Is a pissed off customer always a sucky customer?

[Mr Slugger]

monkeymoose's thread got me into the idea of talking about something that I have kinda learned a little about since my time with CS. I mean we all have stories of customers that go "off", but there are times when we don't know all of the story. And do we sometimes create the "sucky customer" through our actions. (And by we I mean as a collective in our companies' actions)

I'd like to tell the tail of when yes I became a sucky customer. Back 2 years ago I had to buy a new fridge for my home because my old one gave short notice. Now my home has some small doorways and I wanted to get the biggest fridge for my buck that would get through the door way. Now a couple of years before an old laundry center was removed from my house and I kept the dimensions because honestly the thing was huge and I classified it as the biggest thing that would ever go through that doorway. So the thing measured about 32 inches wide by 38 inches deep. I went out looking for a fridge that was about 30 x 30. So I went to best buy to get one and found one that matched my stove and everything. I brought my tape measurer measure the fridge and everything. The fridge was going to be a little tight (30X31) if the fridge showed up with the doors on, but the sales person assured me the doors came unattached to the fridge for safety. So the fridge gets delivered the next day and the delivery guys immediate say to my wife we can't bring it in you only have a opening of 26 inches and we can't deliver it. So I talked to them and find out it's because of the screen door arm, and they don't take those off. So I was like fine I'll have my wife remove it. So she removes it and I get a call again. They still can't bring it in because according to them I've got a 30 inch opening and they'll scrape the doors on the doorway. That's when they tell me that the doors come installed and they don't take them off. So I give up and they tell me go to the store and get my money back. So I go to the store and they tell me that it's not in their system yet, come back tomorrow and it will be in the system. So I come back the next day still not in. So the third day I come in and it's still not in again. So I asked to speak with a manager because honestly I need a fridge and I can't wait any longer, my fridge was too close to death. So the manager agrees to let me pick out another fridge tells the person and the customer service desk and she calls over a sales person to help me, gives him a piece of paper. So me and the sales person leave to go pick out a fridge and the person at the service desks shouts out "make sure he picks out a fridge that will fit this time" for all to hear. At that point honestly something clicked inside. But I ignored it. The paper that the sales person was given contained the notes from the driver I guess cause he started looking for a fridge that would fit through a 26" opening which ended up being some 15.2 cubic foot fridge. Which I was not interested in. And finally convince him that I can take a 30 inch fridge easily. The key problem was the doors. I told him how I was told the door come off on the fridge but they obviously arrived on. He says that fridges with ice makers come with the doors on. So I'm like ok I pick out a fridge that will fit without a icemaker, and I ask him if he's sure that the fridge comes with the doors off. He states that he's not he's just covering while the appliance person is on break. Another thing clicked inside. So I wait 20 minutes for the guy to come back from break and find it to be the same guy that sold me the original fridge. He says he doesn't know either but he can call the warehouse to find out. Unfortunately by this time the warehouse was closed and I need to come back tomorrow when the warehouse is open. So at this point I've had it. I went back to the service desk and asked for the manager. And this is what I basically said....

I don't want a fridge from you guys I want my money back and I'm not fucking waiting another day. I picked out a fridge that would fit, the sales person said the doors came off the fridge on arrival. I got the run around from the delivery guys, for my refund, and now when I come to pick out another fridge I find out that obviously the employees you put in charge of selling appliances have no clue about anything they're selling, but everyone in that customer service line heard that I was the idiot because the clerk made sure to mention it to the salesperson.

And yes I was a little heated by this point. I was in that store for an hour and a half and got no where. No I didn't start screaming, I didn't demand extra compensation, etc. But I could see that the clerk thought I was just a moron that bought a fridge too big to fit into my house, and the manager could have possibly looked at me in the same way although I hope that maybe he got some information from our conversation. I mean this all could have been avoided if the clerk selling the fridges knew that no the doors don't come off. And yes I did control myself because of who I am and what I know, but honestly if a customer told me this story I couldn't blame them for being pissed.

