Today's Customer Service Horror Story

[jmowreader]

A guy came in yesterday to buy a half-round casement window to put over a window in his house. Okay, fine. We can get those.

What kind of window do you have? "It's an Andersen Series 200."

Okay, what size is the window? "It's an Andersen Series 200."

Yes sir, we understand that, but what size is the window? "It's an Andersen Series 200."

//repeat exchange seven times...//

Sir, what size is your window? "I told you, it's an Andersen Series 200. Lemme speak to your manager."

Up comes the store manager.

Sir, what's the problem? "This employee of yours is impossible to work with."

Okay, what would you like? "A half-round window to go over an Andersen Series 200 window."

And what size is this window. "I done told you! It's an Andersen Series 200!" (yelling now)

The boss looked this guy straight in the eye. "You have to leave. I'm sorry, but we can't help you."

The guy stormed off, pissed off.

The boss said something about walking advertisements for birth control.

[JustFiveMoreMinutes]

1. just curious

... did it ever occur to anyone to simply say 'Andersen Series 200? Yes we have half-round casements for that. Is your window in that series square, rectangle, oblong? Let me show you your selection?'

Just curious.... but a circular argument does no one any good and someone needs to take the reigns.

[jmowreader]

8. Well, we tried that...

Andersen Series 200 doesn't contain any geometric windows; they're all rectangular. All the geometric stuff is in Series 400.

All we wanted the guy to do was to tell us how wide his window is. We asked him that repeatedly. He absolutely refused to tell us. As in there aren't seven different widths in that line.

[JustFiveMoreMinutes]

12. Okay, see you taught me something....

Series 200 vs Series 400

Were these words ever said to the guy: "As in there aren't seven different widths in that line."

<wink>

ANYWAY... maybe the condensed version of what happened is what is causing some of us to feel that the CS... well, was limited.

But you cant please all the people all the time, so best of luck with future customers. The worst thing IMHO one could do is just ignore what happened instead of trying to look back and see what could have been done differently, but then again, I don't work with the public (thank goodness!). Maybe I would feel differently if I did!

[La Lioness Priyanka]

2. i manage CS

and it all honesty most people are DAFT...however thats why you have let them know all possible options ...

[Kenneth ken]

3. did you not have a catalog handy?

wouldn't a catalog show this Anderson Series 200 window in a variety of sizes and shapes? Wouldn't showing the customer that the window comes in different sizes have been useful in helping him understand why you were asking for a size?

[jmowreader]

9. When you order the window you have to spec the size

This guy bought the windows from us. I know he did. I know the guy, and he lives on the same street as I do. The house he lives in had old windows when he bought it.

Which means that somewhere along the line, he had to know what size the window was.

We get lots of customers come in who don't know the size of the window. When we ask 'em "what size is the window?" they usually respond, "oh, it's standard." Which immediately launches the block of instruction we lovingly call "there's no such thing as a standard size window." Then we sell them a tape measure--you wouldn't believe how many people have never owned one--and teach them how to measure a window, they go home, measure, then come back and order. They're usually real happy we don't want to send them home with the wrong thing.

This is the first time I ever heard of someone chewing out the associate for asking what size of a window he needed.

[ohiosmith]

4. Your business must be booming if you can let customers leave

your shop pissed off and likely to tell potential clientele about their poor service experience.

[jmowreader]

10. My boss doesn't accept customers abusing the help

I get a lot of people who come in asking for windows. Most don't know what size they need. Some don't know they come in different sizes, although almost every house in America has got more than one size of window in it. (My own house has 12 windows and they're all different.)

But no one chews your butt because you try to inform them that these things come in more than one size.

[truthspeaker]

11. there was no way to stop him from leaving the shop pissed off

"Customer service" should not entail putting up with abuse and holding the hands of morons.

[Susang]

15. It does entail holding the hands of morons

I do it every day. It may not be fun, but it is "customer service". Nowhere does it say that your customers are always going to be intelligent. Hell, you should try working in food & bev service (as I did for the last 19 years). What you described doesn't even rate as abuse compared to what bar and restaurant patrons regularly dish out to their servers without thinking twice.

[truthspeaker]

16. I have worked in food service; McBurgers, bagels, and pizza

And I got really impatient with idiots.

[Susang]

17. I see

I'm actually very good with them. ;-)

[fishnfla]

29. So the guy goes somewhere else, guess what happens?

They are gonna need to know the size of the window too! He's gonna get pissed at them too or finally catch on?

I deal with this kind of stuff everyday, people get their back up when they are dealing with things they can't understand.

