GAME and banks have signs up warning the conseqeunces of threats, abuse and disrespect towards staff so why can't supermarkets?
I've seen this sign in my local Sainsbury's where I work.
It reminds me of an incident at work a couple of years ago. I (politely) asked a customer to stop using his phone whilst dispensing fuel. He ignored me so the second time I asked I was a little more forthright.
Next thing I know he's in the shop swearing at me, asking me what my problem was.... And my Boss apologised to him!
At the end of the day we're all equal.... No one is better than anyone else and manners and respect cost nothing.
We all have bad days... Taking it out on the person who's providing you with a service is not the attitude to have!
You lot aren't going to have people coming in and asking me if I'm glad to see NETTO back in the UK.
It should have read=
You lot won't have people coming in and asking you if you'll be glad to see NETTO back in the UK and asking when/where they'lll be reopening.
Today one of my colleagues overheard a customer bitching about me for...wait for it...offering to get her the pair of shoes she was buying rather than her waiting at the till to then have to wait for someone to get her the shoes. I'm a monster I know
The gist of it was
Me (to girl with a shoe in her hand): Hi, are you getting alright there? Do you need me to get a shoe for you?
Customer: What?
Me: Sorry, do you need me to get you the other shoe?
Customer: I just want to exchange these *holds up pink Converse*
Me: No problem, I can go get you the pair of shoes you're getting if you want?
Customer: *begrudgingly hands over shoe*
Whilst I was away selfishly getting the pair of shoes, she apparently started to say 'I was just saying I was exchanging shoes, he didn't need to butt in' until she saw one of my colleagues looking at her and her friend then said 'Shh shh'. Then her other friend was trying to act all cocky up at the till, a car on the road beeped its horn and he came out with some stupid comment about 'Half the town loving him' before looking at the assistant manager and saying to rude girl and her friend 'She knows it'. The Assistant Manager said she felt like slapping him with the shoes.
Customers are, I am convinced, inherently dumb. Well, 95% of them.
Case #1: the counter that I work on has a glass cabinet beneath, full of jewellery and other items, with a sticker clearly placed right in front of you telling you the price of everything. Yet, the number of customers I get asking me how much things are while this big sticker is right there with the answer is staggering. Often people will even bring items to me with the price tag visible and still ask me how much it is.
Case #2: f***ing hagglers. There are a few regulars who come in frequently and try their very best to find the smallest, faintest, most imperceptible fault they can find so they can ask for a reduced price. One woman in particular regularly brings things to the counter asking for a reduced cost because it's damaged, and I have agreed on several occasions because the fault being pointed out is undeniable, but it annoys the crap out of me, especially as this is a charity shop that I work in and you would think paying the already low asking price would be of no concern to people. Apparently not.
Case #3: A few days ago a woman walks in with her child and immediately says, quite loudly, "I know why I don't come in here--because they don't sell children's clothes." She said this while walking past, yep, the children's section. Then she tutted and moaned as she walked back out of the shop, again totally ignoring the same section whose absence she was lamenting. Moron.
Case #4: last week I was in the middle of serving somebody when I saw someone at the entrance trying to catch my attention. His face and the way he was almost desperately trying to get my assistance made me worry that something had happened, so I apologised to the customer I was serving and went to see what he wanted in case it was urgent as I suspected. I got outside and he was just pointing at a tiny trash bag that'd blown into the entrance and was sitting outside the door. But of course I picked it up and thanked him and smiled despite the fact I wanted to tell him just how much of an idiot he was. As is the way.
Case #5: Every week, without fail, a guy will come in and ask when a certain member of staff works, and every time I tell him the exact same thing and he walks back out of the shop. A few days later he returns and asks the same question and leaves once again. Rinse and repeat forever, basically.
It is fortunate that I do come across great customers on a regular basis, who are pleasant and respectful and don't make you want to throw yourself out of a window. It's just unfortunate that the stupidity and rudeness of just one person can erase the goodness of fifty.
I think I pointed it out earlier in the thread too, but there does seem to be some very genuine serious contempt for customers in this thread from some posters.
In hospitality/CS you are paid to basically worship the customer, that is your job. If you detest it that much you need to switch career.
Nothing wrong with ranting about annoying customers on here but some posts do indicate that not everybody is actually doing their job properly in the first place.
I think I pointed it out earlier in the thread too, but there does seem to be some very genuine serious contempt for customers in this thread from some posters.
