Dead Grannys don't change consumer law!!!!

cheltenham_dude

When I worked at a Morrison's customer service desk, we used to get a little old lady being really daft and returning stuff half-eaten, saying that she 'didn't like the look of that' - the first few times, the managers let it slide (the items were all under £1) but she started getting worse and worse and started bringing half-eaten cooked chickens back, saying that there was something wrong with them - to which the managers said would have to be investigated (i.e. send off samples to head office). The woman turned nasty and started swearing at all and sundry and shouting that we were denying her human rights (?) and managed to get herself banned from the store.

bingo_bango

No dead granny in this story, but there is a very alive MIL!

I worked in a butcher's shop years ago, and at Christmas, we used to offer a service where we cooked your turkey. You could then call on Christmas eve and your turkey was all wrapped up in tin foil and presented in a nice box.

I had a regular customer. She was about 25 and only married a few months. She used to ask what cuts of meat she needed for the husband etc as she didn't know these things. After a few months of this she really thought I was a genius. The husband was happy, she was learning to cook and all was good.

So this girl decides she wants a turkey cooked. I take the order, she pays me, and come Christmas eve, her turkey is perfect (I checked as it was their first Christmas as a married couple) and she goes home to enjoy it.

Fast forward 3 days and the shop reopens. At 9 on the dot, the phone goes and manager says 'it's for you'. Cue this same lady crying and screaming down the phone 'you've ruined our first xmas. There was no meat on that turkey my life is ruined etc, etc...'
Bear in mind this was a 16lb turkey.

So I say to her that I checked it on the collection day, and perhaps she has lifted someone else's by mistake (we did about 300 each xmas eve), but no, it's my fault and what am I going to do? I ask her to bring it down and I will investigate.

30 minutes later and she arrives with her mother in law in tow. So I now have both of them yelling and giving me grief about this turkey, and how they'll never be back and will tell all their friends (shop full of customers and manager glowering at me at this point).

I take the turkey from her....still in the box, and open the lid. Inside, the tinfoil has been opened and replaced, and I can see where she has been picking at the meat and skin.......... on the bottom of the turkey!
I lift it out from the box, turn it the right way up, open the tinfoil and there is a perfectly cooked turkey, which I sit on the counter in full view of everyone.

Cue the jaws hitting the floor, and the sniggers from all around the shop. I just smiled sweetly and said 'you DID actually take it out of the box, didn't you?'

She did try to apologise to me for the rants, but was sobbing uncontrollably in the middle of the shop. I couldn't help laughing at her, but she took it in good faith. She turned out to be one of my favourite customers, and I always got a tip when she bought anything

mrstewieo

Ahhh, I could tell you sooooo many stories of my time working in Primark, but THIS is my favourite

I used to work on the customer service desk, so we processed returns etc. There was normally myself and a girl named Nicola working on the desk.

So this nice little woman, around 50 walks up and wants to return her trousers, as she says they are too small for her. She had the receipt, and it was within 30 days so that is fine, so Nicola processes the return for her, and gives her the money back.

Now, in Primark when you return clothing items - they get cut up/ripped up and put in the bin, so Nicola is cutting up these pair of trousers, and she noticed something weird about the trousers.

THE WOMAN HAD WONDERWEBBED THEM! No wonder they were too small for her! She had used her own sewing machine to take them up. I don't know how she had the audacity to return them!

ScottishChick

I get this every day in my job (call centre)...getting blamed for peoples services being interrupted etc...not my fault you didn't pay your bill in time! :mad:

trevormax

ah I used to love to argue with some customers when I worked in Sainsbury's. I had one old dear say she had been shopping in my store for 30 years and it had gone downhill in the past few years. I took pleasure in telling her that the store had only been open for 15 years.

On one occasion though, when I was in charge of reductions and recording out of stock items, a customre went to customer service to complain that a rather expensive joint of beef she had bought the day before was a MONTH out of date. Fortunately, I was able to produce records which stated that in the past month that item had actually sold out several times and was in fact not available on the day she claimed to have bought it (she had no receipt).

She had no comeback to this but the store manager being the soft pushover that he was gave her a refund, a £10 gift voucher and some flowers despite me telling him she was pulling a fast one. He tried to give me a rollocking later for missing something for a month until i shoved the nil stock reports in his face. He shut up after this but didn't say sorry.

If I hadn't had those reports though, this sly devious customer would have gotten me into a lot of trouble.

Esqui

Someone yesterday tried to get a DSi returned because he bought it for his kid but had now split up with the kids mum and wouldn't see him again. It was also opened and set up No chance!

Also, from a post above: when you return something to Primark, it gets cut up and thrown in the bin?? Seems like quite a waste.

mrstewieo

Esqui wrote: »

Someone yesterday tried to get a DSi returned because he bought it for his kid but had now split up with the kids mum and wouldn't see him again. It was also opened and set up No chance!

Also, from a post above: when you return something to Primark, it gets cut up and thrown in the bin?? Seems like quite a waste.

Yup, everything. Have SO many stories about Primark and their ways of doing things, you would all be shocked!

Darksun

mrstewieo wrote: »

Yup, everything. Have SO many stories about Primark and their ways of doing things, you would all be shocked!

I think it happens with quite a lot of retailers, I've heard it happening with clothes when they reach the end of line. I hope they at least recycle the rags rather than sending them to landfill :eek:

heynonnynonny

Gosh, didn't realise they threw clothes away. The most common and frustrating problem for me is when people say they saw something in the shop a week/month ago and it is not an item we sell and they haven't seen it here, do they believe you? No. Obviously the fact I've been there most days for the past 5 years doesn't count! People do say and do some hilarious things, bet we've all got loads of stories to share.

heynonnynonny

trevormax wrote: »

ah I used to love to argue with some customers when I worked in Sainsbury's. I had one old dear say she had been shopping in my store for 30 years and it had gone downhill in the past few years. I took pleasure in telling her that the store had only been open for 15 years.

On one occasion though, when I was in charge of reductions and recording out of stock items, a customre went to customer service to complain that a rather expensive joint of beef she had bought the day before was a MONTH out of date. Fortunately, I was able to produce records which stated that in the past month that item had actually sold out several times and was in fact not available on the day she claimed to have bought it (she had no receipt).

She had no comeback to this but the store manager being the soft pushover that he was gave her a refund, a £10 gift voucher and some flowers despite me telling him she was pulling a fast one. He tried to give me a rollocking later for missing something for a month until i shoved the nil stock reports in his face. He shut up after this but didn't say sorry.

If I hadn't had those reports though, this sly devious customer would have gotten me into a lot of trouble.

She had no receipt? Blimey surprised they allowed that. I hate managers do that and undermine you especially in front of somebody. At my place people bring back stuff they've obviously damaged themselves or things stinking of smoke, states you wouldn't believe, 9 times out of 10 they can get a refund. Far too lenient!