How Would You Deal with Rude Customer Service?

dimmak84 on 06/08/2017 - 14:57
Last edited 06/08/2017 - 15:21 by 1 other user

Hi there,

Had several incidents where customer service reps gave me a hard time such as gave me the wrong information that resulted in a huge waste of time or spoke to me in a rude manner. Whenever I called back and asked to speak with the managers, they all said the same thing, which is that they will do something about it and that is the end of it. However, I feel that there has got to be more than just leaving it in the hands of the managers and calling it a day. The managers can just sweep it under the carpet or they are buddies with the sale reps. Is there a way to ensure that your case will get followed up? Also recently it's a store manager who gave me a hard time so I have no choice but to report to the main customer service line.

I'm sure I'm not the only one in this situation and I just want to know what my fellow ozbargainers have done to ensure that their grievances have been followed through. As customers I believe we deserve to have the best service that a store provides as this is a basic requirement during the job application process for these places. Thank you!

General Discussion

Comments

  • cwongtech on 06/08/2017 - 15:07
    +10

    What exactly are you looking for?
    Compensation in the form of a discount/voucher (while us ozbargainers love this, remember this doesn't fix the problem of your experience, just lowers the price a tiny bit).
    The person who served you to be fired?
    The company to close down?
    An apology?
    I'm curious as to what exactly you're looking for to remedy your experience.

    I've worked in retail. I don't hit the sales targets consistently because I believe in serving the customers' needs, it's a numbers game and I chase customer satisfaction (that cannot be always measured in dollars spent per visit due to factors such as different products for different needs). Unfortunately I am not empowered to ask for special stock requests at my position, thus, sometimes it means directing the customer to a competitor who I know has the right solution for their needs.

    If you are genuinely nice to the retail sales assistant, most will try to help you. I teach my customers everything I can, because I believe that not every interaction is about a "sale", it's about an experience and building a relationship with the store I work at, and the customer's trust of that store. I prefer a beneficial long-term relationship than a quick sell-them-whatever-crap-they-will-buy fling.

    Trust is hard to form, takes hours to form, seconds to break. But what exactly would you want in this instance?

    spoke to me in a rude manner.

    The best thing you can do is vote with your feet - shop somewhere else.
    Or better yet.. shop online! You're on OzBargain!

    • dimmak84 on 06/08/2017 - 15:13

      To be honest with you I am unsure what I can get out of this thats why I like to hear what others have done. I suppose an apology would be nice. Unfortunately this is one of those places I can't avoid going to. It's where I buy my food from.

      • Slippery Fish on 06/08/2017 - 15:19
        +2

        Lol your getting your food spat in likely

    • dimmak84 on 06/08/2017 - 15:16

      I want the person to get reprimanded to know that it is not ok to treat your customers like crap.

      • Slippery Fish on 06/08/2017 - 15:19
        +3

        I'm sure the managers ask them to be more polite, they are not going to fire everyone you don't like.

    • airzone on 06/08/2017 - 19:00

      Reminds me of a time I went with my wife to Mazda to buy a new Mazda 2. About half an hour later, we bought a Nissan Micra from up the road. That was all the salesman chucking a temper tantrum when we wanted to know the price before signing the contract of sale.

      • D C on 06/08/2017 - 22:02

        I've sent people like that receipts from their competition.

        Childish and won't change anything, but fun all the same. (I'd have asked him if he wanted a lift anywhere in your new car.)

  • fantombloo on 06/08/2017 - 15:07
    +2

    Vote with your wallet. Tell others.

  • Slippery Fish on 06/08/2017 - 15:17
    +21

    If your experiencing so much bad customer service you either shop at crap shops or your a shit customer… I'm betting it's some mix of the 2.

    • tonyjzx on 07/08/2017 - 10:17

      i'm not saying australian customer service isnt the pits but the OP is coming off as 'precious'

      as always i always have a few rules… go in 'armed' (with information or bring a gun, no biggie)

      as long as you're ontop of the situation, its fine, you can always walk out with your money and never come back

      further to this, why spend money with a company that you are likely to have a possible short term relationship with? I'm generally not interested in dealing with the guff from JB HIfi (for example) so why buy there?

