Customer Rant

[StrawHat]

My wife and I own and operate a small business. We sharpen things. The company accepts cash, heck’s and credit cards. Yesterday, a customer insists that he get a discount for paying cash. We do not offer that as we have one set of pricing for everyone and we absorb the cc fees rather than adding the to the customers bill. Actually, we do not “absorb” the fees, rather we deduct them from the taxes as a business expense. Regardless, we do not discount for cash. My wife explains this to the.fellow who belligerently demands a discount for cash. My wife, again, explains our policy and refuses to meet his demands. “But you did it before!” That is an outright lie, but my wife explains it more diplomatically. He starts in again with how so-and-so (a fellow sharpener) offers a discount. Well, we happen to know all of our competitors and a lot about how they run their service. Again my wife starts to explain and this guy booms “Do you want me to take my business to him?”

I calmly stand up and walk over to where my wife does the intake and explain that the other company does not offer a cash discount, they do not even accept credit cards, and yes, PLEASE, take your business to him! At this point my wife has gathered up the items and placed them in the bag he brought them in and hands them to me. I hand them back to the fellow and wish him a nice day. He stands there dumbfounded that I called his bluff.

My wife takes the next customer in line and it goes smoothly. I notice “cash discount” gets back in line. When his turn comes up again, he pays cash and says something about how we must not believe the “customer is always right”. My wife does not miss a beat and says, no, they are not, but they are always the customer.

Why do some people have to push issues. Especially ones they know nothing about?

Rant over, thanks for listening!

Kevin

 

[bamabiker]

Welcome to dealing with the public. He will not be the last one.

 

[NFrameFred]

Though I understand the the thought behind it, "The customer is always right" is a saying that took hold that should not have and is an obvious fallacy.


Of course, when that saying became popular in the every day language courtesy, general intelligence, manners and common sense were demonstrably more common. . . as evidenced by society today.

 

[StrawHat]

Welcome to dealing with the public. He will not be the last one.

We have been dealing with the public for 14 years now. I am fortunate to be able to say, I can count the jerks on one hand.

Kevin

 

[444 Magnum]

I'm not defending the jerk in StrawHat's op, but my observation as a small business owner is that the phrase "the customer is always right" needs to be kept in the back of the mind.

Statistically speaking, a pleased customer may go out and tell 2-3 people about their pleasant experience with your business. A disgruntled customer, however, will tell 8-10 people over a period of time.

I'm certainly not saying the customer is always right, far from it depending on the type of business you have. A customer, however, is a customer and a potential source of future customers. In my business (residential construction), references/referrals are extremely valuable. I don't deal in a volume of customers so each customer is key to business.

I'm straight forward with my customers. "If you want to paint your house pink and purple," I say, "we'll do it, but I'll only do it once for the same price." I believe in good communication and construction agreements where needed. I don't negotiate my construction fees. I price things fairly and that's that. Hire me or don't.

StrawHat, you were completely in the right and it sounds like you and your wife kept your cool and handled the situation professionally.

Have a good Thanksgiving.

 

[johngalt]

I wonder how he would respond to:

"Would you want you as a customer?"

 

[NFrameFred]

I'm not defending the jerk in StrawHat's op, but my observation as a small business owner is that the phrase "the customer is always right" needs to be kept in the back of the mind.
Statistically speaking, a pleased customer may go out and tell 2-3 people about their pleasant experience with your business. A disgruntled customer, however, will tell 8-10 people over a period of time.

Just so - in fact, I have used that little nugget to my advantage a time or two.

Just an observation though . . . most people who exhibit jerky behavior do so because in this day and time they usually get away with it. We've allowed the lack of manners and civility in a formerly civilized society to go by the wayside.

Off on a rabbit trail here, but I grew up when my father was the age of most men in an establishment at any given time who were WWII or Korean War veterans.

I recall seeing disgusting behavior in a public restaurant from a couple of drunks who were being loud and profane in a place where it was totally inappropriate and in the presence of women and children. At an adjacent table, my father immediately called them out on it and advised them to keep it down.

They didn't take it well, but when it became obvious that several other men in the place shared my father's opinion and appeared to be ready to back him up, the drunks decided to leave for a less dangerous environment. These veterans had just come through a time in their lives when they had each others' backs and risked their lives fighting for what they believed in, thus being more willing and of a mindset that dictators, bullies and such vermin should not be allowed to force their will on those around them.

