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I've worked customer service jobs for most of the last ten years and I've spent nearly five of those in call centers. I've dealt with some bad customers, some REALLY bad customers. Rudeness does not faze me, neither does name calling. Newer reps are often amazed at how cool I can be while talking to a customer who is screaming, cussing and otherwise being a grade A douchebag. I've been to plenty of rodeos before. It takes a LOT to shock me....but last week it happened.
It started off normally. Guy had bought a phone a store, didn't like it and so he exchanged it. Now, a month later, he's still unhappy and wants to exchange it again. Oooh, sorry boss. Not possible. We've got a 14 day return period and even then we generally limit you to one exchange (we really try hard to make sure we get people to the right phone the FIRST time, exchanges do happen but I'd say in no more than 20 percent of cases).
So he starts screaming and shouting and huffing and raging because he can't change his phone. This is where I came in. I calm him down to a point and explain we do actually have a few options that will allow to change his phone. However, as soon as I mention the costs of those options he flies off the handle again, saying how dare we make him pay for a phone, he's on a limited income, blah blah blah. So we go around several times with me making it clear to him that he just can't get what he's looking for (a free exchange).
He's still furious but he starts alternating between raging and crying. We go around a few more times but he won't have it, then he starts in a long rant about all this crap going on in his life now he has problems with <red checkmark> on top of all that and he just wants a working phone etc, etc. I repeat I can get him a working phone, either by correcting any issue with the one he has or he can use of the previously mentioned replacement options.
Dude flies into a rage again (at this point my patience is getting dangerously low), still crying, still ranting and then breaks out with this: "I swear to god I'll kill myself if you don't give me what I want."
Wait....WHAT???
Then he said it again.
Oh no, oh HELL NO. I've dealt with suicidal people before and I've even been there myself. This is NOT something you say jokingly or as a threat or as a what the hell ever to try and get a manager to give you what you want.
He ended up saying it one more time before disconnecting. After that, I had to immediately call an internal security department and tell them exactly what had happened so they could send emergency services to this persons home.
This is a potentially HUGE liability issue, my company does NOT PLAY with stuff like that.
I swear this SC has some kind of unmedicated personality disorder or something. There was a part of him that definitely seemed unstable.
This is the first time since becoming a manager I've had to deal with something like this. I hope SC gets the help he needs.
It started off normally. Guy had bought a phone a store, didn't like it and so he exchanged it. Now, a month later, he's still unhappy and wants to exchange it again. Oooh, sorry boss. Not possible. We've got a 14 day return period and even then we generally limit you to one exchange (we really try hard to make sure we get people to the right phone the FIRST time, exchanges do happen but I'd say in no more than 20 percent of cases).
So he starts screaming and shouting and huffing and raging because he can't change his phone. This is where I came in. I calm him down to a point and explain we do actually have a few options that will allow to change his phone. However, as soon as I mention the costs of those options he flies off the handle again, saying how dare we make him pay for a phone, he's on a limited income, blah blah blah. So we go around several times with me making it clear to him that he just can't get what he's looking for (a free exchange).
He's still furious but he starts alternating between raging and crying. We go around a few more times but he won't have it, then he starts in a long rant about all this crap going on in his life now he has problems with <red checkmark> on top of all that and he just wants a working phone etc, etc. I repeat I can get him a working phone, either by correcting any issue with the one he has or he can use of the previously mentioned replacement options.
Dude flies into a rage again (at this point my patience is getting dangerously low), still crying, still ranting and then breaks out with this: "I swear to god I'll kill myself if you don't give me what I want."
Wait....WHAT???
Then he said it again.
Oh no, oh HELL NO. I've dealt with suicidal people before and I've even been there myself. This is NOT something you say jokingly or as a threat or as a what the hell ever to try and get a manager to give you what you want.
He ended up saying it one more time before disconnecting. After that, I had to immediately call an internal security department and tell them exactly what had happened so they could send emergency services to this persons home.
This is a potentially HUGE liability issue, my company does NOT PLAY with stuff like that.
I swear this SC has some kind of unmedicated personality disorder or something. There was a part of him that definitely seemed unstable.
This is the first time since becoming a manager I've had to deal with something like this. I hope SC gets the help he needs.
This sounds like someone trying to scam freebies.
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