  • trustnoone on 06/08/2017 - 15:24

    I've only had to do it a couple times so its very rare, but usually if I haven't paid yet and haven't got the item (for example I go to buy a laptop and they're being rude) I'll just walk out, like 100 percent ignore the person an walk out the shop and just buy elsewhere.

    If they're super bad (hostile), I will probably file a complaint with the head office and make a review online. I take online reviews fairly seriously, if I see a place with many bad ones I stay away.

    As others say I vote where my money is, so many places where I live give me such great customer service, are such nice people, I typically go there either very often and try to tip where I can afford it. And stay away from places that I don't believe deserve my money and I'll tell others the same.

    • Diji1 on 06/08/2017 - 16:07
      +2

      I take online reviews fairly seriously, if I see a place with many bad ones I stay away.

      You realise that if anyone can leave a review it's probably fake right?

      • trustnoone on 06/08/2017 - 20:38

        Yeah I do but I think you have to put some thought about it as well. Like if you see a place with ONLY 5 starts, I get worried. If I see a place with ONLY 2 to 2.5 stars I get worried.

        If I see the place with 4 stars I think it could be really good. I'll sometimes read the reviews and see if they have a real problem (factual complaints) or if they're more just about attacking the place (ranting).

        I'll still probably eat there if it has low stars, but I will pick a cheaper higher starred place over a lower one.

        • D C on 06/08/2017 - 21:56
          +1

          The fake reviewers figured you out ages ago.

          You never give a 5 star review, you always 'find' something trivial (and preferably unrelated to the product) to knock the score down slightly.

          "Food was great, best I had ever had in my life but I don't like their chairs so only 4 stars."
          "4 stars - phone is fantastic, superb screen, excellent battery life, always 5 bar signal but too much packaging! C'mon guys, 5 stars if you'll help save the planet!"

          etc.

  • frondono on 06/08/2017 - 15:29
    +15

    You run into an arsehole in the morning, you run into an arsehole. You keep running into arseholes all day, you're the arsehole.

    • Euphemistic on 07/08/2017 - 16:24

      Since I heard this pearl of wisdom I see it more and more. You get back what you dish out most of the time.

  • Ughhh on 06/08/2017 - 15:30
    +3

    If you really want instant results and make it a big deal, go in and start rolling on the floor crying. I'm sure they'll do anything to get you out. Con is you may end up on YouTube/news and/or your face on the stores naughty list.

  • Diji1 on 06/08/2017 - 16:05
    -2

    I just don't go back as far as that's possible for my bargain fu. Sometimes that means putting up with it …

    Some places appear to be designed to be horrible places to be on purpose. For example Chemist Warehouse: every aisle is less than 1 person wide. No space in the store is spared for checkout lines so the queue is in the aisle that's less than 1 person wide. There is no spare space anywhere other than above your head where there is approximately 1 foot between every 5 foot high sign proclaiming that everything is cheaper even though almost none of it is (how could it be cheaper with a sign budget larger than some countries defense spending?).

    On the way out someone treats you as though your a criminal by checking the bag that you just got handed by the checkout staff.\

    Every CW store is the same.

    • cwongtech on 06/08/2017 - 17:58
      +1

      Cw isn't meant to be a service orientated pharmacist. Its high volume, low price.
      Even my friends who worked at CW hate it.

    • Ughhh on 06/08/2017 - 18:23
      +3

      every aisle is less than 1 person wide.

      From my experience in visiting over 10 different CW stores, that 1 person you are talking about…must be a very very big person.

    • Baysew on 07/08/2017 - 09:16

      Every CW store is the same

      Have you been to every Chemist Warehouse store?

      • Some Human on 07/08/2017 - 10:00
        +2

        Clearly not, the ones where I live are fine. Sounds like he is the size of at least 4 people.

