The customer is always right?

[FingahPickah]

Contributions to - why do sales associates lie? - thread - https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=626932

Made me think also about how unreasonable customers are handled... those "self-entitled" to demean etc... because "they can"..

How many AGF'ers have witnessed - or worse - been on the receiving end of arrogance, insults etc... while just trying to do your job?

An owner can make an on the spot decision to say - if you're going to be disrespectful there's the door. - What about employees though?

There may be some retail, food service, (or call center - which is a whole other non-face to face category) folks who might benefit from some examples that include helpful advice.

If you (or someone close to you) have ever worked retail, waited tables, etc.. what productive advice would you offer?

[Gdjjr]

Patience is a virtue- as I've gotten older, my patience, in some things, has grown- in others not so much. Rude behavior isn't one of the them. I won't tolerate it, under any circumstance.

As far as advice goes- don't put yourself in the situation that your principles have to be compromised- if you find you're having to compromise your principles you might find that different principles are in order.

Use your head to fight your battles- use your heart to choose the battle.

[warfrat73]

I could about write a book on this... years as a bouncer, bartender, a little while in retail.

One more memorable moments of absurdity... a guy comes into the outdoor retail store that I was managing at the time looking for a replacement tent pole.

Sale's associate asks "how can I help you?"
Customer "I need a replacement tent pole"
SA: "do you know what kind of tent you have?
C: "no"
SA: "do you know what kind of pole you need"
C: "no"
SA: "is it telescoping or collapsible-shock corded?"
C: starts getting frustrated "I'm not sure, I just want a replacement"
SA: "do you know if it's aluminum or fiberglass"
C: just shakes his head
SA: "there are hundreds of different tent models, and tons of sizes and styles of poles" **grabs a couple examples and shows them** "is it like this one?"

I'm standing a few feet away and hear the whole thing and walk over at about this time.

Me: "Is there anything I can do to help"
C: "yeah, get this guy some training"

------

There was another time when a customer bought high end mountaineering tent for a trip to Wyoming or Colorado or something. Came back a few weeks later and demanded a refund because "I had the tent set up, and then we went hiking for a few hours, and when we got back the tent was gone." "Sir, we don't replace tents that are stolen or blown away."

Lots of others that would take too long to tell.

Also never been terribly shy about telling customers to hit the bricks if they were out of line. Most of these jobs were not terribly well paying, and just things I did on the side when in grad school... and were not worth the hassle of dealing jerks.

[TDavis]

No. The customer is not always right...but they are always the customer.

[perttime]

Originally Posted by warfrat73

.... Most of these jobs were not terribly well paying, and just things I did on the side when in grad school... and were not worth the hassle of dealing jerks.

Having a bit of experience in call centers, the person answering the phone isn't usually paid all that much. Sometimes, there comes a point when the decision to click the hang up button is not difficult. The calls are recorded, and supervisors can be quite sympathetic when the caller was clearly abusive.

[bizango1]

As a former branch manager and later manager of a service/warranty dept I had many many rude, demanding, over-the-top customers. Many calls included legal threats within the first few sentences. Being an old pro I knew to let them vent their frustrations, then sympathized as a consumer myself in my non-working hours, while calmly holding my ground. Usually when they realized their bluster was going to get them nowhere, and that I was still willing to do everything I could to help them, they calmed down and thanked me. Lots of them apologized and admitted they were out of control. It always felt like a triumph when I turned a screaming threatening crazy customer into a buddy who subsequently treated me with respect. Now I'm retired and I miss the challenge-NOT!

[ghostnote]

I have found that the most offensive people are usually the most easily offended. "How DARE you treat me the way I treat you!"

[J Patrick]

…any job that entails interacting with the general public is subject to the law of averages….occasionally you are going to to encounter a rude human….fortunately most people are good…still…in the moment….dealing with a jerk is a trying experience….

Whether the customer is always right depends upon whether I am the customer.

[FingahPickah]

There's no shortage of examples that support the position that sometimes the customer's behavior is just wrong even if the circumstances may be different.

The question though (a tough one) is - What advice would you give to perhaps a younger hard working person to help him/her to deal effectively with unreasonable customers while maintaining their dignity, emotions and their job?

[rampix]

If only 1/2 of 1% of the world population are rude, obnoxious or overbearing people that means there are about 39 million of them out there(if I did my math right). Kind of hard to avoid all of them.