In hospitality/CS you are paid to basically worship the customer, that is your job. If you detest it that much you need to switch career.
Nothing wrong with ranting about annoying customers on here but some posts do indicate that not everybody is actually doing their job properly in the first place.
In hospitality/tourism i completely agree.... But "The customer is always right" way of thinking in a bricks & mortar store died years ago.
In hospitality/tourism i completely agree.... But "The customer is always right" way of thinking in a bricks & mortar store died years ago.
Well, yes and no.
Isn't that the point though, we have the choice to use stores with decent customer service and can vote with our feet on those that cannot be bothered to provide a decent level of CS.
Not exactly retail but still 'customer' related...
In my profession we have people who make appointments to be served, and we have a reception desk where the customers will present their appointment letters to reception to verify their appointment, and are then issued a ticket number and wait to be called to a counter.
A few weeks ago a man approached reception and when asked for his appointment letter he said he had left it in the car. When asked to obtain the letter and return, he refused and the security staff quite rightly said he could not issue a ticket until he had verified his appointment (the letter clearly states they should bring it with them).
At this point, he grabbed hold of the security guards identity badge hanging round his neck, and pulled it towards him, almost pulling the guard over the counter!
To the guards credit he reacted very calmly, took hold of the mans hand and removed his grip from the badge and warned him not to do that. (I was not there when it happened, but we did have camera footage of it, but no audio).
The guy then left, but came back later and I spoke to him, as he had then decided to make a complaint against the security staff. He then claimed that the security guard had sworn at him. I pointed out that there was no way to verify that claim, but also pointed out that it was extremely unwise of him to have grabbed hold of the guards badge and pulled him, and that it would technically constitute assault.
Ultimately I just said if he wanted to make a complaint against the guard he could do so in writing and we would follow up on it (which, surprise surprise he never did), and just diffused the situation by giving him a ticket to be served.
I could have refused him entry, even got the police involved etc, but when you have a waiting room full of people it ever really looks good to have police coming in and kicking someone out.
Still...quite extraordinary behaviour from this chap, who seemed quite calm and reasonable when I spoke to him.
Isn't that the point though, we have the choice to use stores with decent customer service and can vote with our feet on those that cannot be bothered to provide a decent level of CS.
I agree that the 'customer is always right' philosophy is outdated...I believe it is ok to approach situations with that as a general approach, ie assume the customer is right and treat them with respect from the beginning...however from a realistc, working-practice point of view customers are clearly NOT always right, and I see no problem in politely informing customers of this.
The other harsh reality is that the more companies try to bend over backwards to help customers, and put systems in place for complaints and customer service etc, the more some customers will misuse and exploit such systems to get what they want. Threaten to complain even when it is not justified, and a lot of establishments will give the customer what they want to keep them happy.
Add into the mix the notion that customers can also go to tabloids, go on social network sites etc to create bad publicity. And justified or not, most companies will give in rather than risk bad publicity and negative comments.
That's not to say there are no bad shopworkers out there, of course there are. But essentially most 'complaints' from customers are actually claims of what they maintain took place, and those claims should be investigated first and verified. If the staff member is wrong, action should be taken.
But if there is no basis for the complaint, I believe companies should not shy away from saying 'I am sorry you feel that you were not treated correctly, but...' and explain the reasons and details of the findings regarding the incident.
For example, I have often had customers claim racism for no apparent reason. Simply because they cannot proceed with their application/transaction because they have not followed the correct procedure, some people will claim they are not being served because of their colour.
There is never any evidence or justification for it, no racist comments have been made by the person who served them...it's just sour grapes and frustration, and in such cases the customers are really angry with themselves because they know that have messed up. And sadly, it's all too common for people in such situations to try and twist the events around so that the company is in the wrong rather than themselves.
Thank goodness we have audio recording and CCTV at our counters...an invaluable tool when dealing with complaints of any sort.
Something that always annoys me is when I'm clearly in the middle of counting money from the till and a customer comes up to the till and asks a question/ starts talking to me.
Also when I'm trying to get away from one till to do stuff around the floor/ go on break/ go home and the other till is open with someone ready to serve, people ignore them and plonk their baskets down at my till.
I generally don't send people to the other till as it really doesn't annoy me that much (unless it's a few minutes past home time)but it confuses me as to why they don't go the main till just beside me with someone clearly ready and waiting there.