    • Hunter14 on 10/08/2017 - 18:22

      Love Chemist Warehouse. Aisles aren't that bad and the staff are generally helpful. Not nearly as bad as you're describing it. Even if it was, they have very good prices so can't expect gold service. Just grab what you need and go.

  • Strahany on 06/08/2017 - 16:51
    +3

    As people have said above, there just aren't that many arseholes in the world for everyone in the store to be one. In all likelihood, what you're asking of them, or how you're asking it, is the issue as that would explain why it is they're acting the way they are.

    Do you care to be more specific? What type of store (you don't have to name the actual company, just like Car Dealership, Telco, Supermaket etc) and what you were wanting?

  • SydStrand on 06/08/2017 - 17:19
    +3

    What exactly happened? Because more often than not, these stories on OZB tend to be less flattering than the OP describes. Having worked years in retail, it's rarely a case of someone deliberately trying to screw you, and usually customer with thin skin or unrealistic expectations being frustrated by store policy that we had zero control over.

  • wordplay on 06/08/2017 - 17:28

    I usually give really rude people in customer service roles a big tip (well big to me so like $15-$20) in the hopes that their bad service was just due to having a bad day and I am able to make their day better so that other customers don't have to suffer the same way i did.

    • John Kimble on 07/08/2017 - 16:19

      I like your intent, but what if your tip reinforces their bad behaviour!?

      A tip is usually a reward for great service!

    • Hunter14 on 10/08/2017 - 18:25
      +1

      I want to downvote you but that is such a nice gesture that I can't. I strongly disagree with rewarding rude behaviour though. I'd save the tip for the worker that has to serve several people at a time and is clearly having a tough time/bad day.

  • Word on 06/08/2017 - 18:01

    Leave.

  • Kangal on 06/08/2017 - 19:11
    +1

    I'm disappointed in the comments section. The clear answer is:

    Bikies.

    • airzone on 06/08/2017 - 20:14

      But what would you do if their customer service was poor and rude?

      • D C on 06/08/2017 - 21:58
        +2

        It's supposed to be, that's the point.

        If you're really unhappy, then get different bikies. Plenty more where the first lot came from.

        • Diji1 on 06/08/2017 - 22:56

          Today Queensland Police announced raids across Brisbane on properties owned by the Hell's Berserkers motorcycle outlaw club.

          It's alleged that the organisation engaged in criminal activities including providing an extortion and illegal debt collection service with allegedly very high levels of customer service.

        • Kangal on 06/08/2017 - 23:43

          @Diji1:
          Ah, so that's what all that loud knocking was this morning.
          Glad, I stayed warm in bed and watched some illegal videos instead.

  • bobbified on 06/08/2017 - 19:51
    +1

    I'm sure I'm not the only one in this situation

    We usually have options. ie, go somewhere else.

    There's going to be odd incidents here and there at different places with different people. Chill and relax. Its probably nothing personal.

    If service is consistently bad at a particular place, then just go somewhere else.

    And if you think it's bad everywhere, then it's likely that you're just a demanding (profanity).

  • Some Human on 07/08/2017 - 09:48

    Social media is the best way to get results out of these situations. Although the fact that this happened at more than one place makes me consider that op may just be a troublesome customer.

  • sydneybargainer on 08/08/2017 - 20:17
    +1

    I had worked in customer service for number of years… most of the time customer service rep are only rude when customer is rude, abusive, resist, sexist or too too unrealistic and just whinging to give hard time. Customer is not always right, be polite, gentle and there is no reason you will not get reasonable customer service.

  • Strahany on 10/08/2017 - 16:46

    Considering OP never cared to respond with what their actions were, I think it is fair to say that they learned they are an (profanity) to customer service reps.

    Gotta love a good backfiring on OzBargain.

  • [Deactivated] on 11/08/2017 - 10:59

    Just spent an hour on the phone with three specimens from Kogan mobile. Un-(profanity)-believable!

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