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So I suppose I will just bombard you with posts but you won't mind, right?
At the Company O' Water, we have a process called a lockout, in which we stop delivery when we have not received a payment within a certain number of days. Similar to...well, every company on the planet that hopes to turn a profit. So I received a call from a man wondering where his delivery was. I pulled up his account and noticed the past due status, and explained what had happened. Compared to 90% of my customers, he was extremely calm. He just asked how much was past due and if we could take a check over the phone. I processed the payment, and gave him a confirmation.
It was so EASY! So...
...here comes the suck.
I asked him if he would like me to schedule a delivery of water for him for the next day. The delivery drivers use a computer that basically uploads only at the end of the day, so the "lock" on his delivery won't clear until this evening when we do the upload for tommorow's day. So company policy is we will deliver within one business day of the payment. That aside anyway, we don't guarantee same-day deliveries. His response?
"Schedule? What do you mean schedule?"
Me: "Um...I can schedule a delivery for you for tommorow, if-"
Customer: "You will get me a delivery today! There's no scheduling anything!"
I was pretty bewildered at the sudden change in attitude so I probably stuttered a bit. "Um...well, sir, I can't guarantee-"
Customer: "Let me tell you something. I need water today, I will get water today. And let me tell you something else: From now on, you need to realize that water is a basic necessity. You can't just cut it off whenever you feel like it. You have a responsibility."
Me: "Um...sir.."
Customer: "I am embarrased for you, that you spoke to me like this. You need to tell your boss what I said. Water is a necessity. It's necessary for life. Are you going to tell him?"
Me: "I...will tell HER, sure."
Customer: "I will be calling back to make sure you did. I'll see you this morning with my water." And he hung up.
As an aside though, when I called the local manager to see if the delivery was possible-yes I did go the extra mile anyway, even though I did NOT want to-he became my hero. "Water is a necessity? Well hey, so are food and shelter, so I guess free houses and groceries for all, right?"
At the Company O' Water, we have a process called a lockout, in which we stop delivery when we have not received a payment within a certain number of days. Similar to...well, every company on the planet that hopes to turn a profit. So I received a call from a man wondering where his delivery was. I pulled up his account and noticed the past due status, and explained what had happened. Compared to 90% of my customers, he was extremely calm. He just asked how much was past due and if we could take a check over the phone. I processed the payment, and gave him a confirmation.
It was so EASY! So...
...here comes the suck.
I asked him if he would like me to schedule a delivery of water for him for the next day. The delivery drivers use a computer that basically uploads only at the end of the day, so the "lock" on his delivery won't clear until this evening when we do the upload for tommorow's day. So company policy is we will deliver within one business day of the payment. That aside anyway, we don't guarantee same-day deliveries. His response?
"Schedule? What do you mean schedule?"
Me: "Um...I can schedule a delivery for you for tommorow, if-"
Customer: "You will get me a delivery today! There's no scheduling anything!"
I was pretty bewildered at the sudden change in attitude so I probably stuttered a bit. "Um...well, sir, I can't guarantee-"
Customer: "Let me tell you something. I need water today, I will get water today. And let me tell you something else: From now on, you need to realize that water is a basic necessity. You can't just cut it off whenever you feel like it. You have a responsibility."
Me: "Um...sir.."
Customer: "I am embarrased for you, that you spoke to me like this. You need to tell your boss what I said. Water is a necessity. It's necessary for life. Are you going to tell him?"
Me: "I...will tell HER, sure."
Customer: "I will be calling back to make sure you did. I'll see you this morning with my water." And he hung up.
As an aside though, when I called the local manager to see if the delivery was possible-yes I did go the extra mile anyway, even though I did NOT want to-he became my hero. "Water is a necessity? Well hey, so are food and shelter, so I guess free houses and groceries for all, right?"
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