The Customer Is Always Right

[Double-O-Dave]

Years ago I worked as a Human Resources Manager at a big box hardware store. Even though I was the HR guy, the store stressed that every employee was a salesperson and they should never lose a sale. One day I was summoned because a customer was angry and the manager on duty had left the store on his meal break. The customer immediately started telling me how unhappy he was and how incompetent the sales clerk was. He used quite a bit of foul language to let me know how unhappy he was, and then he closed with "and you know, the customer is always right!" I told the customer "yes, you're correct, but you're obviously not the right customer for us, and you should leave the store now." The customer said "I'll never shop here again!", and I said that this was probably for the best. I also told him that if he could act like a gentleman, watch his language, and treat our staff with courtesy, then he was always welcome to shop in our store. The customer stormed out of the store, but I saw him shopping again a few hours later. The floor staff were very impressed with the way I stood up for the sales clerk, management - well, not so much. Management could not understand or appreciate that our employees were also our customers. I always liked the philosophy of the Ritz Carlton "We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen". As Captain Woodrow Call once said: "I hate rude behavior in a man - I won't tolerate it."

Regards,

Dave

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Try being a City Employee. If I had a nickle for every time some irate citizen said "I pay your salary! You work for me!" .

I was about 20 or 21 and the head of Maintenance for 1000 apartments. A tenant said that to me in 1977, and I explained the her rent for the month, paid the wages for the crew and I for about 20 minutes. And while she had the absolute right to the best service we could provide, abusing the crew or myself cost far more than she would be willing to pay. She then wanted to know How I knew what she could pay for anything. I replied that if she kept abusing the rental and maintenance staffs, I could arrange that the only apartment she could rent would be in the worst ghetto in Columbus! She slammed the door in my face. The next day she had a laundry list of things to be fixed, My boss (Who is my older brother) myself, and 3 of my best men showed up on her door step. "The Boss" directed us to fix about 1/3 of the things on the list. He turned to the tenant and ask if she wanted the rest of the damaged items fixed she would have to pay for that, or she was free to have it done by any contractor of her choosing. She said she would let us know. That afternoon we go a call from the largest landlord on the north end (Not a rental agent, the boss!) who just happened to be my dad's best friend. The next day we go a call from the largest landlord in the city. Who we had many profitable dealing with. When It was all said and done, she fulfilled her lease and had the $1700 damages fixed buy someone other than us. (That was about 11 months rent back then for our 2 BR townhouse!) She bought a home and became her own worst nightmare!

When good tenants buy a home, we are sad to see them move!

When bad tenants buy a home of their own, that is the best revenge a landlord can have!

Ivan

 

[joe44va]

When I first had a real job pumping gas a woman cam flying into the station, stopped abruptly in front of the office and started honking her horn. The owner gave me a broom and told me to take it to her and tell her to ride it home, which I did. Never saw her again. I asked, but no, it wasn't his wife.

 

[NYlakesider]

When I first had a real job pumping gas a woman cam flying into the station, stopped abruptly in front of the office and started honking her horn. The owner gave me a broom and told me to take it to her and tell her to ride it home, which I did. Never saw her again. I asked, but no, it wasn't his wife.

Well I worked PT on occasion for a buddy that had a gas station. It was on a busy road right outside of Albany NY.

Technically this was not a customer but could have been one.

I was working alone from 5 to 10PM and we were having a very severe rain (gully washer class) and this car pulls into the gas pumps. Now our pumps were 50' away & uncovered in the late 60s.

I got my rain gear on and went out in the monsoon and said the usual Fill it up!. He said no he did not want anything but directions. Now we give plenty of directions but people that only want directions park away from the pumps and come it. If fact it was raining so hard other that that clown I had no real customers the rain was keeping most people inside.

This idiot with out of state plates made me come out in that horrible weather for only directions.

I gave him good directions in the opposite direction and went back in to dry off. He made it back to the station just as I was closing and tried to play the irate tough guy, but I was having none of it.

He left and no problems from cooperate. I told my buddy the whole story and he laughs and he said I would have done the same.

 

[wingriderz]

Auto service 35 years 15 spent A S E Tech 15 plus running mutli service centers. Always took care of customers. Two things I would never tolerate cussing from customer or threat's . I would shut them both down in a second. It wasn't easy all the time but it worked.

 

[joe44va]

And then there was the woman who came into the station while I was servicing a laundry truck. She asks "do I have enough change for the ice machine". I had just had a run in with another Rhodes Scholar like this so I said "yes" and went about my business. She came back at me like the hammers of hell. The ice was a quarter (this was early sixties) and she only had 20 cents. Me being the nice guy that I am I told her that I was short on change but I was willing to give her three bags for a dollar. She took the offer and left, apparently happy.

 

[Wise_A]

Years ago that phrase meant something. These days it's an excuse that people use to get what they want. It's no longer about service. It's about how can I get something for nothing. How can I get one over on you.

It's nothing to do with service.

It means that the customer is always right, even when they're wrong. Arguing with them will get you nowhere, they'll just go somewhere else after you're done explaining how dumb they are.

 

[The Last Standing Knight]

More and more customer service is being replaced with customer appeasement.

We are seeing the effects of our entitlement culture in our everyday life experiences.

Customer satisfaction ratings are having a horrible impact in emergency medicine because they are penalized if they do what is needed, not what the customer wants.

I have been in a situation where we (our ER team) literally saved a life and were chastised because we did not get a blanket.

It is only going to get worse.

Agreed.
In my line of work, we were told the the client is ALWAYS right and YOU (the employee/supervisor) are ALWAYS wrong. That if you didn't get that, you'd best look for another line of work.
These days, I tend to ignore that kind of stuff...people complain on me for just about everything everyday.

 

[Kanewpadle]

It's nothing to do with service.

It means that the customer is always right, even when they're wrong. Arguing with them will get you nowhere, they'll just go somewhere else after you're done explaining how dumb they are.

If the customer walks in with that attitude and try to bully us into getting what they want, they can go elsewhere. We don't want them.

People must be held accountable for the way they act. They must understand that they simply cannot walk into a small privately owned business and act stupid. They might get away with it at Walmart, but not here.

We are good people just trying to make a living. The business has existed for 41 years. We are known for exceptional service and professionalism. We do not deserve to be mistreated. We don't tolerate it.

You evidently have no experience working the other side of the counter. If you did, you would agree with me.