Comments on: How to deal with abusive customers http://www.carsonified.com/web-apps/how-to-deal-with-abusive-customers We love the web! Thu, 28 Aug 2008 01:52:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.5 by: Adam Watts http://www.carsonified.com/web-apps/how-to-deal-with-abusive-customers#comment-93442 Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:27:03 +0000 http://www.carsonified.com/web-apps/how-to-deal-with-abusive-customers#comment-93442 Angry customers usually have a right to be as this is sometimes confused with frustration. Dont forget the customer is always right for he can take is business elsewhere and remember word of mouth is the most effective mode of marketing. I would have refunded him instead of frustrating the dude and expelling all that energy into a negative globe of frustration and confusion. Your enemy is your friend in reverse think about it ! Angry customers usually have a right to be as this is sometimes confused with frustration. Dont forget the customer is always right for he can take is business elsewhere and remember word of mouth is the most effective mode of marketing.

I would have refunded him instead of frustrating the dude and expelling all that energy into a negative globe of frustration and confusion.

Your enemy is your friend in reverse think about it !

]]> by: jake http://www.carsonified.com/web-apps/how-to-deal-with-abusive-customers#comment-64247 Wed, 14 May 2008 14:34:16 +0000 http://www.carsonified.com/web-apps/how-to-deal-with-abusive-customers#comment-64247 i think u did the right thing. to the person that said the 1st e-mail wasnt that rude, i'm sorry, but if u dont make any attempt at being courteous or respectful, that's rude. anyone that would bow down and submit to someone like that is a moron. good for u for not giving him his 5 dollars back! i think u did the right thing. to the person that said the 1st e-mail wasnt that rude, i’m sorry, but if u dont make any attempt at being courteous or respectful, that’s rude. anyone that would bow down and submit to someone like that is a moron. good for u for not giving him his 5 dollars back!

]]> by: Roger http://www.carsonified.com/web-apps/how-to-deal-with-abusive-customers#comment-50325 Fri, 15 Feb 2008 04:07:13 +0000 http://www.carsonified.com/web-apps/how-to-deal-with-abusive-customers#comment-50325 Ryan, could you change the $5 to $5000? That should make this discussion even more interesting. Ryan, could you change the $5 to $5000? That should make this discussion even more interesting.

]]> by: Eva http://www.carsonified.com/web-apps/how-to-deal-with-abusive-customers#comment-41936 Mon, 07 Jan 2008 09:55:05 +0000 http://www.carsonified.com/web-apps/how-to-deal-with-abusive-customers#comment-41936 Well, something positive did come out of you putting your story on the web. It made me feel better. Thank you! I'm a photographer and rarly have any complaints, but there are plenty of unhappy people in the world, it's just a matter of time before we run into one, or one runs into us. I had a verbally abusive customer that informed me the pictures I took looked like "Crap" because they were printed with a white boarder (for matting the photo if you want to) she wanted them reprinted. I lied to her and said I don't have them on file anymore seeing the shoot was a month ago and all orders had been completed. But since they were such "crap" I'd refund her $44 when she returned the 1 8x10, 4 5x7's, 4 3x5's, and 12 full wallets, even though I clearly state on my order forms that all sales are final. She wanted her money back and to keep the pictures and when she couldnt have both, she told me she wanted the photographs destroyed in front of her, so I couldnt use them for my portfolio! I still don't have the pictures back and I'm sure if I do get them she will have scanned them into her computer first. Well, something positive did come out of you putting your story on the web. It made me feel better. Thank you! I’m a photographer and rarly have any complaints, but there are plenty of unhappy people in the world, it’s just a matter of time before we run into one, or one runs into us.
I had a verbally abusive customer that informed me the pictures I took looked like “Crap” because they were printed with a white boarder (for matting the photo if you want to) she wanted them reprinted. I lied to her and said I don’t have them on file anymore seeing the shoot was a month ago and all orders had been completed. But since they were such “crap” I’d refund her $44 when she returned the 1 8×10, 4 5×7’s, 4 3×5’s, and 12 full wallets, even though I clearly state on my order forms that all sales are final. She wanted her money back and to keep the pictures and when she couldnt have both, she told me she wanted the photographs destroyed in front of her, so I couldnt use them for my portfolio! I still don’t have the pictures back and I’m sure if I do get them she will have scanned them into her computer first.

]]> by: Kelvin http://www.carsonified.com/web-apps/how-to-deal-with-abusive-customers#comment-40672 Fri, 28 Dec 2007 21:55:46 +0000 http://www.carsonified.com/web-apps/how-to-deal-with-abusive-customers#comment-40672 Cool writeup. I know I had to deal with a lot of annoying or crazy customers. specially those who wanted to cancel tickets, get a refund, or request a change to the scheduled to the booking (hey they chose their schedule in the first place), or check the price of the airplane tickets (I feel that making price quotes over the phone is unprofessional, it can be dangerous as it could easily lead to misunderstanding between both parties in the worse case scenario: arbitration) but it seems our company doesn't understand this. Believe me a few even like to drag me and the other co-workers around in circles..bombarded with silly questions such as I don't know this co-workers name, I have booked a ticket with him/her, can you help me out (how am I supposed to know everything).. oh well Cool writeup. I know I had to deal with a lot of annoying or crazy customers.
specially those who wanted to cancel tickets, get a refund, or request a change to the scheduled to the booking (hey they chose their schedule in the first place), or check the price of the airplane tickets (I feel that making price quotes over the phone is unprofessional, it can be dangerous as it could easily lead to misunderstanding between both parties in the worse case scenario: arbitration) but it seems our company doesn’t understand this. Believe me a few even like to drag me and the other co-workers around in circles..bombarded with silly questions such as I don’t know this co-workers name, I have booked a ticket with him/her, can you help me out (how am I supposed to know everything).. oh well

