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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 8/16/2008 7:45:19 AM | | you handled it better than me...i would have pretended to be death and not heard a word she said....ppl like that i don't even respect | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 8/16/2008 8:41:37 AM | Rude customers; God Bless them! *sigh*
There really isn't much you CAN do except keep a polite demeanor and not let them get to you.
Just wait until a customer hints at physical harm, that's always fun! *shakes her head at people* | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 8/16/2008 9:41:47 AM | Oh god an old couple was going on and on and on about how if you buy 6 muffins, you didn't have to pay the GST. (Goods and service tax) they went on and on for a good five minutes with the cashier who didn't have a clue either. Finally I threw down a buck and said "can we get this thing rolling along"
LOL
It was BRUTAL. | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 8/16/2008 8:54:20 PM | | A co-worker of mine passed this little hint along to me a while ago, and it still works for me! While your customer is standing there giving you crap, you give 'em a big ol' smile - and while you're doing that, sing that happy little tune from the Wizard of Oz in your head - "If I only had a brain" . Trust me, if you're singing that in your head while you're lookin' at your cranky "friend", you can't help but smile !!! | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 8/17/2008 12:03:57 AM | The mental giants where I work apparently can't read or add because they frequently come to the register without enough cash and have to run to their car to get more.
I was checking them out in the section where I work - cosmetics - if they had been up front where there's a line they would have to get back in line and get rung up again because I wouldn't hold up the line for that nonsense | |
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ils99
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Joined: 5/30/2008
Msg: 31 | |
| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 8/17/2008 12:52:02 AM | CassaGo- This happened over 24 hours ago, it stopped bothering me about an hour after it happened. So no it no longer bothers me. My point was there was absolutely no reason for her to speak to me in that rude tone.
To the other posters, no it wasn't my worst experience. One of my worst was when I worked at another place years ago, and I had to give 20 cents change to a customer except we'd run out of the 20 AND 10 cent coins so I had to give 4 5-cent coins. The customer swore at me and made an extremely rude (and loud) comment. I replied back with an applogetic smile "sorry but that's all we have left", after which he cursed some more then left.
And thanks Fleur de lis, I think you're one of the few who knows what its like to work in the customer service industry. As for another poster, buying fresh meat and veges is incomparable to my scenario. Those danishes were made that morning and I told her that too so freshness was not a problem. For meat and veges you'd want the freshest possible, or the right amount, therefore you'd have to be choosy. | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 8/17/2008 2:04:30 AM | I firmly believe peoples happiness and success with life is directly related to how efficiently and expeditiously we move on leaving the rest of the stagnant world behind. The people who can do this the best are to be admired. Let it go.
"Be not the slave of your own past. Plunge into the sublime seas, dive deep and swim far, so you shall come back with self-respect, with new power, with an advanced experience that shall explain and overlook the old."
Ralph Waldo Emerson | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 8/17/2008 2:14:40 AM |
Just treat her normally. That way you don't get into anything dramatic with her. Avoid drama with customers at work! As far as her personality goes. I'm sure if she's like that normally, there are many other people in her life on the verge of getting in her face about it.
Avoid drama with customers at work!....I definitely agree with this. Also, you show some bias about her age and looks. Before I got my degree, and after also, during summers, I did a lot of different jobs which included service work: waitress, receptionist, etc. My experience is that the company always expects you to be cordial with customers, no matter how rude and annoying the customer is, i.e., the customer is always right. I can't even imagine you seriously considering snapping back at a customer or self-congratulating yourself for responding with constraint. If, in any job I had that was customer service oriented, I had snapped at a customer, I would have been taken to task for it and if it happend repeatedly, I would have been fired. So, Vancer is right: just don't get into it with customers. Hold you tongue. It takes patience, I know. But it is part and parcel with this line of work. | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 8/17/2008 4:27:15 AM | OP, sometimes you just have to bite your tongue and grin and bear it. When you have a customer that you're just hitting a wall with no matter what you try to do, I just try to get them the hell out the door as quickly and smilingly as I can at that point, and then my coworkers and I can joke about them later and give them a little Seinfeld name. 
