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You're trying to charge for a service? Get me a manager!

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  • You're trying to charge for a service? Get me a manager!

    This happened about a week ago.

    A man and is friend come to my line with a flatbed with a few items on it. Nothing major, about three long boxes.

    Here we go.

    SC: I'm going to be needing delivery.
    Me: Ok, no problem The delivery is $59, are you inside Toronto?
    SC: $59? Are you serious?
    Me: Yes sir.
    SC: Get me a manager!

    Well, that was fast.
    Me: Sure, no problem. But just so I know what to tell them when I call, what exactly is the problem?
    SC: I don't believe that if I'm paying over $500 I should be charged for delivery.
    Me: I see. Well our delivery charge is standard no matter how much you spend.
    SC: So you're telling me it's justified?
    Me: Well yes. We have to pay the delivery company who has to pay their employees and buy gas for the trucks. We don't deliver the items ourselves; it's a separate company we hire.
    SC: I don't care. It's not justified. Just get me a manager.

    So I call for a MOD who is busy, ask to have another manager paged for me, call a bunch of times and eventually a manager comes by.
    And thank goodness, it's one of the awesome ones who sticks to the rules!

    Manager: What's the problem, sir?
    SC: I'm not paying your delivery charge. It's outrageous.
    Manager: I'm sorry you feel that way sir, but our delivery charge is what it is and I can't change that.
    SC: So you think it's fair that if I spend $500 I should have to pay another $60 to have it brought to my house?
    Manager: Yes sir.
    SC: Why?
    Manager: Because our delivery company does not offer their services for free.
    SC: Either you waive the delivery charge or you're losing my business.
    Manager: Whatever you feel is best sir, but our delivery charge is what it is and unless there is a special circumstance we do not change it. We especially don't waive it.

    Now I should mention that this SC was speaking in a way that made it very obvious he wanted my manager to come right out and say, "I don't want your money/business." Thankfully the manager was having none of his shenanigans.

    SC: Now, what are you going to do for me?
    Manager: I've explained the situation many times. The choice is yours.
    SC: Are you saying you don't want my business?
    Manager: *repeats himself*
    SC: But are you saying you don't want my business?
    Manager: *repeats himself again*
    SC: You already said that, I want an answer.
    Manager: That is my answer. It's your choice and I'm telling you I'm not going to waive the fee.
    SC: I have a lot of friends and if you don't give me my delivery for free I will tell them all never to shop here.

    Right here I literally burst out laughing and had to walk away long enough to compose myself. No way did I want to miss the rest of this hilarious facade.

    SC: I want another manager.

    In a few minutes the MOD comes along and the whole broken record process starts again.
    Overall he never got his free delivery from anyone.
    All the managers held firm to the rules and he walked away empty handed.

    I was so pleased.

  • #2
    No, wait...managers with backbones, who stand up to the SC's? Is that allowed???
    We have enough youth. How about a "Fountain of Smart"?

    Comment


    • #3
      I'm telling ya, people like that should not be allowed out of their house unsupervised.
      Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

      Comment


      • #4
        SC: Now, what are you going to do for me?
        Manager: I've explained the situation many times. The choice is yours.
        SC: Are you saying you don't want my business?
        Manager: *repeats himself*
        SC: But are you saying you don't want my business?
        Manager: *repeats himself again*
        SC: You already said that, I want an answer
        If I were the manager, I think I would've just come out and said "No, we don't want your business if you're going to try and strong-arm us into giving you free delivery. We're not going to stiff our delivery company just so you can snag a bargain."

        And then I would've hung up.
        Knowledge is power. Power corrupts. Study hard. Be evil.

        "I never said I wasn't a horrible person."--Me, almost daily

        Comment


        • #5
          Does your store have a "corporate" he can go whine to about not getting free delivery? If so, watch out, he may yet get what he DOESN'T deserve.

          If not, awesome job stonewalling him.

          Comment


          • #6
            Quoth Rappunzill View Post
            No, wait...managers with backbones, who stand up to the SC's? Is that allowed???
            Must be a parallel universe......no, wait, the customer still sucked. Those managers rock!
            I know nothing and I can prove it!

            Comment


            • #7
              Quoth Rappunzill View Post
              No, wait...managers with backbones, who stand up to the SC's? Is that allowed???
              Let's see...

              It makes sense....

              ...so it shouldn't be allowed. And yet it is.

