Forum Moderators: buckworks
Are you irrational and demanding all the time, or just when you open your wallet?
Perhaps it's the impersonal nature of the internet that allows you to rationalize treating me like a tool - but tell me; if the internet is so impersonal - how was I able to determine with a simple name search that you have a string of failed business ventures and your favorite method of conflict resolution is threatenning legal action?
Did you realize your personal ad would be visible to people you routinely threaten?
Does your single Linkedn connection really constitute a trusted network?
You've been on facebook for awhile-haven't you told your friends?
Is using common courtesy with the person on the other end of your email really so hard?
My initial frustration has worn off, and now I just feel sorry for you. I hope you find this and recognize yourself, not just for your own sake - but for every other merchant on this board that you might encounter in the future.
I'm done with you, Terrible Customer, and this post is MY refund.
Most of the time when a customer gives us a hard time it is to cover up a mistake they've made because they didn't order a product in good time before they actually need to use it.
Every single email i've gotten I lay on the apologetic, nice, we screwed up voice even at times we havent screwed up and every single email has turned into a nice order.
Now for the phone customers, I want no part of that LOL
My favorite part: She emails at 4AM (my) local time demanding that I email her our return address. No matter that it is listed prominently on our site-she wants it emailed. At 6AM, she emails again, stating that the fact that all her previous emails to us were answered within 10 minutes makes her suspicious that we are trying to avoid accepting the return. She will initiate a chargeback if she doesn't get an email with our shipping address within the next hour.
Two hours later, (8AM local time) when I arrive at work and read her emails, I reply to her with the relevant information-noting that it is all readily available on our site, and that her emails were received at 4AM and 6AM respectively, local time.
But, my email address has been blocked.
So, now I'm waiting to get back the $1000 item she ordered, which I express shipped to her at no additional charge because she was in a hurry. And I'm waiting for a chargeback notice.
Reason for the return? She ordered the wrong size.
Corporate Apologist!
Its amazing that as soon as you admit fault the customer has nothing else to complain about and its back to closing the sale.
However, earlier this week I had a customer who was absolutely brutal, exactly as described in the first post. This person was a "professional complainer" and apparently was practiced in the art of getting stuff for free. There was nothing wrong with the product either, they just did not like the "look" of it. They suggested that because I was a Canadian I was purposely ripping off Americans with our substandard product. Which was hilarious ... because the product is American made ... and in their State 50 miles from where they live :-) . Then accused me of blaming the problem on Americans.
At that point I cut off the communication and said to return the item at their expense and we would issue a full refund. Never heard anything else.
Slightly off topic but on the forum for a British Columbia based hosting company I came across a post from a UK customer complaining that his monthly bandwidth hadn't been reset. Posted at five to midnight in Vancouver not to mention regular posts by people upset that their billing queries weren't sorted out at 3am on a Sunday morning. (Tech queries have 24*7 support, billing is down to the office staff)
I had to carefully explain to him that I did not own UPS, and that I had already filed a claim and prepared the replacement for his damaged one.... some people.........
I have to hire someone to do the feather-smoothing.
So, I validate your feelings 100%. Fortunately, I have become trained to hand off ridiculous customers before I tell them where to stick it.
They lose you time and money. My trick is to feel sorry for them - they'll be suffering from insecurity, ignorance or some other personality defect that will make their whole life a difficult struggle.
Offer them the quickest and easiest route out and don't take anything personally - it's their personality defects that are causing problem not you.
PS - for anyone selling on eBay that advice especially applies - they offer no protection at all against these people, and you will not be able to warn other sellers.
Not being able to remember the exact words, it was something like "the customer is always right when he chooses to buy from you". Not when he wants to return something, not when he complains, he is only right when he buys from you.
Traditional furniture stores, car dealerships, other places where the owner has bend over backwards, dropped prices all along, kept double inventory so Joe could have it yesterday, to satisfy every customer need no matter the cost.
When the customers started cutting back, or going elsewhere, they we suddenly not always right anymore.
We try hard to follow the customer is always right and we are still strongly growing and are very profitable.
I cant say that we dont occasionally lose a customer, but we try very hard to make it right for them even when it hurts out bottom line for that specific customer. Most times that customer gives us much more business by word of mouth.
On the web, customer always right cant kill you fast if you fail to deliver or build you fast if you over deliver.
my .02
Don't get me wrong- it's a very useful maxim. We use it ourselves-with the customers we want to keep.
Some customers are an asset, and others are a liability.
I try to be as nice as I can, if not, I have someone else write me a reply I can send.
There's a limit to how much the customer is right, before you find yourself bending over for them.
For customers you are having problems with, or who keep bugging you, or if there is any personal tone in the dissatisfaction.
Reply to the email with a different name, so it looks like someone else or a co-worker is answering who happens to not be working that day, rather then yourself. I use an alias of someone I respected that I used to know.
The problems stop every time, immediately, with no further problems.
I would just slip out of the office, remove my glasses, and quickly change into my cape and spandex- but a proper phone booth is nearly impossible to find these days. Instead, I recommended she call FE with her tracking number.
I realize that posting all this here is quite self serving and passive-aggressive, but it's also cathartic. Thanks for listening!
Perhaps this thread can serve as cheap therapy for other vendors who have a customer who is not always right.
We get an email reaming us asking how we dare send a coupon the day after this guy places his order. He says I should send it right before he orders.
I calmly email him back and explain that we send to 15 thousand people at a time and we couldnt possibly send to each individual person individually. I gave him a coupon I know of and told him where he can find them on the web in between times we send them out.
He promptly apologized and said "I am a customer for life, thanks for your prompt reply".
Just wish I could deal with my distributors/manufacturers as easily :-/
