What gives them the right...

to yell at me, abuse me verbally, and then get upset when I call them on it?? As many of you know I work in customer service for an airline. Today almost every call was someone who yelled, swore, and called me names that I can't repeat here, and then when I told them it was unacceptable told they told ME I was copping an attitude with them?

Honestly, if they treat a total stranger who is trying to HELP them this way, how do they treat others???

One gentleman had missed his flight because he showed up at a major city airport 40 mins before his flight, and didn't clear security until after the flight had pushed from the gate. He did not check in with us before going through security, so it wasn't because he was standing in line waiting for us, it was all security (you know, the thing the goverment runs) and yet he blaimed ME personally for it. (Yes he said it was my fault, because I AM the company, his words.)

One lady attacked me so bitterly that I got emotional, and when my voice got shakey she said, good I'm glad I made you cry, you deserve it because you are a *****. (I wouldn't break a major rule for her, one that I could loose my job for breaking.) (I have only cried once before at work and it was when this older gentleman called right after his wife died, and I was crying with him.)

Imagine calls like that ALL DAY LONG and that is what I do. Somedays I wonder why I do it, it CERTAINLY isn't the pay!

Sorry, I just had to vent!

(And no one say, just be glad you have a job, because I am glad, and I am sick of being told that! lol!!!!)

I used to work in phone sales, so I can sympathize. The worst 2 calls I ever got (the computer picked the names & dialed them) were one to a man who said, "I'm sorry, this really isn't a good time. My wife passed away this morning." and another man who told me to "Drop dead." Those 2 bothered me for weeks.

I hate getting telemarketing calls, but I try to always be polite when I ask them to take me off their call list. There's a real person on the other end of that line.

Sorry you had such a rotten day.

I would hate telemarketing... at least they call me.

When I was a store manager for Blockbuster - I would get nasty people like that all the time. They got mad about having to pay late fees - but insisted on returning the movies late! Go figure! Anyway, I did have one very disturbing call. Every morning, we would call everyone with a late movie and let them know it was late. We called this one guy and left a message. Then a little later found the movie, or soemthing like that. Anyway, we called back and left a message that we were very sorry, we had made a mistake, and his account was being credited - not to worry. He called the store and happened to get one of my employees on the phone. She happened to be a young lady from Thailand with a pretty thick accent. I was watching her while she was talking, and her face got all pale and she started shaking, and then started crying. I grabbed the telephone and this guy was apparrently making some racial remarks to her and was really ticked off about the whole situation. I explained that we made a mistake and it had all been rectified. He got really nasty with me and started cursing - using some especially vulgar expressions. He asked to speak to the store manager - so I informed him that I was the store manager! And he didn't like that at all. He really started to get nasty - so I just hung up. (Not great customer service, I know! lol) He called right back, and when I answered the phone he said to me "Listen here you ******* ***** - if you ever hang up on me again I will hunt you down and **** your throat!" I am not kiddin gyou - those were his exact words. My husband had just come into the store when all of this was going on and was watching me. I was in shock! I pulled up the dude's account and told him "Well, Mr. So-and-so, I see from your account that you live at such and such drive, and your social secutiry number is this and that. Oh - and it says here that your employer is the US Navy - and I see your work number here. How do you think your Commander would feel about a phone call from the police - needing him to bail your a** out of jail for threatening me? Don't you EVER call here again or even THINK about coming in here again - you hear me? I am hanging up and I am calling the police!" And I did! needless to say - i lost a customer. lol He never bothered me again, though, and I closed his account on the spot. It amazes me what kind of people are out there! I'm sorry you had a rough day, girl. You don't deserve that. I have just learned that when people are being nasty to me - it's usually something else that ticked them off. I 'm just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sucks to be in customer service, sometimes, huh?
Wishing you a better day tomorrow!
We love you - and you come and vent any time!

Gimi

I think any of us that have to deal with customers could relate stories. No one has ever threatened me like Gimi that would be plain scarey. We were UHaul dealers for a few years and met more nasty people than I have the rest of my years combined - think maybe moves stress people out? And the UHaul company didn't help matters at all (rent Budget or Ryder if you're faced with moving yourself) so I would just try to give them the company number - figured they deserved it instead of me. Oh well - I hope your day is better tommorrow!

carrielyn,
im sorry someone as sweet as you where treated so poorly. i am always polite to customer service people of all kinds cause i know just how bad it can be sometimes to do that kind of work. take pleasure in knowing what comes around goes around! its so sad when i see or hear of someone getting treated in this manner. the thing about it is even my 3 year old knows its wrong and has said to me(when she saw a person treating a cashier really bad in line at the super market)that its wrong..she said to me mommy why was that guy so rude to that lady. if a 3 year old can get it why cant an adult!

come and vent anytime and i will get down off my soapbox now(sorry this is just one of those things that tick me off).

