Customer Service Thread

[A.Wilder]

For the most part, it seems lower income people are a million times friendlier than wealthy people. Not sure why exactly, but I have more motivation to go into a tiny shack filled with cats and trash than a million dollar 6,000 sq foot home filled with antiques and grouchy people. I thought about delivering pizzas for a while and asked some friends if it was better to work at a location in a wealthy area or a less wealthy area and every one of my friends (wife included) with pizza delivering experience said less wealthy areas tip better.

[sjt1985]

How do you think they got to be wealthy - throwing all their money away on tips? I'm going to start tipping poorly and being a grump, maybe that's the secret to getting rich.

[foxtrot762]

How do you think they got to be wealthy - throwing all their money away on tips? I'm going to start tipping poorly and being a grump, maybe that's the secret to getting punched in the face.

FTFY




I work at a $54,000/year university where I deal with student furniture issues. We replace/fix broken dorm furniture. The week after spring break/summer break/new semester is always full of broken beds. I guess from banging out. Every single time we go into a room, there's a layer of miscellaneous crap on the floor to the point where you can't even walk into the room passed the door. And it's always "my roommates" stuff on the floor. Girls are the worst.

Anyway I walked in one room that belonged to a female student from China. She wanted us to move her furniture around so we got started. The first thing I grab is the edge of her bookcase. My hand slid into something warm, wet and slimy. I looked down to see 3 of my fingers submerged half way into an open can of sardines on her bookcase shelf. It had obviously been there for quite some time as there was a layer of dust on it. I dropped her bookcase and stormed out of the room looking for a bathroom to wash it off. She followed me out saying "Do you need a napkin?" to which I replied "No I need a ****ing shower". At that point, I didn't give a goddamn about customer service. There's no excuse for that crap.

[A.Wilder]

German clubbing sounds fun, but not sure how it relates to customer service

[Egilbe]

I'm starting to think he's so enamored with Germany because he didn't actually have to live there as an adult, but as someone else' dependent.

[retro_rocket]

I worked in retail customer service for six years selling clothing, and another year doing B2B client service in marketing/advertising. I've probably got about a million stories I could tell.

A few times when I worked retail I walked up to customers asking if they needed assistance, then they broke down in tears saying some family member was in the hospital, or was just diagnosed with cancer.

I felt bad and all, but it was sure awkward, and that age, didn't know how to console anybody in a situation like that.

Old people loved to do this where I worked...guess they just wanted a sympathetic ear to listen to their problems.

Once, I noticed an old guy - probably about 75 or so - wandering around looking a bit confused. I asked him if he needed any help, and he said he was shopping for clothes for the first time since his wife had died the previous year. Like a lot of older, old-school guys, he let his wife pick out and buy all of his clothes, never really thinking about what he would do if he outlived her. Poor guy didn't even know what size underwear he had on! I took the better part of an hour to walk around with him, got him sized up for everything from shirts to pants to shoes, and showed him how to match up colors and patterns to create an outfit that wouldn't clash. He came back on a regular basis after that to buy things from me. Every once and a while you'd get a customer like that who was worthwhile, and almost made it worth putting up with 100 pricks to have that one genuinely appreciative customer.

[Hurt]

This is hilarious

[A.Wilder]

This is hilarious

Glad you enjoy. Hope to have more to add after this week

[2112]

I spent my first 20 or so working years in retail, several of which were spent in Customer Service for a new-defunct electronics chain that should remain nameless (but was, in fact, Circuit City). One of the positions I held within that stellar chain was that of home delivery driver.

One day, we were delivering a refrigerator to a home on a farm. My partner and I had unboxed the fridge and were carrying it through the doorway into the house. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something moving at my feet. Look down in time to see a baby pig stroll between my legs and into the house. The homeowner picked the piglet up, much to the squeals of the piglet and to the amusement of me.

[dk58]

I worked retail for a few years and one day this guy came up to me and asked to use the fitting room. This was a shoe store and we really didn't sell any clothing people would need to try on, so the store manager filled the fitting room with junk. The excuse we were told to use was to say it was "under construction". I tell the man this, and he starts yelling at me and then points to the stock room door and asks if he can change in there. I tell him that he can't and that he can return the pants if they don't fit. I walk away, and a few minutes later he is standing in the corner of the store, next to the children's shoe section, in his boxers. He looks at me and starts yelling, "It ain't me that looks bad, its your store!" He continues to make a scene so that everybody in the store sees him in his boxers, and then when he came to the register, apologized to the manager and I about 100 times. That's all I got.

[ab8349]

I worked at a major home improvement warehouse, that may or may not rhyme with 'hoes' during college. Awesome job, awesome people, and a blast. I was working in Paint during one point, and a good buddy was working in Hardware. Earlier that day, he had explained in detail the South Park episode he had just seen with the Vietnam guy who had the voicebox, hilarious, etc...

