Not that long ago there was a meme floating around Facebook
that said, “Did you ever think that maybe you get bad customer service because
you are a bad customer?”
Blunt, short and to the point. But the message is there. Why
should the person behind the counter treat you any differently than you are
treating them?
For some reason, today’s society has been taught they are
entitled to everything; that the worst they act, the more they get. I see this
on a daily basis. And the only thing I can do is shake my head in disbelief and
walk away.
The worst customers in my experience are those who are
trying to return something. Now, I’m not saying that all customers who return
items are bad customers. Far from it. Often the item in question is returned
for a very good reason. No, the bad returners are those who know they are going
to get a rejection, steal themselves for it, and come in fighting mad.
These are the customers than have the ability to completely
ruin a good day. The children throwing a tantrum and rather than sending them
to their room, society pats them on the head, says ‘there, there,’ and then gives
them what they want. Often with something extra thrown in if the tantrum was
loud and disturbing enough. Why are we encouraging this?
Did it ever occur to anyone who doesn’t work ‘behind the
counter’ that maybe there is a reason why your return was rejected? Before you
threw that hissy-fit full of crying, screaming and making demands, did you stop
long enough to ask? Or did you just hear ‘no’ and decide ‘that’s
the wrong answer’?
Did you know that the most common type of Rejected Return is
simply because they happen to be in the wrong store? If the bar code is not in the
system there is nothing the clerk behind the counter can do about it. No bar
code = no return.
So next time you are talking to a customer service representative
please put yourself in their shoes. Are you acting like someone you wouldn’t
want to deal with?