billiejo

It's sad to say but anytime you deal with the public you have people with no regard for anyone but themselves..sadly you see this sort of thing more and more! I thought I'd had some real winning experiences doing retail... but I lost my mind for a short time and decided to try waiting tables ~my best friend was a waitress for years and we love to spend time together and thought it would be a hoot to work together...so we applied at a restaurant and were hired..!~ I NEVER would have believed how badly waitresses can be treated!~or what a nasty mess some people can leave behind when they are done...my DD also worked with us. There was a man that came in w/his wife and was constantly trying to touch the waitresses...inappropriately.. My DD put a finger right in his face and told him hands off...his WIFE complained to the owner that my DD was RUDE! Luckily the owner stood up for her ...We also had a guy refuse to have one of the girls wait on him because she was too fat...he told this to HER and put her about in tears..same boss booted him out when she found out what he had done and told the girl that if he came back she was free to dump a pitcher of ice water in his lap...(we loved the boss!)...I could go on and on...what amazed me was the ones that literally want people fired for what they concieved to be a major complaint...(like they only got 15 refills on their coffee instead of 20...lol)
I truly believe that what goes around DOES come around and that gives me some satisfaction... It always feels better to be a nice....I used to make projects outta the regular pains that came in the video store..we had one girl we warned everybody about..a real pain in the patoot..I decided to try to make her a good customer, so the minute the new movies came I'd call her and tell her what was in and ask how many do you want for the night?...had her totally speechless the first few times...she became a great customer, she always got the new stuff and my mid-week rentals went up! Sorry you had such a rough day! I wish I could tell you if would get better but we both know that's not likely..it's hard not to let it take over your whole day, too, isn't it? At least you have this neighborhood full of nice people to come home and vent to...
Bunny

You're right Bunny, I DID have a GREAT neighborhood to come vent to!!! Thanks ladies for all your kind words! I HAVE decided to go back to work on Monday, lol!

Thanks everyone!
Carrie

Carrie Lynn-

They don't have the right, btu they do it to anyone in a CS field- I got it all the time when I was doing bank software support- one reason I am glad to be laid off and currently unemployed and looking for work- hopefully I'll find a job soon, but in the interim- no angry clients... no more stress from work... and severance will keep us going for 3 months!

I'm sorry to hear you had a crappy day. It happens to the best of us.

I have a customer service story to relate to ya...it was the Holiday season at Best Buy and I was the lead cashier, I had a customer as me that if a game was opened if it could be returned, and I had stated no, that once purchased it was no longer returnable. Well they insisted on calling in when they got home, and asked one of my girls the same question and they got the same answer as before....so upset the customer asked to speak to me.....knowing that they had already talked to me they got very rude, I informed him that I didn't get paid enough to deal with his ignorance so I put him on hold for a manager....he hung up and called back and asked for me....once again he got rude so I asked him if he wanted to talk to my manager, his name was Mr. Click....then I preceeded to hang up on him....when he called back, I told him that it was illegal to issuse such threats and foul words over the phone, and I wasn't going to deal with until him acted like an adult....needless to say he felt pretty dumb after that.

I also had a time where a customer called me the big bad B word, and I spun around and told him, that since the customer is always right, I was going to use my B-ness and have him escorted out of the store by security....NOW that was funny!! I called the guard over and told him the story and guard insisted that the 'gentleman' tell the customer's behind him he was sorry for using foul language, and sorry for using it toward me....the guy refused so he told him that like every other child that enters the store he must have a parent present all times.

I always try to be civil and polite to people that assist me. I have found that this goes a long way in dealing with people.

I have to admit I lost my temper one time, when I asked the manager in the photo department a question and her response was that I asked a lot of questions and then she implied that they were stupid questions and that I was bothersome. I lost it, told her off and left the store and never returned to have photo developed there.

But I have found that being pleasant goes a long way with the store employees. I have received things like extra discounts, a few extra stickers, free samples, etc.

There are some people that feel that because they are patronizing your business that this gives them the right to be abusive. It does not. The customer is NOT always right.

So to all of you that work in Customer Service in whatever capacity or that have to deal with the public -- THANK YOU!!

[This message has been edited by Miranda (edited 08-07-2002).]

After managing a retail store for four years, I try to be very understanding when I'm talking to a customer service rep. I think some people just forget that they are talking to an actual human being with feelings and everything. I know it's no fun being used for a punching bag

Oh, after reading Miranda's post I remembered that I, too, lost my temper BIG TIME with a guy who was working in the movie theater. When I told him I wanted regular coke and he had given me diet, he switched my soda for a regular and then thanked me for being a pain. How's that for customer service??

See, as much as we try to be so nice to people, some really do deserve it. But I hate to see people taking out their frustrations on customer service reps who are just trying to do their jobs.