A little more information please...

[customersruinmylife]

I walked into a phone store to find some replacement headphones after a drunken incident in which I lost them. A clerk was busy dealing with a customer. The customer looked as though he should be smart, dressed in complete businesswear, along with a briefcase and a state of the art phone.

SC: Can you fix my phone?
Clerk: OK, can you tell me exactly what is wrong with the phone?
SC: It's not working.
Clerk: OK...can you turn it on?
SC: Yes.
Clerk: What happens when you turn it on?
SC: It won't work.
Clerk: Can you show me your phone?
SC: I just told you what's wrong with it!
Clerk: Do some of the buttons not work? Is the screen broken?
SC: It won't work.
Clerk: It won't make calls?
SC: It just doesn't work.
Clerk: Can you recieve calls? Can you select other features on the phone?
SC: Can you replace it for me?
Clerk: Do you have insurance?
SC: I don't know.
Clerk: Well, where did you get the phone?
SC: Uhhh...I think I got it online...I can't remember.
Clerk: Are you with <phone provider>?
SC: I don't know.
Clerk: Can I see your phone?

This went on for ten minutes. A line had formed behind me. The customer was completely oblivious to the massive groans going on behind him.

Clerk: Sir, if you are not going to give me more information I can't help you. The only thing I can suggest you do is contact your service provider and find out if you have insurance.
SC: That's too complicated.
Clerk: Well, I don't think there is much I can do for you here, unless you let me see your phone.
SC: I don't understand this. This is too complicated.

He wandered off, shaking his head as if he had just suffered some kind of injustice.

[iradney]

"No sir, the phone works fine. YOU *points at SC's head* don't work"

A fancy phone is only as smart as it's user. And i'm betting his wheel was turning, but the hamster was dead.

[Andara Bledin]

A fancy phone is only as smart as it's user. And i'm betting his wheel was turning, but the hamster was dead.

Oh, no, the hamster was running. It's the wheel that's siezed up.

^-.-^

[Boochan]

Not that I like to prioritize, but if I was in the same position I would have told him to be patient and wait/browse through the store while I serve customers that are waiting. The fact that he was just completely oblivious, and unwilling to give any information to assist the Clerk was just not on, especially if the phone store was affiliated with a certain provider that he may not have even been with.

Cell phones normally form about 10-15% of our Weekly gross sales, so we handle a lot of after sales support (and profit, mind you from people coming in to put more minutes/credit on their phone) for cell phones. Yes, we will help you if it involves you purchasing something, or if you are a regular customer. If you aren't either of those, and we haven't seen you before then your just going to have to wait till we get some spare time. Time is Money after-all, and thats a two way street.
If I'm doing something as a courtesy to a customer who I've never seen before and is friendly about it, sure, if I've got time. If they're an SC, no chance. We have 2 Mobile phone stores opposite us (Yet somehow we still make as much money off cell phones as we do as well as consistantly been in the Top 5 in the region for cell phone sales even though our store is tiny, so I have no idea how we do it), if they're not busy and your with the carrier they are affiliated with they should be happy to help.

[marasbaras]

If I were deep in that line, I'm pretty sure at some point I'd yell:

JUST SHOW HIM YOUR STUPID PHONE, YOU TWIT!

[edible_hat]

If I were deep in that line, I'm pretty sure at some point I'd yell:

JUST SHOW HIM YOUR STUPID PHONE, YOU TWIT!

I'd have probably used a different word. One that starts with f, is two syllables long, and rhymes with twit.

[marasbaras]

I'm trying to stop swearing. Previous to my attempt to stop swearing, I would've said:

JUST SHOW HIM YOUR G-- D--- PHONE, YOU MORONIC F-TARD.

[chainedbarista]

proves that you can't judge a book by its cover; this book had a shiny jacket, but naught between the covers.

i would have mocked him pretty thoroughly, until he either blew up at me or left in embarrassment.

either would work just fine.