Bad Customer Service

[Andara Bledin]

Maybe You Get Bad Customer Service Because You're a Bad Customer

Huffington Post's Matt Walsh is calling out a bad customer and suggesting that, hey, maybe the reason they get bad customer service is because they're a bad customer.

This is well worth a read to anyone whose been on the front lines of customer service, and might be worth printing out just to hand to these obnoxious jerks when encountered in the wild.

[Peppergirl]

LOVE some of the comments.

"You don't know what kind of day she had! How dare you judge her!"

As if that makes it perfectly acceptable to curse someone out.

Shit, if I cussed someone out every time *I* had a bad day, I'd have had a coronary or been hauled away by the PC police YEARS ago.

The problem with behavior like this is that management and corporate reinforces it by giving in.

I'm not saying that one should accept shoddy service, but if you consistently receive poor service EVERY time you interact with someone, it's time to examine your own behavior.

[TheHuckster]

This is well worth a read to anyone whose been on the front lines of customer service, and might be worth printing out just to hand to these obnoxious jerks when encountered in the wild.

Unfortunately that would just be self-defeating for many of them. They are bad customers because, among other things, they are defensive and in denial. Even if, afterwards, they feel they might have been a bit too harsh, they just rationalize it away with thoughts like "they're just peons behind a register" or "if they just said 'yes' in the first place this wouldn't have happened" or even " or even "it's a big company! Surely they can afford to give me a refund even if I've had it for a year!"

After that they begin to change their story around so they can further justify it: "I might have been waiting for 2 minutes, but it felt like 15, so... it was 15 minutes." "The clerk wasn't smiling when he/she said 'no'. How rude! Yes, this clerk 'rudely' said no." and "I started to raise my voice and swear to them for sure, because they were so rude, but it was unprofessional of them to then threaten to call security on me! They were even little swears. Surely they could take a little abuse, especially after all I've been through!"

Finally, after they've rationalized and exaggerated their story, they tell their friends about their heinous incident at the store, about how they waited 15 minutes for customer service to check their return, and how rude the clerk and manager were when they declined the return and then, for 'no reason' threatened to call security. Their friends, not knowing the whole story, will validate the complaint and re-enforce the customer's rationalization.

In much the same way they advise you that in relationships one's personality can't be changed, the same sadly can be said for bad customers. The only possible chance they might at least improve a little bit is if a friend who is a good customer witnesses first-hand what goes down and calls them out on it, but that doesn't always happen, and even then the SC can still get all defensive. After all, the customer is always right, right?

[Rageaholic]

LOVE some of the comments.

"You don't know what kind of day she had! How dare you judge her!"

As if that makes it perfectly acceptable to curse someone out.

It's a shame SCs don't grant the same courtesy to the people serving them.

[Jester]

Unfortunately that would just be self-defeating for many of them. They are bad customers because, among other things, they are defensive and in denial. Even if, afterwards, they feel they might have been a bit too harsh, they just rationalize it away...

Then again, some of them might simply be assholes.

[TheHuckster]

Then again, some of them might simply be assholes.

Quite frankly, I consider assholes to be pretty much exactly what I described. They either don't care, or they are to ignorant to even think about caring. "The problem can't be me, it's gotta be everyone else in the world"

[Jester]

Sorry. My point was simply that these people may not be going through all the rationalization you mentioned, but may simply be assholes who don't care enough to try to explain, justify, rationalize, or in any way think through why they do why they do....they simply do it because they're assholes, and don't care enough to go through that whole process.

[Boozy]

"You don't know what kind of day she had! How dare you judge her!"

As if that makes it perfectly acceptable to curse someone out.

Nothing makes treating someone poorly acceptable. However, whenever I was treated poorly by a customer, it always helped to remember that happy people with happy lives do not lose their shit over condiments on their burgers.

Most unhappy people manage to get through their days without taking it out on strangers, and that is the standard that society should expect and the standard I personally live by. I don't excuse poor behaviour from customers, but I have found that meeting rage with compassion has changed the way I deal with difficult customers, and leaves me in a better mood at the end of the day.

