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I went to work the other day and that day is one that will live in my mind's eye for the rest of my own personal forever. That date was May 30th, 2008. I went to work and there was one customer who upset because the installation of new front door was not what he had expected. I went out to that customer's home and I was presented with a laundry list of why this person felt he deserved to be "compensated" for all of the aggravation my company had put him through.
The first item on his list was that the installer was ten minutes late and that was a major inconvienence. Mr. Customer went on and on about how he had to take off from work and that he had better things to do than wait around for this to be installed.
The second thing on his list of grievences was that the installer felt as if he was not informed at the time of sale that he had to paint the door. He thought that a primed door meant it did not have to be painted. He wanted to be "compensated" for his time and the cost of the paint.
The third item on his list was that the installer took too long. The entire installation took over ninety minutes and he felt as if my corporation should have used a more experienced instllaller. Now mind you he loved the way the door looked, he just thought the installer should have moved faster.
The forth item was that he thought he should be compensated for the time he has to spend waiting around for the County Permit Inspector to inspect and approve the installation. He felt as if the law requiring this was my organization's fault and he should be "compensated".
While listening to all of these gripes my cell phone rang. I could tell by the sound of my son's voice there was something horribly wrong happening in his life, which was far removed from where I was at that moment. While standing in front of Mr. Customer I was receiving a scowel of a look because I had the nerve to answer the phone. With the irrate customer just feet from me my son was in tears explaining to me that his wife had fallen at work. With the tears rolling over the phone and the look of contempt from Mr. Customer I learned that my daughter-in-law had been diagnosed with a bad case of multiple sclhlerosi, commonly referred to as MS.
As I ended the call assuring my son I would call him back very soon I returned my attention to Mr. Customer. He then verbally assualted me because I had wasted even more of his precious time which meant I needed to increase his "compensation". I hung up the phone and apologized for taking the call and the emotion I felt for Mr. Customer was one of pity. I knew all of his complaints were trumped up because the Big Box retail companies are known for giving "compensation" to shut up customers.
Knowing the limits of my very limited authority in the retail world I quietly looked at him and told him I would rush back to the store and speak to the manager and see what could be done about his "compensation". He told me that I better resolve this matter today because he felt it has dragged on long enough. As I drove back to the store I had thoughts of my son's eight year old daughter flash through my mind and wondered how all this would affect my little princess. I wanted to reach across the miles and give her a hug but all I could do was think of and pity Mr. Customer. He is so worried about money and material things that life must be slpping through his fingers like the sands of time.
Mr. Customer was so worried about getting a few bucks back that he really did not deserve while people like my son and daughter-in-law were facing the toughest battle of their young lives. To have to work in retail and keep on a cheerful face while being insulted and rudely treated has been rapidly falling off the list of things I want to do in my life. As I walked back into the store a customer asked me where the return desk was while I slipped Mr. Customer's work order request into the trash. I decided that in my own childish way I was going to take a stand. I had decided that today there would be no compensation. Today I decided that I would lose this request with the sole purpose of annoying this annoying customer. I knew that I would not lose my job over this and I knew that he would call back later demanding even more "compensation". I knew that this little act of defiance made me feel better. I knew it was the right thing to do today.
They say the customer is always right. Well, not this time!
Retail, you gotta' love it!
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