I’m sure many readers are familiar with the ‘Not Always Right‘ Web site. For those who aren’t, its name is a play on the old saying, “the customer is always right“. That’s not true, of course, despite all that marketers would like us to believe! The site gathers horror stories of customer service. They’re frequently side-splittingly funny.
Here are three examples out of the thousands on the site.
(I am checking out a customer and taking their details.)
Me: “Ma’am, what is your street name?”
Customer: “I don’t really have one of those. I usually just go by Shanice.”
# # #(A young woman is ordering her breakfast.)
Me: “Would you like eggs as well?”
Customer: “No thanks, I’m trying to become a vegetarian and eggs come from cows.”
(Please note she had already ordered bacon.)
# # #(The customer is buying one piece of jewelry. I’m all about the environment so I try to avoid giving out bags for small purchases.)
Me: “Would you like a bag, or do you want to put it in your purse?”
Customer: “My purse is fine.”
Me: “Yay! You just saved a polar bear!”
Customer: *eyes go wide* “Plastic bags … are made out of … polar bears?!”
There are many more at the link. If you haven’t visited the site before, beware – it can suck you in for hours, reading the archives! Very funny, and highly recommended reading.
Peter
Thanks Peter! I just added it to my sidebar (after an hour and a half…)
This is why I try to be nice to people in retail; I've been there and don't envy them.
Jim