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Today I hung up on a customer for the first time ever (and it was OK with one of our supervisors).
I was placing a store referral order, got the item information from the store associate. She passed the phone over to the customer and even let the customer know "here you go, he is nice".
Then it all went downhill.
ME: Your vengeful hippie.
DBG: Very likely Douche Bag's Girlfriend.
DB: Douche bag, lets call him Brendan (not his real name, but close)
ME: "This is Angry Hippie from blahblah.com may I have YOUR name please?"
DBG: mumbled under LOUD store music VERY GIRLY voice "Breanna (or was it
Hannah, or Rhiannon?) Douche Bag"
ME: "I have that as Breanna Douche Bag, which way do you spell Breana?"
DBG: "NO! that was BRENDAN Douche Bag"
ME: "Thank you Brendan, May I have the address where your credit card billing statements arrive at?"
So far not so bad, I'm mildly annoyed that yet again someone hadn't listened when I ask "May I have YOUR NAME" why do they always hear "May I have the CARDHOLDERS NAME?" If thats what I wanted I'd say it that way. I am required to say your name a certain number of times during the call, so however you answer I will call you that many times during the call. Don't like me pretending your a girl named Brendan (very possible) tough, listen and follow directions idiot.
In the background I hear "Babe, what is the address where your credit card bill go to" I hear the phone being passed.
ME: "Hi this is Angry Hippie from blahblah.com may I have YOUR name please?"
DB: sounds like "one four"
ME: "May I have YOUR NAME PLEASE?"
DB: still sounds like "ONE FOUR"
ME: giving up at this point "Alright Brendan, I have that billing address as ONE FOUR may I have the rest please?"
DB: talking like I'm the idiot "WHAT FOR, why do you need to know where my credit card bills go? THIS IS STUPID, you don't need to know that to place my order"
ME: "YES!, I do. In order to place an order we MUST have the address where your billing statements arrive at, in order to protect you from someone else using your card, we match the address given against what your bank has on file, IF the address does not match your order WILL NOT SHIP"
At this point I guess common sense prevails because he is somewhat cooperative for most of the rest of the order. The occasional *sighs" and "this is stupid" but I ignore them because I've already established in my mind he is a self important idiot know nothing douche bag.
We get to the end of the order, and I've been keeping my temper under control the whole time, being super extra nice, and only raising my voice for emphasis on important words and phrases to be heard over the din of the store.
ME: "Would you like to use your blahblah credit card?"
DB: "No I'll use a visa, oh no wait, I'll use my blahblah card because that means I don't have to go in my wallet"
ME: "If you would like to use your blahblah card you can, but I WILL need the WHOLE card number, for your security we do not keep that information on file"
DB: "Thats stupid, you sound like a FUCKING *something that rhymes with* MAGGOT!"
ME: very gingerly taps the "GOODBYE" button causing phone to go <CLICK> dial tone.
I tell my supervisor what happened I have the order canceled (no mop anyway) with a note as to why it was canceled and why hanging up was OK per my supervisor. I note that customer was extremely abusive and used hard profanity (the f word) and a racial slur. I didn't want to "out" myself on the order for all of the higher ups to see. But I wanted it noted it a way that said, YES this was a direct insult of a very strong nature, different from say a hanging up on a customer that said I was rude or mean or something silly like that. It just was reflex as soon as the words left his lips, no decision no thought, just HANG UP NOW!.
I was surprised how calm I was. I felt kinda shaky but I was under control. I stepped outside had a cigarette (I don't smoke usually) and within 10 minutes I was back doing my job and I was OK. I never knew what this moment would be like, but it wasn't as dramatic as I thought it would be.
I did talk to some co-workers after a few hours. Most say I did the wrong thing, that I gave him what he wanted by reacting, that the best thing to do would have been to be super nice and finish the order. I don't know if that would have made my point. I think kill him with kindness is too subtle for this jerk. I understand wanting a reaction thats why I didn't do the whole "please refrain from that sort of language" garbage we are trained to do (policy is warn three times and hang up).
I think <click> makes the best point for him. It shows this IS not tolerated. It also means he has to call back and start at square one again (his girlfriend wasn't gonna not let him order her crap) with a new operator. I saw he did place the order 10 minutes later, no discounts no nothing (YAY!, I though he'd get something for being hung up on, I'm guessing the store heard and understood why he got hung up). I hope he embarrassed the hell out of his girlfriend, and I hope she gave him hell for it. I hope he loved having to redo all the info that was oh so hard the first time.
Neither option would change his opinion and I don't care what he thinks anyway. So might as well go with the option that inconveniences the jerk :-)
Which do think is more appropriate hanging up OR killing the customer with kindness?