              Looks like the apocalypse is indeed upon us.

              If you have to ask, it's probably better posted at www.fratching.com

              Comment


              • #8
                Quoth rerant View Post
                SC: I have a lot of friends and if you don't give me my delivery for free I will tell them all never to shop here.
                That's exactly the problem, cocktard- you have lots of friends, and if we give you free delivery just because you whined like a child, every one of those bastards will crawl out of the wood work and expect us to do the same thing. Fuck you for shopping here, have a great day!
                "This is the first time I've seen you look ugly, and that makes me happy!"

                Comment


                • #9
                  Quoth rerant View Post
                  Right here I literally burst out laughing and had to walk away long enough to compose myself. No way did I want to miss the rest of this hilarious facade.
                  When I was new at my job I would do this. Customers would say the most over-the-top things, make ridiculous threats, lose all common sense, etc., and the novelty of having seemingly-intelligent human beings lose all dignity and reason (for situations that were invariably their own fault) was simply the funniest thing I had ever experienced in my young life. Giddy, tears-in-your-eyes, happy endorphin-making belly laughs. I could coast on one of those highs for hours.

                  Of course, by the time I got promoted to management the pragmatic impulse to solve customer "issues" with the least fuss (and the least chance of pissing off head office) unfortunately overrode the immediate justice impulse to punish people who behave boorishly. So, no more laughing, sadly. For this I was richly rewarded with inadequate pay, severe work stress, nightmares, poor self esteem, and what eventually turned into a frighteningly intense rage reaction in any situation where I would see people try to take advantage of a power imbalance. It's hard to explain, but it has taken me years to get over that daily feeling of not being able to stand up for myself when I knew I was right. I believe that feeling is universal in all human beings, yet customer service people are expected to easily set it aside in order to comply with corporate policy.

                  /rant (yeesh, that touched a sore spot! )

                  But man, seeing an abusive customer's reaction when you LAUGH IN THEIR FACE--it's just priceless. I treasure those memories always.
                  But I don't need a vagina. I have a pony.
                  -Gravekeeper

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Notice how much valuable time this jerk took?

                    When I was a washer & dryer serviceman (in a town with many laid off factory workers), I constantly "had" to listen to SC's trying to negotiate their bill after I did the work.

                    I didn't mind hearing their bull Sh** But having to listen to it for 20 minutes when I had other customers waiting, was ridiculous.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Wise manager

                      Quoth rerant View Post
                      This happened about a week ago.

                      Manager: What's the problem, sir?
                      SC: I'm not paying your delivery charge. It's outrageous.
                      Manager: I'm sorry you feel that way sir, but our delivery charge is what it is and I can't change that.
                      SC: So you think it's fair that if I spend $500 I should have to pay another $60 to have it brought to my house?
                      Manager: Yes sir.
                      SC: Why?
                      Manager: Because our delivery company does not offer their services for free.
                      SC: Either you waive the delivery charge or you're losing my business.
                      Manager: Whatever you feel is best sir, but our delivery charge is what it is and unless there is a special circumstance we do not change it. We especially don't waive it.

                      Now I should mention that this SC was speaking in a way that made it very obvious he wanted my manager to come right out and say, "I don't want your money/business." Thankfully the manager was having none of his shenanigans.

                      SC: Now, what are you going to do for me?
                      Manager: I've explained the situation many times. The choice is yours.
                      SC: Are you saying you don't want my business?
                      Manager: *repeats himself*
                      SC: But are you saying you don't want my business?
                      Manager: *repeats himself again*
                      SC: You already said that, I want an answer.
                      I think the manager was just being smart.

                      This customer was not just looking for free delivery.

                      He was trying to force the manager to say something that he could take to head office and then demand all sorts of freebies. Think of what position the manager would be in if he stated he did not want someone's business? Guess how that will look on his company record.

                      This was an attempted con-job that failed because the manager stated he would follow company policy, imagine taking that as a complaint to head office, you may get something but the manger can't get a black mark that will stick because he follows policy.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        I had an SC one time, may have been over the phone, can't remember, that wanted a "Quote" on an item. I told him I couldn't give him a "quote", (only people in the corresponding department are allowed to do that) but I could look the current price up.

                        I looked it up in the POS, and said "the current price is $x.xx."

                        SC says, "That sounds like a quote to me." *That may be so, dickweed, but I don't want you coming in in a couple of months when the price has gone up to $y.xx, and say "JustaCashier 'quoted' me $x.xx!'"*

                        I stated, "well, I can't call it a 'quote', but it is the current price."

