abusive customers

[Zeldy]

For the last 9 or so months I've been working at Blockbuster at my student town. It's quite possibly the perfect job for myself; I get paid to talk endlessly about games and films and these people pay me for it. In that time, I've gone through loads of training to basically become a reserve manager on duty, so basically I have to sort stuff out myself and can't rely on anyone else.

This evening, I had my first ever nasty customer. I've been incredibly lucky up until this point, with other members of staff getting abuse off customers on the phone or being swore at over the counters (always over late fees, people always refuse to pay and try anything to get past it). That's what the customer disputed over with me today, a measly £3 balance from 3 films they'd rented in April and kept an extra night, resulting in a £1 charge per film. I even was able to tell them the film titles and the exact time they were checked into our system, but they still disputed. They decided to continue the sale and pay the balance so they could rent again (as they seemed to think that talking to the manager would result ina refund of their late fees, ha), but with them being such nasty buggars I didn't feel like being nice, so I made a point of putting their 2 99p (keep for 1 night) films through for just that, 1 night, when they also rented 3 new release rentals, so I could of been nice and put them all through for 3.

When they found out that they'd have to return the 99p ones the next day, and the other 3 after 3 nights, they point blank refused sale, called me all sorts, were being really dismissive with her husband just saying 'just leave it. let's go. If they're going to mess us around then just don't even bother'. She's now returning tomorrow to speak to the manager, which I cannot wait to see as I'm working aswell, my manager's even meaner over this than myself.

tl;dr. Ever had abusive/nasty customers whilst at work? and how did you handle it?

[Miss Lady Shelly]

I have had many people call me a bitch every now and then, Because they don't like the prices we (McDonald's) charge for things. Couldn't even tell you the thoughts that run in my mind when this happens but i just end up laughing at them for being real stupid.

[Jowy]

wait

wait

they still have blockbuster in the UK?

[Shiny]

This is why I'm glad I don't work in retail. I don't have the personality to deal with people's tit; at least not in person. I guess the most similar thing I had to deal with is when I had to tell students they had fines for late, missing, or broken production equipment. Most of them instead, of just saying okay would launch into a tirade about how they didn't actually have the equipment despite it being clearly checked out twice by staff and themselves. Listen, I don't care, I'm just letting you know so that when you cannot get your diploma because of a $50+ fine, you'll know why.

[Zeldy]

wait

wait

they still have blockbuster in the UK?

yep yep

[Sephex]

I haven't worked retail in years, and I was lucky enough to never have the legendary nasty customer.

However, I worked in the pro shop in an ice arena a number of years ago. One day I came in and my manager cryptically asked me if there were any problems the last time I worked. I said that nothing stuck out and she said something like, "Okay."

After five minutes or so of awkwardness, she calls a meeting with everyone that was there that day. I find out in the meeting that a customer called to report me for trying to swindle him in terms of something like identity theft. Why? Because we had a system where if you pay by credit card, we would ask for your address as some sort of household record keeping. Sounds fishy when I put it like that, but our intent was to help the customer. We didn't sell info, or call and harass people. If anything, the number one reason we did stuff like that is so when customers wanted to return something, the process would be smoother and you wouldn't even need your receipt because--hey--there's a record of what you bought, and it wouldn't take long to look up! One last note on this before I continue this story: We didn't get crazy about it like GameStop or something. We didn't require customers to pay for stuff via credit card that way if they didn't want to. Long story short, it was all optional, and we made that clear during transactions.

Anyway, because I asked this customer his address via standard procedure, he took that as me trying to id theft him. During the actual sale, he put up no fuss and politely left after his transaction. What got me is that he tried to tell my manager that I was ignoring black customers. There was just him in the pro shop when this happened.

To this day I have no clue what that guy's motivation was, but I am glad I had a manager that was level headed and realized that the customer was completely full of **** and had some sort of hidden agenda.

[Shlup]

This thread feels like a time machine. You would think that, with the way rental places are dropping like flies, you would bend over backwards for these people. Don't get me wrong, I'm totally glad you're not, I'm just surprised.

I haven't dealt with any nasty customers at Disneyland. Once, when I just arrived at my location, and angry lady asked "Are you the manager??" and I just said no and kept walking, since someone else was already with her waiting for the manager to show up. There's always the occasional complaint about how expensive everything is, but I just smile and say "Welcome to Disneyland!" Some of the merch is over priced, but a lot of it isn't--you just have to pay attention to what you're buying.

