Right or Wrong: Customers
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It's dead and I know I usually call customer service because I know I'm wrong about something and try to be polite, unless I'm on hold for a half hour in which case I can't help but be pissed off at the poor rep.
How long the customer was on hold should be the indicator on how cooperative or pissed off they will be.
How long the customer was on hold should be the indicator on how cooperative or pissed off they will be.
I pretty sure that it's dead. From what I read in past thread on customer or employee related topic (I little experiences on this), the customer being wrong outweight the employee being wrong.
Let's raise the bet people: Clients from Hell [http://clientsfromhell.net/]evilneko said:
OT: No, customers are absolutely not entitled to be right. They have to earn it. Mostly by not shouting and/or being reasonable. Of course employees are not automatically right in whatever they do but in the vast majority of cases it was a honest mistake or no malicious intention. Or the customer was being wrong.
I worked as a waiter for a while one summer and since it was the first time I did it, I developed a habit of taking an order and then reading out to confirm it was correct and neither of us missed anything. People still accused me of forgetting something afterwards - I can excuse them if it was a long and complicated order and they switched off after a while, but two coffees and a coke? Really? You are two people and are not doing anything else in the ten seconds it takes me to say "So that is two coffees and a Coke?" and you fail to notice there isn't a Fanta anywhere in the order? And there it's not there because you didn't tell me? No, I am not wrong, and you certainly aren't right. And at least once that happened in front of my boss.
And then there are the customers who are too wrong to imagine. When I worked as software developer for a while (on a placement) and the customer almost ruined a system by not understating the specs themselves. Also changing them on the fly ("Hey, that's cool you did that, so can you add a new feature X, I'm sure it wouldn't be hard" or "Actually, can you change Y to do Z?" and that happened at least weekly). They submitted bug reports that were only "bugs" because the desired functionality was never even implied.
So to recap: customers are not automatically wrong, however nor are employees. I'll just give an example with Verizon argue Math with a Math teacher [http://verizonmath.blogspot.com/2007/08/original-recording-of-verizon-customer.html]. The best part? when they call Math "a matter of opinion".
I've experienced some really shoddy customer service, especially over the phone where some of the monkeys are too stupid and/or lazy to help. Escalating to management has never failed in those circumstances. Some of these clowns must feel very entitled and like the power trip.
Give 'em hell. >
Give 'em hell. >
I can understand customers being rude if the cashier, waiter, waitress is rude. I have definitely run into retail associates who thought I was scum just because I made them do a bit of work.
In my opinion there are two types of customers. There are the awesome customers and the not so awesome customers.
The awesome customers are the ones that don't get mad if the cashier makes a mistake. They may tell the cashier they made a mistake but they don't get angry or yell about it. The not so awesome customers are the ones that get angry at the cashier and threaten to tell his/her manager and make a big scene about it.
Those are just examples though.
In my opinion there are two types of customers. There are the awesome customers and the not so awesome customers.
The awesome customers are the ones that don't get mad if the cashier makes a mistake. They may tell the cashier they made a mistake but they don't get angry or yell about it. The not so awesome customers are the ones that get angry at the cashier and threaten to tell his/her manager and make a big scene about it.
Those are just examples though.
Customer Service folks are people too.GoaThief said:I've experienced some really shoddy customer service, especially over the phone where some of the monkeys are too stupid and/or lazy to help. Escalating to management has never failed in those circumstances. Some of these clowns must feel very entitled and like the power trip.
Give 'em hell. >
I say customers like that can eat a fuckin dick. That includes you.
xDarc said:
Only quoting to point out the phrases origins was closer to the 1860s than 1960s As for its relevance it is insanely relevant and I will explain below.
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Fittingly enough after posting this I was knocked offline and stuck dealing with customer service all after noon trying to get a simple IP address reallocation completed.
Anyway. Well If the responses of the thread is any indication then it certainly is dead. Not out of principle, but out of people no longer understanding the phrases meaning.