                        We went back and forth like that a bit, until he finally realized he wasn't going to break me.

                        So, rerant, did your business drop off significantly the next day what with all of his "friends" not shopping there anymore?

                        Mike
                        Meow.........

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Quoth Rappunzill View Post
                          No, wait...managers with backbones, who stand up to the SC's? Is that allowed???
                          In very special circumstances is it allowed. I still haven't seen such an occasion myself, but I have heard the random story.
                          Unseen but seeing
                          oh dear, now they're masquerading as sane-KiaKat
                          There isn't enough interpretive dance in the workplace these days-Irv
                          3rd shift needs love, too
                          RIP, mo bhrionglóid

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            I get this ALL the time. People demanding free delivery and whatnot.

                            I love being a manager in those situations. People will get extremely irate and demand that I give them free delivery. I have a few carefully crafted answers, depending on the reason the customer gives to try to justify why we should give them free delivery.

                            I think this should be added to my company manifesto. I teach it to my employees. :-)

                            Reason: "All the other stores are giving free delivery!"
                            Response: "They price load. Delivery costs them a hundred, they charge you two hundred more and make you think you're getting a good deal because they deliver it for "free."

                            They don't appreciate that level of honesty. People will spend so much more to get something free and it's an insult to them when you call them out on it.

                            Reason: "I'm spending XXX.XX amount of dollars. I should get free delivery."
                            Response: "Yes, you got alot of large pieces. That's why we charge for delivery, it's alot of work to bring them out there and set them up!"

                            Reason: "You're going to lose my business because you're not going to waive the delivery fee?"
                            Response: "You're going to miss out on this great deal because you won't pay the delivery fee?"

                            That shuts them up. You can actually smell the burning neurons as whatever processes in their brain taking place come to a screeching halt.

                            Reason: "If you won't, then I'll just have to take my business elsewhere."
                            Response: "Well, sir, that's your choice. It's a free market society and you're more than welcome to find someone else who can fit your needs if I can't. May I sugguest (names off two or three stores in the are)

                            I should note that it's also my standard response to any reason a customer brings that up, not just delivery.

                            Reason: "You folks need to do business better. You're going to go out of business because of this."
                            Response: "We have two hundres stores nationwide and just opened a new one last week. Our stock just split and we've been around for 35 years."

                            Oh, what's that? You don't like being told you aren't nearly as important as you think you are? The sound of your mental anguish as your world collapses around you is music to my ears.

                            And honorable mention:

                            Reason: "I have alot of friends and I will personally never tell them to shop here."
                            Response: "Please do. If they behave like you do then it would be doing us a favor."

                            They don't like hearing that. And one time I even called them out on exactly what goes through my mind when someone says that. I had dealt with this woman for four months:

                            Me: There was nothing wrong with what we did. We told you the piece was going to take four months to make, and you've called back every week for the past three months and threatened me to get the piece out to you. Frankly, ma'am, I don't appreciate it when you call me and speak to me in that tone or come in and harass my associate.
                            SC: Well what are you going to do for me to make this right?
                            Me: Nothing. We're sticking to our policy and will deliver the piece in three days when it comes in.
                            SC: That's not good enough. Let me tell you something. I have alot of friends that need furniture and I was recommending them to you. But I won't do it now unless you do something worth my while.
                            Me: Okay, ma'am? Let's both save some time and let me tell you right now that your line of reasoning does not matter because I know it's a lie.
                            SC: ...what?
                            Me: You've come in several times and told us that you were having a horrible experience and were telling everyone who would listen to not shop here. Now, even if I did do this for you, which I can't, your attitude towards me the last four months gives me every reason to believe that you never have recommended us and even if we bend over backwards for you you would STILL never recommend us, or you would tell all your friends to come in because you could strongarm us into bending to whatever you want. This business does not operate that way. We will be delivering the piece on Sunday like you requested.

                            Silence for about five seconds, then she hung up. Never did hear another word from her.
                            "Time shall help me face my painful memories with indifference, and with more of it, I won't feel the need to face them at all..."

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Quoth Kusanagi View Post

                              Reason: "I have alot of friends and I will personally never tell them to shop here."
                              Response: "Please do. If they behave like you do then it would be doing us a favor."
                              You are my new hero
                              Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

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