Dumbest things you have heard from customers?
09-13-02, 07:22 AM
#152
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Here's another funny site: http://www.hudson2001.com/levity/ihatecustomers.html
09-15-02, 12:03 PM
#153
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In college I worked at a mom n' pop gas station that was also a convenience store and video rentals. They had a sign out front where they listed the big video releases every week.
If anyone else remembers back that far, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 was released on video right about the same time Terminator 2 was released theatrically. Out on our sign, along with the other flicks for that week was 'TMNT2.' Countless, and I do mean countless, customers mistook TMNT2 to be for Terminator 2 and would come rushing into the store trying to rent or buy a copy of it.
It would go predictably something like this:
Customer: I want Terminator 2, is that in?
Me: No, that's just in theaters, it won't be on video for awhile.
Customer: It says you have it on your sign! That's false advertising!
Me: TMNT2 is for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2, and we do have copies of that available. Would you like it?
About 1/3 would realize their mistake and be like, 'yeah, I'm an idiot, of course it's not out yet.'
Another 1/3 would just leave and not say anything.
The final 1/3 would become even more angry at their own stupidity and try to take it out on me, or better yet, start to try to get free things like rentals or snacks to make up for the 'inconvenience' their own stupidity has caused them. This angle I've never fully understood, as it makes them appear even stupider.
If anyone else remembers back that far, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 was released on video right about the same time Terminator 2 was released theatrically. Out on our sign, along with the other flicks for that week was 'TMNT2.' Countless, and I do mean countless, customers mistook TMNT2 to be for Terminator 2 and would come rushing into the store trying to rent or buy a copy of it.
It would go predictably something like this:
Customer: I want Terminator 2, is that in?
Me: No, that's just in theaters, it won't be on video for awhile.
Customer: It says you have it on your sign! That's false advertising!
Me: TMNT2 is for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2, and we do have copies of that available. Would you like it?
About 1/3 would realize their mistake and be like, 'yeah, I'm an idiot, of course it's not out yet.'
Another 1/3 would just leave and not say anything.
The final 1/3 would become even more angry at their own stupidity and try to take it out on me, or better yet, start to try to get free things like rentals or snacks to make up for the 'inconvenience' their own stupidity has caused them. This angle I've never fully understood, as it makes them appear even stupider.
09-16-02, 08:28 PM
#155
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A) I'm working in a record store. Customer asks if we have that new record they play all the time on the radio. What station? Oh, everybody plays it. (Still no hint as to what type of music...) Can you quote some lyrics? No, it's about love. Is it a guy or girl singing? I think it's a group.
B) same record store. Customer asks for Evlis ablums. It's actually hard to say it that wrong.
C) I'm working in a convenience store. Customer asks if we have detergent. I point him in the right direction and go on waiting on the customer at the counter. I finish and see the first gut staring at the detergents. He starts to leave. I ask if he found it okay. He responds, "I was looking for the kind without soap."
B) same record store. Customer asks for Evlis ablums. It's actually hard to say it that wrong.
C) I'm working in a convenience store. Customer asks if we have detergent. I point him in the right direction and go on waiting on the customer at the counter. I finish and see the first gut staring at the detergents. He starts to leave. I ask if he found it okay. He responds, "I was looking for the kind without soap."
09-20-02, 03:43 PM
#156
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Well, it took me a while to read all these posts, and all are very entertaining. I'd like to chime in with mine...
About a year ago, I quit my job as a customer service supervisor for a major multi-channel distributor (read: satellite service). I was there for 4 1/2 years, and I talked with some real winners.
First one that came to mind was a customer disputing pay-per-view movies. A guy called in with $500+ worth of porno, claiming he didn't order them. Right. I'd heard that one countless times before. I asked if anyone in his household could've ordered them. He told me it was just him, his wife, and his 15-year-old son, and little Johnny wouldn't order them. I could hear the TV on in the background. Just then 15-year-old Johnny was ordering a porno, right in front of his dad! I heard the phone drop to the ground, harsh words exchanged between father and son, then he came back and said he'd pay for them. I couldn't believe what I heard. That was the only customer who ever fessed up to the charges.
