Mind your F'ing business

I disagree with that. How does a certain amount of pay equal to how nice you have to be to the customers. I once worked concessions at a minor league ballpark. The pay was crap, but I sure tried my best to be nice to everyone, including the 5,000 school kids who came on field trips for the weekday 10 a.m. games and were standing 15 deep at my window trying to buy crappy souvenirs before the bus left. I wasn't getting paid much but that didn't stop me from trying to do a good job.

 

flip, you're right. it shouldn't matter someone is being paid. they should be nice anyway.

too many times have I had a flippant employee not treat me nicely. I was sure to make the manager aware of the situation. I don't care if you're making $5.15 an hour at the burger joint. At least be nice. That includes, "Welcome to the establisment, may I take you're order?" and "Have a nice day." NOT "take your order?" and silence.

and re: poison pen letters. They don't always work.

My dad purchased a camcorder from Best Buy several years ago. The model he wanted was down to just the floor model as it was being phased out. Since it was a display unit, my dad was leery of the purchase, but the sales person assured him that if my dad purchased the extended warranty (not usually a good idea) he would be fine.

Sure enough, about a week later, the battery wasn't holding a charge and the unit was on the fritz. So my dad goes to Best Buy to get it fixed. "Sorry, sir, we can't do that." Dumbfounded, Dad pulls out the warranty agreement and says, "I think you can."

In summation, Best Buy said they shouldn't have sold a warranty with the demo. Dad says, but you did, so you have to honor it. They offered to refund the money for the warranty but they wouldn't fix the camera or refund the money for the purchase.

Up and up the ladder my dad went until he reach the president or CEO or whatever. No dice from them either. Warrany refund, but nothing for the camera.

We refuse to do business with them to this day. And it's been more than a decade.

 

Exactly. I'm really sorry your career path is in the food service or retail sector but don't take it out on me. By purchasing something from your employer I am, in a small way, keeping your fucking ass employed.

I worked at a lumberyard and a paint store during my high school and college days and I can say with quite a bit of certainty that the bosses I had at both places would have physically thrown me out on my ass if I pulled some of the shit that's been described on this thread.

The customer is always right. Even if he's a complete fucking idiot, which most of them are. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to reach across the counter and strangle the shit out of idiots who would bring in a piece of their house, a piece of carpet or a picture from a fucking magazine and ask, "can you match this color?"

People who brought in a piece of siding were the best. Piece of cracked, faded siding with bird shit on it, looks like it hasn't been painted in about 15 years.

"Can you match this color?"

"Do you want the color it is now, or the color it was when you painted it?"

*blank stare, hamster running on little treadmill inside customer's head*

"uhhhhhhh....."

The only reason we could get away with that was because it was a legitimate question. What I really wanted to say was, "Listen fuckwit, you understand paint fades, right? The house wasn't this color when you painted it God knows how long ago."

Good times. Good times.

 

i thought you don't have to paint siding ???

 

By siding I meant a piece of their house. And yeah, you usually don't paint aluminum siding but you do paint the composite stuff.

People brought in all kinds of wild shit to match. Even old paint cans with paint smeared on the side.

"This was the color we painted the kitchen five years ago. I don't remember the name of the color. Can you match it off of this old can?"

 

I stand by my statement. Life's too short to worry about some minimum-wage person with a likely to be grim backstory not being all cheerful with me. Hell, just ignore, pay and get on with life.

 

But what about the other minimum-wage folks with a likely to be grim backstory who could lose their jobs because the place goes out of business?

 

BD, I think we covered this on a Best Buy-sucks thread from a year-plus ago, but you've nailed the one company that doesn't give a flying fornication about customer service.

Some time in the late 90s, when I subscribed to Smart Money Magazine, they did a story on the death of customer service and how it not only doesn't hurt the company, but the more customer unfriendly they are (return policies, etc), the better their stock price.

Best Buy was Exhibit A.

 

My mother-in-law, an interior designer, once took an eggplant to a paint store to get the color matched. But I think they were kinda used to her.

 

Yup. In my case it was a television I had repaired. Not under warranty, mind you. I actually paid them. It was dumb, I should have bought a new one, I know, I know. I heard nothing for a month, then got a letter informing me that since I hadn't come to pick it up, it would be disposed of. It wasn't, but that was the next-to-last time I bought anything there. (Got a gift card a while later...gave in and used it.)

 

you should always be nice, both customer and person on other end. we don't get paid much, but we have to be nice to motherfuckers who call and question how we do our job. i suck it up and put on my fake voice, then rip the shit out of them as soon as I get off the phone. that's all these people have to do. shut the fuck up and do your job. then blast everyone later. fuck, i hate people sometimes.

oh, and these stories have made my night.