Customer repeatedly abusing shop assistant.

MyKeyG

'An individual I know' has a sister working in a mobile phone shop. About two weeks ago a customer returned with a handset. She claimed that she had been bamboozled into a steep contract by the offer of a cheap handset blah, blah, blah. The friends sister explained that there was nothing she could do, that she had entered into a contract with the company. She told her she would have to take her case to customer care as there was nothing they could do about it in store. Yes it's irritating to hear that but it's the fact of the situation. Everything goes through head office.

Long story short the woman hurled the phone at her and launched into a tirade of abuse. She thereafter called head office. 'There's little we can do' turned into 'it's not my problem' the sister was rude yadda, yadda, yadda. Now the sister has witnesses to the scene who claim she wasn't rude and the customer was the aggressor and the company plan no punitive action against her. However the woman is persisting in calling head office to be updated on what action exactly is being taken. She returned to the store today and accused her of being a poor 'specimen of a human being'.

NOW!!! The point of all this is that her boss is telling her that it all comes with the job and she should suck it up. I was thinking that instructing a staff member that part of their job is to accept abuse is in itself tantamount to bullying. A bit of a Jack McCoy stretch maybe but was looking for thoughts on the legal rights.

Sala

This is a tough one.

I suppose if the company has a dignity and respect policy it should be binding on all parties who engage with the company - including those who enter into dealings with them such as a contract. Therefore, you could argue that the company is breaking the terms of her employment contract by failing to enforce the policies under which it operates.

To be honest that's just a thought, and would probably only be relevant in an unfair dismissal case.

I would write to head office and ask them to clarify their position on this and ask for it in writing.

Procrastastudy

This is part of working in retail I'm afraid. I wish it wasn't but in the "quest" for customer service retailer have become push overs. Not all retailers are like this but most are especially larger chains.

I have literally seen customers lose it completely. Lose it in proportion to seeing a loved one killed rather than the teddy they bought having a stain on it. Customers in shops are bonkers with their brains shut completely off. Anyway I won't keep harping on about it apart from to say there is very little she can do even if she's in the right. If she kicks up over it she's likely to find herself "managed out of the business".

I'd suggest the full on waterworks next time the customer has a go at her - run off out the back.

mitzicat

Working in retail does not limit one's constitutional rights, nor does it allow customers to hurl phones at you. Tell her to call the Gardai and file a complaint against this woman. Witnesses + CCTV would be helpful. I'm sure there is some sort of offence committed here. Any threats of dismissal for taking this action, sue for failure to provide safe work practices. She absolutely does not have to put up with this.

Procrastastudy

While I totally agree - I'm simply telling you how it is.

Actually they will try and limit your constitutional rights... just wait until you're in a disciplinary and ask to cross examine a witness... that one makes me laugh!

pirelli

GCDLawstudent wrote: »

This is part of working in retail I'm afraid. I wish it wasn't but in the "quest" for customer service retailer have become push overs. Not all retailers are like this but most are especially larger chains.

I have literally seen customers lose it completely. Lose it in proportion to seeing a loved one killed rather than the teddy they bought having a stain on it. Customers in shops are bonkers with their brains shut completely off. Anyway I won't keep harping on about it apart from to say there is very little she can do even if she's in the right. If she kicks up over it she's likely to find herself "managed out of the business".

I'd suggest the full on waterworks next time the customer has a go at her - run off out the back.

I wouldn't describe Customer service as a quest exactly, it's a intangible commodity and part of the overall product.Taking abuse isn't providing a customer service, and nor is redirecting customers to a head office somewhere. The OP scenario above is common enough, u have pushy sales representative's that are equally junior employees going door to door promising customer service and hooking sales.

Then these customer are greeted by Junior employee's that are usually unfamiliar with many aspects of the customer contract and obviously the promises made by the sales person.

The fault lies with the company in poor training and restricting employee's to junior positions and yet having them deal face to face with customers. The employee might have been able to discuss moving the woman to another plan, or reducing her monthly payments.

Whether it is a form of bullying or not I am not sure..The employer has a duty of care to their employee. Telling her to 'suck it up' betrays that trust in my opinion.

pirelli

GCDLawstudent wrote: »

While I totally agree - I'm simply telling you how it is.

Actually they will try and limit your constitutional rights... just wait until you're in a disciplinary and ask to cross examine a witness... that one makes me laugh!

