Readers Digest Flimming Jixed Me!!!!

[TelephoneAngel]

Somewhere on the board there is a thread about an article by Readers Digest about how to get what you want from Customer Service Reps.

Todya, I had the perfect example of why articles like that are a BAD idea.

Customer rang up, wanted an authorisation payment he was not entitled to and we refused to pay, he had already, by the notes on the computer sysytem phoned us some SIX times today and spoken to a different person everytime, every one of them who told him the same thing, he could not do that.This was not including the two people on the sales floor he admitted he had also spoken to in person.

I went in circles with this customer yelling at me for half an hour before finally I got him to listen while I quoted the financial regulations we have to adhere to, and explained why it was that what he requested could not be done and was in fact illegal.Finally he apologised and said he understood.

I blame these articles, because customers really do think that if they persist, they will get what they want but the truth is, often it just isn't possible no matter how they scream.

[taurinejunkie]

Oh I hate these articles with a burning passion. Particularly the few I've read that mention that asking for a supervisor is useless because "the next person you will speak to is simply another rep calling themselves a supervisor; they have no more power or seniority than the representative who transfered you to them". Whoever came up with that pile of steaming bull waste should have terrible, terrible things happen to them. That's not the way it works in the call center where I work, and I actually doubt any call center at all in the world works that way. A supervisor IS a supervisor.

[EmiOfBrie]

When I was doing tech support for RCN (through DecisionOne), I was called upon a couple times as a "Senior Technician" (as the L1 rep with the most support experience at the time). I was kind of an unofficial "Level 1.5" tech. *heh*

[MoonCat]

I once posed as a supervisor to get an asshat off the phone. He was refusing to understand that placing an ad for a real estate rental does not qualify one for "merchandise for sale" ad rates. Plus it was closing time on a Saturday and this bozo was keeping us from shutting down the phones. Either the actual supervisor was not in that day or she didn't want to deal with him, either, I can't recall which.

If I recall correctly, I finally hung up on him. Good times.

[Mnemjian]

Those articles are really the worst. I took a business class and in the textbook, one of those articles was reproduced, saying how people should always ask for a manager if they don't get their ass wiped and how every price is negotiable no matter where you are. It was really shameful. It also mentioned that "nowadays even low-level employees have the power to discount 10 - 15%." Um...what?? Whoever writes these articles really needs to get chained to a cash register at Wal-Mart for at least a year. I'm sorry you had to deal with some idiot who took that trash to heart. He was probably in my class

[ShinyKitsune]

It also mentioned that "nowadays even low-level employees have the power to discount 10 - 15%." Um...what??

A lot of times they can give the discount...Whether or not they keep their job afterward is another story.

[ExRetailDrone]

It also mentioned that "nowadays even low-level employees have the power to discount 10 - 15%." Um...what??

Sadly, at The Bullseye I worked at, even the lowly peons were given the option of discounting an item 10% due to damage. We were encouraged to by management if it would help with the sale. We were only allowed to give the discount if it was the last item of its kind anywhere in the store, though. So if a 'customer' wanted a discount on an end table that had a nick in it, but there were 3 more on the shelf, we could say no, tell them to grab another one, and take the damaged one to be defected out.

[ravevolution]

I hate those kind of articles too, but the thing that they are missing which all too frequently SC's as well is a pleasant and understanding attitude.

I think there have been some pleasant and awesome customers that we felt were worth retaining their business we either gave them a promotion coupon or some kind of extra service (all within company legality) that made them happy.

Course then there are the SC's who read these articles and they blow it, screaming, yelling, being a jackass, and nothing comes of it.

[Mel]

Sadly, at The Bullseye I worked at, even the lowly peons were given the option of discounting an item 10% due to damage. We were encouraged to by management if it would help with the sale. We were only allowed to give the discount if it was the last item of its kind anywhere in the store, though. So if a 'customer' wanted a discount on an end table that had a nick in it, but there were 3 more on the shelf, we could say no, tell them to grab another one, and take the damaged one to be defected out.

It's the same thing where I work. It's a mid to high end clothing boutique, and we don't keep a 'defect' rack. We normally send defaults back to the company. If it's the last of the wanted size (and it normally is because we only carry one of each size at a time), and the guest doesn't want to wait for us to order a new one (waiting time of up to 2 weeks), then we're permitted to discount 10%. It becomes a final sale however.

The problem is that customers think it works like that everywhere!

[BaristaTrav]

Not just articles, every local news channel runs a story like this probably at least once a month.. I effing cringe ever time I see them.