...
It reminds me of an incident at work a couple of years ago. I (politely) asked a customer to stop using his phone whilst dispensing fuel. He ignored me so the second time I asked I was a little more forthright.
Next thing I know he's in the shop swearing at me, asking me what my problem was.... And my Boss apologised to him!
And that, respectfully, is where I think certain aspects of this country have gone down the crapper! The anecdote is a great example of when the customer is NOT always right. It's common sense (and there are typically signs up) warning about not using mobile phones on petrol forecourts. God forbid if the worst case scenario had happened, if you hadn't told him to stop using the phone (and you'd still been alive to tell the tale) it would most likely come back and bite you, the employee.
Moving on, I would not be at all surprised if your company has an actual customer complaints procedure. I agree with everything Ted put above. Frankly it should be drilled in to managers hearing a customer complaining in the first instance, which let's face it is normally a case of screaming and shouting because they're not getting their own way, to not be seen to express any opinion whatsoever. All managers should do in that situation is listen and then direct the customer to the complaints procedure. If the customer refuses to act on that or continues to swear etc., again repeat 'use this procedure' until customer gives up and goes away.
Also any swearing or abusive language/behaviour towards staff should ALWAYS be met with a stern and polite 'I will listen to your concern, but please stop that behaviour or you'll be asked to leave.' I've been in too many shops as a customer myself listening to someone creating a scene and the customer's controlling the situation, and it really creates an unpleasant environment. So, for the sake of 'customer service,' you're better off upsetting one ******** causing a scene by telling them their behaviour will not be tolerated rather than letting them carry on creating a hostile environment for others: calm down or be kicked out!
It's demoralising to staff when managers effectively agree with the customer that the staff-member has got it wrong in front of them, but from the organisation's point of view they're also potentially not dealing with complaints consistently or even- handedly if they just do the sort of thing referred to above.
Apologies should only really be offered where the customer has been directed to using whatever complaints procedure the organisation has, it's then been looked into in a less fraught setting (i.e. not a knee-jerk response when the customer is screaming and shouting in front of you) and it's then clear that on balance the staffmember is more than 50% to blame. As Ted also put it, companies should not shy away from telling the customer why their complaint is unfounded when it is so. Acknowledge their feelings, but point out when they're wrong.
The last customer service facing job (at least in my part of it) I had was excellent in the sense that anyone complaining would always be told 'use the complaints procedure.' Probably one of the few things the dive had going for it was that there was a 'united we stand' approach when dealing with complaints. Behind the scenes you may have been told off, but in front of the customer it was another matter, I can't recall a single instance where the managers didn't repeat whatever we'd told the customer. Refreshing to say the least.
...At the end of the day we're all equal.... No one is better than anyone else and manners and respect cost nothing.
We all have bad days... Taking it out on the person who's providing you with a service is not the attitude to have!
Spot on. If you had an off day and the customer saw you as being ill-mannered, they'd automatically run off and complain. That's happened to me once or twice. However, what support do most workers get when they're on the receiving end of some churlish git who starts acting like a spoiled child?
Priorities are ALL wrong... sometimes!
Hats off to anyone working in retail these days. I wouldn't have the tolerance.
Having read the rants of those behind the counter, its evident that Employers are failing in their duties of staff training,
Your English grammar teacher is also unlikely to win any awards to be fair.
I've said it before, but it bears repeating - the retail industry has been ruined as a decent place to work by the likes of Dominic Littlewood and his chums. Every customer now 'knows their rights' (they don't), and many make demands in the name of 'customer service' that would make a Mafia extortionist blush. I've had people trying to charge me the petrol money they incurred by returning an item they decided they simply didn't want, I've sat near people in restaurants who can't grasp that it takes physical time to cook certain meals, and I've watched a woman in M&S complain loudly for fully ten minutes about paying 5p for a bag.
I think it was Mrs Richards on 'Fawlty Towers' who got a big laugh by insisting that Torquay was not an adequate view from a Torquay hotel window. Sadly, as TripAdvisor and the like will confirm (and Littlewood et al openly encourage) she has gone from being an exaggerated caricature to, well, a fairly standard customer...
Your English grammar teacher is also unlikely to win any awards to be fair.