I remember sitting in a small dinner restaurant in Germany after a long day at a trade show dealing with a few rude folks from all over the world. They would make totally unreasonable demands and then act insulted if you wouldn't sell your goods below cost, effectively just wasting my time. I was seated next to a table with 4 gentlemen (2 German and 2 from the UK) who had also attended the show. They went on at great length about the rudeness of the Americans. The few times I spoke with the waiter I spoke in German, so the gents(?) didn't know I was an American. After hearing this trash throughout my meal I stepped over to their table and casually mentioned, in English, that not all of us had the same manners and attitudes and that I had noticed there are plenty of rude a$$hats from their countries as well...a few in this very restaraunt. As I left the silence was deafening.

My advice to a young salesman starting out would be to try to remain calm and polite, but not to allow them to bully you. If possible, get your manager involved and follow his/her lead. No-one wants to lose a sale, but one sale isn't worth your self respect.

[buddyhu]

Originally Posted by FingahPickah

There's no shortage of examples that support the position that sometimes the customer's behavior is just wrong even if the circumstances may be different.

The question though (a tough one) is - What advice would you give to perhaps a younger hard working person to help him/her to deal effectively with unreasonable customers while maintaining their dignity, emotions and their job?

I tend to believe that most people are only unreasonable when they feel overtaxed by something…and the something may have little or nothing to do with the business you are trying to conduct with them. My advice has this assumption as its foundation; it is up to you to decide when that assumption does not apply…because there are people who are just abusive and disagreeable, or who use abusiveness as a manipulation (the person who buys something at a discount outlet, and then tries to return it for a full cash refund at a store selling similar merchandise).

One skill that helps: learning how to set limits in effective ways, which means staying calm while you find ways to defuse, shape, or control the situation. And, to be clear, some of this learning occurs by failing…by accepting too much hostility, by expressing contempt or disdain (by rolling eyes or sighing loudly), by finally giving in when you don’t believe you should), etc.

One facet of this can involve saying “thank you” when you see behavior that you want to see more of (this can even be saying thank you to another customer, like “thank you for patiently waiting while i deal with this difficult situation”, and if possible, taking a time out to get them help from another associate; but it can also be thanking the difficult person for any slight de-escalation or pause).

It can also be good to break eye contact with some people….effectively withdrawing some of your attention; you might look at the floor, you might look at something in your hand, like a pen….though i should acknowledge that sometimes breaking eye contact can be exactly the wrong thing to do.

The underlying message (sometimes said directly, some times implied), “I’d like to help you, but I really cannot do so until we establish a better atmosphere.”

Of course, when you are dealing with the people who have learned that being abusive and escalating will reliably get them what they want, there is nothing that you can do except refuse to be abused, and call for back up: a manager, some other associates who, by gathering in numbers, might represent a show of strength, calling security, etc.

It is a shame that as our communities get larger and more anonymous, one side effect is that people don’t have to be as concerned about what they do in public, and how they treat others.

[frankmcr]

The worst employee behavior I've ever experienced is having them continue talking among each other when I'm trying to get somebody's attention, and that happens very seldom.

No employee has ever subjected me to the kind of verbal abuse that I have heard customers inflict upon them.

So everybody please drop the pretense that it's a 50/50, "well on the other hand . . . " situation.

Frank;

I'm with you. When that happens then I turn into a customer from heck. I was at a big electronics store returning something after Christmas and there was a line of about 8 people and one stressed-out employee dealing with the line. Behind the employee there was a big glass window and three muck-a-mucks laughing it up and having a good time.

I belted out a "hey!" Got their attention and then waved them out to the counter. And then I asked them if they worked at the store or just came in to party.

And then other people in the line got into it and asked embarrassing questions like "do you get paid to ignore your customers?"

The upshot was that three registers were opened and the line down fast. I think that sometimes there's room for an unruly customer.

[FingahPickah]

Originally Posted by frankmcr

The worst employee behavior I've ever experienced is having them continue talking among each other when I'm trying to get somebody's attention, and that happens very seldom.

No employee has ever subjected me to the kind of verbal abuse that I have heard customers inflict upon them.

So everybody please drop the pretense that it's a 50/50, "well on the other hand . . . " situation.

Thank you for your input..
The question though (a tough one) is - What advice would you give to perhaps a younger hard working person to help him/her to deal effectively with unreasonable customers while maintaining their dignity, emotions and their job?