Fast forward to today . . . those lessons have now faded into the intervening decades and confronting bad behavior in public is now not advisable (so I've been told and have observed) because "someone might get hurt". Just so. If you stand up to a public bully or call out bad behavior the majority of those around you will cower like sheep and refuse to back you up. Someone is already being hurt by their jerkish behavior and we have allowed our society to become so soft and 'heavenly minded' that we're no earthly good. Jerks get away with it because they know they can.

The 'Greatest Generation' allowed us to have such peace and prosperity for so long that we've forgotten that if you ever wanted a reputation for standing for the right and being tough . . . at some time you've had to hit someone.

Like I said, down a rabbit trail that really didn't apply well to the original post, but no less an observation on how some people seem to think they are entitled to spread their crummy behavior around with impunity. Now it's celebrated by TV shows like "Neighborhood Wars" and "Customer Wars".
Lord help us all . . .

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Friends of mine had a gunshop and 70 to 80% of their business was Catalog/Internet. I was there when a rude customer on the phone started using foul language on the daughter answering the phones.

The owner got on the phone and ask the customer's Name, Address, Account number. Then said, "Since I know your name and address, I don't believe we will ever be doing business together again. Should I need to come over and get an apology for my daughter, You Will Not Enjoy the experience!"

Ivan

 

[NYlakesider]

My wife and I own and operate a small business. We sharpen things. The company accepts cash, heck’s and credit cards. Yesterday, a customer insists that he get a discount for paying cash. We do not offer that as we have one set of pricing for everyone and we absorb the cc fees rather than adding the to the customers bill. Actually, we do not “absorb” the fees, rather we deduct them from the taxes as a business expense. Regardless, we do not discount for cash. My wife explains this to the.fellow who belligerently demands a discount for cash. My wife, again, explains our policy and refuses to meet his demands. “But you did it before!” That is an outright lie, but my wife explains it more diplomatically. He starts in again with how so-and-so (a fellow sharpener) offers a discount. Well, we happen to know all of our competitors and a lot about how they run their service. Again my wife starts to explain and this guy booms “Do you want me to take my business to him?”

I calmly stand up and walk over to where my wife does the intake and explain that the other company does not offer a cash discount, they do not even accept credit cards, and yes, PLEASE, take your business to him! At this point my wife has gathered up the items and placed them in the bag he brought them in and hands them to me. I hand them back to the fellow and wish him a nice day. He stands there dumbfounded that I called his bluff.

My wife takes the next customer in line and it goes smoothly. I notice “cash discount” gets back in line. When his turn comes up again, he pays cash and says something about how we must not believe the “customer is always right”. My wife does not miss a beat and says, no, they are not, but they are always the customer.

Why do some people have to push issues. Especially ones they know nothing about?

Rant over, thanks for listening!

Kevin

After I retired from my construction union I got a job meeting the general public. I was asked at my initial meeting what was my philosophy in dealing with people.

My answer was ''the customer is always right<<pregnant Pause>>>>>>>>> Most times.'' He looked at me laughed and said you got the job.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

How much for pencils

 

[mckenney99]

I spent 26 years in LE dealing with the worst of people and people on their worst day, then 10+ years in retail dealing with customers. I will NEVER deal with retail again NEVER EVER!

 

[jimmyj]

I spent 26 years in LE dealing with the worst of people and people on their worst day, then 10+ years in retail dealing with customers. I will NEVER deal with retail again NEVER EVER!

"Mr. Jerk" was attempting to intimidate your wife and yourself. Thank you for not being intimidated.

In my long LEO career I met a few "I know your supervisor and I will have you fired" folks. On slow days I would read though the Florida Criminal Statues. I found a little known statue "Corruption By Threat of a Police Officer" This was a Third Degree Felony. I used this a few times and the S.A. had to looki it up as He had never heard of it. It pays to read.

 

[30-30remchester]

I was given some good advice when I started my first business at age 19. I was told that no matter what business you are in, there will be difficult customers. Each individual business has its own unique problems. He advised me to list the 10 most common complains customers would have issues with and have 3 different replies for each problem rehearsed and prepared. Many occupations have little room for conflict, some have multiple. I had a profession that had so many variables that the customers had legitimate concerns and questions. When all else failed and nothing worked, I looked at things the way the customer saw it. Many times, I would ask "what will you like me to do"? Worked quite well. I could tell the professional jerks and cheats and they did not get that courtesy.

 

[arjay]

I was in business for a long time and when I was young I learned that the customer was always right. With age I realized they weren’t lol

You handled that just fine. A diplomatic piss off works for me [emoji23]

 

[Onomea]

I managed a retail store as an undergrad on NYC's Lexington Ave, midtown. Thirty-seven employees. I think I did a pretty good job, overall, but one mistake I made with a customer has long stayed with me.

