Or the other variation “I called at least twenty times!!!”. They called twice, once to the CSR, and once to tech. Both times they either failed to leave a message or just griped in general and didn’t leave their number. I’ve only had one customer call a dozen times, and he was actaully a nice guy, just didn’t realize we were closed on Saturdays.
God, I used to have these all the time. We sold a product that Wally World did not carry, but that you could get cheaper if you went mail-order or such. People tried to grill us for info and we usually were fine about it. But sometimes:
-
One person came back two days later and compained that Wal-Mart didn’t carry said item. They acted as if we were highway bandits for charging money for the items.
-
Another, after getting a long spiel of tech help from me, openly admitted that he planned to go down to Delaware and buy the item from a store and not pay sales tax. I immedtiate turned to help another customer. Two days later he walked into the store with his item and wanted tech support since he could not figure it out. I pointed him to the book section. He griped and griped that we should help him depsite his open Vampirism. Finally I just ignored him. A few minutes later a woman with a much older type of the thing we sold came in. She said it was in her father’s attic and that was likely true. I openly helped her and she was quite grateful, buying several hundred dollars in accessories. The original guy compained to the manager about this and she told him to go back to Delaware to get help. He whined that the store there was too far. Gosh maybe he should have thought of that?
What the hell? This appears to be a “I’m pissed because my pathetic and weaselly master plan didn’t work” We used to get that fairly often.
This is a good story. We used to ask questions of people who phoned in to ask for tech support and often found they didn’t purchase from us. Your guy was an even bigger jerk because after useing you once he has the nerve to whine that you wouldn’t do it again. That’s the “Customer thinks because they’re in your store you’re somehow obligated to grant their every request, no matter how unrealistic, or inane.” attitude.
I had a customer want me to explain and demonstrate in an instructional way, every program that came preloaded on a computer she was thinking about buying. When I politely explained that it was far to time consuming and wasn’t really a service we offered she was flabergasted. “What, you want me to spend my money without knowing everything? I can’t believe it.”
I tried to find out what program or two she might be useing most so I could help her with those but it was to late. I had said no and now her mood was ruined.
Was that poor customer service?
How about the folks that call and say something like, “Could you explain the features of every computer you have in stock and how much they are?”
{so far only a little ignorant}
“Sir or Maam, we have 27 computers on the shelf.”
“Uh huh, could you explain the features of all of them please?”
Now elevated to real ignorant and just plain stupid"
It was a cold dark February night. Phone rings. I answer it:
Me: XXXXX Realty.
Guy: How much is that house on 2nd St?
Me: $259K
Guy: No. I said how much is that house on 2nd St?
Now 2nd St is three blocks long and we only have one house for sale on it.
Me: It’s $259K
Guy: No, I’m talking about the house on 2nd St?
Me: Yes, I know. It’s $259K.
Guy: That can’t be the price. I’m looking right at it. How-much-is-the-house-on-2nd-Street?"
Me; It’s $259K.
Guy: Look, I want to know the price. I’m coming to your office to find out the price of the house on 2nd St.
Me: Okay.
Our office use to be right down from 2nd St. We moved the previous August. Five minutes later the phone rings.
Me: XXXXX Realty.
Guy: I just called about the house on 2nd St. I’m at your office. Where are you?
Me: Did you notice the big sign on the front of the building stating that we have moved?
Guy: Where are you?
Me: At XXXXXXXXX
Guy: Where’s that?
We are on a major street about 1/4 mile from the old office. He calls back three times to get directions. As he gets there, the agent who listed the property is standing at my desk.
Guy: I called several times to get the price of the house on 2nd St and the person on the phone wouldn’t give it to me. What is the price of the house on 2nd St?
Me: I told you several times the house is $259K.
Guy: I KNOW THAT HOUSE. NOBODY COULD LIVE IN IT. IT’ COULDN’T BE THAT MUCH. NOBODY WOULD BUY IT FOR THAT MUCH. THAT’S NOT THE PRICE. HOW MUCH IS THE HOUSE ON 2ND STREET?