The ones I DO get a kick out of though, are the quirkily-rude ones. Years ago, I had a lady I was making change for, and she refused the five dollar bill I was handing her, saying it was "too grubby to be in her wallet". I thought she was joking at first, and was about to make a semi-smarta$$ed jokey comment back. When I saw her deadpan face and realized she was serious, I almost broke down in hysterical giggles. I WANTED to start shovelling five dollars worth of dimes at her, asking her "are these shiny enough for ya?" but instead, I pulled a handful of fives out, fanned them out like a deck of cards and just said "here, pick a fin, any fin".
Strangely enough, she still wasn't amused.  | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 8/17/2008 5:44:07 AM | And thanks Fleur de lis, I think you're one of the few who knows what its like to work in the customer service industry. As for another poster, buying fresh meat and veges is incomparable to my scenario. Those danishes were made that morning and I told her that too so freshness was not a problem. For meat and veges you'd want the freshest possible, or the right amount, therefore you'd have to be choosy.
Um, she's not the only one who knows what it's like. I'm damn old, and have been working since I was 14...and before I had my kids I normally worked two jobs at once--one full time and one part time. My customer service job history in a nutshell. (There are a couple others, but they didn't involve customer service).
Amusement Park
Food Waitress
Customer Service Parts Dept/Motorcycle Dealership
Retail sales/Women's clothing
Retail sales/Layaway
Food Waitress and Barmaid
Video Store
Medical Office/Clinical
Medical Office/Clerical
Medical Office/Administration
I think that about covers it. Let me tell you something, your boss or store owner wants to keep their head above water and maybe even make a buck. Customer service is always a number one priority. Especially with something like a bakery, the customer can always go right down the street and get what they need, it's not like you're selling cable. lol They hired you to represent them well and to bake pastries (I guess). Places that genuinely cater to and care about the customer these days are few and far between, and that can make or break a company. My boss has been in practice for 25 years. About 7 years ago she expanded her business hours from 7am to 6pm and has hours 1/2 day on Saturday. For a small office with two practitioners, that's an amazing feat, you just don't see it. She did it because competition is tough, and she's a smart business lady.
As far as rude people....you're going to get them. People can be huge a-holes. But like I said before, you can turn their day around with your response. You are never going to please everyone and I agree that people who start off rude are jerks. But it is your job to be pleasant and make sure they want to come back. Bottom line. If you don't like it, maybe you should find work somewhere you don't have to deal with the public. | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 8/17/2008 6:06:48 AM | I had customer service experience as a cab driver. The great thing about driving cab is you get more than just the transaction. You get the ride. Sometimes it turns out that the fare whose initial affect was obnoxious had a story to tell. Missing their flight, blowing an important business opportunity; just found out their daughter had leukemia, life's not fair; going through a divorce; old and frail and lonely and scared living in a senior high-rise she hates; unsuccessful job hunting for months, can't take it any more; up all week preparing for finals; just worked a double shift and found out she's needed again in the morning; etc.
It can be a long ride if you take the short view. OK, so this person arrived at this moment with their worst face on, being rude, and so do I take umbrage, take it personally, defend myself against an impersonal display, or can I recognize they probably have some story behind the behavior and maybe adding fuel to that fire helps neither of us in any way.
Nobody likes rudeness. Nobody wants to be a doormat. But in a customer service situation you have two worlds briefly colliding. They come in with whatever is their universe of woe, and you have yours at the ready, too. Your own frustrations with your job, with why you even need that job in the first place, and maybe with a long accounting of every rude customer like straws on the camel's back.
