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Rewind a few months ago - this woman had her 9 year old computer in that needed windows reinstalling. After the job is finished and she gets the $60 bill, she claims she shouldn't have to pay it. The only reason she brought it in for us to do is because the windows disk it came with was scratched when she got it (it was VERY scratched, like it had been used as a skateboard). No it wasn't like that when you got it 9 years ago, and even if it was, your warranty ran out 6 years ago. Accuses me of calling her a liar! Then she says - "I called and spoke to a manager who said that you would do the job for free" - but couldn't give the name of the manager. Turned into a big argument, she eventually paid up and collected it, but only after I was about to pick up the phone to call security to have her removed because of all the obscenities she was shouting.
Yesterday I'm relieving on the register. We have had the flu go through, so we are down to only 2 trained cashiers - one regular cashier, plus myself. The regular cashier went on her lunch break, leaving just me. For no apparent reason it suddenly becomes a peak time, the line is getting longer, and I don't have any staff left able to cashier. Who comes through but the abovementioned lady. She picks now to continue the argument.
SC: "Remember Me"
Me: "Yes"
SC: "I checked my notes at home, it was [M] who said it would be free"
Me: "Well you told me it was the store manager - [M] isn't a manager, he is the technician who did the job and set the charge"
SC: "I know, and it was him who was standing there and told you he didn't say it would free, so he lied to me about it"
Me: "As far as I'm concerned, if [M] says he didn't tell you that, then he didn't say that. The only possible reason he would say a job like that would be free would be if he was given wrong information in the first place. "
SC: "Are you calling me a liar?"
Me: "No, you have accused a staff member of lieing. He has a proven track record and gives me no reason whatsoever to doubt his integrity, now excuse me but I am very busy, and need to continue serving customers, so please move on"
SC: "Well I've reported it to your head office, so we'll see what they say."
Me: "Next please"
SC: "I'm not finished yet, I have these to pay" and plonks down a payment book for a finance plan, that we act as an agent for. These things are a pain to process, the line is getting longer, but there's nothing else to do but process them. Now it is one of the rules of this finance company that when payments are made at 3rd party collection points, that the payment must be rounded UP to the next 5c. I don't know why the rule exists, it just does, and has done since the day dot. Our register system knows this rule, and enforces it.
Me: "Ok, that will be $xx.50 thanks"
SC: "no, it's $xx.48"
Me: "FC[finance company] have a rule that 3rd party payments must be rounded up to the next 5 cents"
SC: "No they don't, I have always paid odd cent amounts"
Me: "They accept odd cents when you pay direct, but if it is paid at an agent it must be in round figures."
SC: "Well what happens to all the extra money that I pay" FFS - it is 2 cents, multiplied by 8 payments is a whopping 16 cents extra over the course of 2 years.
Me: "As far as I know FC deducts it from the final payment, but I'm not 100% sure how it works, because they are a separate company, you would have to confirm with them"
SC: "Well give it to me in writing that it will be deducted from the last payment"
Me: "No I'm not going to do that, you will have to take it up with FC."
SC: "Are we going to argue about this now too - give it to me in writing that they deduct the cents from the last payment"
Me: "No, I am just following the rules that we have to follow - and that is that 3rd party payments must be rounded up to the next 5c. That is what our computer system requires. As to what happens with those couple of cents, you will need to talk to FC. Our system forces the amount to comply with their rules, and I can't change it"
SC: "Last time I paid the odd cents here", and proceeds to show me the payment slip - the payment has been done at xx.50 but the EFTPOS slip has gone through for xx.48. This is not easy to do - because normally the eftpos machine takes it's cues from the register - you have to disconnect the eftpos machine, tell the register that you have done a manual eftpos transaction for the full amount, and manually put the transaction through the eftpos machine for the wrong amount. Not something the cashier who processed the previous payment would know how to do. "I went through this argument last time I was here, and a manager overruled it when I complained to head office. So do I have to call head office again or are you going to put it through"
By now the line is getting very long, the customers are getting agitated, so I tell her that ok I will do it, but it requires a manual override which is time consuming so could she please wait until I have put through the customers that are waiting.
SC: "No, it is my turn, you will put me through now."
She is obviously going nowhere, so I start the routine, the line is getting longer, I'm hearing complaints down the line, so am processing as fast as possible. While I am doing this, SC is complaining about how long it is taking, complaining that I am trying to rip her off. Finally get it done, hand her her receipt, and call the next customer.
SC: "I'm not done yet"
FFS What now?
SC: "Last time I paid, [FC] contacted me and told me that the payment was late, but I paid it on the due date."
Me: "That would be because we had to do a manual override. Normally we pay them automatically by electronic payment, but because we had to do a manual override on the eftpos, our system won't automatically submit payment. It needs to be manually verified before payment can be submitted."
SC: "Well that's not good enough, because I'll get late fees if I have any more late payments, so you have submit the payment to them now, or reimburse me for my costs"
Me: "If you were prepared to pay the correct amount, then payment would be automatic. This sort of thing is out of my control, you need to talk to [FC] and discuss your contract with them. I can't do anything more for you. Next Please"
SC started saying something but I totally ignored her and commenced the next customer. Her parting words were "I'm calling head office and putting another complaint against you, I'll get you fired yet you *bleep*."
