# I pit customer service reps who think customers are stupid. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 11, 2011, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-customer-service-reps-who-think-customers-are-stupid/585091 "2011-06-11T06:49:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-customer-service-reps-who-think-customers-are-stupid/585091/121 "2011-06-14T04:28:08Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > The customer would have to be able to access the internet for that, right? What if he couldn’t? Well, I must be spoiled in the fact that all the clients for whom I do tech support have internet access. I assumed that **Chimera** does work similar to mine. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-customer-service-reps-who-think-customers-are-stupid/585091/122 "2011-06-14T04:29:45Z")
Often when I call tech support it is because I no longer have Internet access even though I should. And anyway, “that level of detail” as you describe it, is actually “reading words from a screen,” which I would think any literate adult (or child, for that matter) should be able to do. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-customer-service-reps-who-think-customers-are-stupid/585091/123 "2011-06-14T04:33:33Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > And anyway, “that level of detail” as you describe it, is actually “reading words from a screen,” which I would think any literate adult (or child, for that matter) should be able to do. You’d like to think that, wouldn’t you? ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-customer-service-reps-who-think-customers-are-stupid/585091/124 "2011-06-14T04:35:40Z")
Heh. OK, point taken. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-customer-service-reps-who-think-customers-are-stupid/585091/125 "2011-06-14T05:02:55Z")
> [@Dan\_Norder](#): > > You conveniently left out the part where **Czarcasm** said that if you are not empowered and willing to do what he/she wants then you aren’t providing real customer service and thus he/she feels fully justified in verbally abusing you. If the number I called connects me to a division called “Customer Service”, and the service I require is totally reasonable, falls under the current warranty and is legal, then I expect the person I talk to can either fulfill my request or put me in contact with someone who can do it in their stead. If I call Customer Service and get a long list of automated options, none of which pertain to my problem and none of which leads to talking to a human being, I get pissed. If there _is_ supposedly an option to talk to a human being, but the wait is longer than 20 minutes and/or the call keeps dropping on their end, I get pissed. If I actually get in touch with a human being after a damn long wait and the only answers I get back are a combination of “I dunno” and “I don’t know what to tell you” then I am _damn_ pissed, because I could have saved a shitload of my valuable time by asking a drunk in the gutter the same question and getting the same answer. I don’t want to hear about bad customers that deserve to be treated like shit because that has nothing to do with this problem-until they talk to you you have no damn idea _what_ kind of customer they are, do you? I don’t know many people that can afford to hold their phone up to their ear or keep the speakerphone on for 45 minutes hoping that someone will pick up. ---
**Author:** ![Dietrich\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@Dietrich\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dietrich_K)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-customer-service-reps-who-think-customers-are-stupid/585091/126 "2011-06-14T05:27:38Z")
> [@AqualungBats5th](#): > > But you’re not getting anyone fired. Sorry. Out of curiosity, what _will_ get a call center customer service rep fired most quickly and decisively? ---
**Author:** ![Dietrich\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@Dietrich\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dietrich_K)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-customer-service-reps-who-think-customers-are-stupid/585091/127 "2011-06-14T05:32:32Z")
> [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > And considering I was a customer service rep, I totally know the bullshit. Don’t tell me you can’t refund the extra $5 I paid on Wednesday for second day service when the order won’t get here until Monday. I know you can. When I ask to speak to your supervisor, at least pretend to check to see if she’s available before telling me she isn’t. When I ask when she’ll be available, don’t tell me I can call back “later, maybe tomorrow”. When I ask to speak to whoever is in charge at the moment, don’t tell me there isn’t anyone. When I ask for clarification that there is no one in charge at the moment who can help me, don’t tell me that you all are, in fact, grown-ups and can take care of yourselves. > > Seriously, I was frustrated that I wasn’t going to get what I ordered on time. I was polite, because I know what a shit job customer service is. I also know that you keep customers (and keep them happy) by making $5 concessions when they are frustrated. Psst! [EECB](http://consumerist.com/2007/05/how-to-launch-an-executive-email-carpet-bomb.html). ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-customer-service-reps-who-think-customers-are-stupid/585091/128 "2011-06-14T05:37:01Z")
> [@Dietrich\_K](#): > > Out of curiosity, what _will_ get a call center customer service rep fired most quickly and decisively? That would depend on whether you worked for a real Customer Service that was there to satisfy a customer’s reasonable needs, or for a Customer No-Service that was there to deflect and delay your company’s responsibility for goods and/or services, wouldn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Dietrich\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@Dietrich\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dietrich_K)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-customer-service-reps-who-think-customers-are-stupid/585091/129 "2011-06-14T05:53:04Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > That would depend on whether you worked for a real Customer Service that was there to satisfy a customer’s reasonable needs, or for a Customer No-Service that was there to deflect and delay your company’s responsibility for goods and/or services, wouldn’t it? Now, this is true. ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-customer-service-reps-who-think-customers-are-stupid/585091/130 "2011-06-14T10:23:04Z")