Listing Agent: I’m the listing agent. It’s $259K and we have a full price offer.
Talk about making yourself look like a total ass.
But, how much was the house?
d&r
Imagine driving over to do it in person!
259K. But no one would ever buy it for that price.
I’m still trying to think who the writer with the middle initial P could be.
It got worse: There was a class of person in certain hobbies, in fact they may exist in all hobbies in one form or another. Anyway, these folks could be supreme hardcore capitalists, total free-market libertarians, take your pick, they are them.
Except when it comes to their hobbies, then they are complete socialists. They act offended if you sell products they need for their hobby and try to actually dare and make money off of them!!! You scum! How dare you do so!!! Up against the wall former comrade, the revolution is here.
It gets worse if the hobby has sometimes educational value, then they act as if you are taking food out of orphan’s mouths.
I always hated this type when they came into the store. They would also bitch and moan that a certain accessory was priced $5 more than what they saw in “rockbottom crap website”, who proudly advertises their total lack of customer support alongside their prices, and is prone to simply accepting orders and holding on to them until they get enough to make an order from the manufacturer. You might get your product in a few months, but you saved $5!!!
If they did not bitch about the price they would bemoan all their charitable educational work they did, and could we not see a way to sell things for less so that these noble traveling teachers could continue their good works? Never mind that the accessory they want would have no use in an educational setting, and also never mind that expenses like that can be (at least partially) deducted if you keep proper records. Never mind that those who actually see doing the teaching never asked for discounts.
Hearing these routines once or twice was bad enough, but hearing the same “but I teach stuff to kids…” speech or the “how dare you make a profit” routine a dozen times by these demi-socialists was enough to make me question the attachment of some to their eco-political ideals.
I’m really glad that I don’t deal with these kinds anymore.
Hi,
We get lots of time vampires at the vet’s office- and while we certainly take our position to educate pet owners seriously, there’s a point where it just gets ridiculous.
Scenario: I’m the manager and the receptionist we recently hired has been having severe medical problems for about a month now- leaving myself and the head receptionist alone in a very busy clinic. Our rule is that person in front of us at the desk has priority over the phones.
Gentleman walks in during surgery time (thankfully, it actually would have been much worse if he came during appointment hours).
“I wondered if you can help me”.
(Me)- “Sure, what can I do for you?” (phone rings in background, I put it on hold)".
“Well, I have two cats and something’s wrong with them. I think I should tell you that they are inbred (mother is daughters sister or something like that)”.
"What’s going on with them?’ (second phone line rings, I put them on hold).
" Well, we moved to a new house 4 months ago, and whenever we have company over, the cats attack them."
“Would you like to make a behavior consultation appointment with the doctor?”
“Well, no- I just wondered if you can help me.”
Third (and final line) rings and with no one else to answer- it unfortunately also gets put on hold.
“Sir, if you would like to make an appointment, the doctor can help you. Or you could at least confine your kitties when company is over.”
“Did I mention they are inbred?”
“Well, we usually don’t recommend inbreeding…”
“I just spent all morning picking up cat litter from their floor, they freaked out and the whole litterbox got flung onto the floor… I can’t live this way”.
" You could try a covered box".
“The cats are fine with my wife or I but if I put them up when company is over, they freak out- I can hear them banging on the walls”.
(Now I’m wondering what the heck happened to these poor cats!!)
“Sir, that does sound like a problem, but I can’t help you with it unless you make an appointment.”.
“You don’t have any ideas?”
Of course, when by the time I finally convinced him that I couldn’t help him (he never did make an appointment) all of my phone lines had hung up.
I really have to deal with alot of jackasses when it comes to billing issues. We have a no billing policy in general but of course that is bendable when it concerns an established client that we have good history with.
The worst is the new client callers who are looking for a sympathy free vet care ticket.
“I think my puppy broke its leg… how much will the visit cost to fix it?”
