It’s one thing to be the representative of your company, it’s another to represent the entire world. Unless fluiddruid DOES work for the post office…it’s totally beyond even the fuzziest logic I can think of to hold them responsible for the post office returning a package.
I’ve been on both sides of the retail fence, and the way I always refer to “the company you represent” as opposed to “you, Jim Q. Phonemonkey personally” is by saying the name of the company or the person’s name. Of course, this would require most customers to actually listen to the serviceperson trying to assist them, hear their name, and remember it, so it’ll never work in the real world.
It’s not just retail, though. I’d also like to submit a special “asshat” award to the person who got screamingly profane with me, the answering service operator, because I politely offered to TAKE A MESSAGE for the company he was trying to reach, and have a representative call him back during their business hours. He wanted to order a particular version of their product right then, and it simply didn’t make any sense to him that a RELIGIOUS company whose only product is BIBLE-related would be CLOSED ON SUNDAY. Merry fucking Christmas to you, too, buddy, and I’d suggest when you get your Bible that you read the damn thing, you might learn something.
It was bad, yes, I agree. However, I was using the person in question (a female, actually) as a case of how I appreciate people who are civil, and how it actually benefits them because screaming and yelling doesn’t get anything done.
She was angry and upset. She was also civil and reasonable.
Our company gets lied to consistently. I catch people in lies often, but I don’t scream at them. I wouldn’t, even if I wasn’t trying to be professional. I just don’t see the reason. It is rude and counterproductive at best.
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Why? She said that she was very frustrated and angry with the situation. I agreed that she had every right to be and did everything in my power to help her. How would calling names have helped anything?
I in no way expect the person to suck it up and never call for my benefit. I merely ask that people be civil and endeavor to realize that I am not only my company’s representative but a real, live person. I practice the same when dealing with others as a customer. I don’t think it’s too much to ask.
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Since when am I not sucking it up? I do my job, and I deal with it. That doesn’t mean I don’t wish that rude people would be nice.
That it’s my job to deal with nasty people doesn’t mean that being an asshole is OK with me, any more than because the police are paid to deal with criminals that it’s ok to be one.
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Well, when someone’s screaming “YOU sent me this package, YOU overdrew my account, why did YOU do this to me, I [have x disability/am elderly/am poor/have kids] and YOU are making my life so difficult, YOU are running a scam and I am going to call my lawyer on YOU and have YOU arrested, why are YOU doing this to me” I don’t know how much of the plural is implied.
I know that some people don’t mean to affront me with it. I take it in perspective. But there are some people who do get personal. I dislike that.
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I’m aware of this. I was posting in the Pit to let off steam and hopefully to have some folks consider their behavior. I don’t expect my job to miraculously change, but I don’t see why I shouldn’t get to complain if I wish.
Yes, exactly. A lot of people expect our company to compensate them for things that are not our fault, or are even their own fault!
A lot of conversations go like this:
Me: Thank you for calling ‘Company Name’, this is Fluiddruid, how may I help you? Customer: (screaming) I ordered your product off the TV, I’ve been waiting three weeks for this package! Me: (trying to be calm and soothing in tone): I’m sorry about that, Ma’am, but I can help you. Was this your first time ordering?
(I ask this instead of “Do you know your account number”, as I figure that they don’t, and when agitated a lot of customers panic when they weren’t given an account number when joining. It comes on the first package but we have it on file and they are given it the first time they call.) Customer: Yes! Me: Okay, may I have your address please?
(gets address, finds acct, confirms information) Me: So I see we shipped your order on November 25– Customer: (interrupting) I haven’t gotten ANYTHING!!! Me: Yes, I understand. I was just going to say that we had it returned to our warehouse on December 15– Customer: I didn’t return ANYTHING!! I know I didn’t! I haven’t gotten any packages! Don’t call me a liar! Me Ma’am, I’m not calling you a liar. It was returned to our warehouse because the post office returned it to us– Customer: Why would they return a package?! I’ve ordered eleventy billion times from other companies and nothing’s been returned! Me: I’m sorry, Ma’am, but we received it back. The post office said that the address was undeliverable. We refunded your credit card. You are sure that this address is correct? (repeats) Customer YES, I JUST WANT MY — … oh wait, I moved, I forgot to give you my new address. Me: Oh, I see. Do you have forwarding on file with the post office? Customer: What’s forwarding? Me: It’s when you tell the post office to forward your mail to a new address. Did you do that? Customer: No, I didn’t. Me: Ok, well, I’ll just send you a replacement to your new address. Could I get your new address, please?
(gets address) Me: Okay, I’ll send a replacement. That will be free of charge, we even pay for shipping. Customer: I need this right now. I want you to overnight it for free! Me: I’m sorry, Ma’am, but our company does not have overnight delivery available– Customer: But I ordered this three weeks ago! You never sent it!!
(We do offer 2-3 days at best, but only when our company has made a clear error, and I have to justify the reason to my supervisor. We can’t charge customers for this service, it’s only for issues where we have made a clear error.) Me: Ma’am, we did send it the day after you ordered it– Customer: But I didn’t get it! I need it right now! I have to have it tomorrow morning! Why didn’t your company send it! Me: (trying to restrain self) But Ma’am, as I said, we sent it already. It was returned, because you gave us your old address. Customer: I’M NEVER ORDERING FROM YOU AGAIN! THIS IS A SCAM! CANCEL MY ACCOUNT RIGHT NOW! Me: I would, Ma’am, but your account was already cancelled automatically when the package was returned as undeliverable– Customer: JUST CANCEL IT! I’LL CALL MY LAWYER IF I GET CHARGED FOR ANYTHING ELSE! (clunk) Me: (blink blink)
Yeah, I know. I didn’t mean to sound like I was coming down on you. I wasn’t, I just had a few comments on the OP. I apologize if my comments seemed a bit more strident than they were intended. By all means, blow of steam.
Speaking of lousy customer service, I am very proud of the severe constraint I exhibited at the post office last night.
I didn’t rip the bitch’s head off even after she condescendingly called me by my first name (as it appeared on the package I was in the process of picking up). I remained calm when I said: “Yeah, that’s me”, and she shot back rudely with: “I just said that’s you! Didn’t you hear me say your name?!”
I hung on to my cheerful attitude when she ordered me to another window and shoved a piece of paper the size of a tax return under my nose, threw a pen after it, and ordered me to fill it out before I could get my package. I didn’t become quarrelsome when the pen did not work, and instead cheerfully asked for another. It was promptly thrown at me. (Possibly the only time in history the word “promptly” has been used in connection with the post office.)
When the second pen failed to write, I did not lose my composure. All I could think about was how stressed out these people were and the line was growing, and some homeless man who had wandered in was rambling incoherently in the background. And they have to put up with this shit all. day. long.
I didn’t even lose it when the final indignity came. The woman approved my filled-out paper (yes, I struck gold with pen number three), and then ordered me to pull down my side of the big window for boxes, which is somehow necessary for her to be able to push up her side (don’t ask – must be a government thing).
I pulled that window down hard. What I had failed to notice was the little plastic thingy with a sponge in it that sat right under that window. You know, one of those things to wet stamps with. Well, the window came down and hit that stamp-wetting thingy hard, and the thingy went flying through the air, and hit me smack upside the head. By now, I should have been livid. Instead, it suddenly struck me how funny all of this was. And what a fine pit rant it would make.