[quote=“Lord\_Ashtar, post:119, topic:585091”] If your job requires that kind of detail, then you should either have a program that let’s you remote in and see their screen (LiveMeeting, GoTo Meeting, etc), or you should know to ask for a screenshot. Seriously, you know better than that. If I can’t prompt a person to read me what is on their screen then I shudder to think of the contortions I will have to go through to explain to this person how to take a screenshot and email it to me. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-customer-service-reps-who-think-customers-are-stupid/585091/131 "2011-06-14T12:21:30Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > And anyway, “that level of detail” as you describe it, is actually “reading words from a screen,” which I would think any literate adult (or child, for that matter) should be able to do. If they can’t do basic functions like that, then you’re not going to be able to remote in, which usually requires a bit more effort on their part. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-customer-service-reps-who-think-customers-are-stupid/585091/132 "2011-06-14T13:02:41Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > He is the innocent bystander. Blame the middle/upper management who have insulated themselves from the consequences of how they run the company and the policies they implement. There’s a work around. I once had a warranty issue on a product with a national company and got the run around from customer service. I found out the company president’s name and wrote him regarding the issue, marked it “personal and confidential” and sent it off. Middle management was more than happy to not only fix my issue but provide a gift card for my troubles providing I never do that again. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-customer-service-reps-who-think-customers-are-stupid/585091/133 "2011-06-14T13:21:51Z")
> [@Dietrich\_K](#): > > Out of curiosity, what _will_ get a call center customer service rep fired most quickly and decisively? Based on the only shared corporate/call centre Winter Holiday party we ever had - having sex with a coworker in the middle of the dance floor. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-customer-service-reps-who-think-customers-are-stupid/585091/134 "2011-06-14T14:09:08Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > And anyway, “that level of detail” as you describe it, is actually “reading words from a screen,” which I would think any literate adult (or child, for that matter) should be able to do. A former coworker had a great workaround for that sort of thing. Moron: It keeps formatting my numeric cell as text. Him: What do you have in the cell? Moron: 39.276 Him: Three nine point two seven six? Moron: Yes. Him: And there’s only one period? Moron: Yes. Him: Not two? Moron: No. Him: Are you sure? Moron: Yes! Him: OK, read it to me… backwards. Moron. six point seven two point nine three. Him: You said point twice. Moron: Huh? No I didn’t! ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-customer-service-reps-who-think-customers-are-stupid/585091/135 "2011-06-14T20:34:34Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Nope. They’re wrong, plain and simple. Your best bet is to call your CC company and refute the charges, then file a complaint with whatever government or BBB style agencie you have over there in Englisherland. Nah - it was paid by debit card and the only way I have of disputing it is to go to the small claims court, which would cost more than the hoover. And the customer service agents have been, while polite, always utterly disbelieving until I cajole them to actually look the details up. ---
**Author:** ![MHaye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bbe5ce/32.png) [@MHaye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MHaye)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-customer-service-reps-who-think-customers-are-stupid/585091/136 "2011-06-14T21:03:43Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Nah - it was paid by debit card and the only way I have of disputing it is to go to the small claims court, which would cost more than the hoover. And the customer service agents have been, while polite, always utterly disbelieving until I cajole them to actually look the details up. Meanwhile they have the money they stole from you. Maybe you could get a lawyer to write a stiff letter asking them for the money. If that doesn’t work, take them to court and add the lawyer’s fees to the bill. Also, see your PMs. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-customer-service-reps-who-think-customers-are-stupid/585091/137 "2011-06-14T21:56:08Z")
> [@Cyros](#): > > If I can’t prompt a person to read me what is on their screen then I shudder to think of the contortions I will have to go through to explain to this person how to take a screenshot and email it to me. Either I’m the greatest at my job ever or I have really smart clients, because I rarely have a problem with this. I tell them I want a screenshot and get either an answer in the affirmative that they will do it, or “I don’t know how to do that.” If it’s the latter, I walk them through hitting Ctrl+Print Screen, pasting it into MS Word, and emailing it to me. > [@Chimera](#): > > If they can’t do basic functions like that, then you’re not going to be able to remote in, which usually requires a bit more effort on their part. My tool sends them an email with a URL, which they click and it then takes care of everything for them. Most everyone can do that. ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2011, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-customer-service-reps-who-think-customers-are-stupid/585091/138 "2011-06-14T22:46:51Z")
> [@Lord\_Ashtar](#): > > Either I’m the greatest at my job ever or I have really smart clients, because I rarely have a problem with this. I tell them I want a screenshot and get either an answer in the affirmative that they will do it, or “I don’t know how to do that.” If it’s the latter, I walk them through hitting Ctrl+Print Screen, pasting it into MS Word, and emailing it to me. Well, you must admit that walking someone through creating a screenshot is much more complex a task than reading the words that are on the screen. > [@Lord\_Ashtar](#): > > My tool sends them an email with a URL, which they click and it then takes care of everything for them. Most everyone can do that. I work with Go-to-Meeting, a relatively simple tool, providing webinars for people at a Director level and above. It can take 5-10 minutes to get everyone squared away with the software and ready to go. These are people that work with the same software for every training call and they still need to be coached through the process. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-customer-service-reps-who-think-customers-are-stupid/585091/139 "2011-06-15T00:20:39Z")
> [@Cyros](#): > > Well, you must admit that walking someone through creating a screenshot is much more complex a task than reading the words that are on the screen. I don’t find it to be too arduous a task. If I’m expecting something to be on a client’s screen and they say there’s nothing (as in the **Chimera’s** example earlier), then they’re either lying, stupid, or both. At that point, I can no longer rely on their word and need to see it with my own eyes. > [@](#): > > I work with Go-to-Meeting, a relatively simple tool, providing webinars for people at a Director level and above. It can take 5-10 minutes to get everyone squared away with the software and ready to go. These are people that work with the same software for every training call and they still need to be coached through the process. I have yet to get a complaint about it taking an extra 5-10 minutes for me to remote in and see exactly what’s happening so I can fix it. In fact, I take the opportunity to show the client while I have control of their screen what I need so they can provide it next time. I’m not denying that your experiences have been different. But when I started this job almost three years ago, I was told that the first rule of support is that clients lie. I’ve found that not only do they lie, but they are often incompetent as well, which just makes things so much easier if I can just see it for myself. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-customer-service-reps-who-think-customers-are-stupid/585091.md?page=6)