaquin Valley Paranormal Research

        Comment


        • #19
          Quoth Anthony K. S. View Post
          I now firmly believe that the vast majority of the time that customers say that, they're only trying to make themselves feel better . . . or at least look better.


          I'm not saying that this is true of all customers, but I do believe it is true of most of them . . .

          The customer rips into you for matters that aren't your fault . . . And then, about halfway through his/her ranting, the customer begins to realize what a jerk he/she is being, and starts back-pedalling.

          But when the customer then apologizes, it isn't because the customer cares anything about you, or about making things right with you. They're only apologizing to try to ease their own guilty consciences.

          Either that, or the customers realize (again, about halfway through their ranting) that they might catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, and they apologize in the hopes that it will make you more willing to help them out.

          Oh man, this couldn't be more true. at least 90% of the people I get who say they were sorry for taking it out on me did so because even they realized what a douchebag they were being.

          Personally I don't get mad/upset/offended if someone with a legitimate beef with the company calls in firing from both barrels. It's the folks who are upset their service got cut off after not paying the bill for 3 months, or have a problem that's been going on for months that they're just now letting us know about, or the ones where you don't even know what the hell is going on because they just start screaming incoherently into the phone the moment you answer who can take their "I don't mean to take it out on you" and stick it sideways.
          "You know, there are times when it's a source of personal pride not to be human." - Hobbes

          Comment


          • #20
            I hear that kind of stuff a lot. When someone has service that is running late, they'll rant and rave and sometimes get abusive. Most of the time, I say nothing and let them finish. Then, I'll start to answer and they'll butt in with, "Oh, I know its not your fault but....rant, rant, rant, rabble, rabble, rabble...."
            "I'm still walking, so I'm sure that I can dance!" from Saint of Circumstance - Grateful Dead

            Comment


            • #21
              Maybe it is a means for the customer to justify being pissed. I mean, they usually need to bitch to someone, even after they are proven wrong and give up.

              And maybe it gives them ammo for later when they're relating the story to friends.

              "Oh my GOD! Our vacation to St Louis was HORRIBLE! First an earthquake happened, then there was a shooting in the street, and worst of all, Herbert found a BLACK HAIR in the bed at the hotel.. well.. i gave that desk clerk an earful let me tell you!!!"

              Comment


              • #22
                I usually get annoyed when they say something like that, but I try not to take it personally. There are however some people who for some reason like to make things personal, and then try to apologize later. I just ignore them then and let them walk away, hopefully feeling bad.
                We Pick Up the Pieces

                Comment


                • #23
                  Sorry I'm a little late to the dance...

                  Quoth marasbaras View Post
                  There is also absolutely no excuse how some companies jerk us around ... companies to whom WE PAY MONEY. And, if you happen to be the CSR on the phone when the camel's back gets broken, I'm sorry ... and I'll say I'm sorry to you that it's not your fault.

                  There's only so much garbage a customer, even a good customer, can take before they lose it.

                  And, you want to talk about basic human decency? Think about how your respective companies treat some legitimate customers. Some of the stories I've read here on CS would have me screaming at CSRs (the one that immediately comes to mind is where the call center manager would REMOVE people from the Do Not Call list because he claimed the CSR didn't work hard enough to sell ... and wanted them to call back).

                  If your management treats its customers like dirt, management puts you in the middle.
                  The "I'm sorry I'm taking this out on you" phrase has become one of those things that just doesn't hold water, but used merely as an excuse to abuse the rep for something that isn't his or her fault.

                  Let's be honest, despite what corporate America says, I'm not the company. I didn't make the policy. I didn't make the decision. They didn't invite me to the meeting. I simply work here, I'm trying to feed myself and provide for my relations. That's all. You as the customer need to understand that.

                  As someone who has held Rep, Senior and Rent a Sup positions, there isn't a good enough excuse for someone to call in and abuse the rep, no matter how much the customer is ticked or how greatly they've been wronged. Calm down, seperate your emotions from the facts. Don't call me when your angry. Settle down. Understand that we are trying to help. Chances are, we hate the company as much as you do, but for different reasons. The only reason we have the opinion we do, is because that's the opinion we're paid to have. It's not because we hate you personally. But if you want to make it personal, I will factor that into any decision I make. Those were my policies when I had the authority. It's that simple. I never tolerated as a Rep... and I don't tolerate it as a supervisor for myself or for the people under me. If you are a jerk, please understand I take great pride in nailing your hide to the wall. As always, the call is up to the customer. I just provide solutions. How the call goes was entirely up to the customer.

                  Comment

                  Working...
                  X