I doubt you’d be happier with the American procedure:
Customer Service Representative is given an iron-bound rule to uphold (non-refundable deposit, store credit only, no returns on merchandice saturated with vomit, etc).
customer, either justifyably outraged or insanely self-entitled, appeals beyond CSR, to next level of management
CSR’s manager caves, grants everything to customer (and throws in a blowjob and the right to strangle the manager’s daughter’s kitten), and dresses-down CSR in front of customer.
See, the way I read it, and the way deposits would work in a sane company is that the original order was 4000 euros. The store takes 25% non-refundable deposit of 1000 euros to hold the order (seems excessive to me, but whatever). That deposit is on the order as a whole; if they cancel the whole order, they get none of it back, and they get no merchandise. If they cancel part of the order, the deposit applies to what’s left–the 2000 euros worth of lumber. The couple pays 1000 more euros, the store keeps the deposit, and the couple goes away satisfied.
Splitting the deposit up amongst the various types of merchandise goes beyond petty, and off into the farthest corner of asinine.
This was actually my suggestion to management as to how to resolve the whole thing, but it met with a resounding no. Half an hour later, I was told through gritted teeth to go fornicate with my maternal unit.
Anyrate, may as well tell you guys how the rest of my evening went since I posted the OP; I went on a date with this girl I’ve been seeing, and we went to bed for the first time, and my head was so messed up about how my day went that Bub Jnr. wouldn’t stand to attention. Thats how much this whole thing has done a number on me; I can’t even bang my hot new girlfriend!
Okay, look, your employer is a royal asshole for making you defend the policy as your own. That’s bullshit. He just doesn’t want to take time away from his precious spreadsheets to actually deal with customers. And there is absofuckinglutely nothing you can do about it. All you can do is make damn sure the customer knows what your policy is in the future – if you hold goods for them and they find a better deal, you’re gonna’ rip 'em off for the deposit. Just so they understand that.
I spent seven years in a customer service call center in the U.S. and we had one European client. The closed down their American division after two years because they couldn’t handle the demands of American customers. We came to the conclusion that, in Europe/UK, customer service basically means, “You bought it, now fuck off!”
Having said all of that, nothing, and I mean NOTHING in that whole transaction justifies the asshole customer who told you to fuck your own mother. I mean, you’re not Greek and this isn’t 350 BC, for chrissakes! It actually should make you feel better that your company kept the jackass’ money. And lean on your boss a little to treat you right – your really took one for the team, he owes you a pint or two at the very least. And I completely understand about the “performance issue” – I sincerely hopes the lass understands, too. I mean, dude, “fuck your mother”!? Sheeeeittttt!
Perfect solution, really. It’s like any assinine rule: It doesn’t matter if the penalty is unreasonable, if you know the penalty going into the game it’s all on you.
But OP, that sucks to have to eat someone else’s turd like that. Another vote for “Boss owes you _____”
That is one assholeish policy, making you pretend that it’s all your idea. I couldn’t do it. I definitely think you need to make it very clear to people that their deposit is nonrefundable. Where I work I am involved with lots of nonrefundable deposits (up to a point you will get most of it back but within a rather lengthy period you won’t), and I very quickly got in the habit of asking people before I charge them if they know our policy. I do not charge them until I know for sure that I have made the policy as clear as I can, or they tell it to me if they know it already, so if they come back and say I didn’t tell them about it, I know they’re full of it.
At least I don’t have to tell them that it’s my idea to keep their several hundred dollar deposit. No, actually, it’s not. I think our policy is waaaaaaay too strict. But I have no say in it, and usually they understand that.
Welcome to nursing! It’s touted as an independent profession, but it isn’t really. And we are the face at the bedside, so we get it all–tray late, bad biopsy results, family needs to blow off some anger etc. It’s not pretty…
Sorry the OP had such a bad time of it. I think I’d quit, too.
So, say some guy goes in and buys some tile. He gets home, and his wife doesn’t like the color he picked up, for example. Is he up shit creek? Because if not, that seems like a way to get around this policy.