So who is it in this life who is going to be able to look over at their disgruntled neighbor with just a bit of compassion instead of everyone getting their backs up adding to the rancor of living in a world with sharp corners? | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 8/17/2008 7:42:08 AM | Exceptionally well said, Pau 
I've worked in retail for many years, but it wasn't until my current position that I learned that you simply can't always know a person's circumstances for the mood they happen to be in. I work at a funeral home and get a good clear view of what events in people's lives can do to their overall demeanor. Well, in my case, it's on the extreme side events, but I think a large share of us experience days when things on a smaller scale can just set a bad tone for the day. Some are just better than others at containing it. So I agree, Pau, that the largest percentage of the time, something else occurred in the individual's day to set them on the defensive. Don't take it personally - it most likely wasn't you. And, you never know, a little kindness can sometimes start the balling rolling in a positive direction for them. | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 8/17/2008 7:54:15 AM | | another thing you must remember is, you have and will inadvertantly pissed someone off.i can assure you of this. | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 8/17/2008 8:07:55 AM | remember The Movie, "PAY IT FORWARD"?!?  *sigh*nope, you are too young...RENT IT,... i have worked with 'The Public' since turning 18, and i'm (whatever )now.... i've been a Civil Servant with The State almost 24 years, and some days i want to staple the Lips of some people shut, and then the nice ones make up for the nasty ones... i myself, have been on the other side of the counter, and when i feel myself "turning into a 'customer'lol" i stop and take a breath * apologize , usually because i RECOGNIZE what a nasty customer acts like...and then there are the Phone agents who take their time, and register clerks who look at you like a person, etc...and they give me hope, for when i have to go back to work and face the music.... what comes around goes around...    | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 8/17/2008 10:34:47 AM | OMG, you just opened a can of worms with me!!
First let me tell you this, the customer is ALWAYS right, and until you understand that in the business industry, you will always work behind the counter and never get any further up the chain.
As someone that has worked with the public for many, almost too many years, I must tell you, all people have their idiosyncraisies. But sweetie, this may be news to you, so take a seat and a deep breath on this one now.....That is what you are getting paid to deal with, to service those people.
Sorry if this is harsh, but do your job and keep your mouth hushed. A good bit of advice though....You attract more bees with honey then you do with vinegar.
You will find that if you play into a person's "oddities" or rudeness in a kind and generous way, you will see that person reform. After all, it is their money that they have worked so hard for and feel they deserve the best for it. Wouldn't you?? Not to mention, you never know what kind of day they have had or what is going on in their lives. Should you care, well that's on you, but maybe if you did these small moments of frustration on your part won't matter so much.
This is the problem with today's society or should I say present generation. They are in such a hurry to get things done and so quick at the mouth.
I myself am a very outspoken person and a bit rebelious at times, but if I am working for someone who is paying me to do a job, then it is my responsibility to do it right, to do it well, and to actually earn my money so that I can come to you and point out which freakin danish has the most icing on it.
Live and learn babe. | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 8/22/2008 9:17:23 AM | This lady who looked about 40-50 years old (or even 60 for all we know judging from the make up she piled on...)
How are her age and/or cosmetics relevant to the story?
i would have pretended to be death and not heard a word she said
I didn't know the Grim Reaper was hard of hearing. | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 8/22/2008 11:23:11 AM |
Well, they say to choose your battles wisely. And then there was Custard's Last Stand. I think you were lucky she didn't leap over the counter and take your scalp.
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 8/22/2008 3:47:35 PM | Normally I reccomend...
Give her what she wants and smile. After she's gone, rant about her to your friends and your coworkers.
If they're really bad then...
I would just serve her request, but kill her with kindness....Be soooo polite its pathetic.
Some years ago I was managing an oil change joint, it was the day before Thanksgiving (busiest oil change day of the year) and some guy was getting pissy that he had to wait in line to get serviced. As he was getting more and more pissed, I'd be more and more polite. By the end, he pretty much pealed out of there, I ran after the car waving and yelling "You have a wonderful holiday sir, please come back soon!" and he gave me the finger and said "fvck you" . He was sooo pissed, but what could he really say? "That **stard wished me a wonderful holiday, how dare he." Haha, it was great. Only do that with really awful customers, since they probably won't be back. | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 8/22/2008 8:09:01 PM |
Normally I reccomend...
Give her what she wants and smile. After she's gone, rant about her to your friends and your coworkers.
If they're really bad then...
I would just serve her request, but kill her with kindness....Be soooo polite its pathetic.
Some years ago I was managing an oil change joint, it was the day before Thanksgiving (busiest oil change day of the year) and some guy was getting pissy that he had to wait in line to get serviced. As he was getting more and more pissed, I'd be more and more polite. By the end, he pretty much pealed out of there, I ran after the car waving and yelling "You have a wonderful holiday sir, please come back soon!" and he gave me the finger and said "fvck you" . He was sooo pissed, but what could he really say? "That **stard wished me a wonderful holiday, how dare he." Haha, it was great. Only do that with really awful customers, since they probably won't be back.