The customer is always right was absolutely never meant to give customers the right to be unreasonable assholes. It is an explanation that the customer has the right to choose who he gives his money to, and its the job of the person selling the product to convince the consumer to buy THEIR product.
Simply put the average consumer is a friggen idiot who if anything consistently provide proof to another axiom "A fool and his money are soon parted" This is why we have laws that protect ownership, allow for buyers remorse, Lemon laws, False advertising, bait and switch etc. Because people make stupid decisions for themselves when it comes to how they spend their money. Stupid people forced legislation because they were so stupid with their money that it began hurting people that werent.
This really does explain a lot to me. It makes more sense to see a world where people blindly throw their rights as a consumer away in exchange for the perceptions of security, ownership, economic viability, etc. If you do not even understand that you have the right to choose which products you buy and which ones you dont then you have no appreciation for that right and having that right means nothing to you so your going to be much more casual about throwing it away.
I cannot help but to feel that for every company that has shipped their customer service jobs overseas beyond wanting to save money have just as much vested interest in sending a CSR job to a place where the ideology of The customer is always right essentially does not exist, and to be handled by people who will not hesitate to ignore what youve told them, tell you NO, your wrong, and begin quoting in blurbish whatever corporate policy that remotely justifies their position.
TL;DR
The customer is always right. Not because the customer is always accurate. Its because the customer is the one with the decision making power on who gets their money. That means every one trying to sell a product to a customer SHOULD be bending over backwards to negotiate an equal balance between corporate interests and consumer interests. If dealing with stupid, irate, agitated, opinionated customers is too much for you to deal with, please kindly quit your job and find something you can enjoy. Allow someone with thicker skin to handle the job, and do not encourage others to screw over everyone because you dont like the nature of the job you tried for. Because really I do not find it at all surprising that the more we let our corporations move away from the ideologies of the customer is always right, the more we see our economic stability decline.
...or both. I used to work in Internet tech support, and believe me, those customers seemed to be under the impression that I could just push some magic button and make their Internet work. Or if it was necessary to sent a service tech to their home, they seemed to think I should be able to have one show up within the hour. Well sorry it doesn't work that way. I don't have a magic "fix-all" button and there are at least several dozen other customers in your area that also need service technicians, all I can do is schedule one for the earliest time that's available. Dealing with customers is a nightmare, I did get some interesting stories out of it though.Thomas Guy said:
There's no "loophole" with:Regnes said:
"The sign said that's $3!"
"No, that was for a different product on an entirely different shelf in a different aisle on the other side of the store. Another customer just left the product in the wrong spot, but that doesn't change the fact that it costs $4.99."
"NO! IT'S THREE DOLLARS!"
"So, you don't want it?"
"IT'S THREE DOLLARS, DAMMIT!"
Etc.
OT: No. See above for my cashier story of the day. It's not that impressive, the customers are getting better.
If a customer is reasonable, we WILL bend over backwards to help them. You have NO FREAKING IDEA how many times I, as a cashier, have ignored/broken/completely shattered protocol to keep a nice customer happy. I've made up great prices on the spot for them when items don't scan through. I've abandoned my cash register to wrap flowers. I've carved chunks out of my allotted break time to help a customer find an elusive item. I've given out contested items for free without properly checking the price. I've escorted a drunk man all around our store to find him salad ingredients, and it kept him in a good mood, so I don't really mind that much.viranimus said:
However, if the customer is going to be an absolute ass, it upsets all the customers around them. At that point, the other grocery store can have him. All of a sudden, I'm following protocol to the letter and don't care anymore if they're happy. One customer threw a hissy fit, demanded to talk to the head of the entire grocery chain, and threatened to take his business elsewhere, and our manager smiled and waved goodbye. This was a brilliant move, as everyone nearby complimented him on his calm demeanor throughout the exchange, and I've seen those other people many times since. The original ass hasn't come back, and we're perfectly happy about it.
So yeah, the customer was right - he COULD take his bitching elsewhere and stop polluting our work/shopping environment. And he DID.
