Irrational, Rude Customers

[Cactustactical]

We save wav files of our customer service calls for liability purposes. One of our people returned a call from a fellow who lives in Oxon Hill, Maryland last Friday. I was absolutely amazed at the conduct and language of this guy and only hope he is a forum member and reads this.

The caller inquired about an order status. His order was placed late on Friday 4/14. We processed it on Monday and it went out via standard shipping on Tuesday 4/22. Normal stuff, no delays, no out of stock, a standard order response in the standard timeframe. The agent gave that information with the standard delivery time frame of 4-6 or so days depending upon the ultimate destination.

Rudeness from the start of the call, the caller demanded to know where his stuff was, how we were stealing money from him, why wasn't it delivered yet, he was going to sue us, etc. Except this order wasn't late, no issues, we just don't ship yet by transporter beam and the guy did not ask for next day service. When this type of situation occurs, the agents just try to remain non commital to avoid setting making the call worse.

This guy would not let it go. He actually started questioning the agent's racial background, inquired whether the agent was from West Virginia (he isn't), said that he knew all West Virginia boys are slow and have trouble thinking, and topped it off with he hates all white West Virginia boys. I won't repeat some of the words the guy used, but this was the worst customer call we have received in the years we have been doing this. The agent was speechless through this last rant, he did not respond at all or say anything to set this guy off.

I hope that this guy is a forum member and he reads this. If you want to inquire about an order, do so civilly. Acting like an asshat does not gain you any style points. We can do a lot of things to help our customers, finding rare stuff, expediting shipments, etc, but we don't and won't when you act like an idiot. This order went out on time and will be delivered on time. Acting like we are stealing from you when it is our business to sell things and want repeat business is just plain stupid.

The items this guy bought were firearm related, so you have to worry sometimes about some of the people that have access to firearms.

So, Mr Sxxxxx Mxxxxx of Oxon Hill, Md, if you read this, take your business elsewhere. We don't need or want your business any longer. In some situations, the customer is not always right. This is one of them.

Edited April 24, 2006 by Cactustactical

[blackdragon]

I'm with you on this one!!!! I have had customers call me pissed off at the world! Complaining, That they did not receive their product! After I got a word in, Found out they didn't even order from me!!!! The customer is never wrong, Just not always right!!!!

Ivan

[bberkley]

I'm a white West Virginia MAN, and I would be happy to personally handle any issues he might have.

My wife works retail, and I hear the worst stories about people from her all the time. She usually ends an interchange with someone like that with "Thanks, you have a nice day!" with just enough inflection in her voice to get her point across, even if that asshat doesn't get it, everyone else in her line does.

[blackdragon]

I will do everything im my power to leave the conversation amicably. That is my job! After the phone is hung up..... Well thats a different story!

Ivan

[Middle Man]

Amen, preach on...retail consumers and FFL dealers, it matters not, both can be extremely rude and fantastically moronic all in one breath.

I really hate it when some asshat, know-it-all calls. The worst calls are those winning personality types mentioned above that call the factory looking for some unobtainable widget; then the factory gives them my number as opposed to retail dealers number. Meantime, I very nicely explain such widget is not available and has not been delivered (and that the factory was blowing you off by the way). "But the factory, on the phone, said..." they whine and curse. The really bad calls end up

much as described above, occassionally 10x worse.

Even more mind blowing are the morons that do not comprehend plain English and haven't any clue what WHOLESALE or DISTRIBUTOR means. "No you can't come to my store, I don't have a store, I don't sell to the public...I move boxes for a living...try the Yellow Pages..." I calmly reply.

The customer is never wrong, Just not always right!!!!

and rarely courteous.

[Cuz]

CactusTactical,

I've only had the pleasure of doing business with you on one occasion and I must say I was rather impressed with how quickly you turned around my order and got the products to me. Keep up the good work and forget about that lunkhead. Let him go to one of his local gunshops where many owners act the same way. they will be good for each other.

-Cuz.

[blackdragon]

Brian has some good people here!!!

Ivan

[Middle Man]

Brian has some good people here!!!

Ivan

+1

I hate it when my polite sarcasim via phone doesn't clue in the chronic clueless caller...and they keep asking the same question.

Edited April 25, 2006 by Middle Man

[j2fast]

I'm a white West Virginia MAN, and I would be happy to personally handle any issues he might have.

Hmmm, MD is only a few hours from where I sit. I'd me more than happy to aid in any problem solving that needs done...

I've worked in various service industries from retail to the mortgage industry. Smackoff's like this come out of their caves way to often for me. Next time he wants to try and make up for his own inadequacies by trying to verbally assault someone he can contact me. I've got no room in my life to tolerate his brand of.......

[Cactustactical]

I appreciate the offers to have a talk with this guy. But if he talks to people everyday like he did last Friday to a phone rep, he will get his sooner or later. And I don't need to be a part of it. Enough for us to "blackball" him as a customer. I only wish there was an internet web site where business types could have a central registry of asshats. I f I could check on a guy like this beforehand, I just might refuse service to him.

I have no idea whats up with the West Virginia thing and this guy. Thats what made the whole thing so bizarre. He went on for at least 30 - 45 seconds about it. I can only hope his girlfriends and wives have been leaving him for West Virginia guys. And continue to do so for the next 30 or so years.

[JakeMartens]

Yeah I feel your pain. I have been in retail Management since 1992 with Best Buy, Circuit City and for the last 3 years with Sears.

And I will openly admit, customers have the right to be upset when we screw up a delivery, an item that was ordered doesn't come in, or an associate doesn't explain something the right way. I can fix all this given the chance, but after 14 years I have learned a few things.

1-I never raise my voice

2-I control the situation

3-I remain calm and ask them to lower their voice or to calm down

4-I never interrupt them while their are trying to explain their problem

5-I tell them that if they want my help, we will agree to have a mutually respectful conversation with each other, if they can't do that I will ask them to leave and come back when able to, but they will not remain in my store and cause any scene or they will be escorted out.

I make it very clear that yelling and screaming will get you no where with me. As for customer that say they are going to sue me I have a standard answer

"Sir since you have decided to threaten me with legal actions I am no longer able to speak with you. If you can provide me with the name of your attorney I will contact my legal department and give them your contact information and that of your attorneys, they will be handling your issue from now on"

See 99.9% of the people out there don't keep a $300 an hour lawyer on retainer and think that if they say sue, we crap our pants will give them what they want. People that yell and scream think that if they cause enough of a scene we will give them what they want to get them out of here.

The truth is that all the other customers that see this are glad when I control the situation. I have had them come up after wards and thank me.

My associates appreciate it the most, because they know that I will not allow someone to yell and cuss them out. They also know that if they caused the problem to begin with that they will be dealt with afterwards as well.

[bberkley]

I have no idea whats up with the West Virginia thing and this guy.

Not to bore you with some historical perspective, but on the east coast, especially Maryland and Virginia, since they border West Virginia, there has been a long history of animosity and derision aimed at people of the Mountain State. I think its a combination of two things, animosity over the Civil War (think carpetbagger and scalawag), and the War on Poverty during the Johnson Administration where TV crews roamed Appalachia showing how far behind the rest of the US the region is.

Not everyone in MD & VA are like that, the ones that stand out to me from my travels have been from there.