]]> by: Lulu http://www.carsonified.com/web-apps/how-to-deal-with-abusive-customers#comment-21301 Fri, 21 Sep 2007 23:20:09 +0000 http://www.carsonified.com/web-apps/how-to-deal-with-abusive-customers#comment-21301 I think you did great, Ryan. Like some people have been saying, it'd probably have been easier just to refund, but I don't think it's right. You have to let the guy know rudeness or abusiveness is not acceptable, no matter what happened and no matter who they are. Otherwise, he'll think he has every right to be rude and verbally abusive just because he couldn't get what he wants, and he'll be rude and inpolite again to rest of the world. Maybe, he was mistreated by someone else in your company, but still nobody should treat others like the guy did. I think you did great. You let him know what he was doing was not acceptable, but still remained professional and tried to help. We have to respect ourselves, too, you know? Also, we should be responsible for the rest of the world when we make choices. But I also understand it's still stressful and upsetting to deal with these kinds of people. So for your sake, I agree with Farrell. So you wouldn't have had to deal with the guy as long as you did. I think you did great, Ryan.

Like some people have been saying, it’d probably have been easier just to refund, but I don’t think it’s right. You have to let the guy know rudeness or abusiveness is not acceptable, no matter what happened and no matter who they are. Otherwise, he’ll think he has every right to be rude and verbally abusive just because he couldn’t get what he wants, and he’ll be rude and inpolite again to rest of the world.
Maybe, he was mistreated by someone else in your company, but still nobody should treat others like the guy did.
I think you did great. You let him know what he was doing was not acceptable, but still remained professional and tried to help. We have to respect ourselves, too, you know? Also, we should be responsible for the rest of the world when we make choices.

But I also understand it’s still stressful and upsetting to deal with these kinds of people. So for your sake, I agree with Farrell. So you wouldn’t have had to deal with the guy as long as you did.

]]> by: cms http://www.carsonified.com/web-apps/how-to-deal-with-abusive-customers#comment-19785 Wed, 12 Sep 2007 09:18:09 +0000 http://www.carsonified.com/web-apps/how-to-deal-with-abusive-customers#comment-19785 Nothing a smile or laughter can't change! Nothing a smile or laughter can’t change!

]]> by: Cas http://www.carsonified.com/web-apps/how-to-deal-with-abusive-customers#comment-18738 Tue, 04 Sep 2007 18:30:41 +0000 http://www.carsonified.com/web-apps/how-to-deal-with-abusive-customers#comment-18738 Customer service has sure changed from promoting a product's reputation to hospital triage. You seem to place importance on authority, rather than negotiation. Let's face it. Technology has exceeded performance requirements of most products. The only thing left to sell is your smiling face, and you failed. The best thing to do would have been to let the guy give up on you, unless you are the only game in town. Customer service has sure changed from promoting a product’s reputation to hospital triage. You seem to place importance on authority, rather than negotiation. Let’s face it. Technology has exceeded performance requirements of most products. The only thing left to sell is your smiling face, and you failed.

The best thing to do would have been to let the guy give up on you, unless you are the only game in town.

]]> by: SY http://www.carsonified.com/web-apps/how-to-deal-with-abusive-customers#comment-17620 Thu, 23 Aug 2007 17:51:32 +0000 http://www.carsonified.com/web-apps/how-to-deal-with-abusive-customers#comment-17620 It is ridiculous to advocate a culture of customer abuse as a requirement of doing business, when customer abuse and beratement can transcend the most remedial rules of social interaction. Forcing businesses to tolerate abuse and beratement never enhances the customer experience; nor does it EVER make businesses more profitable. All the above suggestions are right, and we typically follow the 3 strikes rule. The most important thing though, in our view, is to support the growing discontent with routinely disrespectful and/or cruel treatment of other people and take a stand for basic manners and self-respect. It is ridiculous to advocate a culture of customer abuse as a requirement of doing business, when customer abuse and beratement can transcend the most remedial rules of social interaction. Forcing businesses to tolerate abuse and beratement never enhances the customer experience; nor does it EVER make businesses more profitable.

All the above suggestions are right, and we typically follow the 3 strikes rule. The most important thing though, in our view, is to support the growing discontent with routinely disrespectful and/or cruel treatment of other people and take a stand for basic manners and self-respect.

]]> by: alice phelps http://www.carsonified.com/web-apps/how-to-deal-with-abusive-customers#comment-15137 Tue, 31 Jul 2007 22:26:52 +0000 http://www.carsonified.com/web-apps/how-to-deal-with-abusive-customers#comment-15137 and he tells his friend he was refunded, and he tells his cousin, who tells her neighbor. And you know what? Then everyone wants a refund. You were good not to back down and refund what was not due to be refunded. It sounds good at the time to simply refund and be done, but that's the easy way out. In time, you will realize that a customer like that, 90% of the time forgets they were even mad. look at this customer's record. they probably called back to upgrade again the month after. and he tells his friend he was refunded, and he tells his cousin, who tells her neighbor. And you know what? Then everyone wants a refund. You were good not to back down and refund what was not due to be refunded. It sounds good at the time to simply refund and be done, but that’s the easy way out. In time, you will realize that a customer like that, 90% of the time forgets they were even mad. look at this customer’s record. they probably called back to upgrade again the month after.

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