So he calls me on the internal wireless phone and asks me to come help him with a customer. Now, being a Paint guy, I can't imagine what he would need me for, but never one to pass up the opportunity to get out of the department for awhile, I tell him I'll walk over. As I turn the corner of the aisle, I see him facing me, and the customer has his back turned to me. I walk up, and my buddy says, "Oh, XXXX here knows all about it, he can help you". The customer turns around, and sure enough, he is sporting a voicebox. Sh1T5hitsh!T! As this guys proceeds to tell me his issue, my buddy casually walks around behind him, and makes every kind of ridiculous gesture/face/whatever. All I could do to keep a straight face and get out of there asap.

[Diamond Dave]

Also, I've been in one form customer service sales for quite a few years in retail and food service (oddly, never in call centers). Here's a story about my biggest tip ever from when I lived in lake Tahoe. If you're going to take 4yrs off school to be a snowboard bum, you should go all the way.

I found myself working for a clothing inside one of the casinos in Tahoe. Believe it or not, I was tiring of bartending when I fell into this opportunity. Retail clothing sales and the company would buy my season pass to the mountain. Oh, and I could work the late shift during the winter (3PM to Midnight); this store sold those $70 sweatshirts and $30 T-shirts that you'd never wear when you got back from vacation or that your Grandma thought you needed.

One night some scruffy old guy (a kind generalization) came in at about 20mins until closing one night (midnight). I think he only came in because he was really drunk and needed something to lean on for a few minutes. So I started in with the usual "where are you from" crap. But he's entertaining so I just start my closing duties and keep BS'ing with him.

As the store manager, we got pretty decent bonus when our store exceeded the monthly plan. So, the guy, Richard, starts asking for sweatshirts...in every color. I'm becoming mildly interested in where this prospect is leading.

Then I mention that he'll probably need pants to go with every sweatshirt. Done. Then I suggest that he really needs a T-shirt to go under the sweatshirts. Done. Keep in mind, an average transaction is about $120 (t-shirt, sweatshirt, and pants). A good transaction is more like $450; if you rack up a dozen or so of those sales in a month, you make a decent bonus. In about 15 minutes, this drunk old man has chosen $2K worth of crap that I'm ringing up.

Now it gets interesting. I'm excited because I'll make some great coin on this sale. But now he's talking with some other customers and yells at me "put this on my bill". Sirens are going off in my head; partly due to fear that I'm about to get screwed and partly due to my greed meter pegging the red line.

I get his credit card and and have the cashier start processing as much stuff as possible. When I look up, he's no longer in the store. Not to worry, I find him in the hallway yelling at strangers coming from the casino that he's buying for everyone. My panic gauge hits the redline. Current sale is at $5K; just below the biggest single purchase ever this location (in a chain of about 30 stores FYI). The greed calms my nerves as I calculate my increasing bonus. Let's ride this wave.

It's 10mins past midnight now, in the last 30mins the store went from fully stocked, folded, and ready for tomorrow to being nearly emptied by one drunk customer and about 30 people yelling for sizes and holding armloads of sweatshirts. I decide now is a perfect time to call casino security for some help just in case things go sideways when his credit card mazes out. So many customers have already left with their "gifts", it's becoming hard to tell the difference between a sale and a theft. I check the register; $9K spent in 30 minutes. It's what some stores sell in a month. It represents about $800 bonus for me.

When I look around the store next, my whale is missing. Extreme panic sets in. Although I'm holding his credit card, but he's definitely not on the premises. I find him at the art gallery next door wrapping up ~$20K of purchases with my very happy art curator friend. I let Richard know that we're just shy of $11K and he seems unconcerned.

I walk back to the store and it's literally bare tables and hangars with a few miscellaneous items strewn about. it will take hours to go to the warehouse and bring back boxes to replenish. Total sales was $14,840. I processed the credit card just as Richard came back into the store. He was eager for me to see something back at the gallery. So I follow him over and he shows me a sculpture. Says it's a gift to me; he wants me to have it to encourage me to develop my art collection. I wouldn't have paid a little over $1500 for something like that, but it was an amazing tip and I was grateful for the sentiment.

So he signed the credit slip and I called the bell desk to bring a cart for his purchases. Turns out he only came to the store in the first place because the casino cut him off gambling by offering him a suite for the night if he'd cool off gambling (again, he was super drunk).

He showed up the following night at the store, bought another $7K worth of overpriced sweatshirts, then went back to gambling. He was later ejected from the casino after they cut him off at the cash desk (for being too drunk). Actually, that's not quite right, he was ejected because after they cut him off at the cash desk he unbuckled his pants and peed on the carpet in front of the desk as a protest.

Strange times in Lake Tahoe. Strange times.

[dk58]

That was awesome

[A.Wilder]

Did a service call to an older woman who owned a number of miniature horses. She had a stallion and his "girlfriend" was visiting making for some interesting noises.

Nothing to crazy happened but the lady was really nice and funny. Then we went to a hoarder's house

Hoarders are easily the most depressing people on the planet. They suck the life out of you the moment the door opens and that first wiff of dust, dirt, and rotten food hits your nostril. And why does it seem that 50% of the people out there have hoarding issues?!