Sure the customer is always right and yada,yada,yada, but you can only be as smart as they are, sometimes. One of the hard lessons I've learned is you cant please all the people all the time, about 2% are left out.

[Kahuna]

5. Simma doun naw!

Uppity store clerk. :P

[Obamarama]

6. You sound as clueless as the customer....

Did it occur to you to say something like "Sir, I'll also need to know the exact width and height of your window. The Series 200 just tells me the model, not the size."

And you call this a horror story? Sounds like calling yourself a customer servive representative is stretching it a bit. Get over yourself, and learn some real customer service skills quick.

In case you hadn't noticed, for every "customer service horror story" you have to tell, there's probably 10 unemployed people who know how to offer real customer service who would jump at the chance to replace you once your bosses get wind of your "fails to meet expectations" attitude and fires your self-righteous, indignant ass.

There...I feel better now.

[richmwill]

7. Oohh..

The cranky customers on this thread don't like being called cranky.

[TheRedMan]

13. Ah the fiction of "The customer is always right" exploded...

I think that asking for the size of the window is pretty darned explicit, especially after getting the model number. THe customer was an idiot, who lacked some self-awareness, and a somewhat abusive idiot. I think your boss was 100% percent right.

[Susang]

14. Customer service/Sales rep chiming in here

Since you recognized him and you said he bought the windows from your business, couldn't you have looked up the size for him? Would have saved a lot of heartache on both sides, if you ask me.

[BiggJawn]

18. maybe they don't keep records that far back.

Or he'd have to call the IT department in Bombay to access that info.

I used to work in Retail, and I HATED it when the occassional customer who expected me to be a fucking mind-reader, then thought for SURE I was fucking him on the price, would come in.

That's why I don't work retail anymore.

[Susang]

19. My point is...

I wondered why he didn't make the attempt, that's all.

I do think customer service requires mind reading. It's called anticipating your customer's needs.

[BiggJawn]

24. There's a diference between "anticipating" and dealing with an asshole...

And it sounds like "Mr. Windoz" is of that persuasion.

Look at it like this, Suppose you went to a restaraunt, and told the waiter "I want FOOD!"
"OK, we have many diferent types of 'food' here, what would you like?"

"I didn't ask for any smart lip, I want some god-damn FOOD!!"

"OK, let me have you speak to the manager..."

"Is there a problem here, sir?"

"Yeah, this dip-shit won't bring me any fucking FOOD!"

There ARE limits to what someone should be expected to put up with for a crust, IMO...

[Susang]

25. Certainly there are limits

But the example you just provided isn't quite the same as the story posted, is it?

BTW, I have dealt with a very similar situation to the one you posted, and the customer ended up leaving the restaurant happy. That's what I consider a victory. It's quite an accomplishment to change someone's mood so drastically, IMHO.

[BiggJawn]

26. Well, then, you've found your calling...

You have a gift, and I'll not try to take away from it. Some of us don't have that gift, and after the third time I heard "It's an Anderson 200!" I'd had tossed the jerk out myself.

[Susang]

28. Nope, not my calling

Just my job. I believe that if you accept a job, then you should try to do the job to the best of your ability, even if you hate it. Hating your customers and letting them get you that angry will only stress you out and make you sick in the end.

[Blue-Jay]

20. He lives on your street?

I'd have offered to go over and measure it for him on my lunch break, and placed the order that afternoon. Sure, the guy was a rude idiot, but he's a rude idiot that won't be coming to your store anymore.

[Susang]

21. Hi Blue Jay!

See you Sunday!

[Blue-Jay]

23. Hi!

:hi:

[Redneck Socialist]

22. Yea for your boss!

If they guy couldn't grasp the fact that he needs to know what size window he wants then there wasn't much you could do for him.

[uhhuh]

27. I work in Retail

I go out of my way to help everybody, whether they are being difficult or not. There is a point, however, when the customer is decidedly wrong.
I have experienced a phenomena many times that I have no explanation for other than to surmise that some people go into retail situations to abuse people because they think they have to take it.

Even in this tough economy, people who are retail professionals are not required to take being dumped on, spat at, told they're idiots, or have things thrown at them by overgrown babies.

I go into every interaction with a customer with the intention of helping them get what they want the way they want it. They are entitled to my best effort. If I can't meet their exact needs, and they want to get hostile or childish, they can fuck themselves in the very nicest way possible.

[Bat Boy]

30. The customer is NOT always right...

Sometimes they're wrong. Painfully wrong. Really fuckin' wrong.