Crazy microwave lady

[canada bruno]

*swoon*

Yet another management type we need to clone and pass around.

I wish we could also do this with middle and upper management. I was once a retail manager and I tried to manage with common sense. I often tried to see both sides of disputes and sometimes conceded to customers demands but there are times when people are just ridiculous. I remember one night a woman tried to return a painter's easel to the store. She had no receipt and the easel was obviously used (had paint all over it). I refused the return. This set off a tirade from the lady. She called me "the most disgusting, horrible person ever" then stuck her fingers in her ears, yelling "LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA". I was shocked, and told her to get out with her easel. She said she wasn't leaving until she got a refund and when I said no refund, it was back to LA LA LA LA LA LA LA. I then said, "okay have it your way, if you don't leave I'm calling the police and having you charged with assault by trespass." She said "I dare you." I picked up the phone and started calling the police. She promptly left, yelling that she was going to complain about me.

What happened after that floored me and made me lose all loyalty and faith in the company. The lady did phone my district manager. He ordered me to give the lady a cash refund AND a gift card for $100 as an apology and to keep her business. I tried to argue with him that this business we don't need, but that only made him angry. I ended up with a one-day suspension and told that he was questioning my managerial skills and that if anything else happens in this vein, I'd be removed from the position. I quit within the next couple of months.

The reason I relay this story is simply that there ARE managers out there that you like, but are held back by corporate spinelessness. I thought I was a good manager, but I wasn't putting up with this crap. Why lose self respect and the respect of my co-workers to keep some faceless corporation happy? C'mon, we all know that customers are necessary for retail success, but there are times we need to stop bad behavior.

[eltf177]

What happened after that floored me and made me lose all loyalty and faith in the company. The lady did phone my district manager. He ordered me to give the lady a cash refund AND a gift card for $100 as an apology and to keep her business. I tried to argue with him that this business we don't need, but that only made him angry. I ended up with a one-day suspension and told that he was questioning my managerial skills and that if anything else happens in this vein, I'd be removed from the position. I quit within the next couple of months.

Boy, that's _beyond_ suck! I don't blame you one bit for leaving!

[Racket_Man]

The reason I relay this story is simply that there ARE managers out there that you like, but are held back by corporate spinelessness. I thought I was a good manager, but I wasn't putting up with this crap. Why lose self respect and the respect of my co-workers to keep some faceless corporation happy? C'mon, we all know that customers are necessary for retail success, but there are times we need to stop bad behavior.

Unfortuneately this is all TOO true. I see it day in and day out at my pizza place (sorry Tony you seemed to be the management exception at PH and other places you have managed).

see my thread about this
http://www.customerssuck.com/board/s...ght=silly+walk

it seems that upper management is so scared about a "bad" reputation (emphasis on the so-called "bad" whatever that is) AND losing $$$'s (well not really losing $$$'s but the perception of losing business through "word of mouth which for the most part is BS though not always....) AND keeping bad customers who DO lose them $$$'s even after they cost the company much in the way of $$$'s.

I have seen SOOOO many give-aways to scammers but my GM's hands are tied by those above him cause most customer will go ever his head (either franchise or corp) and get lots of free stuff anyway. corp will just throw lots of free stuff at the slightest complaint.

[Kristev]

While the good customers get indirectly punished. Sickening.

[TonyDonuts]

While the good customers get indirectly punished. Sickening.

The customer service manager at the company I work for now, and I've mentioned before, operates like this.

He will listen to the customer's tale of woe.

He will listen to the store manager's tale of woe.

And he will consider that the store manager's best efforts did not satisfy the customer.

And 9 times out of 10 he will tell the customer something along the lines of, "Well, there's nothing more we can do for you."

Because if the customer is being so picky that nothing done at the store level (apologies, money back, whatever) will satisfy them, then they're probably jerks. And cheap jerks at that.

So let 'em shop at the competition. No loss.

Oh, and that one time out of ten? That's when somebody at the store level is causing a problem for a customer and then refusing to fix it. Nyarlothotep help you if that's the case. And that's fair.