You mean the customer? She sounds like that is exactly what she would like to do Then she will be sorry for having constitutional rights.

Procrastastudy

No I mean the member of staff. "Managing staff out" only works because the employee goes with it and doesn't challenge the system.

In the UK there is no right to cross examine witnesses in a disciplinary hearing. In Ireland due to the constitution there is. I've sat in a couple of hearings where the union rep has (rightly) advised the "accused" to ask to cross examine. It's so funny watching UK based HR staff trying to take in they're not in Kansas anymore!

Don't even get me started on the abuse of the Organisation of Working Time Act that goes on.. esp in retail where the rules are different!

Long story short find something else! Customers are asses, the managers are asses and as for the "support functions" - I really dont understand why retail head offices don't understand they wouldn't exist if it wasn't for the customer and the shops!

pirelli

GCDLawstudent wrote: »

No I mean the member of staff. "Managing staff out" only works because the employee goes with it and doesn't challenge the system.

In the UK there is no right to cross examine witnesses in a disciplinary hearing. In Ireland due to the constitution there is. I've sat in a couple of hearings where the union rep has (rightly) advised the "accused" to ask to cross examine. It's so funny watching UK based HR staff trying to take in they're not in Kansas anymore!

Don't even get me started on the abuse of the Organisation of Working Time Act that goes on.. esp in retail where the rules are different!

Long story short find something else! Customers are asses, the managers are asses and as for the "support functions" - I really dont understand why retail head offices don't understand they wouldn't exist if it wasn't for the customer and the shops!

I had thought you might mean the customer would be unlikely to be available to be cross examined hence violating her constitutional right.

Find something else? ...like a new job? Seems a bit drastic, anyone dealing with the public should expect alot of stress and conflict and should be trained in some way. Maybe she was not trained properly for such an instance which i think is wrong of the company to leave some junior employee deal with all the angry customers. Where was the manager in all of this.

Maybe in McDonald's you would be correct in saying they strive to provide the highest level of customer service and their employees will always try agree with you even when your all intoxicated and singing but there will always be a manager on hand to handle any issue that escalates and make a decision.

It's all about making decision's. I doubt you would be happy if you were told to contact head office about why you were not being served today at Mc Donalds.

mitzicat

By constitutional rights I mean right not to be assaulted - not employee rights. As your friend has alerted her boss, if that woman comes in again and harrasses her, she could, hypothetically speaking, go on stress leave and sue her boss for negligence - failing to provide safe work practices.

MyKeyG

pirelli wrote: »

Find something else? ...like a new job? Seems a bit drastic, anyone dealing with the public should expect alot of stress and conflict and should be trained in some way. Maybe she was not trained properly for such an instance which i think is wrong of the company to leave some junior employee deal with all the angry customers. Where was the manager in all of this[/QUOTE

Exactly we're not living in the kind of economy that lets us walk out of a job because of abuse. I think you overestimate the responsibilities of a sales person properly trained or not. They have zero after sales autonomy. Her contract is with the company and sellers are merely considered a conduit through which the deal is done. People don't realise how much little responsibility they are granted.

Procrastastudy

One last point I will make as I seem to be every other post. Mobile phone retail is particular bad in it's business practises and lack of training. Some of the stuff Phones4U used to get upto under Caldwell was shocking!

Some of it is fobbing people off - other aspects are just the business model. The phone head office thing especially.

Shelflife

I work in retail, its my understanding that as an employer i have a duty of care to provide a safe working environment for my staff.

Under no circumstances will i allow anyone to verbally or physically abuse any of my staff. I have barred "customers" who were verbally abusive to my staff and if anyone tried to physically assault them i would call the guards.

If the retail outlet refuse to provide a safe working environment then i would say that they are in breach of health and safety rules at a minimum.

krd

pirelli wrote: »

Find something else? ...like a new job? Seems a bit drastic, anyone dealing with the public should expect alot of stress and conflict and should be trained in some way. Maybe she was not trained properly for such an instance which i think is wrong of the company to leave some junior employee deal with all the angry customers. Where was the manager in all of this.

Training my arse. Customers have been trained to expect to able to abuse staff.