Another guy called in right after making a Western Union payment. His service had been disconnected due to non-payment, and he told me he really didn't have much money. He exclaimed "I pawned my only TV to pay this bill, but at least I'll be able to watch TV tonight!" I didn't have the heart to ask how he intended to watch TV without a TV.
The worst ones were the customers who didn't pay their bills, and tried to place a guilt trip on me to get me to turn their service back on. I heard it all, husband left them, cat got eaten by the dog, etc. One customer in particular had been cut off for the seventh time in two years, and demanded her service be reinstated immediately without a payment---claiming that her 4-year-old daughter now couldn't watch TV. After about an hour of trying to explain why she didn't have TV when she didn't pay her bill, she asked "How do I tell my daughter that she can't watch cartoons? I know, YOU TELL HER!" Before I could get a response in edgewise, the little girl was on the phone. By this time I was pretty tired of the games, but I decided to play along. Here's how it went.
Girl: I don't have cartoons.
Me: I understand. Do you know why?
Girl: Mommy said it's cuz you won't turn our TV on.
Me: No, it's because your mommy doesn't love you!
Girl: Waaaaah! Mommy, you don't love me!
Not one of my brighter moments...
One day, we lost signal on the satellites, and of course, everyone called to let us know. Of course, we knew about the problem and were frantically working on it. Most customers were happy with that response. For some, that wasn't good enough. I talked to one customer who demanded a year of credit on their $80.99 package. (This was after the service came back on, service was out almost an hour). I explained that his request was unreasonable. I offered a credit of what he'd actually lost, and it would come to about $0.02. Of course, since he wanted a full year, this wasn't satisfactory, and he asked to speak with my boss. My boss told him he wouldn't credit anything. Customer said "The last guy at least offered me two cents!" My boss's answer? "You should've taken it."
But by far, the one that took the cake involved pay-per-view movies. This one was well documented in the media here in SLC several years ago. A customer from Utah calls up and claims there were 3 pornos on his bill that he didn't order, but he said he could prove it. He was in jail at the time! The call ended there, and I didn't think much about it until a week later, I got a call from the Utah AG. Turns out that the guy really had been arrested, on a drug conviction or something, and after they carted him off to jail, several police officers stayed to collect evidence. Turns out the cops had ordered them, and the AG was investigating a misconduct charge against the cops.
Man, that was an interesting place to work!
About a year ago, I quit my job as a customer service supervisor for a major multi-channel distributor (read: satellite service). I was there for 4 1/2 years, and I talked with some real winners.
First one that came to mind was a customer disputing pay-per-view movies. A guy called in with $500+ worth of porno, claiming he didn't order them. Right. I'd heard that one countless times before. I asked if anyone in his household could've ordered them. He told me it was just him, his wife, and his 15-year-old son, and little Johnny wouldn't order them. I could hear the TV on in the background. Just then 15-year-old Johnny was ordering a porno, right in front of his dad! I heard the phone drop to the ground, harsh words exchanged between father and son, then he came back and said he'd pay for them. I couldn't believe what I heard. That was the only customer who ever fessed up to the charges.
Another guy called in right after making a Western Union payment. His service had been disconnected due to non-payment, and he told me he really didn't have much money. He exclaimed "I pawned my only TV to pay this bill, but at least I'll be able to watch TV tonight!" I didn't have the heart to ask how he intended to watch TV without a TV.
The worst ones were the customers who didn't pay their bills, and tried to place a guilt trip on me to get me to turn their service back on. I heard it all, husband left them, cat got eaten by the dog, etc. One customer in particular had been cut off for the seventh time in two years, and demanded her service be reinstated immediately without a payment---claiming that her 4-year-old daughter now couldn't watch TV. After about an hour of trying to explain why she didn't have TV when she didn't pay her bill, she asked "How do I tell my daughter that she can't watch cartoons? I know, YOU TELL HER!" Before I could get a response in edgewise, the little girl was on the phone. By this time I was pretty tired of the games, but I decided to play along. Here's how it went.
Girl: I don't have cartoons.
Me: I understand. Do you know why?
Girl: Mommy said it's cuz you won't turn our TV on.
Me: No, it's because your mommy doesn't love you!
Girl: Waaaaah! Mommy, you don't love me!
Not one of my brighter moments...