But I've seen other instances. I mean stores with 20 registers across the front, but only two open and like 20 people in each line. Automated phone services that don't allow you to just hit 0 to get an operator. Or going grocery shopping and having absolutely no carriages in the store they're all littered in the parking lot. Now granted I don't think that everything is worth exploding over, but I can see little things leading to big things, especially if your already ticked to begin with.

I mean I just think now there's a difference between someone whose pissed off because they can't return a used saw and someone who is pissed off because he's having trouble returning a saw.

Your thoughts?

[marasbaras]

I think there's absolutely a difference between a legitimately angry customer and an SC.

You got the run around. 100%. They deserve your ire.

[Slytovhand]

I agree...

Especially because a) I've worked with people who either don't know what they're doing, or don't care enough to do the job right the first (or 2nd, 3rd.... time).

And b) because of times when I've made my complaints and had them forwarded to me - and found stuff missing. Or made complaints and having what I brought up get ignored (or even being told completely wrong information).

The suckiness of a customer depends on the personality, and the ability to remember that we are dealing with a 'person' when we complain. And when we are dealing with complaints.

I'm one for responsibility, and also a certain amount of fairness. Which means - you need to take full responsibility for your actions and thier consequences (and just saying you do doesn't count), and also that if I'm going to do something for you, there must be a damn good reason for doing it that should apply to anyone I speak to.

Often - my customers don't get what they want, and they can be sucky about it (see any of my posts...). I can be a hard-liner with a lot of things. But I can also be compassionate about things.

And in the long run - it's only money you're talking about - not really that big a deal when it all comes down to it...

Humans tend to be very selfish - and they're most likely to be the sucky ones - "I want, and if I don't get what I want, then I will make your personal life hell".

I have cringed many a time when I've heard what some of my co-workers have said - either just to the one customer over the phone - or to someone who is near a group of others. What that person said was way out of line - and I would have thought it fine for you to have turned around to them and given them what for - right in front of everyone in the line there! (including - "If it wasn't for your incompetence in the first place, I wouldn't be back here trying to sort out your problem now!")

I like 'effective' over 'nice' any day


Slyt

[wagegoth]

There are SCs and there are SEs. We all know that. We work with them. We've dealt with them.

So a legitimate complaint that isn't handled properly certainly leads to a manager needing to get a certain amount of reaming. It doesn't have to be screamed or abusive or the usual SC BS, but it does need to be clear, as the OP made it, that the customer is sick of being jerked around due to the errors and the failures of the company and its employees, and the problem needs to be solved NOW.

[powerboy]

Yes there is a huge difference. If the customer is getting the run around, then yeah it is alright to get pissed. And then, to me, it is alright to be an SC. Hell I am when I get the run around. But just to be told that something out of stock and get pissed off, then yeah they are an SC

[Boozy]

But I've seen other instances. I mean stores with 20 registers across the front, but only two open and like 20 people in each line. Automated phone services that don't allow you to just hit 0 to get an operator. Or going grocery shopping and having absolutely no carriages in the store they're all littered in the parking lot.

These are all good examples of poorly managed companies, or companies that sacrifice customer service to squeeze out another dime of profit. The appropriate reaction is to not shop there. There's no point in getting pissed off; no one at the store is at fault. The fault usually lies with the decision makers at the corporate level.

The ubiquitous 20 registers, 2 cashiers thing is a result of an overly aggressive chain expansion scheme that doesn't take into consideration the labour market. We have a new discount department store here in my city. They have NO staff. This city's economy is booming and no one really has to work for minimum wage....and that's all they're paying. So they have 20 registers and 2 cashiers.

Obviously, I'm not going to shop there. I don't get angry about it, I just don't go.

An SC is someone who puts the blame where it doesn't belong. You didn't buy a fridge and then yell at the innocent girl at the check-out. You spoke to the manager. His employees were poorly trained and rude. That's definitely a store management problem, so you focussed your anger on the right person.

[Gravekeeper]

The suck doesn't come from how angry/upset the customer is but rather how the customer expresses it.