Good idea actually. Great way of subtly giving the customer the finger without actually giving them the finger. But dealing with ***holes like this most of the gradually became the reason I turned my back on customer service almost entirely. | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 8/23/2008 9:05:00 AM | ah see, when customers are rude to me, it gives me some great ideas for things to do to them
remember kids, never mess with the person making your food
;)
especially when you send that meal back 3-5 times due to some tiny thing.
*whistles nonchalantly* | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 8/23/2008 1:30:47 PM | OP, it is a frustrating reality for anyone who works in a service related industry that the customer is always right. Period. You shouldn't have said anything in the first place, just do what she asks and give her the ones she wants with a smile.
I'm in the health care field and it's no different for me. There are patients who are sweet as can be, cooperative, pleasant, motivated, respectful, and a joy to work with. Then there are the others....who complain about everything and everyone, tell you not to treat them like a child, resist everything you try to teach them, think they're always right and you're stupid, etc. I cannot say a thing back to them ~ they are the patients. If they complain (whether it's justified or not) I could lose my job. Simple as that.
It's good business to approach every interaction with those words in mind ~ "the customer is always right." It will make life easier for you and you'll keep your job too.
P.S. Tact is the ability to tell someone to go to Hell and have them look forward to the trip. | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 8/23/2008 2:18:21 PM |
Normally I don't purposely choose the ugliest/smallest/oldest one
I casually told her that they were all the same, in terms of size, freshness etc
I know they're not all exactly the same
Hmmmm...
It's the customers money and you should be glad she and others frequents the bakery, guess why you have a job there?
You say she retorted back. Well you shouldn't have said anything at all and she might have thought your casual telling her being rude to begin with.
Ask your boss what the proper way is....arguing with customers or allow they to pick what they want for the money they give. | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 8/23/2008 3:07:54 PM | Some people are just not cut out to work in the Service Industry!
OP might need another line of work. I have two daughters both worked for the Golden Arches. One came to me and said this isnt for me I need to quit. I supported her. It isnt her personality to be all light and bubbly. She knows that about herself she is 16. MY 15 yr old excels at it. She is a great people person, when people give her a hard time she smiles and fixes it with a sorry. No customer should ever bring you to tears. They are not worth it. I was in line waiting to place an order from my daughter, the woman in front of me was incredibly rude to my daughter, basically called her a half wit..she smiled graciously at the customer and said I would be more than happy to fix that for you. The lady proceeded to be rude, my daughter smiled gave the women her burger without an indicent. I myself wanted to jump the woman and ring her neck, to protect my daughter from the burger BIOTCH from hell.
Later that night my daughter and I spoke about it and she said she gets it 15 times a shift, no sweat she says. Someday those people will get it back from someone more rude then themselves. She said besides I dont make the burger, I get paid to serve it..it doesnt cost me anything to make it right for someone. I still get paid regardless. She just brushes it off.
As for the Custard woman, she had ever right to pick and choose, thats why you work there, you serve what the bakery sells, your not a assembly line of pre packaged baked goods...they are baked fresh for people to choose. Suck it up and deal with it. At the end of the day you still get paid...paid by the woman who picked out her baked goods and paid for them with her hard earned money. | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 8/23/2008 4:30:37 PM | I would have been gushingly sweet to her...to me the more grabby..irritating..the better because I know when they leave...they can't say anything bad about me..
Being in customer service..you are trained to be nice to your BREAD & BUTTER no matter HOW idiotic they can be..of course you can get their name..number and tell them that you will give this infomation to your supervisor and see what you can do to make their experience a happy one..and to have a nice day.
another words.....suck it up...build a bridge and get over it. | |
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| rude customers- what would you do?
Posted: 8/23/2008 5:20:51 PM | I could never work in customer care or retail, Id end up telling them to go fvck themselves!!
Im very chuffed that my customers are all doctors and professors so they all have exceptional manners, and Im treated very well by them.
If they didnt, Id tell them to go fvck themselves. Nah I wouldnt really, Id just not give them a discount on their order.
edit/but some cakes do look nicer than others, and if I ask for a specific cake, I expect to get that specific cake. Or I wont buy it at all.
Your customer is paying for it, they have the right to choose which one they want want. You are being paid to do a job, so do as your are asked. If you dont like it, get a different job where you dont have to serve others.
However, manners should always be used.
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