I never dared be rude to anyone when I was doing paid work; my parents instilled in me a strong work ethic and basic manners. If I was having a bad day, not one of my clients would have known. I might bitch to my colleagues at lunch time but a paying client gets treated like they are my only concern in the world while they're there.
If you are in a customer service role (or any role for that matter, but not a sausage roll) you represent a company... whether you're wearing a uniform or not, behind a til, schmoozing corporate big wigs, serving food, whatever, you are doing it in their name. You are being PAID to be nice... it's not that hard!
This week I had a run in with customer service dude who, had me spouting "Back in my day" and tutting in my head, like the fuddy duddy that I am.
I went to the toy sales to buy a trike for Tricky. I like to call it a trikey. Anyway, there were rows and rows of toys and I couldn't find the one I was after but then I spied a little catalogue that had all the bigger items in it with their barcodes. Across the front it said something along the lines of "No need to bring bulky items to layby, just bring this catalogue'. So I did.
The girl rolled her eyes at me and said she'd have to call someone to go get it because she couldn't sell me something from a catalogue. Right, even though it says it on the cover? Fine, call someone, I'll wait.
So a guy called Scott turned up and when asked if there were any in stock he moaned "Yeah, up the front. Heaps of 'em" then audibly sighed when asked to go get it. So sorry, to put you out, Scottie, were you busy scuffing your shoes along the aisles?
My rather condescending "Mate, I'm just doing what you're own catalogue says to do" was met with a shrug and and he went to get the WRONG ONE. The girl tried to assure me was the right one while the lovely Scott buggered off to do something important, like skulk around the menswear section where no one would see.
I might not be the smartest person in the world but I'm pretty sure I can tell the difference between a pink bike and a green bike. I couldn't be bothered arguing anymore so just put down my deposit and figured I would exchange it when I picked it up later.
As I walked out of the store the loudspeaker boomed "Scott back to lay by please, Scott". Yeah, you bastards, I told you it was the wrong one.
Do go around tutting in your head at the lack of customer service? Can you spot the difference in the picture?
I not only tut but I call people out on it now. You give me bad service then you're going to be told about while you're giving me said crappy service AND if you moan while I'm telling you you're giving me crap service then I'm now also going to your manager to put in a complaint about you. I'm sooooooo tired of not only crap service but NO service. It's not hard to smile n at least pretend to acknowledge my existance while serving me - I get you don't like your job but hey who does but we have to suck it up and serve with a smile. Don't like customers? Get a different job that doesn't require public interaction.
ReplyDeleteWhile I will happily complain about bad service, I will also go out of my way to let a manager know about good service and compliment the person directly as well - though it's been awhile since I've had the pleasure of doing that :-(
kmart lost $150 worth of business from us last year because the chick in the DVD section was too busy talking to her mate (who wasn't buying anything - they were just gossiping) to bother serving me. The store manager got told about that one.
*rant over*
It always seems worse around the time of the Toy Sales :) A few years ago, I was "assisted" by a young man to put a fire station on lay-by, since I'm too short and couldn't reach the box. He carried it to lay-by, the girl there served me, I paid - everything seemed normal - umm nope! He had picked up the empty display box and that's what they wrapped in plastic at lay-by. Just glad I noticed the box was a little light when I picked it up and opened it at the counter. I'm quite sure they wouldn't have believed me,
ReplyDeleteThis really irked me when I was working in retail - I was always, ALWAYS, polite to customers. Even when they were throwing money at my head. Even when the customer was deaf and couldn't read lips, so I had to use my very basic sign language skills. But my co-"workers"? Nope. Not one iota of manners. Especially when I was in fast food, they'd just show up, chat to their friends (usually a MANAGER!) and ignore customers. But because I wasn't all buddy-buddy with the higher-ups (aside from one, who was my fiancé/husband), I was the one that copped all the crap about bad service.
ReplyDeleteManagers and head office get a lot of complaints, so I always go out of my way to tell them about GOOD service. Sticks out more in their heads.
I have no idea what it is with so many people. So many unhappy people! They have jobs ffs. They ought to pull their heads in or move along to another job.
ReplyDeleteI had a guy (I estimate he'd be well into his 50s) on the phone from Salton - no, I don't mind saying which company because he was a twat - which is a distributor for all sorts of brand appliances. Being that it was the second time I had to call to get a replacement lid knob for my rice cooker (which broke about 12 months ago, only a few months after we bought it), I thought he would be at least apologetic about the inconvenience. I got nothing. So, me being me, I made a little joke: when he said "They stopped making that model", I said laughingly "I can understand why" His response? (in his best disgruntled teacher/father "I'll have none of your cheek, missy") "Stop laughing. I'm trying to give you one for nothing. Do you want me to do that or do you want to keep laughing?"
Ass hat.
