Not my fault you don't listen to what I'm saying

[Pixelated]

I think I've mentioned before that we have a very antiquated computer system on our cash registers ... we're talking DOS-based. It makes it difficult enough to do basic transactions, and it's virtually impossible to do anything else, including returns (although TBH I don't know whether that's just because of its age, or because the necessary "instructions" were never programmed in).

Also, you don't know how much of a discount you've received until the receipt prints out. Yes, it's stupid.

So today I get Difficult Customer (DC).

DC is purchasing an item that will cost more than $100 pre-tax. We have a deal going on where you can get 10% off in these cases.

I scan the item and then scan the bar code for the 10% off.

Then DC customer pulls out his [My Company] business credit card. "And this will get me an extra 5% off, right?"

Me: "Um, I don't think so. I believe you can only get one or the other. The machine usually picks the higher discount."

DC: "It's worked before!"

Me: *thinks: "Whatever you say." Aloud, I just say "Well, give it a try."

So he swipes the credit card. Meanwhile his wife is watching and saying "It's not taking the discount off ... it's not taking the discount off ...!" (Remember what I said about the discount not showing up except on the receipt? Yes. I tried to explain it but made no headway.) DC joins in.

The debate goes on for another couple of minutes, which means that DC has been arguing for so long that the computer has timed out in its request for him to sign the screen. I print off a paper receipt for him to sign instead.

Aaaand you guessed it.

Wife looks at the receipt. "It didn't take off 15%!!" DC looks at the receipt; and then the two of them start nattering -- to each other, to me, who can tell at this point?

I call over the head cashier, who says "No, it gives you the better of the two discounts. It doesn't give you two discounts on a single transaction."

DC: "Okay, then I want to use another card!"

Me: thinks: Buddy, YOU'VE ALREADY PAID. But of course, he wants to do a refund and then pay all over again with a different card. For whatever bloody reason.

So head cashier informs him that he will have to go to the Customer Service desk (remember what I said about our cash registers being unable to do returns ...) and get the transaction refunded and then start all over again ...

Couldn't have happened to a more deserving PITA customer.

[MoonCat]

He's probably not supposed to use his business card for more than a certain amount. Or he's just an ass.

[Pixelated]

They way he was behaving, I'm going with your second explanation.

But we get this a lot: "Can i get BOTH discounts??"

And I have to patiently explain that it's highly unlikely, if not flat-out "NO, you can't." And more often than not the response is "Well ... just try it."

Most customers, however, when it turns out that (hey!) I'm right, just shrug and say "Okay, well, nothing ventured and all that ..."

Not Mr. I-Want-A-Deal.

[Buzzard]

"Durrrrr, I has this glimmer of an idea on how to get one over on da company and nothing is gonna change my mind. So there." Reality strikes. "Nope, I'm right, I know I'm right. I told you, nothing is gonna change my mind. ... Hey, why you hit me with big stick-thing? OW! I'm still right, damnit! OWIE!"

[Slave to the Phone]

At the food stamp office, we often can't complete cases because we are missing information. (Usually income and termed employments.) I tell my clients "We need X, Y, and wages from X for these dates. Your deadline is X/X/XX" I send them a letter saying the same thing.

Some of them won't want to bother getting the information, so their case gets denied and they get a letter saying so. The next day, they come to the office to yell about nobody telling them anything about anything and its all our fault their children are starving.

I love, LOVE, LOVE it when I pull someone I did the initial contact with. The first thing I do is verify their address, then tell them that I had told them what was needed and sent them a letter saying what was needed. The sputtering and complaints honestly entertain me because I know they are lying, they know that I know that they are lying. I enjoy it even more when they demand a supervisor to tell them the same thing.

[notalwaysright]

It's not that common for a store to let you use two coupons on one item. Some stores let you combine a sale and a coupon, but not always. Yeah it's annoying to wait until the very end to see what discount actually was taken, but jeez it's not the end of the world.

And anytime someone says "it worked before" or any similar statement, it makes me want to say "what's your point." Because who honestly cares if it worked before? It doesn't now. The grocery store I shop at changed it's coupon policy to correct for a loophole which allowed customers to use two store coupons on one time. I could have an e-coupon and then a store coupon and use both. Now I can't. Whatever. I think I can still use two coupons if one of them is a manufacturer coupon. But again, it doesn't really matter and there's no point in saying what I used to be able to do.

[Argabarga]

I love, LOVE, LOVE it when I pull someone I did the initial contact with. The first thing I do is verify their address, then tell them that I had told them what was needed and sent them a letter saying what was needed. The sputtering and complaints honestly entertain me because I know they are lying, they know that I know that they are lying. I enjoy it even more when they demand a supervisor to tell them the same thing.

"Keep diggin that hole deeper, I wanna see how far you go from up here!"

[EricKei]

At the food stamp office...

I sincerely wish you luck in the upcoming weeks. For reasons that need not be mentioned (not a request, all)(a-hem), y'all might get swamped with irritated clients in the next few weeks. Our state's offices compensated by working overtime to get February benefits out early while they can.



A case worker at our local one is worried that some of the irritated people might be packing heat; it's happened before O_O So...take care of yourselves and mebbe see if the local boys in blue are willing to station a couple of their own in the office just in case.

[Slave to the Phone]

Thanks for the advance sympathy. Our state is giving the Feb. benefits out starting next week. Its been on the news, on the radio and in the paper. Not only that, everyone in the office has been telling our clients what is happening.

Our state also offered OT and made it quite clear that any OT worked over this weekend will be straight time because of the holiday. Not a whole lot of bites for that generous offer, btw.

I'm going to be on the front desk/front lines in Feb. That is when all those folks who live under rocks with no internet/radio/library access/outside contact don't understand why they didn't get their benefits posted on their regular day and will tell us that the benefits posted on their card were just a bonus or food stamps they had left over.

Its going to be bad. I will take all they sympathy I can get!

Thanks also for the personal safety worries. Usually, I work behind locked doors, talking to people on the phone. I haven't had to do lobby work since 08/2018. I hate working the lobby, I like my safe little cell. We do have armed guards in the lobby, which is a very sad statement right there. We are there to help people and give them free food. Why should we have armed guards and workers carrying mace?

[EricKei]

Glad to see y'all are prepared. I wish you all the best (at your office, at our office, nationwide...)!


In the local DHHS office, another government office is literally twenty feet away from their front doors, and is actively manned by cops at all times. Hopefully, their bosses (or their bosses' bosses) will loan them a few friendly folks with badges to help keep the peace for a while, even if for no better reason than to discourage bad behavior.