I've said it before, but it bears repeating - the retail industry has been ruined as a decent place to work by the likes of Dominic Littlewood and his chums. Every customer now 'knows their rights' (they don't), and many make demands in the name of 'customer service' that would make a Mafia extortionist blush. I've had people trying to charge me the petrol money they incurred by returning an item they decided they simply didn't want, I've sat near people in restaurants who can't grasp that it takes physical time to cook certain meals, and I've watched a woman in M&S complain loudly for fully ten minutes about paying 5p for a bag.
I think it was Mrs Richards on 'Fawlty Towers' who got a big laugh by insisting that Torquay was not an adequate view from a Torquay hotel window. Sadly, as TripAdvisor and the like will confirm (and Littlewood et al openly encourage) she has gone from being an exaggerated caricature to, well, a fairly standard customer...
And add to that even more money demanded for 'trauma' or 'mental anguish' suffered.
I recently had a customer whom we refunded as a gesture of goodwill ask for another 1000.00 on top because of the 'trauma' they suffered...even though there was no such justification for it. They merely were charged a certain fee and disagreed with it, it was not wrong but the company decided to refund them anyway.
This is very common, people will simply try to get as much as they possibly can and in some cases will go to tabloids. Unfortunately once it gets to that stage no company wants bad publicity and will usually appease them even if the customer has no case.
I have been threatened with everything...lawsuits, press, solicitors, trading standards. Yesterday a man even made a threat of violence to one of my staff in front of me. Again, he had no justification for his actions and had been dealt with professionally. He simply disagreed with something and decided to have a rant.
I suspect that, more than likely, you do not. You've read a 10 point 'cut out and keep' guide in Take-A-Break (or some such publication) and now believe you are an authority on such matters.
I've said it before, but it bears repeating - the retail industry has been ruined as a decent place to work by the likes of Dominic Littlewood and his chums. Every customer now 'knows their rights' (they don't), and many make demands in the name of 'customer service' that would make a Mafia extortionist blush. I've had people trying to charge me the petrol money they incurred by returning an item they decided they simply didn't want, I've sat near people in restaurants who can't grasp that it takes physical time to cook certain meals, and I've watched a woman in M&S complain loudly for fully ten minutes about paying 5p for a bag.
I think it was Mrs Richards on 'Fawlty Towers' who got a big laugh by insisting that Torquay was not an adequate view from a Torquay hotel window. Sadly, as TripAdvisor and the like will confirm (and Littlewood et al openly encourage) she has gone from being an exaggerated caricature to, well, a fairly standard customer...
TV consumer programmes perform a valuable service by making consumers aware of their rights, and they don't encourage people to be unreasonable or to claim things they're not entitled to. It's unfortunate if some customers try to do this, but it's hardly the fault of Littlewood et al!
I suspect that, more than likely, you do not. You've read a 10 point 'cut out and keep' guide in Take-A-Break (or some such publication) and now believe you are an authority on such matters.
I remember a similar exercise in rights being done by The Sun where they would send you a t-shirt with 'I am a Sun reader and I know my rights' printed on it. I so wanted to see someone in one in a real world scenario and not in a staged photograph in the paper.
Also, I dont work in retail, but feel sorry for those that do.
'The customer is always right' is another personal fave. Again, you're more than likely not but the manager of the store just wants to get you out of the shop when you start shouting your gob off saying this.
Old boy yesterday comes to the till with a sandwich, bag of crisps and bottle of drink. The sandwich had been reduced but the total price was still over the meal deal threshold. I rang them up.......
"Thank you sir, three pounds please".
"That says meal deal".
"Yes sir".
"The sandwich is reduced".
"That's right sir".
"The sandwich is reduced".
"Yes sir, it's still three pounds for the meal deal".
"But the sandwich is reduced".
"That's right, it's three pounds for all of these"
"But the sandwich is reduced".
"Yes sir, the reduced sandwich plus the other two still comes to more than three pounds so you're still getting the meal deal".
"BUT. THE. SANDWICH. IS. REDUCED." (starts raising his voice and saying each word slowly).
"Yes sir, but it's still the meal deal price. (I try to explain again).
"No I won't buy it then". (He leaves).
Old boy yesterday comes to the till with a sandwich, bag of crisps and bottle of drink. The sandwich had been reduced but the total price was still over the meal deal threshold. I rang them up.......
"Thank you sir, three pounds please".
"That says meal deal".
"Yes sir".
"The sandwich is reduced".