[Android Kaeli]

Those articles are really the worst. I took a business class and in the textbook, one of those articles was reproduced, saying how people should always ask for a manager if they don't get their ass wiped and how every price is negotiable no matter where you are. It was really shameful. It also mentioned that "nowadays even low-level employees have the power to discount 10 - 15%." Um...what?? Whoever writes these articles really needs to get chained to a cash register at Wal-Mart for at least a year. I'm sorry you had to deal with some idiot who took that trash to heart. He was probably in my class

I usually don't mind doing the 10%, as long as the product in question is damaged to the point where we would have to damage it out anyways (a chip that customer can hide with paint, a kit with something missing that customer doesn't mind it's missing, etc). The MOD will say do it anyways, so it really wouldn't do much good to call one -- and the MOD wouldn't give two shits about discounting a damaged item anyways.

Eight out of ten customers will normally take the discount, the other two will say it's either too little of a discount or ask for a manger anyways. This usually is when the manager will say take the 10% or leave it.

[JustaCashier]

Not just articles, every local news channel runs a story like this probably at least once a month.. I effing cringe ever time I see them.

Exactly what I was thinking.

That, plus the "coupon ladies"some of the newscasts feature, that spend six hours clipping and/or printing out coupons, put them in their little organizer, and then spend another six hours at the grocery store comparing sale prices to coupon prices.

Then they get to the register, and tie up one cashier for an hour, pulling out the appropriate coupons, that no matter how well organized she has them, still take forever to process.

Of course, she'll also boast that on such and such product(s), she has a store coupon, a mfr coupon, plus it's already on sale, and she gets it for one tenth of the regular price!

Ummmm.....what is she gonna do on the occasions a store does not offer doubling on coupons, and/or combining coupons with items that are already on sale?

Well! She's gonna nicely, (yeah right, or even if, how long will being nice last if she doesn't get her way?) ask for a manager! (Not to mention yet more employee and other customers' time wasted).

So, once all of her 137 items are rung up, she beams while proudly proclaiming that she just got $1,468.97 worth of groceries for $0.34!!

Mike


ETA 7/23: I meant to add a disclaimer, when I originally typed this up last night, that I realize not all "coupon ladies" are sucky. I was just describing the worst type.

Sorry!

Please see my updated post below.

[malmalthekiller]

Oh I hate these articles with a burning passion. Particularly the few I've read that mention that asking for a supervisor is useless because "the next person you will speak to is simply another rep calling themselves a supervisor; they have no more power or seniority than the representative who transfered you to them". Whoever came up with that pile of steaming bull waste should have terrible, terrible things happen to them. That's not the way it works in the call center where I work, and I actually doubt any call center at all in the world works that way. A supervisor IS a supervisor.

Actually the place I used to work at did just that. We'd shift a trouble person around until they finally shut up.

[Indigo]

I will admit that my mom and I could be considered "those coupon ladies" as we do quite a bit of couponing. As in, buying 6 newspapers if the coupons are good.

Let's also add that we have a large family, and let's face it, it gets expensive to feed so many mouths.

However, not all "coupon ladies" are SCs.

1. We keep within the store limits for doubling/tripling and know the rules for both by heart.
2. We have our coupons out and ready. Rarely, if ever, do we have an expired coupon in our hand. If we do, then it's an honest mistake, and we apologize for it.
3. We usually go during the day when everyone else is usually at work (my mother has a stay-at-home job) so that we don't tie up lines during peak hours. We also warn people behind us that we do have coupons and it might take awhile.
4. My mother makes a point to get to know the managers and the day shift cashiers. By now, the managers know that my mother knows what she's doing and often congratulate her on her deals. We also make a point to write in positive comments every time we get a survey on our receipts as well as letting the managers know every time we get great service.
5. Yes, we do double up on coupons when its allowed. (See #1)

As for the spending 6 hours in the store, we usually do all our pre-work (matching sales with coupons) at home before we head out. And while my mother has yet to get a deal like JustaCashier mentioned, we have saved over $5000 this year alone thanks to sales and coupons.

Now if our behavior is sucky, please do tell me.

[C. Cecil Ivanish]

Where I work (on the on-line shop side) we don't do discounts: there is an automatic one every £150 spent and you can get free shipping in certain cases, but that's it. However, we can give out coupons with a 10% discounts *on the next purchase*. Coupons that last either two or three months (we have rules to decide which one to give). We normally use them with customers who had a major delay in delivery or who have been wanting a certain item that has been out of stock for far too long.
If the product is defective, however, we will only do full refunds on reception of the product. No partials refunds.
Apparently, many potential scammers are filtered out by this...