Working in child care and education I dealt with pissy parents on a regular basis, but those stories just make me cranky.

[escobert]

I work in a retail store but, I do inventory so I just call other people over to deal with customers

[Pike]

Seeing as I'm going on ten years in retail I've had quite a few terrible customers in my day. The worst are when you're working the return desk because everyone will universally hate your return policy.

One of the angriest customers I had I actually felt for because he had a legitimate reason to be upset. This was when I was working for a one hour photo lab (back when people still used film in their cameras) and some guy came in with a roll of special black and white film to be developed; it was full of pictures he'd just taken of his newborn baby. Well he just so HAPPENED to come in when I was on break and had a less knowledgable coworker covering for me, and it just so happened that this coworker didn't know we weren't equipped to process that type of film. Queue the guy's film getting completely destroyed and losing those pictures forever when my coworker put it through our machine. I felt bad when I was telling the customer there was nothing we could do, but, well... there was nothing we could do. Bad timing.

Anyways I now work at 4am specifically to avoid customers because they are terrible. I'd rather work a ridiculous shift than deal with people.

[Peegee]

I was a reasonably attractive waitress in a down home country cookin' restaurant. Yes, I've had nasty customers. Of several different varieties.

I've been called quite a few names in the book.

Sometimes I'd handle it by refusing service to that customer, giving them little to no service, or actually talking back to them and tell them I wouldn't accept the way they were treating me.

One time I was actually fearful of one customer. He was a 6'7" 400lbs guy that came in all the time and would harass the waitress. Through a lot of hearsay I got on his bad side which resulted to him calling me a bitch to my face, and telling me I needed to get a new job. He would also make fun of me after that. Did I mention he was 40 and I was 19? I was actually afraid he'd try to hurt me or something, because of how he was acting. Whenever he'd come in it was always very negative for me.

6'7 400 lbs?

knock him on one leg. he'll topple over or his leg will snap like a twig. you're female so just make up some flimsy story about furtive gestures or attempted assault - society and the law will back you up

i am simultaneously being facetious and giving you legitimate advice. that's the state of society.


--
as for the topic itself i don't usually deal with unruly customer...wait i do every day. i just don't give a crap about it and follow protocol. as long as we follow protocol we don't get in trouble. We've actually escalated back to the company and once got a person fired. (was being abusive and datsracis)

now that's justice. wait is that the word i was looking for?

[Araciel]

Finally dealing with reps all day instead of clients... No one ever bothered me - over the phone job - but then I do have an unsettling loud deep serial killerish voice.

[I Took the Red Pill]

Anyway, because I asked this customer his address via standard procedure, he took that as me trying to id theft him. During the actual sale, he put up no fuss and politely left after his transaction. What got me is that he tried to tell my manager that I was ignoring black customers. There was just him in the pro shop when this happened.

Wait wait waiiiiiiit a minute. Your story doesn't add up, bud.

Black people don't play hockey.

[Shlup]

Anyway, because I asked this customer his address via standard procedure, he took that as me trying to id theft him. During the actual sale, he put up no fuss and politely left after his transaction. What got me is that he tried to tell my manager that I was ignoring black customers. There was just him in the pro shop when this happened.

Wait wait waiiiiiiit a minute. Your story doesn't add up, bud.

Black people don't play hockey.

I don't know... It's a violent sport, so you think they'd be naturals.

...I'll see myself out.

[Bubba]

I couldn't work in retail again. I just have no time for idiot customers. This example is more stupid than abusive.

I remember re-setting a password for a customer when I was at the bank...

Me: "OK. Here is your new password."
Customer: "Yes?"
Me: "Capital 'N', small 'c'"
Customer: "Yes?"
Me: "Six"
Customer: "Is that a capital six?"
Me: "...yeah......why not?"

[Faris]

Working in a grocery store, I got all sorts of people. Personally I've had a few "Well what if I just come around the counter and serve myself" (SPOILER)that sounds wrong out of context... which I see as a threat because there were knives and other things that could be used as weapons on my side of the counter. Aside from a few of those, unless I suppressed it, I've only had non-personal rude comments thrown at me.

Even though it wasn't too bad, I will never go back.