"That's right sir".
"The sandwich is reduced".
"Yes sir, it's still three pounds for the meal deal".
"But the sandwich is reduced".
"That's right, it's three pounds for all of these"
"But the sandwich is reduced".
"Yes sir, the reduced sandwich plus the other two still comes to more than three pounds so you're still getting the meal deal".
"BUT. THE. SANDWICH. IS. REDUCED." (starts raising his voice and saying each word slowly).
"Yes sir, but it's still the meal deal price. (I try to explain again).
"No I won't buy it then". (He leaves).
I'm with the old boy there to be honest! He was happy to take a stale sandwich off your hands you should have given him the amount the sandwich was reduced by off the meal deal price...
Yeah but the sandwich say £2.50, the drink 90p the crisps 75p for example, even dropping 50p off the 'stale' sandwich as you say (who said it was stale?!) is still over the £3 for the meal deal.
Once had a woman who was buying a packet of crackers, The big packed had money off and was cheaper than the smaller pack. She had a meltdown in the shop because she 'couldn't eat a big pack' but wanted the cheaper option.
She wanted the smaller one for the price of the bigger one, When it was explained this couldn't be done she started shouting and left the shop.
Customers are, I am convinced, inherently dumb. Well, 95% of them.
Case #1: the counter that I work on has a glass cabinet beneath, full of jewellery and other items, with a sticker clearly placed right in front of you telling you the price of everything. Yet, the number of customers I get asking me how much things are while this big sticker is right there with the answer is staggering. Often people will even bring items to me with the price tag visible and still ask me how much it is.
Case #2: f***ing hagglers. There are a few regulars who come in frequently and try their very best to find the smallest, faintest, most imperceptible fault they can find so they can ask for a reduced price. One woman in particular regularly brings things to the counter asking for a reduced cost because it's damaged, and I have agreed on several occasions because the fault being pointed out is undeniable, but it annoys the crap out of me, especially as this is a charity shop that I work in and you would think paying the already low asking price would be of no concern to people. Apparently not.
Case #3: A few days ago a woman walks in with her child and immediately says, quite loudly, "I know why I don't come in here--because they don't sell children's clothes." She said this while walking past, yep, the children's section. Then she tutted and moaned as she walked back out of the shop, again totally ignoring the same section whose absence she was lamenting. Moron.
Case #4: last week I was in the middle of serving somebody when I saw someone at the entrance trying to catch my attention. His face and the way he was almost desperately trying to get my assistance made me worry that something had happened, so I apologised to the customer I was serving and went to see what he wanted in case it was urgent as I suspected. I got outside and he was just pointing at a tiny trash bag that'd blown into the entrance and was sitting outside the door. But of course I picked it up and thanked him and smiled despite the fact I wanted to tell him just how much of an idiot he was. As is the way.
Case #5: Every week, without fail, a guy will come in and ask when a certain member of staff works, and every time I tell him the exact same thing and he walks back out of the shop. A few days later he returns and asks the same question and leaves once again. Rinse and repeat forever, basically.
It is fortunate that I do come across great customers on a regular basis, who are pleasant and respectful and don't make you want to throw yourself out of a window. It's just unfortunate that the stupidity and rudeness of just one person can erase the goodness of fifty.
Nothing wrong with haggling :cool: I once got a hoover for £30 instead of £50 because the box was dinted. Even though there was many other boxes available.
Nothing wrong with haggling :cool: I once got a hoover for £30 instead of £50 because the box was dinted. Even though there was many other boxes available.
M/S sell things for a lot cheaper when they do notice the packing has been damaged or things are going out of date later on the day.
Comments
I've seen this sign in my local Sainsbury's where I work.
It reminds me of an incident at work a couple of years ago. I (politely) asked a customer to stop using his phone whilst dispensing fuel. He ignored me so the second time I asked I was a little more forthright.
Next thing I know he's in the shop swearing at me, asking me what my problem was.... And my Boss apologised to him!
At the end of the day we're all equal.... No one is better than anyone else and manners and respect cost nothing.
We all have bad days... Taking it out on the person who's providing you with a service is not the attitude to have!
It should have read=
You lot won't have people coming in and asking you if you'll be glad to see NETTO back in the UK and asking when/where they'lll be reopening.
Obvious troll is obvious.
The gist of it was
Me (to girl with a shoe in her hand): Hi, are you getting alright there? Do you need me to get a shoe for you?
