If you would stop insulting my skills and LISTEN...

[Food Lady]

She didn't listen to the supervisor either. Our customers who lease our equipment have the benefit of not having to pay extra for service calls. Sometimes in error they get billed for that. This lady called about an invoice from last month which was already credited. But first she rambled on about the hold time--which was making it longer--and then something that the tech did that she didn't like. That's fine; I can listen to that story but then why complain about how much time this is taking? Anyway, I remember saying that the invoice had already been credited and I gave her the negative balance on the account which was not as much as the invoice had been. Before I could explain why she told me that was "not good enough". I tried to explain that there was still an open invoice from September 2016. It was another service invoice and I use that term. Okay the invoices say parts and labor but it means the exact same thing. This is where she got really upset. She said I was going in circles and didn't know what I was talking about because September should have nothing to do with February. She was calling on February darn it; let's stick to the issue. It was germane to the issue because that invoice reflecting open was not showing the correct credit on the account. I knew she couldn't see that but I could and I always let people know when I find things so that they don't become a problem later. She kept going on about how that was nothing to do with this and kept reading me the current invoice over and over again with the parts and labor charges, just going in circles herself while accusing me of going in circles. Meanwhile I was trying to get that corrected for her because she shouldn't have had to pay that old invoice. She wanted a supervisor. The supervisor sad on the phone and listen to her rant and finally got a word in edgewise to tell her six times that the invoice she was calling about could be tossed away. It had already been credited. Six times she had to tell her that. There is still a credit on the account and I'm not sure she knows about it because she doesn't listen; she just talks endlessly. After insulting my abilities to the supervisor, at the end of the call she said how nice I was. I don't care. I don't care if you think I'm nice as long as you don't insult my intelligence. I remember that she had said something about my theory of what happened being thrown out the window. She had said that two or three times. Meanwhile I don't know what she means by theory because I was looking at a ledger the entire time. There are no theories. Either the math works or it doesn't. I know she couldn't see our ledger but I can. Therefore she should have listened to what I was telling her. I can read numbers and do math. I also had copies of all of the invoices involved, including the credit memo which I offered to her because we don't usually send those out except by request. That seemed to make her angry too. I just don't need the rise in blood pressure. I don't know everything about accounting but I've been at this and in our systems for over a year. If someone doesn't understand what I'm saying they should politely ask me to explain it a different way instead of insulting me.

[MoonCat]

Sorry you had to go through that. That was somebody who lives for the drama and didn't want the conversation to end too soon, because then she wouldn't get to throw a tantrum and wail about how wronged she was.

[EricKei]

I think she was just going for the classic solution to all problems: For you to say "You're right." It need not be in any way *accurate*, she just wanted to hear it, in order to justify her persistence/rage boner. I'm glad you stuck to your guns, as, had you caved in, any discrepancy would than have landed squarely on YOUR shoulders.

[Food Lady]

I appreciate it, but me verbally agreeing with her--which of course I won't do because truth--would change nothing in the system. I have no power to create credits nor reverse them, only to move funds that are already there and in very specific situations. If I'd had any doubt about what I was seeing I'd have sent the ticket back with a request to audit the account. That's not really my job. These people think I'm supposed to sit there and research endlessly and then fix all their problems. I am not an acct. manager per se. I don't have time for that.

Now, later today I did do extensive research and fixing on one account and had to be granted the time to do so but I only did that because this lady had been trying to get it fixed for 3 months and kept chasing around $9,000 because of mistakes on our end. I figured she'd had enough and I was going to see it through. And she listened to me. It'll be fixed within 2 weeks now.

[Slave to the Phone]

I get people who won't listen to me all day long. At least twice a week I will say something like "OK, I can get your food stamps approved on an emergency basis for this month, but you need to do X (or Y and Z) to keep them going."

Queue total meltdown about not getting their food stamps right NOW!!!

Usually I can shut it down by quietly saying "It would be helpful if you actually listened to me." That usually makes them stop yelling and start listening to me.

Of course, I'm not really worried about losing a "customer", I just want to get the case correct. You might not be able to use that line.

[bainsidhe]

It sounds like customer just wanted to vent her frustrations and you were the lucky person that answered the phone. On the occasion when I get a customer that is complaining in circles after I've already answered/solved their issue, I admit that I want to mentally *shake* them and ask "What is it that you WAAAANNNNNTTT!".

[EricKei]

Like I said -- it need not be TRUE. Of course, you get screwed either way >_<