Customer service training is always, without fail, complete and utter rubbish. You could call the course content "common sense" or complete drivel. It's usually a mixture of both. The courses are put together by people who have no qualifications, and usually taught by people with no qualifications.

Corporate training, with probably no exceptions, is a joke. Mickey Mouse courses for managers, in things like project management. Get your hands on the material, and you will not be able to convince yourself the courses have not been created with thick 12 year-old children in mind.

Human resources, is another joke. If you're a broke and an annoyed young solicitor. And you've had a bad experience with the HR of the big law firms. Google/linkedIn, the HR people they have working for them. Check out their "qualifications".

krd

Shelflife wrote: »

I work in retail, its my understanding that as an employer i have a duty of care to provide a safe working environment for my staff.

Under no circumstances will i allow anyone to verbally or physically abuse any of my staff. I have barred "customers" who were verbally abusive to my staff and if anyone tried to physically assault them i would call the guards.

There's a mobile phone shop on Grafton street - and I've been in there when they've called the guards on customers. I really don't know where managers get it into their heads that taking abuse is worth something. Someone who's going to hold up the entire shop, is generally not going to provide enough business to make it worthwhile.

MyKeyG

krd wrote: »

There's a mobile phone shop on Grafton street - and I've been in there when they've called the guards on customers. I really don't know where managers get it into their heads that taking abuse is worth something. Someone who's going to hold up the entire shop, is generally not going to provide enough business to make it worthwhile.

Another very good point. Personally if I saw a customer abuse someone very badly I'd tell them to shut the f**k up but most people would leave the store out of embarrassment.

It's funny I had a conversation with my mam about it since I started the thread and she made a very good point too. She said if the woman in question was a member of the travelling community then she would be immediately and unconditionally barred.

krd

MyKeyG wrote: »

Another very good point. Personally if I saw a customer abuse someone very badly I'd tell them to shut the f**k up but most people would leave the store out of embarrassment.

Well in the shop on Grafton street. Which was really busy at the time. The customer was being shown phones by one of the girls. He's just being a pain in the arse to her - talking down to her and being rude. And of course, he's raising his voice with her - she is getting flustered - no end of "training" will make you just take abuse without being upset. She then stops him asks him to please not raise his voice...And this sets him off, very loud, he's shouting at her "How dare you tell me not to raise my voice.....I am a customer"...And this goes on. The manager intervenes - people are leaving the shop. None of the staff can work. The manager asks him to leave. And he just gets worse. Then the guards are called. And then I leave, as it's obvious the shop is shut until this is taken care of.

It's funny I had a conversation with my mam about it since I started the thread and she made a very good point too. She said if the woman in question was a member of the travelling community then she would be immediately and unconditionally barred.

There's a lot of snobbery involved. Some people really look down their noses at people working in customer services. They think it gives them a right to abuse them. Even the managers in customer service can be really snobby about the people they're managing. So, they'll force you to take abuse you shouldn't.

pirelli

krd wrote: »

Customer service training is always, without fail, complete and utter rubbish. You could call the course content "common sense" or complete drivel. It's usually a mixture of both. The courses are put together by people who have no qualifications, and usually taught by people with no qualifications.

.

Your saying:
The courses are put together by people with no qualifications but they are occasionally thought by qualified people. That makes no sense!

krd wrote: »

Human resources, is another joke. If you're a broke and an annoyed young solicitor. And you've had a bad experience with the HR of the big law firms. Google/linkedIn, the HR people they have working for them. Check out their "qualifications".

Could you elaborate, i'm not sure exactly what you mean. I think i understand but not exactly.

Zambia

Did Russel Crowe not get charged with throwing a phone at a hotel clerk. Its illegal and at the very least the customer should be barred.

Milk & Honey

MyKeyG wrote: »

Exactly we're not living in the kind of economy that lets us walk out of a job because of abuse. I think you overestimate the responsibilities of a sales person properly trained or not. They have zero after sales autonomy. Her contract is with the company and sellers are merely considered a conduit through which the deal is done. People don't realise how much little responsibility they are granted.

When a retailer sells a product, the retailer is responsible for the quality of the product. That is a requirement under the Sale of Goods acts. I have had to point this out to store managers time and again. Having untrained junior employees delivering a legally dubious script to dissatisfied customers is quite likely to trigger an irate reaction from customers.

