The mantra of "the customer is always right"

No.

 

Alan Sugar once said that the customer isn't always right and you shouldn't be afraid to tell them if they are wrong.

I agree with him.

 

I used to agree with that 'mantra' until I semi retired and took on a part time postie job..... that certainly opened my eyes.

 

In my experience, the customer is nearly always wrong.

 

In my job I often have to have discussions with customers, some of them very influential customers, about them being wrong. Another mantra is that 'it isn't what you say it's the way that you say it' which is an important one to remember during such discussions.

 

Does this also apply to your comments about Barnsley Football Club? Sorry, in advance!

 

I hear that is what your customer says too.

 

That’s what Conway said

 

I've told some quite firmly before, when they've woken me up at midnight with requests for things doing on their website "within a couple of hours if possible". 3 times that's happened.

 

They're always, always wrong. But you're a much better person if you're able to treat them like they're right.

 

If you p*ss them off telling someone who thinks their right that they are wrong or decide to turn them away and dont buy from you then they technically aren't a customer anymore.

 

You should say yes of course. However given the unsociable hours my work I said three times it’s normal hourly rate.

 

The customer is a biohazard. Get them to put a mask on, spray them with disinfectant and get the **** as far away from them as you possibly can.

 

The mantra isn't something to be taken strictly literally. It's a slogan that was designed to encourage higher standards of customer service, leading to higher customer satisfaction, and as a result, higher volume of sales. In essence it's the reason why, for example, Dane Murphy agrees to do a Q&A session instead of simply saying, "Get lost. Who's running this show, me or you?"

I'd also argue that idiocy exists on both sides of the counter. A sizable number of people are idiots. Many of them have jobs. Some of those jobs are customer facing. I'm sure we've all had dealings with a few of them. It's just as frustrating from the opposite side.

 

The patient approached the desk and asked me what she should regarding the atm not dispensing £250. I informed her she should contact her bank about it. She left and returned asking me if there was CCTV in the area. I informed her there was CCTV. I told her that the cashiers office may have more information than me. She returned and angrily said it’s not them. She then walked towards the atm and returned again. She asked me to take her details should someone go to the atm and find her money and hand it to me. I respectfully declined to take her details as I didn’t want to take any responsibility. At this point she accused me of being rude and obstructive. She even asked me to watch the atm and contact her should someone try and hand in the money. I offered her a complaint form and reiterated that she needed to contact her bank. She again accused me of being rude and having an attitude and said she intended to complain. At this point I made it clear to her that I felt he was trying to attribute blame to me and contacted a sister to come and have a word with her a there as nothing else I could do. She then took my name again (written). I then took her details as a token gesture. I did inform her that whilst general office was open I would have re directed ant attempt to hand the money in to them.




When sister came down I explained to the patient what I meant by not taking responsibility. In this case it was a scenario whereby the money is handed over to me and I contact the patient about it and between it leaving Main Reception to the safe or cashiers office it goes missing. It would be me that’s liable. She reluctantly accepted this and asked me why I didn’t say this to start with. She then mentioned she’d been for Chemotherapy treatment and didn’t need the stress of contacting her bank and left. I thought that not taking responsibly was a broader term. That would involve less conflict.




I used the broad term of not wanting to be responsible to not discredit the patient in anyway or embarrass her. As firstly, I didn’t have the any proof the £250 existed and thought what if the same thing happens with someone else. The patient was clearly making a be-line for me as she never made any attempt to give her details to the cafe manager who passed her query to me and the Cashiers office.




I felt she singled me out to be honest. I was never rude, insulting or showed any attitude. I perhaps could have humoured her and took her details sooner but that wouldn’t have been the correct procedure as I didn’t have proof of monies or ask for it. Due to patient confidentiality. It was also of vindicated her notion that I was responsible.




Before leaving she said to me and the sister that she knew it was nothing to do with me (the atm) and she wasn’t blaming me. This beggars the question why did she approach me in the first place? Was she singling me out?

 

I would have taken her details in that situation and said if she contacted her branch she would probably find that the money hadn't been deducted from her account. Surely you have some responsibility if lost property is handed to you?