Bad customer service or just bad customers.

Indie_Kid

crispy_chris wrote: »

Err yes they can, if it's their offer to call me back they can bloody well act on it.

You're not the only customer they need to deal with.

Powered_By_Pies

Customers as a whole are generally morons and are a micro-chosm of the bigger picture - that some people get a superiority complex over something and become arrogant and bigoted because they seem to think that their word is the law.

I had a customer last week who bought something and the product failed. That's fine, it failed, we needed it back for assessment before we could confirm whether a replacement could be sent out. But oh no. That wasn't good enough. They wanted a better alternative sent out, at no extra charge, same day delivery (we don't even offer that) and they would send the faulty item back "when they could be bothered".

Doesn't work like that. If something needs to be replaced, you don't expect the replacement to be sent out before you even send the faulty product back - what if it had developed a fault through misuse and we can't send it back to the supplier for crediting? Then we're the ones out of pocket.

It amazes me when people think that because you work for a reasonably large company you can give everything away for free. How on earth do you think the company can make it's money if it did that every time? I couldn't walk into John Lewis and say " yeah, I bought a microwave from you and it's broken so I need a replacement, I don't have it with me and I don't have the proof of purchase, but just give me a new one for free"?

To echo a comment made earlier in the thread, whoever developed the phrase 'the customer is always right' needs to be exhumed then shot, along with the customers who believe that line of tripe gives them any powers in their quest for arrogant dominance.

nicolax

Powered_By_Pies wrote: »

It amazes me when people think that because you work for a reasonably large company you can give everything away for free. How on earth do you think the company can make it's money if it did that every time? I couldn't walk into John Lewis and say " yeah, I bought a microwave from you and it's broken so I need a replacement, I don't have it with me and I don't have the proof of purchase, but just give me a new one for free"?
.

May sound ridiculous but I had a similar situation to this when working in a store

A customer came to the cs desk and told me his vacuum cleaner was faulty and he wanted a refund/replacement. I said ok do you have the item. And he asked - oh do you need it?!

Yes!!! I think the company would be in major financial trouble if we just refunded/replaced items without even seeing them!

Brecon_Beacons

Powered_By_Pies wrote: »

Customers as a whole are generally morons

And which company do YOU work for?

duchy

CHRISSYG wrote: »

Exactly ! We get customers like this sometimes who think they are gods gift to retail ,they get the exact same treatment as everyone else ,but for every "perfect" one there are some genuinely nice and pleasant ones.

Must admit I've lost a lot of the respect I had for Lin with her attitude in this thread. Horrible snobbish attitude. But then I work in a call centre environment ......(and am damn good at what I do) so my opinion won't matter to her !

duchy

MacMickster wrote: »

I've been doing this for a couple of years now. A convenient time for me to speak to someone to resolve matters? Now of course - that's why I phoned now.

I appreciate that staff taking calls hate someone asking to speak to a manager from the outset, but the options open to first line customer service staff to resolve issues are almost always less than those open to management or retentions staff.

It must irritate staff who trot out the line that "my manager will only tell you the same thing" only for that manager to then offer further solutions that the initial rep wasn't empowered to offer.

Of course the best businesses actually do fully empower their front-line staff to resolve issues from beginning to end. I suspect that their staff tend to enjoy their work far more than those where staff are targeted to get the customer off the phone as quickly as possible and actively discouraged from demonstrating initiative.

It actually suits me better if a customer wants to hold on as I then don't need to justify the time I've spent off calls whilst sorting out their issue. If I have an active call it doesn't negatively impact my stats (and ultimately my monthly bonus)I am however also aware how dreadful our hold music is so always offer the choice.

If they want to hold on and be tortured by the evil sound ...so be it.

System

Morglin wrote: »

Well, I do actually check the facts etc., before I phone!

Little point in ringing at all if they are in the right.

Obviously, people wanting refunds/compo unreasonably are a pest.

Lin

Whatever makes you feel big I guess !

Powered_By_Pies

Brecon_Beacons wrote: »

And which company do YOU work for?

Why on earth would I tell you? Rest assured it's a company that sells products where the mantra 'the customer is always right' cannot be applied, because if the idiots thought that and ended up buying the wrong product, they could find themselves seriously injured or worse.

Which company do YOU work for?

Viberduo

Morglin wrote: »

I have never sworn or shouted at a customer service bod (no point).

If they are being inefficient, stupid or rude, I just take their name and wish them good day.

Then, I write to the CEO of their company.

Works every time - issue gets resolved without fuss and having to argue with dippy call centre staff on minimum pay.

Lin

I have worked in quite a few call centres, if they get minimum wage its because the employers are using them as I worked in 1 10 years ago and got like £9 a hour, double pay for overtime, triple pay bank holidays(and a extra day off) quadruple pay for Christmas day and New Years day!

Then a few years ago I worked in one for minimum wage and got treated like a piece of meat, abuse from customers, I was well over my targets for the month but boss never praised me and expected more and one month when my target was not only reached but doubled but less than previous months was told I was not working hard enough despite others in my team not even reaching targets!(then again that was because the more money the team made the bigger the bonus the team leader got)

Also saying that there was a lot of "scum" working at the call centre giving other staff abuse as they were either friends or related to supervisors and got away with anything.

When I was at uni 4 years ago I saw call centres which had about £8 a hour wages, and after shift allowances, bonuses etc worked out about £12 a hour.

Now are you saying £12 a hour is a small wage? I was thinking of moving back there just to get work.

Money-Saving-King

Brecon_Beacons wrote: »

And which company do YOU work for?

Interesting you chose to quote a part of that post in the way poor tabloid journalists quote to make what the original person was saying seem like something completely different.

I assume completely miss-quoting is something you're happy with then?

Just out of interested did the Powered_By_Pies hit a sore spot when he was speaking about how badly some people like to speak to customer service staff and you didn't like it (because you think it's fine) and chose to react in the way you did and post the quote you posted?