Retail

Attack on me.

/ Codefreak / 3 Comments

I cannot stand being called a liar, an idiot, stupid, and other derogatory remarks. Being told off by customers is never fun but is part of the job (of customer service) they say.

Why is it part of the job?

Who says its normal?

It is not normal to call someone names over the phone. It is not normal to threaten someone that you will get them fired because you feel slighted, even if you were!

Why do we accept it?

How come we just stand there and take it? Why do we let people attack us over and over and look at them with a forced smile and say “Hey a nice day” after it all is over?

People are terrible.

This comes about after I had this altercation with a customer today. I had someone calling to look for a new product for something that is over 20 years old. I told the customer that we do not carry said product, new or used, and that I know a store that possibly carries it. Before I can even tell the customer the name, he calls me a liar. He said he just saw the product being sold new a week ago. I told him I had not seen anything and that we still did not carry it. He then asked about accessories for the 20 year old product. I told we did not carry anything for the product and that he would have to find a retro store for it. He then asked for specific items and told me to look them up. After each item, I asked if it was for this same 20 year old product and he said yes. I told him after each one, including one that he couldn’t remember the specific name for, that we do not carry the product and I would not be able to assist him. He then asks for a made up item that has never been made before. I inform him that we would not be able to help him further and hung up on him.

He calls back several times while I am busy and I am unable to get to the phone until 15 minutes later. I answer with my company and my name. He asks me to repeat my name and tells me he just called me and I was extremely rude to him on the phone. He asks why I would hang up on him, and I inform him that I would not be able to assist him in finding items we do not carry. I told him repeatedly that we do not carry these items. He said I was the rudest person he has ever spoken to in his life. He said he was just looking for a not so hard to find product that we actually do carry that has all the stuff he wanted. I told him that I would be able to look that up, but he cuts me off and says that I was rude and an idiot and he didn’t want to talk to me anymore and he wanted the manager. I informed him I was the manager. He told me that my company were idiots to give me a store to run and he had no idea how I could be a manager. He wanted my district manager’s name and number. I told him my DM’s name but said I would have to take his phone number and have my DM call him. He said that wasn’t good enough and that I was refusing service. He asked for my customer service line and that he wanted a local number to call. I told him it was a 1 800 number and that there was no “local” area coded number. He told that I was being rude again and that he now had enough to get me fired. He then told me he would do what he could to get me fired. I told him if there was nothing more that I could do, that he could have a nice day and he hung up.

Now I know most of you would say “Hey, pony guy. This was just a harmless prank call.” I beg to differ.

I have handled my share of prank calls but this one was different. The person attacked me personally. He threatened me and said he wanted to take away my livelihood. I don’t care who you are, you just don’t do that.

So now I am at home, being fed a delicious sandwich by a loving wife who knows that bacon is one way to make me happy. I have my pony and coffee as well and am calming down. I still feel angry at the whole thing. And I know that people will be say I am too sensitive but I don’t understand why we accept this kind of behavior.

Hug a pony my friends. Feel better. I will try as well.

Eating crow.

/ Codefreak / Leave a comment

I posted last about a news store that upset me. Now I am, in turn, going to try and do something different. I said some negative things about an article (and I still feel right and justified) but I believe that I need to change gears. I want to ask you, dear reader, a question.

When was the last time you talked about, or heard someone else talk about a positive customer service experience?

I can find ALL kinds of stories about horror stories of “XYZ” company that absolutely hates me the paying customer personally and does everything to make the customers life miserable. I can go on and on about the employee’s side of a store, about bad corporate decisions, or a dozen other things.

But.

When is the last time you had a great customer service experience?

Have you even thought about it?

Do you remember what happened?

If I asked you to remember the last time a retail or online store or service did you wrong, do twelve stories come right to mind? All of them ready to let me know not to use a company for ANY reason?

I know mine.

I was shopping for Christmas about to go into a 12 hour retail shift and not really looking forward to it. I go into a Kohls and am picking up some pillows for my wife. I go to the (long) check out line and patiently wait my turn. I listen to all the people complain about the crowds and how long it is taking (all the while thinking to myself “IT IS CHRISTMAS PEOPLE!!”). I step up to the counter with my goods, ready to pay and I greet the cashier. She responds with a hello and asked if I found everything. I said I had and the items I had were all I needed.

I then commented on how I saw on the way in, Kohls was going to be open 24 hours a day for the week before Christmas. I said I felt that was horrible and as a retail employee myself, I felt so sorry for them. The woman gave me a tired smile and said it wasn’t so bad but it was going to be rough the closer to Christmas it got. She asked were I worked and we made a bit of small talk as she bagged my items. I was about to pay when she told me to wait a sec, punched some things on her computer and then told me to swipe the card. I worked the pinpad, confused at why I had to wait but finished, Thanked her and told her to try and have a decent rest of the day and left. When I got in the car, I noticed that I had received the employee discount on my items!

Saving money like a boss!

Seriously though, she did not have to do that. She could have rung me up and been on her way. Instead she saw a retail family member, going through one of the worse holidays in retail I have worked (or anyone that I talked to about it had worked) and she took the time and helped me out. I was beyond touched. It is something I will remember always.

Thank you dear for that.

Hug a pony my friends.

The call.

/ Codefreak / Leave a comment

So I have been waiting to write this from the moment it happened. It was a busy day at work, being 3 days befoire Christmas and we are busy. I am in the back room running stock. I have been sick all day and have been keeping to the back room. The phone rings and I recieve the following call.

Me: “Thank you for calling [large retail game store], this is [my name] how can I help you?”

Caller (woman in 30s-40s): “Yes I just wanted to let you know that I called you guys earlier and I believe I spoke to you” (I have been at work an hour at this point) “in fact I am pretty sure it was you and I had you read off your sale items to me. I then found the sale item that I wanted and decided that my son and I would come get the skinny jeans that are on sale.”

At this point I put the phone on speaker as one of my assisant managers and another employee are in the room and they start listening. The woman has not stopped yet.

“Well when we got to the store, I sent my son in to get them and they told him they were $39.99 and not $29.99 like you said in the ad this morning and Now I am out side your store upset that you would tell me a promotion that wasn’t going and and I need to know what you are going to do about it? You really should be more careful about what you tell people over the phone. Some people don’t listen and you should do a better job informing them of the current promotions. I am now parked outside your store and I want you to fix this.”

At this point, she has talked for about 5 minutes on the phone, clearly upset, wanting me to fix her  problem. My two employees are in shock, waiting for me to answer as they have no clue what is going on.

Me: “Well ma’am, I am sorry to here that, but here at [large VIDEO GAME retailer] we do not sell skinny jeans, nor do we plan to do so”

At this point my employees hear me say “skinny jeans” and bust out laughing so loud, I have to put my hand over the phone.

Caller: “Who do you think…wait who is this?”

Me: “This is [large VIDEO GAME retailer], a video game retailer, not a clothing store”

Caller: “Oh, this isn’t [large clothing store that sounds nothing like my store]?”

Me: “No ma’am.”

Caller: “Oh” *click*

My employees are trying not to roll on the floor they are laughing so hard. I looked at them and said, “God help whoever that woman does talk to.”

Thinking about it afterward, I feel she should have apologized to me but instead she hung up. Good luck lady, I hope you find your peace in your heart to be nicer to people who are probably just making an honest mistake.