A lady asked me how to get service on her landline phone. At the department store I was working at. It was very confusing, I did actually give her info on a local service that ensures the elderly on fixed incomes always have service, at no ongoing cost at least. She just RAGED at me for being so incompetent I couldn’t turn on her phone service from the department store, or wouldn’t personally go out and install it. I’ve never been called so many names in my life. And yet I still feel sorry for her. Customer service really is a constant exercise in empathy and checked projection, you can’t get mad at customer 6 just because customer 5 was a horrorshow lunatic.
Comment on please be nice to retail workers
hardcoreufo@lemmy.world 3 months ago
I’m still sour a decade later over some customer interactions. One of the most notable was during my time as a barista. It was a busy weekend and quite loud in the shop with a line out the door. The line was to the left of the register and it’s important to know I only have about 50 percent hearing out of my left ear so most people are on my “bad side.”
Now this isn’t a big deal, since if I’m looking at you I hear just fine or if it’s quiet I can pick up on sounds from that side no problem. In a loud busy cafe, it’s pretty bad. So I go to help the next customer and say “hi how can I help you today” or something. The Karen replies that “I was very rude to her, she said hi earlier and I didn’t reply.”
She was a regular and I recognized her but we didn’t have a rapport or anything but I would have definitely greeted her had I heard. I apologized and explained I’m pretty deaf in my left ear and just didn’t hear her. Story should have ended there but she goes ballistic and starts calling me a liar and that I made it up. Luckily a more friendly regular was also in line and backed me up.
Still pisses me off. Everyone should work a service job just to learn how to treat people.
Snowclone@lemmy.world 3 months ago
wizardbeard@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 months ago
If it helps any, people that jump to the conclusion that you are just arbitrarily lying to cover yourself usually assume that because it’s how they approach life.