You're so right, Glowy. It's NOT hard. But you'd think they were having their arms twisted to at least appear as though they cared. It's astounding.
Was that Target?!
ReplyDeleteLast year at the Target Toy Sale we put a lay-by down and when we went to pay for it they told us it didn't exist. They asked us repeatedly if we were sure it was at that store. They were quite rude and it got to the point where I had an employee running around with me trying to remember what I'd grabbed off the shelves.
We went back the next time and OMG they had found our lay-by. It was pay back. I asked about five times whether they were sure it was at that store. Yeah, I'm a bitch but they sucked at customer service the first time.
I'll never go back to that store and after complaining nothing happened. Not impressed.
I started out working at a supermarket in a small town were it was almost beaten in to us to smile and that the 'customer is always right'. I find I still put my happy face on even as a customer, half the cashiers/shop assistants just look at me thinking "what the hell is this woman on???"
ReplyDeleteEver since I moved to the 'big smoke' at 20 I have tutted about the disgusting service in so many places. Even going back to my parents I think "back when I worked here that would NOT be tolerated" (supermarket's changed hands and managers)
They so deserve to be given attitude. It's not your fault they don't like their bloody jobs! Is it the new generation?
ReplyDeleteI've had a few lately. I'm one that hates to complain, but I don't see how hard it is to do your job properly.
ReplyDeleteI bought hubby a jacket for his birthday from an upscale store. The woman who sold it to me was more than rude. I ended up having to change it for a bigger size and when I took it back the exact same woman testily told me they didn't stock that jacket and threw it back at me. Ummm, she was the one who sold it to me and there was a whole rack directly behind her. She sighed when I pointed it out and didn't utter a single word for the rest of the transaction. Noice.
I worked at KFC for 8yrs while getting my uni degrees. Most stressful work years of my life and I still cringe everytime I go into a fast food place. I like to think I served people well. I often found the best way of dealing with a rude customer was being overly friendly, oh and I always called people maam and sir when they were screaming at me. It was like a little relaxing technique for my brain because calling people that always makes me giggle in my head, I don't know why. Having said that I did lose my cool every now and then but only at people who I know were trying to scam free food out of me.
ReplyDeleteI'm a checkout chook and I try to be as nice as I can to customers, thankfully most of my customers are nice to me too. I don't think I've ever had a really nasty customer, although occasionally there's someone having a bad day, but I have bad days too, so I'm tolerant. I have a fair amount of pain in my neck, hips and legs, my feet are really bad too, so it's harder on days when they're all hurting at once. But for only four hours at a time, I can smile and be helpful.
ReplyDeleteCustomer service these days is appalling.
ReplyDeleteYou need a fucking degree to work at macca's otherwise you're screwing orders up left right and centre. And the amount of times i've been in a "superstore" and asked for assistance and gotten nothing, ended up more confused is ridiculous.
Good on you for holding your ground and telling them they were wrong!
I'm with you - I LOATHE non existent customer service... Had a "toy sale" moment too when I'd lined up for 40 minutes to layby a leapfrog reading/atlas set only to be told I wasnt getting the special unless I found the specifically wrapped set. Yet she couldnt tell me where to find them... And wasnt the least bit interested in seeing if she could get someone else to help me... Finally found it myself and just paid for it - couldnt be arsed going back in line for another hr to be served by the likes of her!
ReplyDeleteI am regularly appalled at the level of service I get in various establishments happy to take my money. And yes I tutt tutt like a nana too. I have become better at saying something now, either that or I write a letter....prolific letter writer. Makes me feel better :)
ReplyDeleteI could rant for hours about the lack of customer service in a lot of places I go to. I used to work at Macca's and did my best to be friendly, polite and helpful - after all, that's what I was being paid for. To be honest though, towards the end, I got so sick of being treated like crap by most of the customers that came in (the store was in a high socio-economic area) that my patience was sorely tested. I also remember the school holidays I always seemed to get rostered on with the same dumb arse (I was day crew at this stage). He used to stuff up most of his orders, so rather than go back to him and get the blank expression, they'd come to me to complain which meant that I had to serve all of my own customers as well as fix his stuff-ups in the middle of the lunch rush. Even when I spent copious amounts of time explaining that he needed to read back orders and double check what he had picked up against what was on the order, he just couldn't get it. After five days straight of working with him, I lost it and told the rostering manager (who just happened to be on shift that day) that if he EVER rostered me on with the dumb arse again, I would quit on the spot. I had a fair bit of leverage in that job because they really struggled to get people to work days at that store, so the managers liked to keep me happy.
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed they give you the right trikey... or that they have them in stock if you need to swap it later. One thing I've found with the toy sales is quite often that stock is never to be found again, until the next toy sale!
ReplyDeleteOh and at my local Target were I like to lay-by frequently there is 2 very snooty lay-by ladies, anyone would think they've got better things to do than serve you!