Customer: What?
Me: Sorry, do you need me to get you the other shoe?
Customer: I just want to exchange these *holds up pink Converse*
Me: No problem, I can go get you the pair of shoes you're getting if you want?
Customer: *begrudgingly hands over shoe*
Whilst I was away selfishly getting the pair of shoes, she apparently started to say 'I was just saying I was exchanging shoes, he didn't need to butt in' until she saw one of my colleagues looking at her and her friend then said 'Shh shh'. Then her other friend was trying to act all cocky up at the till, a car on the road beeped its horn and he came out with some stupid comment about 'Half the town loving him' before looking at the assistant manager and saying to rude girl and her friend 'She knows it'. The Assistant Manager said she felt like slapping him with the shoes.
Case #1: the counter that I work on has a glass cabinet beneath, full of jewellery and other items, with a sticker clearly placed right in front of you telling you the price of everything. Yet, the number of customers I get asking me how much things are while this big sticker is right there with the answer is staggering. Often people will even bring items to me with the price tag visible and still ask me how much it is.
Case #2: f***ing hagglers. There are a few regulars who come in frequently and try their very best to find the smallest, faintest, most imperceptible fault they can find so they can ask for a reduced price. One woman in particular regularly brings things to the counter asking for a reduced cost because it's damaged, and I have agreed on several occasions because the fault being pointed out is undeniable, but it annoys the crap out of me, especially as this is a charity shop that I work in and you would think paying the already low asking price would be of no concern to people. Apparently not.
Case #3: A few days ago a woman walks in with her child and immediately says, quite loudly, "I know why I don't come in here--because they don't sell children's clothes." She said this while walking past, yep, the children's section. Then she tutted and moaned as she walked back out of the shop, again totally ignoring the same section whose absence she was lamenting. Moron.
Case #4: last week I was in the middle of serving somebody when I saw someone at the entrance trying to catch my attention. His face and the way he was almost desperately trying to get my assistance made me worry that something had happened, so I apologised to the customer I was serving and went to see what he wanted in case it was urgent as I suspected. I got outside and he was just pointing at a tiny trash bag that'd blown into the entrance and was sitting outside the door. But of course I picked it up and thanked him and smiled despite the fact I wanted to tell him just how much of an idiot he was. As is the way.
Case #5: Every week, without fail, a guy will come in and ask when a certain member of staff works, and every time I tell him the exact same thing and he walks back out of the shop. A few days later he returns and asks the same question and leaves once again. Rinse and repeat forever, basically.
It is fortunate that I do come across great customers on a regular basis, who are pleasant and respectful and don't make you want to throw yourself out of a window. It's just unfortunate that the stupidity and rudeness of just one person can erase the goodness of fifty.
I dunno..
I think I pointed it out earlier in the thread too, but there does seem to be some very genuine serious contempt for customers in this thread from some posters.
In hospitality/CS you are paid to basically worship the customer, that is your job. If you detest it that much you need to switch career.
Nothing wrong with ranting about annoying customers on here but some posts do indicate that not everybody is actually doing their job properly in the first place.
In hospitality/tourism i completely agree.... But "The customer is always right" way of thinking in a bricks & mortar store died years ago.
Well, yes and no.
Isn't that the point though, we have the choice to use stores with decent customer service and can vote with our feet on those that cannot be bothered to provide a decent level of CS.
In my profession we have people who make appointments to be served, and we have a reception desk where the customers will present their appointment letters to reception to verify their appointment, and are then issued a ticket number and wait to be called to a counter.
A few weeks ago a man approached reception and when asked for his appointment letter he said he had left it in the car. When asked to obtain the letter and return, he refused and the security staff quite rightly said he could not issue a ticket until he had verified his appointment (the letter clearly states they should bring it with them).
At this point, he grabbed hold of the security guards identity badge hanging round his neck, and pulled it towards him, almost pulling the guard over the counter!
To the guards credit he reacted very calmly, took hold of the mans hand and removed his grip from the badge and warned him not to do that. (I was not there when it happened, but we did have camera footage of it, but no audio).
The guy then left, but came back later and I spoke to him, as he had then decided to make a complaint against the security staff. He then claimed that the security guard had sworn at him. I pointed out that there was no way to verify that claim, but also pointed out that it was extremely unwise of him to have grabbed hold of the guards badge and pulled him, and that it would technically constitute assault.
