I feel like in the customer service realm we are constantly told that the customer is, of course, always right. I have to disagree. There are instances when customers are BLATANTLY wrong. For example, a woman approached the counter today after ordering, threw her to-go bag of food on the counter and said, "I wanted a turnover, not a scone." My co-worker Nathan then responded, "Oh, you said scone" which she just returned a, "No." Nathan had no problem with giving this woman the correct piece of food, but our customer could never have been at fault, for she should be always right. Right? The fact is, this woman was paying so little attention to her interaction with us at the counter that she couldn't even faintly recall saying "scone" instead of "turnover." Just to be clear - it was certain between Nathan and I that this woman said scone, not turnover. I could give you countless examples of similar situations - people being jerks because of a mistake they made in the ordering process.
At what point do we stop enabling people to blame all their actions on other people? I realize that it would be inappropriate for me to correct each person's mistake, but I feel like there should be a time for me, the server, to say to the customer - I'm sorry, you're incorrect. I just think that we (the world) enable people to be as self-interested and absorbed as possible. When is it right to say - "Hey! Don't talk to me like that!" Don't I have the right to be treated reasonably? For heavens sake, I'm giving these people a cup of coffee! They don't NEED this coffee, it's not something they're investing in - it's a beverage! So just chill out, slow down and order.
I'm about ready to snap at the next guy that pushes my buttons.
P.S. next time you order your medium caramel latte with an extra shot, could you just say hello to your barista first? They'd appreciate it. We're not machines.
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6 comments:
ah - the consumer-istic nature of this lovely country we call america.
reminds me of my good ol' days at chili's. did i ever tell you about the time i got threatened...some upset guest told me: "i'll be waiting for you in the parking lot." ugh! seriously?!
-monica
word.
i agree with you claire. i think we should be allowed to tell people when they are wrong without being judged or reprimanded for it, as long as we have a good reason for telling them they are wrong.
Sometimes I wish we could be like Jack Black on high fidelity and just yell at them to go to the mall, and sometimes I wish we had a sign that read, "We reserve the right to refuse service to idiots," and then just point at it when a customer is being an idiot. But at least they give us something to talk about and make fun of after they leave. Though I don't really do it myself, I think the best thing you can do to rude people is to just start laughing at them for how inconsiderate they are. They will probably just get angrier.
uh, could i have a scone please?
jac
Claire! i know. i don't know from a barista's perspective, but i do know from a person who works in customer service as well - perspective (if that even makes sense?). i'm sorry people are rude. i will be EXTRA nice the next time i come in!
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