Customer Service

[Duke]

That's awesome, Duke. As a former customer service employee, I've had my share of rude, screaming people.

When I retired from health care and went into sales, I briefly worked at a Radio Shack. I once had a customer come with a telephone that she wanted to return. She didn't have a receipt, or the original packaging; I strongly suspected that she was short of cash, because there was nothing wrong with the telephone.

I politely told her that we couldn't refund her because we had no idea how much she paid for the phone. She started getting angry and insisting on seeing the manager, promising to get me fired. She seemed upset that I wouldn't get upset too. Fortunately, the manager and I got along fine. I went back to the office and explained, and he said he would handle it.

He came out and gave her a refund. But that wasn't good enough. She started insisting that I had a real attitude problem and that I should be fired. My boss nodded and gave me a fake stern look, while saying "I will certainly deal with her!" After the woman left, we had a good laugh.

Surprisingly, there are (or were) a number of businesses that instructed their employees to issue refunds without any questions. A friend was a manager at a K-Mart and I know that was their policy. McDonald's was (is?) the same way. They believe it is better to quietly deal with a disreputable customer than to have that customer create a disturbance and run-off legit customers. God forbid they call the police in such situations.

The best customer service approach going these days is probably Aldi's "Twice As Nice" guarantee on their store brand products. If dissatisfied, even if you bring in the empty bag/container, they will not only refund the purchace price, but provide a replacement at no charge. I asked one of the local Aldi cashiers how often that policy was abused, she said seldomly.

 

[ozentity]

I got a removalist last move and regretted it. He had a very nice brand new truck and refused to take certain items such as my ride on mower. He was a big guy and abusive to me at this already stressful time. I started looking at some garden tools with seriously evil intentions but luckily he must of picked up on this and loaded everything on. Good thing for him because it takes a lot to anger me, I'd never get this A hole again, lol.

 

[Lynne]

Many years ago, we had a business doing some maintenence in our home. Somehow, in the process, they broke an inexpensive TV stand. Replacement cost was $40-50. Filed the claim the day they broke it before they left, was assured a check would be in the mail.

After several weeks with no check, I called to ask where my check was, and was told the owner would call me back. No return call this time, or with three additional calls. Last call I told the office admin type (who I later learned was the boss's wife) I would give them another week to pay or I'd file suit in Small Claims Court. No payment.

As promised, I filed, they did not show up, I won by default. Still no payment weeks later. I talked to my attorney who told me how simple it was to have the court freeze the guy's bank account (his bank/acct. number stamped on the back of the check I wrote them for the work) until he paid up. I filed the paperwork, and a week later left on a two week business trip where I was unreachable. (Very remote test site.)

About three nights into the trip, I called my wife to check in. She said I had a message on the answering machine from the business owner, and he was unhappy. His message said he had been notified by his bank his accounts were frozen, and that he was not able to pay for supplies or his employees. He said they told him the accts would stay frozn until ordered otherwise by the court.

Court told him they'd unfreeze the acct when Mr Duke received his judgment and he (business) paid court costs. The check was waiting for me when I got back from the desert, but I still had to file more paperwork (in person) with the court to acknowledge he'd paid the judgment.

Unfortunately I was really busy the next three weeks, and wasn't able to get there. He called numerous times during those three weeks, either getting the machine or Mrs Duke telling him I'd call him back. He was in tears. I ignored him.

Finally I had time to go back to the court to sign the paperwork, and his accounts were finally unfrozen, six weeks after the fact. He almost went bankrupt. Jerk.

Wow Duke, this is the best revenge ever. I hope the guy learned a lesson.

 

[Lynne]

I can't recall any service problems that were not handled properly. I am sure there must have been some over the years though. I usually get my things taken care of eventually just through plain persistence. The biggest thing I can think of was with a hotel we stay at once a year for a Fiber Festival my mom and I go to. We haven't been able to go the last few years due to her advancing age sadly. Anyway, it was the usual problems like poor service or the air not working. All were comped in some way though.