Get off the phone!

[wagegoth]

If I was busy and was getting phone calls, I would answer the phone, take a name and number, and some basic info, then call them back. If the caller got snippy, I would tell them I had people in the store waiting and I would have to get back to them, but there is no way I could not answer the phone. Some stores fire employees for that.


Re the OP, I would have told the girl at the counter to forget it. I had something similar happen at a drive-thru. I said, literally, "Forget it," and left.

[Whyme]

Finally, she gets back and is starting the color match process for what I want, phone rings a THIRD time. She picks it up ... I push down the button and hang up the call. I then unplug the phone.
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I had an old man hang up the phone I was answering at customer service. I wasn't even his cashier. He decided the cashier actually on register should stop working with the customer she was currently serving and serve him so he could go back to work. He also cut in line. I wanted to kill him. I was so mad I was shaking and couldn't speak for a minute. He said "Are you going to serve me now?". Well, I couldn't, I didn't have a register. Also, at that point, I wouldn't. I told him through gritted teeth while giving him The Stare O Death, that the cashier ON THE REGISTER would serve him when it was his turn.

I would just suggest to the cashier that served you she ask her phone call customers to please hold. I understand you were angry, but that crosses a line for me. I didn't know if that guy was reaching across the counter for me or to steal something.

[king4aday]

ok...so we have a couple rules where I work...

#1 Managers ONLY answer the telephone...this leaves associates free to help guests...and most of the time they cant help the person on the phone anyways.

#2 If I'm the only one in the store (Im a manager), and the phone rings while Im with the customer I will quickly say "I will be just one moment" then I answer the phone with my usual "thank you for calling _________ this is King4aday I am currently with a customer and I need to put on hold for just one moment." After Im finished with my customer I will pick up the phone and say "Thank you for holding how may I help you?" I dont even give them the option of saying no...just tell them Im going to place them on hold and do it.

#3 NO cell phones at work. If a manager so much as sees a cell phone...you are sent home for the evening, and this is a rule which ALL managers enforce. If you are on break, you can go outside to your car and use the cell phone..but leave it there. (most employees just leave their phone locked up in the console between seats...or the glove compartment.

[AdminAssistant]

Re: Cell Phones - we could keep them in our lockers in the break room, but they were never, EVER allowed on the floor. You could only make or take personal phone calls on the clock in an emergency. You're getting paid to work, not talk.

Re: Answering Phones - It was a common problem at TJ Maxx, because they're set up for the Service Desk employee to handle phone calls - mostly of the "where are you?", "do you have this item in this size/color?" variety. If I had a line and the phone rang, I would excuse myself, answer it quickly and find out what it was. If it was a customer asking about merchandise, I'd tell the customer *nicely* that they should come to the store and browse our wide selection. If it was another store needing a price check, I'd pass it off to a manager. Personally, I think the idea of having fitting room associates answer phones is quite genius. Yes, fitting rooms can get REALLY busy, but not nearly as often as the center hub of hell - the service desk.

[Boochan]

I just let it ring out if its busy and we only have two people actually working.. they can ring again later if its important, most customers do understand that we can't always answer the phone. Some can be SCs over the phone and are rude because we "didn't answer the phone the first time".

We have cordless phones out in the store so we don't have to run into the office to answer the phone.. though people hear our phone ring and seem to wonder why (??) the phone is ringing outside in the store.. very strange.

One thing that might be debatable is we all keep our mobile phones on, and active and we do generally answer them during work hours (manager does, so everyone else does), but we definitely aren't rude about it, and only if we are just standing there. We do this because we don't have consistent customers every minute of the day (Some days are up to 45mins without a customer), so we have a tendency to get out our phones and play with them or that if we have nothing else to do that isn't boring and tedious.

[Arcade Man D]

Finally, she gets back and is starting the color match process for what I want, phone rings a THIRD time. She picks it up ... I push down the button and hang up the call. I then unplug the phone.

It doesn't matter whether or not she was saying "pardon me for a moment, my boss requires me to answer all calls immediately.", you were way, way, *way* out of line. You reached over the counter for one, for two, you unplugged an electronic device that's not yours.

What would have been the proper response would have been to make a mention about how busy it must be at the store, and it's a shame they can't have a second person there to help with answering phones. It injects levity into the situation, doesn't get anyone fired, and most of all, you also get your point across of "hey, you know, I'm here, too."


Because I will tell you that if anyone came in and messed with any sort of plug for *anything* at my job, they would be on final warning status immediately.

[rerant]

Finally, she gets back and is starting the color match process for what I want, phone rings a THIRD time. She picks it up ... I push down the button and hang up the call. I then unplug the phone.

And that's when you'd be escorted out of the store by LP.
I can understand massive frustrations, but invading personal space? That's where my store draws the big, huge, fat, red, flashing line of death.

[Broomjockey]

Wait Wait Wait. You TIPPED HER!?! x 100

Even if you didn't complain, you shouldn't have done that. That was almost definitely a personal call, and she was way out of line.

As for marasbaras, I agree in principle. At my first theatre, the rule was "The customer in front of you is trying to give you money. The one on the phone might give you money later. Guaranteed money first. Phone later." It's a good rule, to me. Especially since we had an automated phone tree that answered most questions, if people bothered to listen to it.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Folks, it is NOT sucky to expect reasonable service and to comment about it. When you go to a business, you pay THEM money and expect them to deliver whatever it is that they do.

I was once at Lowe's trying to buy some paint. I waited in line and am finally at the front at the paint mixing counter. The phone rings, the lady answers. OK, couple minutes.

She gets back to me for about 10 seconds ... phone rings again. She answers again. Another couple of minutes on the phone answering questions for some customer.

Finally, she gets back and is starting the color match process for what I want, phone rings a THIRD time. She picks it up ... I push down the button and hang up the call. I then unplug the phone.

She looks at me like I'd just killed the Baby Jesus. I said "I'm here, they're not. Please finish my order or at least get it into the shakers."

You could see the light turn on in her head as to how maybe I had a point.

As soon as my cans of paint got into the giant shaking machines, I plugged her phone back in. She resumed answering the calls while ignoring the customers who were in line behind me.

I never bought paint there again.

Wow. SC much? I bet that poor girl then got screamed at by the person on the phone who got hung up on.

Not to mention there may be some kind of rule/standard in place regarding answering phone calls that management might be real hardasses about.

If you would've done that to me, you'd be tossed out by management. I would see to it. You don't invade my personal space like that when I am trying to DO MY JOB.

The girl at the paint desk may have had her priorities mixed up, but you handled it about as terribly as a person can.

[wolfie]

Finally, she gets back and is starting the color match process for what I want, phone rings a THIRD time. She picks it up ... I push down the button and hang up the call. I then unplug the phone.

This calls for "thinking outside the box", not tampering with the store's phones. Did you have your cell phone with you? If so, the proper solution would have been to call the paint department, and make your request over the phone. If the store policy is to help the customer in the store first, you're the customer in the store. If the policy is to help the customer on the phone first, you're the customer on the phone - and by being on the phone to them, you're tying up the line so nobody else can call in while she's dealing with your paint.

[Cyphr]

This calls for "thinking outside the box", not tampering with the store's phones. Did you have your cell phone with you? If so, the proper solution would have been to call the paint department, and make your request over the phone. If the store policy is to help the customer in the store first, you're the customer in the store. If the policy is to help the customer on the phone first, you're the customer on the phone - and by being on the phone to them, you're tying up the line so nobody else can call in while she's dealing with your paint.

WIN!