Ultimately I just said if he wanted to make a complaint against the guard he could do so in writing and we would follow up on it (which, surprise surprise he never did), and just diffused the situation by giving him a ticket to be served.
I could have refused him entry, even got the police involved etc, but when you have a waiting room full of people it ever really looks good to have police coming in and kicking someone out.
Still...quite extraordinary behaviour from this chap, who seemed quite calm and reasonable when I spoke to him.
I agree that the 'customer is always right' philosophy is outdated...I believe it is ok to approach situations with that as a general approach, ie assume the customer is right and treat them with respect from the beginning...however from a realistc, working-practice point of view customers are clearly NOT always right, and I see no problem in politely informing customers of this.
The other harsh reality is that the more companies try to bend over backwards to help customers, and put systems in place for complaints and customer service etc, the more some customers will misuse and exploit such systems to get what they want. Threaten to complain even when it is not justified, and a lot of establishments will give the customer what they want to keep them happy.
Add into the mix the notion that customers can also go to tabloids, go on social network sites etc to create bad publicity. And justified or not, most companies will give in rather than risk bad publicity and negative comments.
That's not to say there are no bad shopworkers out there, of course there are. But essentially most 'complaints' from customers are actually claims of what they maintain took place, and those claims should be investigated first and verified. If the staff member is wrong, action should be taken.
But if there is no basis for the complaint, I believe companies should not shy away from saying 'I am sorry you feel that you were not treated correctly, but...' and explain the reasons and details of the findings regarding the incident.
For example, I have often had customers claim racism for no apparent reason. Simply because they cannot proceed with their application/transaction because they have not followed the correct procedure, some people will claim they are not being served because of their colour.
There is never any evidence or justification for it, no racist comments have been made by the person who served them...it's just sour grapes and frustration, and in such cases the customers are really angry with themselves because they know that have messed up. And sadly, it's all too common for people in such situations to try and twist the events around so that the company is in the wrong rather than themselves.
Thank goodness we have audio recording and CCTV at our counters...an invaluable tool when dealing with complaints of any sort.
Also when I'm trying to get away from one till to do stuff around the floor/ go on break/ go home and the other till is open with someone ready to serve, people ignore them and plonk their baskets down at my till.
I generally don't send people to the other till as it really doesn't annoy me that much (unless it's a few minutes past home time)but it confuses me as to why they don't go the main till just beside me with someone clearly ready and waiting there.
And that, respectfully, is where I think certain aspects of this country have gone down the crapper! The anecdote is a great example of when the customer is NOT always right. It's common sense (and there are typically signs up) warning about not using mobile phones on petrol forecourts. God forbid if the worst case scenario had happened, if you hadn't told him to stop using the phone (and you'd still been alive to tell the tale) it would most likely come back and bite you, the employee.
Moving on, I would not be at all surprised if your company has an actual customer complaints procedure. I agree with everything Ted put above. Frankly it should be drilled in to managers hearing a customer complaining in the first instance, which let's face it is normally a case of screaming and shouting because they're not getting their own way, to not be seen to express any opinion whatsoever. All managers should do in that situation is listen and then direct the customer to the complaints procedure. If the customer refuses to act on that or continues to swear etc., again repeat 'use this procedure' until customer gives up and goes away.
Also any swearing or abusive language/behaviour towards staff should ALWAYS be met with a stern and polite 'I will listen to your concern, but please stop that behaviour or you'll be asked to leave.' I've been in too many shops as a customer myself listening to someone creating a scene and the customer's controlling the situation, and it really creates an unpleasant environment. So, for the sake of 'customer service,' you're better off upsetting one ******** causing a scene by telling them their behaviour will not be tolerated rather than letting them carry on creating a hostile environment for others: calm down or be kicked out!
It's demoralising to staff when managers effectively agree with the customer that the staff-member has got it wrong in front of them, but from the organisation's point of view they're also potentially not dealing with complaints consistently or even- handedly if they just do the sort of thing referred to above.
Apologies should only really be offered where the customer has been directed to using whatever complaints procedure the organisation has, it's then been looked into in a less fraught setting (i.e. not a knee-jerk response when the customer is screaming and shouting in front of you) and it's then clear that on balance the staffmember is more than 50% to blame. As Ted also put it, companies should not shy away from telling the customer why their complaint is unfounded when it is so. Acknowledge their feelings, but point out when they're wrong.