One day, we lost signal on the satellites, and of course, everyone called to let us know. Of course, we knew about the problem and were frantically working on it. Most customers were happy with that response. For some, that wasn't good enough. I talked to one customer who demanded a year of credit on their $80.99 package. (This was after the service came back on, service was out almost an hour). I explained that his request was unreasonable. I offered a credit of what he'd actually lost, and it would come to about $0.02. Of course, since he wanted a full year, this wasn't satisfactory, and he asked to speak with my boss. My boss told him he wouldn't credit anything. Customer said "The last guy at least offered me two cents!" My boss's answer? "You should've taken it."
But by far, the one that took the cake involved pay-per-view movies. This one was well documented in the media here in SLC several years ago. A customer from Utah calls up and claims there were 3 pornos on his bill that he didn't order, but he said he could prove it. He was in jail at the time! The call ended there, and I didn't think much about it until a week later, I got a call from the Utah AG. Turns out that the guy really had been arrested, on a drug conviction or something, and after they carted him off to jail, several police officers stayed to collect evidence. Turns out the cops had ordered them, and the AG was investigating a misconduct charge against the cops.
Man, that was an interesting place to work!
09-20-02, 05:39 PM
#157
DVD Talk Reviewer & TOAT Winner
The REALLY dumb thing about those customers is their willingness to pay for commercial TV!
09-25-02, 04:03 PM
#158
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Originally posted by RDYoung
Next. When we help customers, someone still has to answer the phone. Usually, we politely ask the customer to hang on, and we catch the phone. Well, one of our new people does this, helps the phone person, then finishes the transaction. Well, the guy gets mad and wants a manager because she answered the phone in the middle of the transaction. The manager talked to him, and gave him the 800 number to call. So, he calls and complains. The complaint is forwarded to our district manager, who asks the following questions:
Was the employee rude? Answer: No. She was very polite.
Was your transaction completed in a reasonable fashion? Answer: Yes.
What if it had been you on the phone? Answer: Well, IT WASN'T.
Then the guy suggested that we get an answering machine. Corporate had to give him 3 free movies because we simply did our jobs. He's also a local psychiatrist in town--someone you'd think would be a little more polite.
Next. When we help customers, someone still has to answer the phone. Usually, we politely ask the customer to hang on, and we catch the phone. Well, one of our new people does this, helps the phone person, then finishes the transaction. Well, the guy gets mad and wants a manager because she answered the phone in the middle of the transaction. The manager talked to him, and gave him the 800 number to call. So, he calls and complains. The complaint is forwarded to our district manager, who asks the following questions:
Was the employee rude? Answer: No. She was very polite.
Was your transaction completed in a reasonable fashion? Answer: Yes.
What if it had been you on the phone? Answer: Well, IT WASN'T.
Then the guy suggested that we get an answering machine. Corporate had to give him 3 free movies because we simply did our jobs. He's also a local psychiatrist in town--someone you'd think would be a little more polite.
The person in the store is physically spending money at your location. They are the most important people at the time.
If your caller is serious about whatever they wanted they'll call back...or, better yet, with today's technology you could at least get a voicemail system.
Last edited by debbert; 09-25-02 at 04:06 PM.
09-25-02, 04:38 PM
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Originally posted by entitee
"are you working hard or hardly working? hahahahaha..."
over and over and over again.
"are you working hard or hardly working? hahahahaha..."
over and over and over again.
09-25-02, 06:55 PM
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by calhoun07
[B]I agree that it's stupidity for people to walk up to people in store clothing and ask them if they work there, but I was wondering if any of you have been asked if you worked in a store when you were just there shopping?
I used to work for a national jewelry store chain which was, of course, in the mall. During breaks, I would wander to the Osco drug store in my full on pimp daddy jewelry suit to peruse the magazines. Every damn time I went in there, someone asked me where something was...or if I was the manager. I mean, first of all, Osco employees have to wear a vest or smock of some sort. I was in the pimp suit!!! I guess I could understand...a little bit. Of course, after getting used to it, I would send people off in the wrong direction every once in a while.
A tip for those who take their jewelry into a jewelry store to get cleaned:
For crying out loud, don't stick your finger with your ring on it in your mouth or (worse yet) lick your ring. There are a lot of ways to get a ring off instead of sickening your friendly jeweler.