Once the line died down I called the store manager and told him the details. Turns out he was the one who dealt with her the previous time (pretty much same circumstances - holding everything up in a busy time), and has had several other run-ins with her where she'll start yelling and screaming in the store. He is going to write her a letter banning her from the store, and said he'll take out a court order if necessary because of the trouble she causes every time she walks through the doors. One of our staff members said when he was working for a competitor, that they took a restraining order against her because of the trouble she caused them.
Yesterday I'm relieving on the register. We have had the flu go through, so we are down to only 2 trained cashiers - one regular cashier, plus myself. The regular cashier went on her lunch break, leaving just me. For no apparent reason it suddenly becomes a peak time, the line is getting longer, and I don't have any staff left able to cashier. Who comes through but the abovementioned lady. She picks now to continue the argument.
SC: "Remember Me"
Me: "Yes"
SC: "I checked my notes at home, it was [M] who said it would be free"
Me: "Well you told me it was the store manager - [M] isn't a manager, he is the technician who did the job and set the charge"
SC: "I know, and it was him who was standing there and told you he didn't say it would free, so he lied to me about it"
Me: "As far as I'm concerned, if [M] says he didn't tell you that, then he didn't say that. The only possible reason he would say a job like that would be free would be if he was given wrong information in the first place. "
SC: "Are you calling me a liar?"
Me: "No, you have accused a staff member of lieing. He has a proven track record and gives me no reason whatsoever to doubt his integrity, now excuse me but I am very busy, and need to continue serving customers, so please move on"
SC: "Well I've reported it to your head office, so we'll see what they say."
Me: "Next please"
SC: "I'm not finished yet, I have these to pay" and plonks down a payment book for a finance plan, that we act as an agent for. These things are a pain to process, the line is getting longer, but there's nothing else to do but process them. Now it is one of the rules of this finance company that when payments are made at 3rd party collection points, that the payment must be rounded UP to the next 5c. I don't know why the rule exists, it just does, and has done since the day dot. Our register system knows this rule, and enforces it.
Me: "Ok, that will be $xx.50 thanks"
SC: "no, it's $xx.48"
Me: "FC[finance company] have a rule that 3rd party payments must be rounded up to the next 5 cents"
SC: "No they don't, I have always paid odd cent amounts"
Me: "They accept odd cents when you pay direct, but if it is paid at an agent it must be in round figures."
SC: "Well what happens to all the extra money that I pay" FFS - it is 2 cents, multiplied by 8 payments is a whopping 16 cents extra over the course of 2 years.
Me: "As far as I know FC deducts it from the final payment, but I'm not 100% sure how it works, because they are a separate company, you would have to confirm with them"
SC: "Well give it to me in writing that it will be deducted from the last payment"
Me: "No I'm not going to do that, you will have to take it up with FC."
SC: "Are we going to argue about this now too - give it to me in writing that they deduct the cents from the last payment"
Me: "No, I am just following the rules that we have to follow - and that is that 3rd party payments must be rounded up to the next 5c. That is what our computer system requires. As to what happens with those couple of cents, you will need to talk to FC. Our system forces the amount to comply with their rules, and I can't change it"
SC: "Last time I paid the odd cents here", and proceeds to show me the payment slip - the payment has been done at xx.50 but the EFTPOS slip has gone through for xx.48. This is not easy to do - because normally the eftpos machine takes it's cues from the register - you have to disconnect the eftpos machine, tell the register that you have done a manual eftpos transaction for the full amount, and manually put the transaction through the eftpos machine for the wrong amount. Not something the cashier who processed the previous payment would know how to do. "I went through this argument last time I was here, and a manager overruled it when I complained to head office. So do I have to call head office again or are you going to put it through"
By now the line is getting very long, the customers are getting agitated, so I tell her that ok I will do it, but it requires a manual override which is time consuming so could she please wait until I have put through the customers that are waiting.
SC: "No, it is my turn, you will put me through now."
She is obviously going nowhere, so I start the routine, the line is getting longer, I'm hearing complaints down the line, so am processing as fast as possible. While I am doing this, SC is complaining about how long it is taking, complaining that I am trying to rip her off. Finally get it done, hand her her receipt, and call the next customer.
SC: "I'm not done yet"
FFS What now?
SC: "Last time I paid, [FC] contacted me and told me that the payment was late, but I paid it on the due date."
Me: "That would be because we had to do a manual override. Normally we pay them automatically by electronic payment, but because we had to do a manual override on the eftpos, our system won't automatically submit payment. It needs to be manually verified before payment can be submitted."
SC: "Well that's not good enough, because I'll get late fees if I have any more late payments, so you have submit the payment to them now, or reimburse me for my costs"
Me: "If you were prepared to pay the correct amount, then payment would be automatic. This sort of thing is out of my control, you need to talk to [FC] and discuss your contract with them. I can't do anything more for you. Next Please"
SC started saying something but I totally ignored her and commenced the next customer. Her parting words were "I'm calling head office and putting another complaint against you, I'll get you fired yet you *bleep*."
Once the line died down I called the store manager and told him the details. Turns out he was the one who dealt with her the previous time (pretty much same circumstances - holding everything up in a busy time), and has had several other run-ins with her where she'll start yelling and screaming in the store. He is going to write her a letter banning her from the store, and said he'll take out a court order if necessary because of the trouble she causes every time she walks through the doors. One of our staff members said when he was working for a competitor, that they took a restraining order against her because of the trouble she caused them.
Damnit dips, rule number one, broken. 
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