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So, one of the perks of working for a small independent business is that you don't have a huge company policy regarding customer service and the SC's have no customer services/complaints department they can call when they don't get their own way. Also the only person we answer to is the business owner, who is awkward at best and positively evil at worst. And mostly he will stick up for us against the SC's. Here are a few examples (sorry its a bit long, I will try and keep them a bit shorter where possible).
1. Lady comes into the store after having her watch battery changed by us the previous week. We always tell our customers that we do not tank test watches and therefore the water-resistance is not guaranteed once the battery has been changed. She comes storming in and shouts at us that she has worn her watch in the shower and it has filled up with water! We explained about the water resistance again and offered to have the watch and dry it out for her but that wasn't good enough, she starts with the personal insults ("did you even go to school?" "I'm surprised YOU even managed to get a job" etc). She then stands in the middle of our shop and refuses to leave until the boss calls her. I ring him, give him her mobile phone number and he calls her instantly, while she is still in the shop. The conversation goes like this:
SC: Hello, I want to complain about your staff, they are useless and rude and THEY have ruined my watch.
Boss: Well who's the f***ing numpty that wore their watch in the shower?
SC: How DARE you speak to me like that?? I am a customer!!
Boss: I'll speak to you how I want. get out of my shop.
SC goes to leave then turns to us and says "you haven't heard the last of this. You don't know who my husband is!"
We stand there and wave her out the door. She never came back. We still don't know who her husband is.
2. A man comes in with an expensive watch that needs a battery. I explain the water resistance thing to him and he says it's fine, it doesn't go anywhere near water. I tell him I can do it no problem but he will need to leave it with me an hour or so as it is quite a fiddly job and also we are quite busy with customers etc. The guy instantly turns into an SC, looks me up and down pausing at my chest area as if to be sure I am a woman whilst looking absolutely horrified (for some reason we find that the older generation struggle to come to terms with women working in the jewellery industry) then laughs. The conversation that followed:
SC: YOU will not be able to do this watch. I have tried to do it and I can't so there is no way on earth that YOU will be able to do it (still laughing)
Me: I have worked on these watches before sir and I can assure you i will be able to do it.
SC. No you wont you will have to send it away.
Me: Sir, I can do it here.
SC: NO YOU CAN'T!
Me: Ok fine, if you would prefer I can send it to our watch makers but it will be considerably more expensive and it will be away for a couple of weeks.
SC: Very well you can do it here then.
Me: No I can't.
SC: But you said you could.
Me: Yes and you doubted my ability so now I am not prepared to do it.
SC grabs watch and storms out of the shop, and throws in a "well f**k you then" and the top of his lungs for good measure.
I know it seems petty but sometimes getting small victories over SCs really brightens up my day.
Hope I haven't bored you all too much, I will post more soon
1. Lady comes into the store after having her watch battery changed by us the previous week. We always tell our customers that we do not tank test watches and therefore the water-resistance is not guaranteed once the battery has been changed. She comes storming in and shouts at us that she has worn her watch in the shower and it has filled up with water! We explained about the water resistance again and offered to have the watch and dry it out for her but that wasn't good enough, she starts with the personal insults ("did you even go to school?" "I'm surprised YOU even managed to get a job" etc). She then stands in the middle of our shop and refuses to leave until the boss calls her. I ring him, give him her mobile phone number and he calls her instantly, while she is still in the shop. The conversation goes like this:
SC: Hello, I want to complain about your staff, they are useless and rude and THEY have ruined my watch.
Boss: Well who's the f***ing numpty that wore their watch in the shower?
SC: How DARE you speak to me like that?? I am a customer!!
Boss: I'll speak to you how I want. get out of my shop.
SC goes to leave then turns to us and says "you haven't heard the last of this. You don't know who my husband is!"
We stand there and wave her out the door. She never came back. We still don't know who her husband is.
2. A man comes in with an expensive watch that needs a battery. I explain the water resistance thing to him and he says it's fine, it doesn't go anywhere near water. I tell him I can do it no problem but he will need to leave it with me an hour or so as it is quite a fiddly job and also we are quite busy with customers etc. The guy instantly turns into an SC, looks me up and down pausing at my chest area as if to be sure I am a woman whilst looking absolutely horrified (for some reason we find that the older generation struggle to come to terms with women working in the jewellery industry) then laughs. The conversation that followed:
SC: YOU will not be able to do this watch. I have tried to do it and I can't so there is no way on earth that YOU will be able to do it (still laughing)
Me: I have worked on these watches before sir and I can assure you i will be able to do it.
SC. No you wont you will have to send it away.
Me: Sir, I can do it here.
SC: NO YOU CAN'T!
Me: Ok fine, if you would prefer I can send it to our watch makers but it will be considerably more expensive and it will be away for a couple of weeks.
SC: Very well you can do it here then.
Me: No I can't.
SC: But you said you could.
Me: Yes and you doubted my ability so now I am not prepared to do it.
SC grabs watch and storms out of the shop, and throws in a "well f**k you then" and the top of his lungs for good measure.
I know it seems petty but sometimes getting small victories over SCs really brightens up my day.
Hope I haven't bored you all too much, I will post more soon
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