[jay'stig]

I work at a Porsche dealership, most of my customers are cool. one day i was asked to help a customer at the "boutique'', this is where we keep the swag (hats, shirts, keychains, and crap), he says ''what size is that shirt?''
i say ''this one is an XL''
he says '' can i check it out''
i hand him the shirt and before i can say that the bathroom has a mirror so he can try it on, He wips off the shirt he is wearing, with no undershirt mind you, and blasts bear chest in the middle of the Porsche show room. My jaw hit the floor, totally left speachless. quite an awkward situation for me.

[A.Wilder]

One of my coworkers in training wanted to switch garages with me because he said he felt more comfortable in the ghetto areas. After working in a few 4,000+ sq/ft homes i can see why. Rich people are annoying as hell, treat you badly, and expect you to do things far beyond your job description simply because they are rich. Oh yeah, and they never tip. Not that i expect tips for doing my job, but i've been offered a few tips for doing really easy jobs in very low socioeconomic areas. One guy gave me $20 and wouldn't take no for an offer.

The other day i was in a pretty gross house and took the screws out of a phone jack in the kitchen and 5-8 baby roaches scurried out from behind as i disturbed their hiding space

[GolfTango]

Effuu Sony Extended Service Plan.

My 32" LCD TV started shutting off by itself randomly. Luckily still have the service plan which expires in July. They send me a box to ship it off and I sent it on its way. Yesterday (pretty quick turnaround) I get it back, but as I unwrap it, I notice the lower left hand corner of the case is smashed.

So I have spent the last two days and over an hour on the phone to get this fixed. Still on hold with Sony as I type.

[VW1.8Tsunami]

I worked for Stanley Steamer for a few months during college and seeing the way people lived was the most interesting part. Sometimes you would see cool stuff, other times you would be disturbed. Sometimes you would have cool customers, other times you have the PITAs.

One lady was super anal () and we could tell by the way she lived. Everything was perfect. She left us a key and instructions. My best friend and I were on the same crew that day and we we always went above and beyond. We were probably the most thorough crew at the time.

However, we knew she was going to be a bitch. My friend said before we left that she would call and bitch and have someone come back out. He was right. We came back out and she was there, did the same thing AGAIN and it had the same results.

[compy222]

i work in a partisan political office. as you can imagine, it just gets more entertaining everyday.

quote from yesterday -

her: my husband and i only make 2678.00 every month and its not enough every month

me: ma'am, none of you work, all of this income is from the government through disability, medicaid, cash assistance, food stamps, etc."

her: well yes, but its just not enough

(this is more than typical staff here makes. )

reserving this space for further postings of hilarity.

[A.Wilder]

i work in a partisan political office. as you can imagine, it just gets more entertaining everyday.

quote from yesterday -

her: my husband and i only make 2678.00 every month and its not enough every month

me: ma'am, none of you work, all of this income is from the government through disability, medicaid, cash assistance, food stamps, etc."

her: well yes, but its just not enough

(this is more than typical staff here makes. )

reserving this space for further postings of hilarity.

hahahaha

Today i just finished installing internet and tv for this guy and i have to put my cellphone in a little container while i drive so i can't answer it, company policy. I get back to the garage and i have 2 messages from him. I'm thinking, crap!

First message: I can't get a bunch of the channels to work it's just giving me a blue screen. please call me back.
second message: Sorry about the first message, i had the wrong channels. i told you i'm retarded.

[A.Wilder]

I was making small talk with an older customer, probably in her 60's, and for whatever reason she was telling me that her dream was to one day...visit Virginia. I tried not to laugh and held it in because any point in Virginia is only a 3-4 hour drive, maybe 5. She had never been outside of Wake County, NC.

[jollyrodgers]

when i worked the service desk at walmart i had a few interesting encounters.

1: I was helping at the checkouts when my managers called me over and they were all laughing. The tell me i need to go clean up a mess in one of the aisles. i ask waht it is and they tell me "someone **** one the floor". yup sure enough someone **** themselves and shook the poo down their leg.

2: We always had this old guy in a hoverround scooter come in and want assistance grovery shopping. My managers would always tell me to do it since none of the females wnated to do it cause the guy was a perv. so i would walk around the store helping this guy out, and all the while i just keeping staring at the swinging bag of piss on his handlebars(he had a cathiter). When we get done he calls a cab, cab comes and he loads it up with his stuff. he then sarts cruzing away, apparently he only used the cab to deliver his groceries.

i will have to try and remember some more

[Hostile]

2: We always had this old guy in a hoverround scooter come in and want assistance grovery shopping. My managers would always tell me to do it since none of the females wnated to do it cause the guy was a perv. so i would walk around the store helping this guy out, and all the while i just keeping staring at the swinging bag of piss on his handlebars(he had a cathiter). When we get done he calls a cab, cab comes and he loads it up with his stuff. he then sarts cruzing away, apparently he only used the cab to deliver his groceries.

[Hurt]