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and I won! 
A few weeks ago, I had a customer come in who was complaining of people calling her, asking for somebody she did not know. I explained to her that cellular phone numbers are recycled, so when somebody disconnects their phone number, the number is released for use again. This explains why people are calling her, asking for somebody else, because *gasp* that person had the phone number before her. Not too complicated, right?
Well apparently that was unacceptable for this lady. She went on about how there should be a way to somehow let those people know it isn't who they think it is, BEFORE they call her.
Me: "Ma'am..your only solution to this problem would be to change the phone number, or let the unknown calls go unanswered, and hopefully when they hear your name when the voicemail greeting is announced, they will get the clue."
SC: "Well i've already given all my friends and family this phone number!"
Me: "I understand, but your options are limited in this case. Chances are, the number you were given when you started your account was a number that was disconnected only days prior to you getting it. If you'd like, I can help you pick out a phone number that has been disconnected for a little while, so hopefully you won't get too many calls like that."
SC: "And that'll be free, of course."
Me: "Actually, it's just a $5 fee."
SC: "WHAT!?"
Me: "Unless we receive court or police orders to change a phone number, we must charge the fee. It's company policy."
SC: Pfft. "That's unacceptable. I guess i'll just have to live with it then, since you're obviously no help!"
Now fast forward to today. I'm pulled into the office by my manager.
Manager: "Chris, do you remember a customer a few weeks ago who complained that people she doesn't know are calling her?"
Me: "Yeah..she was a complete bitch...why?"
Manager: "Well she's actually a secret shopper. Her report is right here."
With that, I grab the report from the desk and review it. She gives me an F and states in her comments that I was insensitive, unknowledgeable, and failed to take control of the issue. She states that I told her she'd have to "live with it" and that "the company must train its employees better."
Me: "Well that's bullshit. There's nothing I could do about people dialing her number thinking it's somebody elses. I offered to change her phone number and recommended she let the voicemail play her name when it takes a message. What else was there to do?"
Manager: "I can only go by what I read in the report. It doesn't say anything about you offering to change her number for her. Because it's such a low score, i'm going to have to write you up for it."
Me: "I don't think so." Only today did my manager find out that I keep track of every account I work on, and have been doing so since my first or second day. I log into my account on the computer and match up the time and date of the report to the time and date of the account I was working on at the time (she conveniently left her account information off the report...the bitch probably knows we notate the accounts once we're done and figured she'd be sneaky about it).
I pull up the account and scroll to the memos for that date. And it is there, clear as can be, where I wrote "Offered to change customer's phone number for $5 fee. Customer refused."
I showed this to my manager, who proceeded to rip up the write-up and help me file a dispute against the score I received, given that she BLATANTLY lied about what I had told her. Since we oh so shockingly couldn't telepathically tell her unknown callers that the telephone number doesn't belong to the person they want to speak to anymore, I somehow provided BAD service and I NEED to be RETRAINED. And I was polite to her the whole time too. Go figure.
The rebuttal will be sent within the next few days. As for me, the mystery shop is erased from my record. Now, all there's left to do is hope that a tongue lashing is in store for that mystery shopper.
Lesson of the day -- GET EVERYTHING IN WRITING!
A few weeks ago, I had a customer come in who was complaining of people calling her, asking for somebody she did not know. I explained to her that cellular phone numbers are recycled, so when somebody disconnects their phone number, the number is released for use again. This explains why people are calling her, asking for somebody else, because *gasp* that person had the phone number before her. Not too complicated, right?
Well apparently that was unacceptable for this lady. She went on about how there should be a way to somehow let those people know it isn't who they think it is, BEFORE they call her.
Me: "Ma'am..your only solution to this problem would be to change the phone number, or let the unknown calls go unanswered, and hopefully when they hear your name when the voicemail greeting is announced, they will get the clue."
SC: "Well i've already given all my friends and family this phone number!"
Me: "I understand, but your options are limited in this case. Chances are, the number you were given when you started your account was a number that was disconnected only days prior to you getting it. If you'd like, I can help you pick out a phone number that has been disconnected for a little while, so hopefully you won't get too many calls like that."
SC: "And that'll be free, of course."
Me: "Actually, it's just a $5 fee."
SC: "WHAT!?"
Me: "Unless we receive court or police orders to change a phone number, we must charge the fee. It's company policy."
SC: Pfft. "That's unacceptable. I guess i'll just have to live with it then, since you're obviously no help!"
Now fast forward to today. I'm pulled into the office by my manager.
Manager: "Chris, do you remember a customer a few weeks ago who complained that people she doesn't know are calling her?"
Me: "Yeah..she was a complete bitch...why?"
Manager: "Well she's actually a secret shopper. Her report is right here."
With that, I grab the report from the desk and review it. She gives me an F and states in her comments that I was insensitive, unknowledgeable, and failed to take control of the issue. She states that I told her she'd have to "live with it" and that "the company must train its employees better."
Me: "Well that's bullshit. There's nothing I could do about people dialing her number thinking it's somebody elses. I offered to change her phone number and recommended she let the voicemail play her name when it takes a message. What else was there to do?"
Manager: "I can only go by what I read in the report. It doesn't say anything about you offering to change her number for her. Because it's such a low score, i'm going to have to write you up for it."
Me: "I don't think so." Only today did my manager find out that I keep track of every account I work on, and have been doing so since my first or second day. I log into my account on the computer and match up the time and date of the report to the time and date of the account I was working on at the time (she conveniently left her account information off the report...the bitch probably knows we notate the accounts once we're done and figured she'd be sneaky about it).
I pull up the account and scroll to the memos for that date. And it is there, clear as can be, where I wrote "Offered to change customer's phone number for $5 fee. Customer refused."
I showed this to my manager, who proceeded to rip up the write-up and help me file a dispute against the score I received, given that she BLATANTLY lied about what I had told her. Since we oh so shockingly couldn't telepathically tell her unknown callers that the telephone number doesn't belong to the person they want to speak to anymore, I somehow provided BAD service and I NEED to be RETRAINED. And I was polite to her the whole time too. Go figure.
The rebuttal will be sent within the next few days. As for me, the mystery shop is erased from my record. Now, all there's left to do is hope that a tongue lashing is in store for that mystery shopper.
Lesson of the day -- GET EVERYTHING IN WRITING!
) and other store funding. Doing poorly also meant more sales goals and hoops the lowly peons had to jump through. Doing poorly on secret shops was baaad.
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