BrianD

Milk & Honey wrote: »

When a retailer sells a product, the retailer is responsible for the quality of the product. That is a requirement under the Sale of Goods acts. I have had to point this out to store managers time and again. Having untrained junior employees delivering a legally dubious script to dissatisfied customers is quite likely to trigger an irate reaction from customers.

There's an onus on the customer to understand what they are purchasing and in the case of a service contract understand all of the implications. Quite often a customer has a set of expectations before, during or after the purchase that they don't communicate to the seller.

In the case of "sucking up" customers venting their anger or frustration - certainly there's a bit of diplomacy that retail staff have to endure. However, if there is an individual that is causing issues that are personally addressed to a member of staff then management have to step in and take action.

MyKeyG

Milk & Honey wrote: »

When a retailer sells a product, the retailer is responsible for the quality of the product. That is a requirement under the Sale of Goods acts. I have had to point this out to store managers time and again. Having untrained junior employees delivering a legally dubious script to dissatisfied customers is quite likely to trigger an irate reaction from customers.

You appear not to be paying very close attention so I'll explain a little easier. This is not a product quality issue nor is it a matter of training. The woman is attempting to renege on a legally binding contract. She knows she is bound so she is seeking alternative means of cancellation by maintaining that the deal was made without her full understanding. As another poster said the onus is on the customer to ensure they are aware of exactly what they are entering into.

krd

pirelli wrote: »

Your saying:
The courses are put together by people with no qualifications but they are occasionally thought by qualified people. That makes no sense!

If I decided in the morning to just advertise myself as a barrister, a solicitor, or a doctor, I could be in trouble. A corporate trainer. The simple answer is no.

Corporate training programs are usually put together by some ditz - who may or may not, *cough* *weep - choking on tears of laughter*.......who may or may not, have a "qualification" in marketing.

There's a piece in Tim Ferriss' 4 - hour week, on how to become a recognised, industry "expert". Ya should read it. Though, if you wait - I'll be giving a seminar on it at some time in the future - book now, I might give you a discount.

Could you elaborate, i'm not sure exactly what you mean. I think i understand but not exactly.

The head of HR for one of the big law firms - I had an interview with them......Incredible snotty and snobbish.......did a bit of searching to find out their "qualifications" ...... Not so much MBA, as MM (Mickey Mouse)

krd

Milk & Honey wrote: »

When a retailer sells a product, the retailer is responsible for the quality of the product. That is a requirement under the Sale of Goods acts. I have had to point this out to store managers time and again.

Do you think it's an "accident", that it keeps happening again and again.

Having untrained junior employees delivering a legally dubious script to dissatisfied customers is quite likely to trigger an irate reaction from customers.

Throwing a tantrum is acceptable, when you are two years of age. For an adult, it's not so cute. And I can tell you, with absolute certainty, it will get you nowhere, with someone in CS. Sweetie, you'll get more with a little honey, than you ever will with vinegar. And CS people buy vinegar by the tanker load. They have ways of making sure you get a taste of that vinegar too.

If you want to know a secret. In CS, often the agents are pressurized into lying to customers. It's just the way it is. If you're nice to them, they might drop you a useful hint. But if you want to bang your head against a wall - go ahead, the wall isn't going anywhere.

wmpdd3

I have been at the other end of violence as a retail manager, where we didn't have security I called the guards who were brilliant and embarrassed the customers into acting more like an adult.

The guards did ask me if I wanted to press charges as we had loads of witness' and cctv.

I also agreed with the customer I would only deal with them by letter after that. (5 day old water damaged 7110 in 2000!)

Now where I work we have security, you will be removed and reported to the police if you are violent in store. The cctv system is so good that when it has happened the guards are happy to proceed with charges.

Also if there is a complaint against an employee, under no circumstances are the details of any in-house disciplinary doled out to the employee, discussed with the customer.

If I was the OP's sister I would write everything down as if it was a statement to the guards including times, people present, what was said etc just in case this does go further.

Also, it is not the customer service representative's level of knowledge that is the issue, the problem is that they are saying 'NO'

Procrastastudy

No matter how politely you explain why you HAVE to say no - you are the rudest most foul mouthed human being in planet earth!

Funny thing was when ever a nice customer came in with something they broke I always found a way to send it back and give them a new one. A-holes however...

I must admit near the end I was taking a perverse delight in the w*nk*rs!

Worst mistake I ever made was moving from D1 dealing with knackers to Dundrum. Knackers are a piece of cake in comparison to those west-Brit, I'm telling my husband, bored housewives with nothing better to do!

I have to say I had seen some classics in my "Time". I used to sell computers for a company and a guy came in going nuts because word wasn't on his computer - insisting it was part of windows. I knew the SP had told the guy this (there was £5 spiv on office which at the time cost almost £500!). Eventually after trying to be nice it got handed over to the manager. This guy was a complete ****-pot. Have to admit I did break myself laughing when the parting words were;

Customer:"I'M GOING TO WRITE TO YOUR HEAD OFFICE AND THE PAPERS ABOUT THIS!!!"
Steve:"With what sir? You don't have a word processor."

Victor

BrianD wrote: »

There's an onus on the customer to understand what they are purchasing and in the case of a service contract understand all of the implications. Quite often a customer has a set of expectations before, during or after the purchase that they don't communicate to the seller.

I think you might be naive to the mis-selling ways of phone companies and their employees. Personally I think its an abuse of dominance that handset vendors are predominantly owned by phone service providers and that staff are not rewarded for quality service or total sales, but on how much future sales they rope customers into.

MyKeyG wrote: »

You appear not to be paying very close attention so I'll explain a little easier. This is not a product quality issue nor is it a matter of training. The woman is attempting to renege on a legally binding contract.

Most likely, that person has been mis-sold the contract. Jst because there is a document called 'contract' that the customer has signed doesn't mean that is the whole contract - the sales staff could have made - and often do - all sorts of misrepresentations as to what the contract means.

GCDLawstudent wrote: »

Customer:"I'M GOING TO WRITE TO YOUR HEAD OFFICE AND THE PAPERS ABOUT THIS!!!"
Steve:"With what sir? You don't have a word processor."

Start > Run > Type "Wordpad" > press 'Enter'

MyKeyG

Victor wrote: »

Most likely, that person has been mis-sold the contract. Jst because there is a document called 'contract' that the customer has signed doesn't mean that is the whole contract - the sales staff could have made - and often do - all sorts of misrepresentations as to what the contract means.

Nonsense. On what authority do you have the right to claim what 'most likely' happened? A customer is obliged to read all the terms and conditions before putting pen to paper. I worked for a land line reseller and it was amazing the amount of customers like you who tried to claim that they were bamboozled even though they were arguing clauses in the T&C's. Companies print them for a reason, READ THEM!

Victor

I worked for a time on the periphery of the phone industry.

MyKeyG wrote: »

, READ THEM!

But hurry up and sign.

MyKeyG

Victor wrote: »

But hurry up and sign.

That the customer would is still a failing on their part IMO. There are no guns being held to heads and the law dictates a cooling off period. If the customer still can't figure out their own mind in that time then so be it.

Procrastastudy

Looking for something else I found this:

http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2012-03-05/

Scott Adams... lol

Tayla

MyKeyG wrote: »

NOW!!! The point of all this is that her boss is telling her that it all comes with the job and she should suck it up. I was thinking that instructing a staff member that part of their job is to accept abuse is in itself tantamount to bullying.

I worked in argos one christmas and the manager told us to always make sure we stand well beyond arms reach of any irate customer but if at any stage a customer was being abusive or intimidating that we should call her out and she would deal with them.

I then worked in another shop where a man used to come in all the time making sleazy sexual comments all the time, now in fairness this guy seemed like he may have had some sort of mental problem but the manager of that shop didn't seem to care, he never intervened or told the man he would have to stop.

MyKeyG

Tayla wrote: »

I worked in argos one christmas and the manager told us to always make sure we stand well beyond arms reach of any irate customer but if at any stage a customer was being abusive or intimidating that we should call her out and she would deal with them.

I then worked in another shop where a man used to come in all the time making sleazy sexual comments all the time, now in fairness this guy seemed like he may have had some sort of mental problem but the manager of that shop didn't seem to care, he never intervened or told the man he would have to stop.

It's funny something I had forgotten. I lived in Cannes about ten years ago and I was in a McDonalds one day. A female customer was getting very irate with a female server and she lashed out at which point the server lashed back. The two were wrestling across the counter. The manager came out and actually man handled the server into the back room and then kicked the woman out. You have to love the continental approach to things whether it's just a happy meal or an EU bailout!

unattendedbag

MyKeyG wrote: »

It's funny something I had forgotten. I lived in Cannes about ten years ago and I was in a McDonalds one day. A female customer was getting very irate with a female server and she lashed out at which point the server lashed back. The two were wrestling across the counter. The manager came out and actually man handled the server into the back room and then kicked the woman out. You have to love the continental approach to things whether it's just a happy meal or an EU bailout!

I saw the same in new york where two black women, (employee and customer) in Pizza hut were in each others faces and ended up practically in a fist fight before being forcefully separated.

In the OP's situation, the customer is in breach of section 6 of the public order act. Clearly trying to provoke a reaction with the abuse and by throwing the phone at the employee is also section 2 Assault under the non fatal offences against the person act. It doesn't matter that its a phone shop, if I was in a pub and threw my pint at a barmaid then shouted abuse or if i walked into a bank and threw a roll of coins at the teller behind the counter, it wouldn't be long till you see me being led out the door into the back of a Garda van.

nicebutdim

MyKeyG wrote: »

It's funny something I had forgotten. I lived in Cannes about ten years ago and I was in a McDonalds one day. A female customer was getting very irate with a female server and she lashed out at which point the server lashed back. The two were wrestling across the counter. The manager came out and actually man handled the server into the back room and then kicked the woman out. You have to love the continental approach to things whether it's just a happy meal or an EU bailout!

That's a great image

I am now picturing Michael Noonan going in to ask for a bailout and coming out with a Big Mac and Fries and a perplexed look on his face....

MyKeyG

nicebutdim wrote: »

That's a great image

I am now picturing Michael Noonan going in to ask for a bailout and coming out with a Big Mac and Fries and a perplexed look on his face....

Even if he went in to ask for a bailout and came out with a bailout he'd probably have a perplexed look on his face. He has one of those dopey looks.

Markdub2000

It's obvious nothing has changed since I worked in a phone shop, many many moons ago!!

I wonder why the customer was so irrate, did u sell her a network X phone when all her contacts where on network Y so the 50 gazzillion minutes that are in her price plan don't include any of the numbers she actually calls, and the ones she does cost a whoopping 1euro a minute... (but she saved 20euro on the handset so it doesn't matter)?

Or did her hand sweat so much it caused the phone to be beyond economic repair due to water damage (even though the stain the "tech" saw on the phone was actually solder flux from manufacture,..)


oh what fond memories....

On a personal note, I always sided with the customer! act absolutely appalled and shout down the phone at the network customer care centre in southern india - if the customer sees you siding with them, they are less likely to lash out at you - and its less likely that the customer care op is going to travel from the other side of the planet to lash out at you....


I'd say if ur bringing up this complaint here, I'm afraid your in the wrong line of work...

MyKeyG

Markdub2000 wrote: »

It's obvious nothing has changed since I worked in a phone shop, many many moons ago!!

I wonder why the customer was so irrate, did u sell her a network X phone when all her contacts where on network Y so the 50 gazzillion minutes that are in her price plan don't include any of the numbers she actually calls, and the ones she does cost a whoopping 1euro a minute... (but she saved 20euro on the handset so it doesn't matter)?

Or did her hand sweat so much it caused the phone to be beyond economic repair due to water damage (even though the stain the "tech" saw on the phone was actually solder flux from manufacture,..)


oh what fond memories....

On a personal note, I always sided with the customer! act absolutely appalled and shout down the phone at the network customer care centre in southern india - if the customer sees you siding with them, they are less likely to lash out at you - and its less likely that the customer care op is going to travel from the other side of the planet to lash out at you....


I'd say if ur bringing up this complaint here, I'm afraid your in the wrong line of work...

Ultimately what I think happened is she signed up to deal x to get phone y for half nothing. The first bill comes in, she realises her tariff is astronomical and the husband says 'feck that'. She knows she's tied down to an 18 month contract and so cooks up some half ass story about being conned by the shop assistant.

Personally I've had enough experience in customer care to realise that most customers are whinging moaners and I wouldn't side with them if they said the grass was green.

Markdub2000

MyKeyG wrote: »

most customers are whinging moaners and I wouldn't side with them if they said the grass was green.

see - this is why service in food establishments, shops, hotels, upc, telecom eireann, is so so bad !!

staff think of customers as whinging moaners and then wonder why customers get fed up and lamp the staff with the burger, phone, milkshake whatever!!!

As Irish people, I think we have completely lost those soft skills that were so vital in certain industries! we've no gift of the gab!

I worked in a shop where the boss was an absolute bully, and a sicko - but rather than take it out on the customers, I went out of my way to help them, I used to spend hours discussing which phone was right for them, how I could help them with any problem whatsoever!! (once I spent an hour searching for a 20 cent resistor all in the name of customer care, that, coupled with anything I could do to ensure I was not profitable on my 3.25 euro an hour (2003 wages!!)

I was getting a dressing down infront of staff for not squishing the air out of a plastic coke bottle when throwing it in the bin, when low and behold a customer came in and interrupted the 20minute speech with a box of chocolates - made my day I tell u!!

And I did get a job in the end - another customer liked my assistance so much he asked me to come and work for him!

MyKeyG

Markdub2000 wrote: »

see - this is why service in food establishments, shops, hotels, upc, telecom eireann, is so so bad !!

staff think of customers as whinging moaners and then wonder why customers get fed up and lamp the staff with the burger, phone, milkshake whatever!!!

As Irish people, I think we have completely lost those soft skills that were so vital in certain industries! we've no gift of the gab!

I worked in a shop where the boss was an absolute bully, and a sicko - but rather than take it out on the customers, I went out of my way to help them, I used to spend hours discussing which phone was right for them, how I could help them with any problem whatsoever!! (once I spent an hour searching for a 20 cent resistor all in the name of customer care, that, coupled with anything I could do to ensure I was not profitable on my 3.25 euro an hour (2003 wages!!)

I was getting a dressing down infront of staff for not squishing the air out of a plastic coke bottle when throwing it in the bin, when low and behold a customer came in and interrupted the 20minute speech with a box of chocolates - made my day I tell u!!

And I did get a job in the end - another customer liked my assistance so much he asked me to come and work for him!

Yes but you see the mistake you just made there is presuming that what I think of customers and how I treat them are one and the same. Hating customers does not preclude professionalism.

I agree that shop assistants reflect a certain lethargy these days but as to whether the customers are grumpy because the shop assistants are grumpy or vice versa is the old 'which came first the chicken or the egg' conundrum.

Personally I firmly believe that society is becoming less tolerant these days in all areas not just retail.

Procrastastudy

MyKeyG wrote: »

Personally I firmly believe that society is becoming less tolerant these days in all areas not just retail.

I'll continue my hobby of disagreeing with you

Its "less tolerant" as such - I would call it expecting more. Now this may be a sematic point but Ireland is beginging to lose the "Ah sure it'll be grand" mentality due to economic preasures. At High Street level this as resulted in customers becoming more demanding. The problem arises as people haven't yet learnt how to be demanding but polite - this is partly a cultural thing but also partly down to what happened in Irish Retail during and post the Celtic Tiger.

The main issue now is that it isnt that people have lost the soft skills or the gift of the gab - its still there but they simply dont have time. Retail companies see staffing as the biggest but most controlable expense. Rather than get rid of the layers of senior management, fight for lower rents or heven forbid actually inovate and control other costs - it's much easier to have 2 memebers of staff where you used to have 4 or 5.

Well thats grand isnt it because you're probably doing half the business? Well no - the task loading is still the same, customer don't come in one after another they come in groups (this is actually been proven lol!) and customers have become more demanding so now require more time to deal with. The potential standard of front line staff is actually better than its ever been - it the fact that the management are the same dunderheads as before.

Trust me there are very few companies out there that would put the customer at the top of the list of things to do - even though they think they do! That more than anything p*sses of the staff because the majority of them left to do their job of SERVING CUSTOMERS would actually do it and do it well.

MyKeyG

YOU AGAIN??? WHY I OUGHTA!!!:D

You do raise a very good point (wonders never cease;)). Yes I do think customers expect more. I would also add to your examples the advent of online buying. Customers are spoiled for choice and price and expect the bricks and mortar shops to fall over themselves trying to secure business.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Procrastastudy

Seems every company I've ever left has gone tits up shortly after... just watching with sadness (and some pervse delight given some of the *******) as another slowly bites the dust...

Shame as there were alot ore good people that *********.