But making you act like it’s your own idea? Completely ridiculous. I think I’d write on a card that I keep in my pocket, “I’m pretending this is my idea because my bosses insist I have to, but I didn’t make the policy and I don’t like it, either – please don’t let on I just gave you this note because I want to keep my job, but start demanding to see someone higher up since I have no say in the policy!” and then hand it to people quietly when management isn’t looking.
Then stand back and watch the fun. Until you quit, which should be step #2.
Eh, it was an attempt at a compromise between business owners and customers. Certainly it isn’t the limit of asinine, charging the full 1K Eur deposit and the full price of the timber on top of it is well beyond that point in asinine-ness.
When 2000 Eur worth of tile is pulled out of the sales floor and packaged for a customer, that takes manpower and time. It also creates an opportunity cost because it can’t be displayed or sold to other potential clients. Then when that 2000 Eur worth of tile is put back, it takes manpower and time again. Basically you’ve warehoused some of your inventory, and the more you do that, the more it depreciates and your cash flow takes a hit. It’s bad business to have goods sitting aside instead of actively being pitched by salespeople or displayed to customers. Take the profit on 2k worth of timber, subtract the time and manpower to pull the tile, and put the tile back, and you’ve just sold the timber at significantly less than your normal margin, maybe below cost. There are legit reasons behind restocking fees, which is essentially what this is. Canceling half the order, after it had been pulled, would subject the canceled portion to a restocking fee in a lot of businesses. Charging the restocking fee on what they didn’t cancel(which didn’t have to be restocked) is what doesn’t make sense here to me.
Did I miss something? When these people put down the deposit in the first place, did they not sign some sort of document or agreement that clearly set forth the terms and conditions, one of which was that the deposit was non-refundable? Or did they sign it and then decided to renege or ignore it?
Or was there nothing written, just a handshake? If so, then all I can say is, gee, how quaint. I had to go look it up; 1,000 euros is over $1,500 USD. I can’t visualize a business allowing folks to put down non-refundable deposits along the lines of fifteen hundred dollars without some kind of words-of-one-syllable written document indicating that the party of the first part agrees that the party of the second part can keep the party of the first part’s $1500 even if the party of the first part changes their mind about the color tile they want in the bathroom.
Aw. That’s crap. I’ve worked retail and customer service and it does make you want to curl up in a cupboard when someone’s like that.
Second (third? nth?) to get out of that job. That’s an awful policy, no wonder the customer was pissed off (still not your fault though). Is that actually legal? Where are you, Ireland? I’d imagine that even if a customer did sign T&C re the deposit being withheld, it can still be challenged if it’s against the law.
If I had a job that forced me to take action that bothered me so much that it interfered with my - ahem - personal life, I hope I would have the sense and fortitude to look for another job.
Yeah, I’ve been told to go fuck my mother once. By a student. In Spanish.
And he didn’t know that I’d been taking Spanish classes with half of the faculty, and we’d specifically asked for the curse words. Boy, was he surprised.
Also, he got a three-day suspension from the principal for it. Sucks that you can’t do that to your former customers.
He is up shit creek. Seriously. He doesnt get to return the goods, or his money back. And guys, I’d quit in a heartbeat, but there’s a bit of an ole recession looming. I’ve got my quitting speech ready since april.
What if he had asked to speak to your manager? Would your boss then come out and take the heat for it? Because that’s what I would have done had I been the customer.
Man, wherever you are in Europe, it sucks to be a consumer. You wouldn’t have to worry about quitting your job if you were in the US, a company who enacted those policies here would almost certainly have gone out of business. Hell, we’ve got states fining companies for charging restocking fees, and making it illegal not to accept returns.
Here’s EXACTLY how this went when I was only working here a while, and a customer called bullshit on something, and asked to speak to the manager. I got the manager for him, and here we go;
Customer; Your salesman here has told me that you (blah blah whatever). I think thats a disgrace, and was wondering what you thought?
Manager; I think my salesman should handle his own problem customers. (walks back into the office).
Ok, yeah, I work in a nightmare shithole. But you guys aren’t addressing my problem, dammit! Should I actually fuck my mother? :smack:
