Clare over at “Thoughts from the C train” tells the story of one seeeeeeriously abusive customer:
I got called that one time. Swear. Say it: Phenomenal Cesspool of Incompetence. It’s brilliant! I mean seriously, who can come up with that shit? Well I’ll tell you who . . . kind of.
A little background. I’m a career banker, and I’ve always been on the operations side. Kind of a nuts and bolts of banking girl. I’ve also always managed people, which means the ugly situations get elevated to me.
Once I had a customer who would send absolutely hideous messages through the internet banking department. Let’s say, for example, he could not get his updated balance at three in the morning because we had not yet finished processing. This would throw him into a Rage so Fearsome that the email he sent would kind of burn your eyes out of your head. He never called, he never showed up to any branch, he would just send these awful messages from the safety of his little computer in the wee hours of the morning. Yes, coward.
Go read the whole story – it just shows how important it is to fire customers who are not good for your business.
It’s important to remember how much you can endure before a costumer becomes a liability to a company. Thanks for the post!
I’ve never believed the theory that the customer is always right. The only thing that is ever right is principle
You can’t please all of the people all of the time – you can only do your best, but some customers? – you are better off without them!.
Haha, what a maniac….
The problem is that when customers upset you, it is very difficult to remain pleasant and on top form when the next one rings you. You end up being ‘less than your best’ and this affects sales down the line.
If they are rude and upset you- let them buy from someone else.
I have one golded phrase when customers are being really awkward, “I am sorry, but in that case I am afraid that I can’t help you”.
It is amazing how that stops them in their tracks and makes them see sense.