Irrate Customer and the Lack of Interwebs

[Justin]

Had this gem last night an hour before closing >_<

We have wireless internet at my grocery store, but of course, we don't have the password to get on it. Sometimes somebody will be told that we have internet and ask for the password, to which we reply, "We don't have it." They understand, and go off on their merry way.

This guy unfortunately was dead certain we had the password, as apparently somebody whom he spoke with on the phone convinced him we did have the password to get on.

Intranets Man: "Hey, what's the password to the internet?"
Me: "I have no idea, nobody does"
Intranets Man: "I spoke with somebody on the phone who said you guys have wireless internet" *Getting more and more "angry"*
Me: "We do, just not the password"
Intranets Man: "Is there a manager I can speak to? This is getting rediculous, if I don't get the password I'm never coming here again"
*Now begins my lack of caring*
Me: "Not sure if the manager is even here right now. She might be clocked out" *Doing my best to keep him from talking to the manager on duty, who isn't exactly doing so well recently*
Intranets Man: "Well can you page her?"
Me: *sigh and gesture to the manager on duty*

She told him what I told him with a single word, "No". He takes the cleverly disguised hint that we don't have the password, and leaves. I guess purple shirts make more of a difference then yellow ones >_<

I see where he was coming from, being upset that he was told we have internets, only to find he can't get on, but the moment he turned rotten I stopped caring. Like I care that he won't come back because he can't get on the interwebs?

[nuthing12]

Please let us in on why you have wireless internet at all then? Can you get on it from a saved password imputed into your work computers? Is it there just for employees and not for customer useage? Throw me a bone here, this is confusing as to why you keep it running lol

[Justin]

Please let us in on why you have wireless internet at all then? Can you get on it from a saved password imputed into your work computers? Is it there just for employees and not for customer useage? Throw me a bone here, this is confusing as to why you keep it running lol

From what I understand, there is no password whatsoever. We apparently were never given one by corporate after they set up the wireless.

[fma_fanatic]

Please let us in on why you have wireless internet at all then? Can you get on it from a saved password imputed into your work computers? Is it there just for employees and not for customer useage? Throw me a bone here, this is confusing as to why you keep it running lol

Just because his store has wireless internet doesn't mean it's free for all. It could be something like needing it for the credit card machines or for some other purpose. I can pick up easily half a dozen wireless internet connections on my iPod Touch depending on where I go when I'm out and maybe one out of the six will be unlocked or worst case, an ad hoc connection.

Just because they have wireless doesn't mean it's for the customers.

[csquared]

Do you advertise that you have Wifi?

It would be nice if management would clarify the situation with the employees.

If it is for customer use, someone need to contact what ever IT department you have, get the instructions and pass it on to the employees.

If it is a store only wireless that is needed for hand held inventory devices, etc, then of course you are not giving out the password. Management should make it clear that it is not for customer use.

Of course SC mentality is that you are a lowly peon who is stupid. Therefore, if he does not get the answer he want, you are incompetent and he must speak to a manger who knows what they are doing. i.e. Welcome to retail!

[BookstoreEscapee]

If it is a store only wireless that is needed for hand held inventory devices, etc, then of course you are not giving out the password. Management should make it clear that it is not for customer use.

In which case why tell them you have it at all? Why do you (as a customer) need internet at the grocery store, anyway? I fully admit I spend way to much time on the internet, but even I can do my grocery shopping without going through withdrawal. (I don't have any portable devices that get internet, anyway. No smart phone, and just an iPod Nano.)

[Justin]

I'm not sure how people found out about the internet. I actually found out about it by a customer asking for the password.

I have a good idea who would have told the person we have internets and the password to it, but nothing much can be done :/

[fma_fanatic]

Don't forget that a lot of people have iPhones and other wireless items. All it takes is having an item with a wifi-finding application and then just figuring out where that wifi device is.

All you really need to do (with your manager's okay, of course) is just to tell the customers that the wifi is private and leave it at that. If they have an issue, they can take it up with the manager.

[Seshat]

"I'm sorry, sir, but our wireless network is for our stock control devices. We're not an internet cafe."

[Sapphire Silk]

In which case why tell them you have it at all? Why do you (as a customer) need internet at the grocery store, anyway? I fully admit I spend way to much time on the internet, but even I can do my grocery shopping without going through withdrawal. (I don't have any portable devices that get internet, anyway. No smart phone, and just an iPod Nano.)

There are apps that let you price check while you are shopping . . . but you need a smart phone or iPod. If you have a smart phone, you don't need wireless (unless your account is suspended) you can just use 3G or Edge.

If you are using an iPod you are stuck using whatever hot spots are nearby . . . it's just that not all networks are meant for public use and most of us understand this from the get go.

[nuthing12]

What's the good of having it running then if nobody even uses it? Why set up the equipment at all?

I have a feeling this is gonna be one of those corporate it-sounded-like-a-good-idea-at-the-time answers.

[Justin]

Checked with management, and it turns out the internet was taken down a while ago. How someone thought of asking if we had internet, and then a clueless manager telling them we did, occured, is beyond me. *facepalm*

[MoonCat]

Checked with management, and it turns out the internet was taken down a while ago. How someone thought of asking if we had internet, and then a clueless manager telling them we did, occured, is beyond me. *facepalm*

That's pretty typical. I've lost track of how many times they've changed things at work and never bothered to tell anybody in the call center. We would be transferring callers all over the building, only to find out that the requested dept. no longer exists, or the person they wanted no longer works here, or we're not publishing some particular section anymore....etc. Usually a year or more goes by before we find out! Yet our number is the only one customers can ever find (it's all over the newspaper) so they call us first for things that aren't our dept.