(Me) “The office call is $36, the doctor can give you an estimate then”.
“I just bought this pup for (name ridiculous amount here), I have $20. Can I work out a payment plan?”
“No sir, we don’t allow new clients to bill .”
“Well, where I can go and be allowed to make payments?”
“Sir, I don’t know of any hospital that will allow new clients to bill services.”
“YOU DON"T CARE!!”
or Worse (and I’m not joking) “Well, since no one will help me, I guess I’ll just have to take a sledgehammer to end my puppy’s suffering”.
Hmmmm, who is the asshole here- the vet or the jackass who doesn’t think that a living creature may need some upkeep.
Ok… I got one more ( I really have dozens…).
Just last week- got a phone call from a lady who had recently been in with her 3 year old cat and requested sedatives for travel.
“I’d like to put my cat to sleep… its yowling when I put it in the carrier.”
“I’m sorry, let me pull your chart, is your cat acting painful?”
"No, we are moving and I can’t stand the yowling for four hours in the car ".
“I’m sorry, but we can’t do that for you”.
“WHY NOT!!”
“Because your cat is healthy and its only 3 years old, we don’t euthanize animals for non-medical reasons”.
“She’s WILD!! I adopted her from the shelter and she’s unmanageable!”.
“I see in your chart you’ve had her for two years, and we were able to handle her just fine when she came for visits.”
“I can’t believe you won’t do it!”
ARRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHH…
Thudlow P. Boink - you should have known that!
Heh, I’ve worked at Wal-Mart for a loooong time, so I have lots of Jackass stories. One of my favorites:
I was working at the customer service desk one day, and a female customer brought an item for refund. She had a reciept, so all was hunky-dory, except for the fact that the item was purchased in another town with a different tax-rate. I told her that, according to the way the registers were programmed(at the time), I wouldn’t be able to give her the difference between the two amounts.
She immediately started throwing a fit, demanding that I refund the amount. So I, just wanting her out of my hair, did some math(not my strong suit), gave her the difference, and she walked away happily clutching her four cents in her hand.
I’ve got others, but that will do for now.
Sneezy
So let’s kill the kitty rather than find a new home. This could spawn a whole new thread of jackass pet owner stories. I’ve known several people who “throw away” their pets when they get inconvenient. I’m sure you’ve seen too much of that.
One question though. I’m sure you have good reasons for not billing but you must run into some emergencies when a pet needs exspensive care and the owner just doesn’t have the cash. Do you just turn them away?
Our vet has a credit plan through a 3rd-party company that’s essentially “90 days same as cash” but I don’t know the particulars. I’m not sure what happens if you don’t qualify for that, however.
One question though. I’m sure you have good reasons for not billing but you must run into some emergencies when a pet needs exspensive care and the owner just doesn’t have the cash. Do you just turn them away?
<<<Cosmodan
Hi,
Usually, if its a “showed up at our door” kinda thing- we will definitely stabilize and evaluate the animal. In a few cases, where it was obvious the people would never have the money and the animal was treatable (and adoptable) we’ve offered to let them sign over the pet to us to be treated and adopted to someone who can afford to have a pet.
If they have never been there before- they will probably be asked to pay at least half of the projected treatment or we can refer them to a hospital with Care Credit ( we don’t have it yet). Something critical we are not going to quibble about money until the animal is stable.
A broken leg is something different- many fractures require orthopedic surgery- and the specialist won’t even discuss billing. So if the person can’t come up with the $36 office call exam, there is a very slim chance that we can help them at all.
This is why all pet owners should cultivate a good relationship with their vet- if we know you, you’ve done most of what we recommend, show up for annual visits, etc- we are going to give you some leeway on billing. With many of these new client emergencies- they are calling us because they are trying to find someone to do it for free- they haven’t had their pet to the vet for years or have had the pup for awhile without getting established somewhere. On the occasions where we’ve made an exception for a new client, we probably actually see the money 25% of the time.