A woman bought a coffee mug. Directly after paying for it by the register at the entrance for the store, she took it outside and dropped it on the sidewalk, breaking it. She came back inside and asked us to replace the mug.

I said no. I said, "Look, you bought the cup in good condition, took it out of our store, and broke it through no fault of ours. Why should we give you another cup?"

The woman was angry. She said to me, "That you don't understand why you should replace the cup is why you will always remain a piddly store manager!," and walked off in a huff.

What I realized with more maturity is that we always had breakage in the store, when unpacking or setting up displays, etc. One cup was not a big deal. Keeping a customer, who would come back and who would speak well of us to her friends was much more important than saving the cost of a single cup.

 

[toad67]

I'm not defending the jerk in StrawHat's op, but my observation as a small business owner is that the phrase "the customer is always right" needs to be kept in the back of the mind.

Statistically speaking, a pleased customer may go out and tell 2-3 people about their pleasant experience with your business. A disgruntled customer, however, will tell 8-10 people over a period of time.

I'm certainly not saying the customer is always right, far from it depending on the type of business you have. A customer, however, is a customer and a potential source of future customers. In my business (residential construction), references/referrals are extremely valuable. I don't deal in a volume of customers so each customer is key to business.

I'm straight forward with my customers. "If you want to paint your house pink and purple," I say, "we'll do it, but I'll only do it once for the same price." I believe in good communication and construction agreements where needed. I don't negotiate my construction fees. I price things fairly and that's that. Hire me or don't.

StrawHat, you were completely in the right and it sounds like you and your wife kept your cool and handled the situation professionally.

Have a good Thanksgiving.

I would think that most people could see through a complaint about a business and decide whether or not it was legitimate. If the whiner's complaint didn't hold water, then he could probably tell 100 people and it wouldn't make any difference to the business. Glad you held your ground, if more people would do it, maybe we'd be in a slightly better place today.

 

[LVSteve]

I will confess that I am not always a good customer, at least for today's business model. I believe my personal information is mine. So when I balk at requests for phone numbers, mother's first pet and DNA, the sales person gets huffy and says something like, "Well, I need this to complete the sale", it's game on.

My usual response these days is a very deadpan, "Are you going to continue holding up the line, or are you going to sell me this item?"

 

[biku324]

I walked into a Guitar Center to buy a set of strings. The price was right, so I picked up 2 sets and laid my cash on the counter. The clerk asked for my phone number and zip code - thinking he was new and wasn't clear I was paying cash, I told him I was paying cash. He told me he still needed the info; I said, "No." An older counter guy with a different colored nameplate had been listening and told me the clerk had to have the info to complete the sale. I left the strings on the counter and haven't been in a Guitar Center since.

 

[NYlakesider]

I walked into a Guitar Center to buy a set of strings. The price was right, so I picked up 2 sets and laid my cash on the counter. The clerk asked for my phone number and zip code - thinking he was new and wasn't clear I was paying cash, I told him I was paying cash. He told me he still needed the info; I said, "No." An older counter guy with a different colored nameplate had been listening and told me the clerk had to have the info to complete the sale. I left the strings on the counter and haven't been in a Guitar Center since.

Well IMNSHO the phone number is none of their dammed business be it cash or CC. If the CC is approved they do not need anything more!

As far as a zip code many times that info is used so that the store can see where their customers come from. That determines the advertising. Its more cost effective to advertise in areas that do the most business.

I will never give out my phone to a store, the zip codes give them one from a adjoining area, they will never know!

 

[Onomea]

I walked into a Guitar Center to buy a set of strings. The price was right, so I picked up 2 sets and laid my cash on the counter. The clerk asked for my phone number and zip code - thinking he was new and wasn't clear I was paying cash, I told him I was paying cash. He told me he still needed the info; I said, "No." An older counter guy with a different colored nameplate had been listening and told me the clerk had to have the info to complete the sale. I left the strings on the counter and haven't been in a Guitar Center since.

Years ago, with a colleague from the US in a duty free shop in Tokyo, the clerk asked my colleague for his passport number to complete the tax free purchase. My colleague said he could not remember it. I stepped in and said, "No problem. I remember his passport number. It is ..." and rattled off a number off the top of my head. The clerk wrote it down. Transaction completed.

Sometimes it's just about checking boxes.

(The wife of a friend, when reentering Japan, at immigration liked to get creative with the re-entry form's occupation question. "Brain surgeon!" "Nuclear physicist!" Etc.)