Dont get me wrong, Ive also made my position clear that a its not for the customer being a dick. Simple fact is it does not matter if the customer is right or wrong, some people invariably will end up being dick heads.lacktheknack said:
So in my view I dont see it as a good thing because even if the customer is inaccurate and still being a dick about it and having to endure it is far less an atrocity than say when someone calls up tech support, then gets walked through 3 hours of trouble shooting steps that they do not need to because the CSR "Has to follow troubleshooting procedure" and these steps cannot be omitted.Or to be sold a cable package with 2 bonus features, and then when you go to use the features your told you cant have what you were originally sold because feature 1 conflicts with feature 2 and being given the alternative of "Well, you can stop using the service"
Honestly the cons of the customer is always right are literally nothing compared to its pros. By the same measure the pros of the customer is not always right are negligible at best compared to all the cons it can generate.
I worked in telecommunications, tech support, customer service, collections, Retail, Banking, food service, EMS etcI have had many jobs in the service industries. I have dealt with the most pissed off, irrational, insane customers humanly possible. That said I would still GLADLY deal with those customers in the context of the vocation than to be a customer and have to deal with being insulted with non existent customer service that ignores logic and invariably favors corporate interests and not loose access to jobs in the process.
Get stuff thrown at me, racial accusations, death threats. "You have to deal with it cause the customers always right". My manager.
Go into store, have jackass following me asking if I'm gonna pay for stuff I'm looking at at a Target. "They're just following protocol." Corporate.
Need a reciept reprinted at a Barnes and Noble cause coupon, even showed the store manager the email from corporate on my ipod. "This all looks suspicious and I think you're trying to steal from us." Corporates response? "He told us he didn't say that so you're lying".
Moral of the story? Life screws you over dangerously high in the world of retail.
Go into store, have jackass following me asking if I'm gonna pay for stuff I'm looking at at a Target. "They're just following protocol." Corporate.
Need a reciept reprinted at a Barnes and Noble cause coupon, even showed the store manager the email from corporate on my ipod. "This all looks suspicious and I think you're trying to steal from us." Corporates response? "He told us he didn't say that so you're lying".
Moral of the story? Life screws you over dangerously high in the world of retail.
This is the kind of attitude that breeds the completely undeserved sense of self-entitlement that many kids, and adults alike, tend to exhibit.
People always think that they are the exception to the rule ( ^ That rule) because of sayings and attitudes like, "The customer is always right."
So, no, I don't think the customer, or anyone, is always right.
[sub]I realize that taking an expression that literally is retarded, but I'm making a point so[/sub]
No one is always right. Period.
People always think that they are the exception to the rule ( ^ That rule) because of sayings and attitudes like, "The customer is always right."
So, no, I don't think the customer, or anyone, is always right.
[sub]I realize that taking an expression that literally is retarded, but I'm making a point so[/sub]
All I have to add is this: Whoever says that the customer is always right has clearly never worked retail.
As far as I'm concerned, it was never alive.
When a customer comes in and starts swearing at you behind the counter, and gets pissed off at you and abusive - they are not right.
There are many times customers are misinformed, yet will insist they are right because a friend told them or something.
A customer is NEVER right if they think they should get something for free without a very good reason.
A customer that damages products is not in the right.
A customer who tries to do something against your policies is not right.
The customer is not always right. Doesn't mean they're always wrong, or that you shouldn't let them get away with some things they get wrong just to be nice and promote the idea of going back to your business.
When a customer comes in and starts swearing at you behind the counter, and gets pissed off at you and abusive - they are not right.
There are many times customers are misinformed, yet will insist they are right because a friend told them or something.
A customer is NEVER right if they think they should get something for free without a very good reason.
A customer that damages products is not in the right.
A customer who tries to do something against your policies is not right.
The customer is not always right. Doesn't mean they're always wrong, or that you shouldn't let them get away with some things they get wrong just to be nice and promote the idea of going back to your business.