Run in at work with customer

[dotty.]

customer was complaining that an order hadn't arrived, she was talking on her mobile phone the whole time (in a foreign language i didn't understand) and was not even looking at me whilst i investigated the delay. I stopped talking to her as she was talking on her phone and not even looking at me. She looked at me after a second or so and said, 'go on' and I replied 'I'm sorry I couldn't hear you I was talkng', she smirked and said something else into her phone that I didn't understand and then, as we had a large queue I said in almost a shout, 'Would you care to come back when you have finished your conversation?' and shouted 'Next please'. She stomped off, when she came back she was right arsy, what would you have done? (either as me or as her)

[tonyav]

Well dot, I think I would have probably got the sack.

[NOX]

If you knew what her issue was Dotty and were investigating it then if you'd spoken to me like that I'd have done more than been arsey I'd have reported you to your manager, sorry but I think that was really rude.

[mccfluff]

As her i wouldn't of been on the phone in the first place, thats just rude. As you i,d of prob been quite sarcastic and served someone else

[China Doll]

I doubt I'd have raised my voice to almost a shout.

[ChuckFickens]

I would have made an official complaint about your attitude and behavior. you seem to forget you work in a service industry and you are paid to provide a service to these people, not judge or belittle them.

[dotty.]

i'm the manager, she was the one being rude, I was explaining to her the information on the screen to give her the progress of the order, which is what she had come in to ask me about, and she was totally ignoring me and looking away to speak into her phone, i repeated the information 3 times and she did not respond. we had a long queue, if she didn;t want serving she should not have bothered asking the question.

[funnygirl]

I agree with you Dot! I probably would have rammed the mobile somewhere were the sun don't shine.

[invisiblelady]

I would have reported you. You were investigating and she did say 'go on' and would therefore have been listening to you at that point. I certainly wouldn't have left the head of the queue to come back.

[237SJ]

Well she was being rude but I couldn`t get away with speaking to a customer like that. Much as I`d love to.

[NOX]

That's nothing like the scenario you initially posted though Dotty, but none the less if you had been employed by me I would still have taken issue with your attitude. As chuck says you are there to provide a service politely even under extreme circumstances.If you were the manager then I'd have taken it higher than that as I still feel you were rude. Customers are frequently impolite, it's something you just have to deal with.

[dotty.]

When she returned she did not get arsy about my service, she was just annoyed that her order had not arrived, maybe in my OP I described the incident badly, trust me, i wasn't the one being rude and she had no reason to complain about my treatment of her, the other staff all said they had no idea how i kept my cool, but i always do, i've not spent 40 years in retail without knowing how to conduct myself, never yet had a complaint against me , I'm not one to grovel to customers but I'm not a doormat and just because you are a customer does not mean you are dealing with people beneath you.

[joeluke]

Customer was being ignorant by having mobile conversation

I'd have done exactly same as you Dot

...and if I was the customer in the queue behind her I'd have been getting impatient and would've started a dialogue with you about my query long before you shouted "next please"

[EDDIE51]

I agree with NOX on this one, customers can be very annoying but you have to rise above it and be polite at all times. If I had done what you did I would expect a warning from my superior.

[dotty.]

i might sack myself and claim unfair dismissal then, i'd like to see some folks on here cope with the rabble and hassle we get at work, it tests anyones metal trust me, yet the only complaint in the last 3 years has been that i wouldn;t make a £450.00 lottery payout (we have a £100 floor limit), i like the job, the product is great, but there is an unnecessary amount of aggressive and almost abusive reaction from customers just because they can't have what they are not entitled to.

[dotty.]

maybe some of you on this thread have seen yourself in that customer seeing as you feel she had a given right to beittle me and treat me like a servant eh? lol actually i think that's nearer the mark

[EDDIE51]

I just add that my reply was based on your first post, but I still think you should have had another go at explaining the problem after letting her finish the phone conversation. I would have said something like '' I will come back to you once you finish your phone call , but I have to see the next customer first.''

[Sqad]

I agree with joeluke.......bloody rude of the costumer......but I'm afraid, that is the way it is today.

When i was short of cash, I did a few GP locums and during visits to the home it was the rule rather than the exception that the TV was kept on.
I ALWAYS started by asking them to turn off the TV before the consultation and the looks of distaste were something to behold.

[NOX]

Well sorry Dotty but you did ask, and I answered. I'm sorry you don't like my answer but I employ people who deal sometimes with very difficult people so do know something of the retail service sector and I wouldn't employ people who think it's okay to talk to customers ( however rude that customer might be) like that.

[ummmm]

It's not the way it is today, Sqad. They just didn't have mobile phones back in 'your day'!

I was brought up in pubs, there have always been rude people. People that almost throw their money on the bar. No pleases and thankyous. Some people are rude, some people are not.

Dot...I would have said to her that I'll serve the other customers until she'd finished her conversation. She was talking in a language you didn't understand. It could have been an important call.

[commoner]

A tricky little question but as one who dealt with the public for almost 60 years on a daily basis..I would say that on balance...the "customer is always right" is the way to go....

Sorry joe (and Squad) but..... if I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong....mmm...now where did I see that before. ;_)