[B]I agree that it's stupidity for people to walk up to people in store clothing and ask them if they work there, but I was wondering if any of you have been asked if you worked in a store when you were just there shopping?
I used to work for a national jewelry store chain which was, of course, in the mall. During breaks, I would wander to the Osco drug store in my full on pimp daddy jewelry suit to peruse the magazines. Every damn time I went in there, someone asked me where something was...or if I was the manager. I mean, first of all, Osco employees have to wear a vest or smock of some sort. I was in the pimp suit!!! I guess I could understand...a little bit. Of course, after getting used to it, I would send people off in the wrong direction every once in a while.
A tip for those who take their jewelry into a jewelry store to get cleaned:
For crying out loud, don't stick your finger with your ring on it in your mouth or (worse yet) lick your ring. There are a lot of ways to get a ring off instead of sickening your friendly jeweler.
09-25-02, 10:12 PM
#161
DVD Talk Limited Edition
I spent 2 years in a $1 store. In regards to this post...I only got one thing to say:
"How much is this item?"
Multiply that by 10,000 and you'll understand why that sentance makes my stomach turn.
Dean
"How much is this item?"
Multiply that by 10,000 and you'll understand why that sentance makes my stomach turn.
Dean
09-28-02, 09:50 PM
#162
DVD Talk Special Edition
Noticed nobody has posted here in a few days so I'll put p a couple of my favorites I got while working a year at Blockbuster.
I always enjoyed the "What do you mean I have to have membership to rent this movie? I got a giftcard for my birthday, why can't I rent without a membership?" I believe the answer to that is quite obvious. But one guy actually yelled at the CSR for not letting him rent with no membership. Especially hilarious being that a membership is free. Actually heard that one several times oddly enough.
Then there's the people who don't understand the Buy 2 Get 1 free PVT (or PRP I think they're calling it now.) You know how it goes you buy two movies get a free movie that is of equal or lesser value than the lowest priced of the first two for free. Several people actually asked me how come it had to be of equal or lesser value. To my amazement my response of "well then someone could just buy two $5 videos and then pick up a copy of something like the $36 DVD of The World is Not Enough for free and we would lose a lot of movie by doing that." was usually met with a confused look and me having to think of a "simpler" way of explaining.
Those suck especially after reading Gord's thoughts on customers, but I didn't see anyone mention those yet. I got tons more but I think I've blocked most of them out. Oh wait can't forget the people who yelled at me because they thought their movies were late and I told them they weren't, or the ones who argue with me about the movie being late after I've already taken the fee off. Man I hated that job.
And this has nothing to do with anything, but I'll never forget the look on the girl who was in the store's face when me and the manager had our 11pm screening of Eraserhead on the 7 tvs when part where Jack Nance is feeding that bizarre baby thing popped up. Scared the hell out of her.
I always enjoyed the "What do you mean I have to have membership to rent this movie? I got a giftcard for my birthday, why can't I rent without a membership?" I believe the answer to that is quite obvious. But one guy actually yelled at the CSR for not letting him rent with no membership. Especially hilarious being that a membership is free. Actually heard that one several times oddly enough.
Then there's the people who don't understand the Buy 2 Get 1 free PVT (or PRP I think they're calling it now.) You know how it goes you buy two movies get a free movie that is of equal or lesser value than the lowest priced of the first two for free. Several people actually asked me how come it had to be of equal or lesser value. To my amazement my response of "well then someone could just buy two $5 videos and then pick up a copy of something like the $36 DVD of The World is Not Enough for free and we would lose a lot of movie by doing that." was usually met with a confused look and me having to think of a "simpler" way of explaining.
Those suck especially after reading Gord's thoughts on customers, but I didn't see anyone mention those yet. I got tons more but I think I've blocked most of them out. Oh wait can't forget the people who yelled at me because they thought their movies were late and I told them they weren't, or the ones who argue with me about the movie being late after I've already taken the fee off. Man I hated that job.
And this has nothing to do with anything, but I'll never forget the look on the girl who was in the store's face when me and the manager had our 11pm screening of Eraserhead on the 7 tvs when part where Jack Nance is feeding that bizarre baby thing popped up. Scared the hell out of her.
