The customer is always right? I don't think so!

[AnqeiicDemise]

If there is another phrase I hate more than "customers are always right" I cannot think of one.

I know exactly how you feel-- there is nothing more obnoxious than being told by the higher ups to proceed with protocol only to contradict you in front of an insolent customer.

A few years ago, I worked at a Little Caesars/K Cafe. Our policy was to give a free pizza whenever a customer was dissatisfied with their pizza so long as the customer brought it to our attention promptly or had a receipt.

I'd just gotten promoted to Crew Leader (one step below ASM) and was being briefed on what my job duties were when a tall, cranky, older man walked through the door and starts heading our way. Conversation proceeds as follows:

Y: my manager
C: me
M: Store Manager, Head Honcho, The Godfather (guy whose word goes above all elses)
SC: sucky customer.


At this point, I'm being pulled aside to the back kitchen by my manager.
Y: Oh man, did you see that guy?
C: who?
Y: the big creepy old guy in the black trench coat.
C: yeah, what about him?
Y: oh he's a big pain in the ass. He's a regular guy-- always comes in, orders the same thing, goes away with pizza, then bitches about it.
C: do you mean he takes it home?
Y: Most of the time he does. Sometimes he eats it here. Whatever happens DO NOT give in to him. DO NOT give him a free pizza. He abuses our policies. Now I have to go to lunch, I'll be back in half an hour. Can you handle it?
C: -mock salute- yes'm. I shall not let him get away with the free pizza if he complains.
Y: atta girl.


So she goes off for lunch. He orders. I PERSONALLY make the pizza. I even had someone else attend the cash register while I took it out and stuff. I mean, I was NOT going to have another person involved with this guy and his meal just in case he'd blame a mistake on another person's part. (This guy was so anal he had me repeat the order seven times.)

For all that's holy, I even go through the trouble of PRESENTING the pizza to him before he walks away and ask if all is okay.

He goes, sits down with the large pizza and proceeds to inhale it all. Only when he has two pieces (out of ten) left, he hobbles over to me and says:

SC: It was burnt.
C: excuse me?
SC: the pizza was burnt. I demand a new one.
C: My apologies. May I have the pizza I just gave you? I'll switch it over with a new one.
SC: um...
C: what's the matter sir?
SC: I ate it.
C: In that case, I cannot give you a new one sir.
SC: but it was BURNT!
C: But you still deemed it good enough to eat, then demand a new one.
SC: but I wasn't satisfied.
C: you *ate* it.
SC: but I wasn't satisfied and I want a new one.
C: I can't do that. You ate the whole pizza.
SC: but---
C: The next time there is something wrong with your pizza, just bring it over here immediately and I will be more than happy to exchange it for a fresh one. I cannot, however, give you a new one after you consumed a whole thing.
SC: This is RIDICULOUS! I always eat here! Where's your manager? She ALWAYS gives me a free pizza whenever I'm not satisfied.

After much arguing and my kindly reminding him that our 'satisfaction' guarantee does not imply the satisfaction of his full belly rather than his taste buds and that he needs to remove himself before I call security, he storms off. (he was getting violent, by slamming his fists on the sneeze guard and yelling)


TEN MINUTES LATER, I see SC, Y *and* M coming my way.

The look on Y's face is one of sheer anger, M is calm and SC looks smug.

SC: THIS! -he points at me- is the most rude, obnoxious and self-righteous person I have ever dealt with.
Y: He says his pizza was burnt, C.
M: why didn't you give him his pizza?
C: Because he ATE 80% of his pizza, threw away the remainder and demanded a new one. You've both told me that I shouldn't give away free pizzas when someone eats the whole thing. How--
Y: you should have given him his pizza.
M: I'm so sorry about this. I am sure C will make you a fresh one.
SC: I want Crazy bread too. And I want the large ones.
M: you'll get your crazy bread too.
SC: and marinara sauce.
M: You know what? WE'll give you two bins of sauces. How's that?
SC: Can I have a second pizza?
M: Sure, we'll give you a SECOND pizza... and because I understand how troublesome this was, we'll also give you a $25 gift certificate for the store.

And as I'm standing there, baffled, at the verge of tears as I hear what the store manager is conceding to this bastard, Y turns to me and says "Customer's always right."



I didn't even get so much as an apology.... then got in trouble for giving him another free pizza when he came in a month later even though he ate the whole damned thing too!

[MoonChild2007]

the customer is right until proven wrong. That's the way I see it. Sometimes customers are right but those are the people who don't bitch, yell, scream at you. They understand but its wrong. Now you know, those customers who yell at you are the ones who have something to hide Espeically when it comes to credit cards. The customers who are calm are the ones who are trustworthy and if we tell them we can't use it, they understand and will walk off. You are innocent, why need to make a scene?

[Bright_Star]

How could the phrase "the customer is always right" make any sense if you have store managers bend over backwards to please these customers when in actuality what's really happening is theft of services by deception?

[Bella_Vixen]

AnqeiicDemise, I am utterly speechless. That's a load of crap.

[Becks]

AnqeiicDemise, I just might have quit right then and there. OK, after the SC left, but you know what I mean.

[Velfarre2001]

A line I actually said to my former boss once after giving in to an asshole. I don't remember what he got away with......... actually...... I think it was one of the many disc switch scams that had finally worn out my nerves....... but regardless, I will NEVER forget what I said or the look on my bosses face.

