How much abuse is too much?

[customersruinmylife]

I've often wondered about this. Working with the general public, you do have to be prepared for idiots and to take some level of abuse. What is everyone's cut off point, when they just tell a customer to leave or loose their temper with them, because from what I've seen, a lot of people on this board have the patience of a saint!

I work in a bar, and thankfully, I have two very kind and understanding managers. The first thing I was told when I started working there, almost two years ago, was "You do not take abuse off customers. You tell them to leave or pass them onto one of us" and they have a very short cut off point when it comes to dealing with abusive customers (I've seen one of them throw a customer through a set of double doors).

One story that I can think of, was a very, very VERY busy day. I'm talking about people having to wait for at least twenty minutes at the bar to get served (and there were six staff on it) and a queue of at least 150-200 people. So I'm serving people very quickly, trying my best, when an SC comes up to the bar.
SC: I asked for a pint and a vodka lemonade.
Me: Yes sir, was there a problem with it?
SC: There is no vodka in this vodka lemonade, and there is no lemonade either, just soda. You're ripping me off.
(I thought there might be a slight chance that I had forgotten to put the vodka in, or hit the wrong button on the soda gun and just given him soda by mistake.)
Me: Ok sir. I'm sure I did put vodka in it, but I might have made a mistake. Here you go. *Presents customer with a brand new DOUBLE vodka to make up for it*
SC: *Sips double vodka lemonade*
Me: Everything OK sir?
SC: All I can taste is soda.
Me: Oh, well perhaps our lemonade needs changi-
SC: NO YOU ARE F***ING RIPPING ME OFF YOU C***!!!
Me: I'm sorry, but you just watched me make it, and Do. Not. Speak. To. Me. Like. That...
SC: Like what??
Me: Like calling me a c***.
SC: *Looks extremelly offended* Well you were f***ing ripping me off.
Me: I was not f***ing ripping you off, you watched me make it.
SC: YOU F***ING...
Me: You watched me make it, now get away from the bar, I will not have anyone speaking to me like that.
SC: I wasn't even yelling at you.
*Several customers gasp and laugh at him*
SC: *As he walks away, he grabs a random customer* Don't order vodka from that c***, he'll just give you soda!
Me: Right, who's next?
I turn around, and the manager is staring at me.
Manager: Wow you really kept your cool there! He would have been out the door if it was me!

I spun it around in my head for days. Was I wrong to speak to the customer that way? And use that kind of language?

Tell your story.

[Drakstern]

Nope.

He was a douchenozzle who thought he could bully you around.

Frankly, no one is paid to take that sort of abuse and the customer has no right to abuse you like that anyhow.

[Worker-Intellectual]

I would have told him to get out at c***, but I might get in trouble for it at my last job.

But then again, working in a bar is probably different because of the nature of the place... you have more leeway to mess with customers and joke around because they're drinking, and it's not as much of a corporate customer kiss-ass place as retail.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Once that kind of language starts, I say all bets are off. No one has a right to speak to an employee that way.

I've never gotten anything close to that level of abuse, but then I was never the manager and therefore had someone to call on to handle things if the customer was really starting to get upset. I learned quickly to pull the "This is the policy but I'll be happy to call the manager if you'd like to discuss it with him/her" card. If the manager wants to cave, so be it, but at least its not on me. I don't get paid enough to fight with people.

If someone ever did call me a name like that, I would just walk away, off the sales floor, and send out the manager.

[digilight]

Just like IHCT said, as a bartender (usually) you get more leeway on dealing with your customer (I would think). After all these are drunk slovenly fools who would normally be causing the shit.

As far as taking abuse, My guess would be that the less corporate the business is, the less abuse the employee's are forced to endure. For example, I always had the right to "fire" a client, I've done it before (Twice) and my boss wholeheartadly approved of it (he actually had a few choice names for the first one I booted).

I couldn't see a corporate business being able to tell a customer to sod off (I have no clue what this really means but I love the way it sounds, please let this britishly challenged fool know what it means please) just because you would have all the different levels of management jumping down your back giving them freebies to come back and abuse you some more.

[rvdammit]

I'm of the opinion that once is OK, different people react to different words differently. But once you've been told to STFU with the language and continue application of the size 10 ejector is fine.

[Gurndigarn]

I couldn't see a corporate business being able to tell a customer to sod off (I have no clue what this really means but I love the way it sounds, please let this britishly challenged fool know what it means please)

I believe it's short for "sodomize".

[CanadaGirl]

According to sodoff.com it means "go away".

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

I would've tossed Mr. Asshelmet out on his ass at the second swear word. I'll give you one cuss, because anybody can let one slip in the heat of the moment. It's called being a human being. But when you start cursing like a Tourette's patient off their meds, then you're out the door.

Oh, and I believe "Sod off" is roughly equivalent to "F off". And now, off I sod.

[Amethyst Hunter]

"Sod off" is the British equivalent to the American "fuck off", I believe.

[powerboy]

You are in the right on that. He was a damn scammer, and got put into his place, and he got worried, so he tried that shit, of being a big baby. It does not fly with me, at work

[jnd4rusty]

I work as a manager at a resturant and we do NOT take that type of abuse from anyone. I tell everyone of my employees that if someone starts to swear at them then to come and get me because I will not tolerate it. It is the same when I take mistake calls, when they start injecting swear words I immediately tell them that they need to STOP swearing or I will not help them. Most of the time the customer becomes ashamed and apologizes. I have hung up on people who would not stop. I say something the very first time that a swear word is uttered from their mouths. We have the full blessing of our store manager to let the customer know that will not tolerate the abuse.

[Gravekeeper]

My cut off point is pretty much the same: Once you let a swear word go in my direction then all bets are off. I don't care if you swear once or twice about the situation you're in or about how crappy your computer is or whatever. Long as its not excessive. But the second you direct it at me, bye bye.

Same goes for name calling, once you call me anything less then respectful then I consider you fair game. =p

[AFpheonix]

It depends on the person. By the nature of my job I get a lot of people who are hurting pretty bad, or perhaps are off their rocker if they didn't take their meds for a few days, etc etc. Most I can de-escalate by being calm and business like, and not giving in to stupidity. If they don't like it, they tend to go elsewhere after awhile because they can't get anywhere with me.


People who insist on whining will get a suggestion of other stores that will fit their needs better.

People who swear over the phone at me get one warning and if they continue, a hang up.

Threats of physical violence or actual physical violence gets you banned, and so does illegal activity, such as calling in your own prescriptions.

[Fraggle]

Where i work, you give them three warnings and if they continue hang up. But i usually only give them 1 warning, i believe 3 is too much for someone who rings up behaving like a child.