I was placing a store referral order, got the item information from the store associate. She passed the phone over to the customer and even let the customer know "here you go, he is nice".
Then it all went downhill.
ME: Your vengeful hippie.
DBG: Very likely Douche Bag's Girlfriend.
DB: Douche bag, lets call him Brendan (not his real name, but close)
ME: "This is Angry Hippie from blahblah.com may I have YOUR name please?"
DBG: mumbled under LOUD store music VERY GIRLY voice "Breanna (or was it
Hannah, or Rhiannon?) Douche Bag"
ME: "I have that as Breanna Douche Bag, which way do you spell Breana?"
DBG: "NO! that was BRENDAN Douche Bag"
ME: "Thank you Brendan, May I have the address where your credit card billing statements arrive at?"
So far not so bad, I'm mildly annoyed that yet again someone hadn't listened when I ask "May I have YOUR NAME" why do they always hear "May I have the CARDHOLDERS NAME?" If thats what I wanted I'd say it that way. I am required to say your name a certain number of times during the call, so however you answer I will call you that many times during the call. Don't like me pretending your a girl named Brendan (very possible) tough, listen and follow directions idiot.
In the background I hear "Babe, what is the address where your credit card bill go to" I hear the phone being passed.
ME: "Hi this is Angry Hippie from blahblah.com may I have YOUR name please?"
DB: sounds like "one four"
ME: "May I have YOUR NAME PLEASE?"
DB: still sounds like "ONE FOUR"
ME: giving up at this point "Alright Brendan, I have that billing address as ONE FOUR may I have the rest please?"
DB: talking like I'm the idiot "WHAT FOR, why do you need to know where my credit card bills go? THIS IS STUPID, you don't need to know that to place my order"
ME: "YES!, I do. In order to place an order we MUST have the address where your billing statements arrive at, in order to protect you from someone else using your card, we match the address given against what your bank has on file, IF the address does not match your order WILL NOT SHIP"
At this point I guess common sense prevails because he is somewhat cooperative for most of the rest of the order. The occasional *sighs" and "this is stupid" but I ignore them because I've already established in my mind he is a self important idiot know nothing douche bag.
We get to the end of the order, and I've been keeping my temper under control the whole time, being super extra nice, and only raising my voice for emphasis on important words and phrases to be heard over the din of the store.
ME: "Would you like to use your blahblah credit card?"
DB: "No I'll use a visa, oh no wait, I'll use my blahblah card because that means I don't have to go in my wallet"
ME: "If you would like to use your blahblah card you can, but I WILL need the WHOLE card number, for your security we do not keep that information on file"
DB: "Thats stupid, you sound like a FUCKING *something that rhymes with* MAGGOT!"
ME: very gingerly taps the "GOODBYE" button causing phone to go <CLICK> dial tone.
I tell my supervisor what happened I have the order canceled (no mop anyway) with a note as to why it was canceled and why hanging up was OK per my supervisor. I note that customer was extremely abusive and used hard profanity (the f word) and a racial slur. I didn't want to "out" myself on the order for all of the higher ups to see. But I wanted it noted it a way that said, YES this was a direct insult of a very strong nature, different from say a hanging up on a customer that said I was rude or mean or something silly like that. It just was reflex as soon as the words left his lips, no decision no thought, just HANG UP NOW!.
I was surprised how calm I was. I felt kinda shaky but I was under control. I stepped outside had a cigarette (I don't smoke usually) and within 10 minutes I was back doing my job and I was OK. I never knew what this moment would be like, but it wasn't as dramatic as I thought it would be.
I did talk to some co-workers after a few hours. Most say I did the wrong thing, that I gave him what he wanted by reacting, that the best thing to do would have been to be super nice and finish the order. I don't know if that would have made my point. I think kill him with kindness is too subtle for this jerk. I understand wanting a reaction thats why I didn't do the whole "please refrain from that sort of language" garbage we are trained to do (policy is warn three times and hang up).
I think <click> makes the best point for him. It shows this IS not tolerated. It also means he has to call back and start at square one again (his girlfriend wasn't gonna not let him order her crap) with a new operator. I saw he did place the order 10 minutes later, no discounts no nothing (YAY!, I though he'd get something for being hung up on, I'm guessing the store heard and understood why he got hung up). I hope he embarrassed the hell out of his girlfriend, and I hope she gave him hell for it. I hope he loved having to redo all the info that was oh so hard the first time.
Neither option would change his opinion and I don't care what he thinks anyway. So might as well go with the option that inconveniences the jerk :-)
Which do think is more appropriate hanging up OR killing the customer with kindness?
(I DON'T like being called that)
ing n
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