Around here, in regards to veterinary issues, there are a few who think that if they bring their animal in for treatment of something serious, and the animal, despite intense treatment, does not survive, then they are not responsible for the bill, since they no longer have their animal.
One woman came in months after her cat had died of feline leukemia, demanding that we hand over all the office records to do with her cat. I didn’t have to interact with the woman, but the receptionist (D) did, and I happened to be up front when she came in:
Woman: I need all the records from when Cat was here.
D: Ok, I can make a copy of everything, but there’s a two dollar charge for that.
W: No, I don’t want copies, I want my records!
D: Well I can’t just hand over our records. I can make copies for you, if you want them.
W: My lawyer told me to come get my records because they are mine, so give them to me!
D: They are not your records, they are the doctor’s records.
W: They damn well ARE mine! Give them to me!
D: You can come back and discuss this with Doc later, he’s in surgery at the moment.
W: Well Doc will be hearing from my lawyer!
D: Alright then.
Woman leaves.
Of course you wanted the records, Woman, you didn’t want to pay your bill, and if you got all the records, we’d have no proof that your cat was ever here! Aren’t you clever!
Doc never heard from her “lawyer”. He thought the whole thing was pretty funny.
On another note…Doc has several animals at the office that he “adopted” when people didn’t pay their bills, and some just never came back. He’ll treat anything that walks in the door, that’s just the way he is, but if the bill doesn’t get paid, Furball will wait at the office until it does.
Hi,
We generally do that too- its a balance between good business sense and whats best for the animals. We have a Keeshond puppy that we took over because a client simply couldn’t deal with its recurring giardia and on top of that, just developed a pretty ugly case of mange. That client actually could afford to treat the dog- it was a nice pup and we felt she was someone who might turn the pup over to the shelter, so we are going to treat him and adopt him out.
The saddest one for me, and this was not a jackass story, just sad- was a mom and kid who walked in with their cat that had just gotten run over. The doc took a preliminary look at the cat, decide it was fixable but would have cost the owner over $800 in surgery costs- she didn’t even have the exam fee. We offered to do the surgery and find a home for the kitty- she misunderstood and told her distraught daughter that when the kitty was fixed, they would come back and adopt it. I had to take her aside and explain that no- we could not re-adopt the cat to her. That sucked …alot. But it may have just been as well, because the poor cat died after the surgery, which would have been a heartbreak either way.
Another kind of person we get, and I don 't think they mean to be this way- they usually seem genuine- is the “stray non-owner” phenomena. Its amazing how long people can feed and care for a pet without actually claiming ownership. Especially cats- I know people who have fed/cared for a cat for 5 years or more but still don’t feel its their cat and we should treat it for free or at a greatly discounted price. We do tons of that kind of work already- but guess what- you feed it- its your cat LOL.
I also had to take someone to small claims court when she brought in a cat on “emergency” on Christmas Eve. The cat was in kidney failure (which is usually a very slow process with LOTS of symptoms before the animal is critical). The doctor wanted to hospitalize the cat over the Christmas weekend, the people refused. He made them sign release against medical advice form and warned them that the cat may die. The cat did die, and they stopped payment on the check because “we shouldn’t have let them leave with the cat”. The judge was not really concerned with any of that, in this state- stopping payment on a check for services is a big no-no.
Bolding mine. So she really wanted just sedatives, not to have the cat put down permanently? I’m asking, because I thought “euthanize” only referred to…well, basically Final Exiting an animal. And I hadn’t realized it was inadvisable to give a cat tranquilizers for traveling; in fact, I thought it was fairly commonplace. You’re saying it’s dangerous?
No- I said she had been in recently and was given sedatives for her cat to travel with her. I see now that was not as clear as it could been- I just said that she had been in recently. She called several days after her office visit and then asked us to euthanize the cat.
The sedatives were, apparently, were not effective enough, so she wanted to put the cat to sleep (final) instead of listening to the cat vocalize (but easily survive) the trip to wherever she was moving too.