The last customer service facing job (at least in my part of it) I had was excellent in the sense that anyone complaining would always be told 'use the complaints procedure.' Probably one of the few things the dive had going for it was that there was a 'united we stand' approach when dealing with complaints. Behind the scenes you may have been told off, but in front of the customer it was another matter, I can't recall a single instance where the managers didn't repeat whatever we'd told the customer. Refreshing to say the least.
Spot on. If you had an off day and the customer saw you as being ill-mannered, they'd automatically run off and complain. That's happened to me once or twice. However, what support do most workers get when they're on the receiving end of some churlish git who starts acting like a spoiled child?
Priorities are ALL wrong... sometimes!
Hats off to anyone working in retail these days. I wouldn't have the tolerance.
Your English grammar teacher is also unlikely to win any awards to be fair.
I've said it before, but it bears repeating - the retail industry has been ruined as a decent place to work by the likes of Dominic Littlewood and his chums. Every customer now 'knows their rights' (they don't), and many make demands in the name of 'customer service' that would make a Mafia extortionist blush. I've had people trying to charge me the petrol money they incurred by returning an item they decided they simply didn't want, I've sat near people in restaurants who can't grasp that it takes physical time to cook certain meals, and I've watched a woman in M&S complain loudly for fully ten minutes about paying 5p for a bag.
I think it was Mrs Richards on 'Fawlty Towers' who got a big laugh by insisting that Torquay was not an adequate view from a Torquay hotel window. Sadly, as TripAdvisor and the like will confirm (and Littlewood et al openly encourage) she has gone from being an exaggerated caricature to, well, a fairly standard customer...
And add to that even more money demanded for 'trauma' or 'mental anguish' suffered.
I recently had a customer whom we refunded as a gesture of goodwill ask for another 1000.00 on top because of the 'trauma' they suffered...even though there was no such justification for it. They merely were charged a certain fee and disagreed with it, it was not wrong but the company decided to refund them anyway.
This is very common, people will simply try to get as much as they possibly can and in some cases will go to tabloids. Unfortunately once it gets to that stage no company wants bad publicity and will usually appease them even if the customer has no case.
I have been threatened with everything...lawsuits, press, solicitors, trading standards. Yesterday a man even made a threat of violence to one of my staff in front of me. Again, he had no justification for his actions and had been dealt with professionally. He simply disagreed with something and decided to have a rant.
I suspect that, more than likely, you do not. You've read a 10 point 'cut out and keep' guide in Take-A-Break (or some such publication) and now believe you are an authority on such matters.
TV consumer programmes perform a valuable service by making consumers aware of their rights, and they don't encourage people to be unreasonable or to claim things they're not entitled to. It's unfortunate if some customers try to do this, but it's hardly the fault of Littlewood et al!
LOL. So true.
Also, I dont work in retail, but feel sorry for those that do.
'The customer is always right' is another personal fave. Again, you're more than likely not but the manager of the store just wants to get you out of the shop when you start shouting your gob off saying this.
"Thank you sir, three pounds please".
"That says meal deal".
"Yes sir".
"The sandwich is reduced".
"That's right sir".
"The sandwich is reduced".
"Yes sir, it's still three pounds for the meal deal".
"But the sandwich is reduced".
"That's right, it's three pounds for all of these"
"But the sandwich is reduced".
"Yes sir, the reduced sandwich plus the other two still comes to more than three pounds so you're still getting the meal deal".
"BUT. THE. SANDWICH. IS. REDUCED." (starts raising his voice and saying each word slowly).
"Yes sir, but it's still the meal deal price. (I try to explain again).
"No I won't buy it then". (He leaves).
I'm with the old boy there to be honest! He was happy to take a stale sandwich off your hands you should have given him the amount the sandwich was reduced by off the meal deal price...
So i'm with the shop assistant.
She wanted the smaller one for the price of the bigger one, When it was explained this couldn't be done she started shouting and left the shop.
" have you got any floor cleaner? its 65p. in the green bottle, floor clearner, in the green bottle, 65p......."
Nothing wrong with haggling :cool: I once got a hoover for £30 instead of £50 because the box was dinted. Even though there was many other boxes available.
M/S sell things for a lot cheaper when they do notice the packing has been damaged or things are going out of date later on the day.