[HYHYBT]

There are the type who are bad customers out of ignorance and lack of thought, but who essentially mean well. Those are reachable, at least.

[Peppergirl]

Most unhappy people manage to get through their days without taking it out on strangers, and that is the standard that society should expect and the standard I personally live by. I don't excuse poor behaviour from customers, but I have found that meeting rage with compassion has changed the way I deal with difficult customers, and leaves me in a better mood at the end of the day.

Can't quite get with you on the compassion part, but I do tend to use the 'kill 'em with kindness' thing, to the point of occasionally using the tactic of being disgustingly sweet. It serves to irritate them more, and it's viewed by my superiors that I've taken the high road, except I know I haven't really.

Maybe I'm just as bad as they are, come to think of it..since I tend to enjoy toying with the ones that repeatedly treat my employees badly, but I always skirt the line well enough to come out smelling like a rose.

Given the choice between compassion for people who might lead unhappy lives, and therefore treat my employees like shit, OR standing up for my employees (albeit in a roundabout, skirting-the-line way sometimes), I'll take my employees any day. Not that there shouldn't be room for both, but if I have to choose one, it's going to be them.

I do not, however, allow my employees to treat customers badly. They know I'll back them to the hilt if they're right, and if a customers bad behavior is totally unwarranted. BUT, if they're in the wrong, I have no problem siding with the customer and letting them know.

[XCashier]

LOVE some of the comments.

"You don't know what kind of day she had! How dare you judge her!"

As if that makes it perfectly acceptable to curse someone out.

So, the SC had a bad day, therefore she is justified in making the cashier have a bad day? On and on it goes, like a nasty game of Pass It On. Where does it end?

[hinakiba777]

If the woman mentioned did stumble upon the article, I think she would either not recognize herself, or she would try to sue Mr. Walsh.

Also, did anyone else get the slideshow beneath the article about "Ways to deal with bad customer service?" It seemed a little oxymoronic in context to the article.

I have a lot of "friends" who will play crusader when stuff goes wrong. Example; I'm allergic to mustard seed, which is in a lot of products. So when I order food I need them to take special precautions so that I don't get sick. I am SO apologetic the whole time, but still very firm on my instructions. Sometimes people make a mistake, and I just have to ask them to correct it. "Um...I'm really sorry, but there's coleslaw on my plate and it's touching my fries. I know this is a lot to ask, but I can't eat those fries now because of my mayo allergy. Would it be horrible to ask you to bring me another plate? I'm sorry. " (Sometimes i just give the fries that touched the slaw to my friends/family and say nothing) No problem. But then I'll be a a restaurant and there will be coleslaw on my plate, and the person I am with will tear a strip out of the server. And I am left to sit there like

[mikoyan29]

How can anyone justify cursing out the cashier? the cashier has nothing to do with how the food comes out and if I'm remembering my days at the Arches correctly, as a cashier, I could not handle food anyway. And then to curse out the cashier when the cashier is trying to make it right for you...Meh.

[Jester]

If the woman mentioned did stumble upon the article, I think she would either not recognize herself, or she would try to sue Mr. Walsh.

I would love to see her try to sue him. That would be the quickest lawsuit in legal history.

JUDGE: "I'm sorry....you're suing him, why, exactly?"
SC: "He defamed me! He slandered me!"
JUDGE: "Did he name you in the article?"
SC: "....no."
JUDGE: "Did he identify you in any way in the article, beyond describing your actions at the establishment in question?"
SC: "...no."
JUSGE: "So how, exactly, did he defame or slander you?"
SC: "He made me look like an idiot!"
JUDGE: "And who, exactly, would be able to know that that was you he described in the article if he gave no indication as to your identity?"
SC: "....I felt violated by his mean words!"
JUDGE: "OUT!!!!"

[s_stabeler]

There's an even quicker, and probably more entertaining way the lawsuit could end.

SC: He Defamed me!
Judge: Was what he said true?
SC: Yes, but...
Judge: OUT!!!

Truth, after all, is an 100% defense to defamation/slander lawsuits.