You know, if you concentrated all that energy you put into sucking their tiny d***s into finding yourself a f***ing backbone instead, maybe s**t like this would not happen.

Almost ruined our friendship over that one.........................., but it felt DAMN. F***ING. GOOD!

Try it sometime, as long as you can get away with it, it is very theraputic.

[Amethyst Hunter]

I hope karma steamrolls a blistering route right up Valerie's ass. What a BITCH.

[AnqeiicDemise]

AnqeiicDemise, I just might have quit right then and there. OK, after the SC left, but you know what I mean.

I should have but I was stupid, I had hope that things would change... Ah, the joys of youthful ignorance.

My last straw was when I got in trouble for going off on a customer that made one my crew members cry. I came back from lunch only to find her standing at the cashier line, bawling her eyes off.

I then find out that the old bitty told her that she had to "learn to speak English because this is America."

I didn't like the cashier as she was a total bitch, but even she doesn't deserve to be treated like that because her accent's a little thick.

It felt nice to go off like that.. and when the racist old bitty came back with the store manager, I didn't even let him tear me down like he once did.

"I refuse to work in an environment where you let racist customers mistreat fellow human beings and get away with it, let alone be rewarded for it. If anything, I suggest that woman learn to speak the native tongues of the many tribes that lived in this soil before the Mayflower hit and apologize to [insert name] for being such a bitch."

Then I simply handed him my apron and called it a life.

[Anakah]

I don't know who I hate more the SC's or the spineless managers who would rather make their employees look like they're incompetent rather than loose a horrible customer.

[CancelMyService]

Re: AnqeiicDemise's story... I would have not only quit in front of the SC, but made sure the SC knew what a creepy old guy and huge pain in the ass his good pal Freebie McStupidManager thought he was. I say if we're gonna play the "throw somoene under the bus" game, lets get everyone involved.

[Polenicus]

The problem, I think, stems not so much from the Sucky Customers themselves. Customer will suck, regardless of what phrase they use. Entitlement whores have always existed.

I think the problem lies with management, and how they're trained.

Managers are trained in how to resolve issues. How to ensure the customer leaves satisfied, and wanting to come back as repeat business. The whole philosophy behind everything managers are taught is that customers are reasonable, honest creatures. Occasionally they become confused, sometimes their point of view differs from the company, but these are temporary rough spots that, if the manager just takes the hit now, will smooth over and pave the way for a long and fruitful association.

They are given NO tools for how to recognize and deal with the chronic scammer. The one for who there IS no long and fruitful association. The dishonest, grabby, irrational, demanding jerk who will only ever cost the company money and valuable talent through attrition of experienced employees. The Sucky Customer.

Managers don't know the difference, and so in most cases they are FORCED to assume a customer is the former, recoverable type... and will keep bending over backwards for them in an attempt to pave over that roughness until their spines snap, simply because the company hasn't allowed them to do anything else.

Maybe if corporations started actually putting some emphasis on training their managers how to properly deal with Sucky Customers, giving them procedures and guidelines to work with so that their giblets aren't left flapping in the breeze every time they put their foot down, maybe more managers would grow that spine we all dearly love to see in them.

[Estil]

How about (like my sig says):

The HONEST, courteous customer is always right. Emphasis on honest (since most rude customers I've seen are only like that after getting caught trying to do something dishonest).

[greensinestro]

AnqeiicDemise:

I am at a loss for words on that story. How can your manager be so two faced like this? I mean, he stated to you and briefed you on this same guy, knowing he literally steals from your company. And yet, he turns around, berates you in front of this slimy, lowlife bastard, and gives him not only another pizza, but more food that he did not deserve, and free money for another incident like this. Notice I do not refer to this bastard as a customer, because as other people have stated, nobody is a customer who freeloads off businesses by being rude, ugly, nasty, and downright wrong, then justifies it with "the customer is always right".

I also am uncertain what I would have done after this. Sure, other people can say things like "I would have quit", but if you have nowhere else to go at that moment, sometimes you have to bite your lip and move on.

What's really awful in your story is not only did you get in trouble with this man once, it happened twice! What did you do after these two incidents whenever he came in again and again?

Just awful. I really feel for you there.

[Andara Bledin]

Oooh... that is just a terrible way to do things.

I would have adopted my familiar passive-aggressive stance for dealing with these types and said, quite innocently, that I'm sorry, but I was attempting to follow the orders that were given to me by so-and-so to do precisely what I did. I would name names and I would be quite specific regarding what was said.

Sucky Customers are awful. They often know that what they are doing is wrong.

Sucky Management is equally guilty of everything they let any SC do and get away with, and are partially guilty for everything that SC does in the future due to their spinelessness.

^-.-^

[greensinestro]

Pertaining to AnqeiicDemise's story:

Someone mentioned somewhere about Wendy's years ago, where they had an offer with their hamburgers. I kind of remember it where they said "take a bite and if you are not satisfied, we'll give you your money back." I can only imagine the headaches they dealt with on this one. The man described in her Little Caesar's story is kind of like that.

Pizza Hut once offered what was called barbeque pizza, and being it was at the time a brand new recipe, their guarantee was that if you were not satisfied with the taste of it, you got your money back. How many foursomes went out and pulled this one each week?

And lastly, I myself have cited instances where I have seen people at restaurants eat half of a steak, then complain that it's undercooked, demanding a free meal.


So, why is it people will snorf half of their meal before deciding it was burned, undercooked, tasted awful, etc, before deciding to freeload off the company?