I work in a clothing/home decor concession shop set within a very large store.
My supervisor was dealing with a woman who had bought back a pair of 'faulty' slippers. I had just finished serving another customer when the lady came up, so I heard it all. She'd bought the slippers from another store back in April and claimed that she'd never worn them until a couple of weeks ago and noticed that the sole on one of them had come away from the top of the shoe.
LOL. Never been worn until two weeks ago. Yeah. Right. The slippers had obviously been worn every day, since April. They were covered in grime, the bottom of the shoes had worn smooth and were dirty, the material in places was SHINY and dark grey and they were all mishapen. And she wanted to exhange them for a brand new pair. NO. My supervisor was polite all the way through but the woman got right up into her face and kept saying how she was a loyal customer and that she never got this angry but now she was furious, that ANY other store would exchange the slippers (she kept going on about Shoe Zone. I know for a fact that Shoe Zone wouldn't do it either!) because other shops know how to treat their customers. It was bad service this, bad service that. And then she said that because she'd only been wearing them since April, that slippers should NOT wear down this much. Um... I thought you said you'd only started wearing them a couple of weeks ago?
My supervisor was squeezing apologies out left right and centre but the customer wasn't having any of it. She wanted to complain, so my supervisor got a complaint form out of the office. And this is the bit that knocked me for six.
She started yelling at me about the slippers, so I just apologised to her and smiled. She then said this to me:
"You're just a number. The people at head office are better than you, make more money than you and if they want you gone they just click their fingers. You're disposable."
I told her to please not talk to me like that and she repeated it, saying I was a number who didn't matter. She kept going on and on and on about how those above me were more important than I was.
WHY would you say that?! I tried to be nice. I apologised to you. And you talk to me like that! I ended up walking away and she shouted after me "Don't walk away from me!"
I learned later from my other co-worker who was standing around that she went up to her and told her I was rude for walking away. Yeah, because walking away from an abusive customer is rude. Also, look in the bloody mirror and then decide who's rude. And then my co-worker told me that she said that SHE was also a number, even though she wasn't involved AT ALL.
She got her complaint form in the end. Sadly, she wanted my name and my other co-worker who wasn't involved, as well as my supervisor's, so I've got a complaint coming. We have all agreed to back each other up though. Because at the end of the day, she was in the wrong, and I believe she got personal because she KNEW she was in the wrong.
Who in their right mind decides to get an exchange for a pair of slippers that have been worn for six months?! We had EVERY reason to not allow her the exchange.
My supervisor was dealing with a woman who had bought back a pair of 'faulty' slippers. I had just finished serving another customer when the lady came up, so I heard it all. She'd bought the slippers from another store back in April and claimed that she'd never worn them until a couple of weeks ago and noticed that the sole on one of them had come away from the top of the shoe.
LOL. Never been worn until two weeks ago. Yeah. Right. The slippers had obviously been worn every day, since April. They were covered in grime, the bottom of the shoes had worn smooth and were dirty, the material in places was SHINY and dark grey and they were all mishapen. And she wanted to exhange them for a brand new pair. NO. My supervisor was polite all the way through but the woman got right up into her face and kept saying how she was a loyal customer and that she never got this angry but now she was furious, that ANY other store would exchange the slippers (she kept going on about Shoe Zone. I know for a fact that Shoe Zone wouldn't do it either!) because other shops know how to treat their customers. It was bad service this, bad service that. And then she said that because she'd only been wearing them since April, that slippers should NOT wear down this much. Um... I thought you said you'd only started wearing them a couple of weeks ago?
My supervisor was squeezing apologies out left right and centre but the customer wasn't having any of it. She wanted to complain, so my supervisor got a complaint form out of the office. And this is the bit that knocked me for six.
She started yelling at me about the slippers, so I just apologised to her and smiled. She then said this to me:
"You're just a number. The people at head office are better than you, make more money than you and if they want you gone they just click their fingers. You're disposable."
I told her to please not talk to me like that and she repeated it, saying I was a number who didn't matter. She kept going on and on and on about how those above me were more important than I was.
WHY would you say that?! I tried to be nice. I apologised to you. And you talk to me like that! I ended up walking away and she shouted after me "Don't walk away from me!"
I learned later from my other co-worker who was standing around that she went up to her and told her I was rude for walking away. Yeah, because walking away from an abusive customer is rude. Also, look in the bloody mirror and then decide who's rude. And then my co-worker told me that she said that SHE was also a number, even though she wasn't involved AT ALL.
She got her complaint form in the end. Sadly, she wanted my name and my other co-worker who wasn't involved, as well as my supervisor's, so I've got a complaint coming. We have all agreed to back each other up though. Because at the end of the day, she was in the wrong, and I believe she got personal because she KNEW she was in the wrong.
Who in their right mind decides to get an exchange for a pair of slippers that have been worn for six months?! We had EVERY reason to not allow her the exchange.
Comment