Shop Talk
The nerve!
As I am setting up a new account this afternoon, I notice a patron studying the HUGE map of mall stores less than 6 feet from my location. She rudely interrupts and asks where ***( a competitor) is. I look at her and ask her if she asks Mcdonald's where burger king is? Then point in the competitors direction. They are also CLEARLY visible from my stand, With their 10 foot tall white and pink sign. After she goes on her way she stops back, interrupts again, and asks if I am always here and asks my name, as if to threaten me! I cant believe how odd some middle aged people act. 😳
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So what was wrong with just answering her question? Perhaps she would have gone to the competitors place, disliked their plan or whatever, and come back to the person who was nice enough to give her directions. You're lucky the new account you were setting up didn't decide that they wanted to go someplace with friendlier employees...
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She was making a bill payment. The only reason my customer would have left is if I would have pulled myself away from them and ignored them to answer a dimwitted question to a very rude (for interrupting me mid sentence with a customer)woman. I am not customer service and am not paid to direct people to someone elses booth to possibly sign up for service. this is why i have a binder with all competitions plans and maps in it. I did tell her I had tmobile flyers to show her and compare our (obviously) better rate plans with if she would wait a minute. She said she needed to make a bill payment and went on her way. In 4 years here, same store, I never had anyone act as rudely as she did. Normally I am very kind to everyone but her obnoxious ...
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whoo, sorry, just needed to vent a little. Althought it shouldn't matter, I have been very sick for over a week, working thru because I am the only person availible to do so. Eating very little and being on 3 meds isnt making my patience longer.
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Pfft... don't apologize. There are some rude jerkoffs out there who need to be smacked around a few times with a large pipe wrench. I've had a similar interruption from an equally rude idiot (note: "idiot", not "customer" - there is a difference.) and I believe I replied with a sharp "I'll be with you when I'm finished helping my customer." I wouldn't waste my time with someone like that.
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Nobody has better plans that T-mobile you moron. Pull out your stupid binder and you will realize that. Even before I worked for T-mobile, I still knew they had the best plans, it's not too hard to compare 600 minutes(Tmobile) to 450(Cingular) for the same price is it? You tell me which is better? Who else has a 1000 minutes and free nights and weekends for 45.99, that is nationwide? No One. You just look into things before you run your mouth.
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Completely unlimited minutes for $50/ month. local, long distance, daytime, nightime. 😉 Also, 1000 daytime minutes, and add $5 for free n/w, and ya get $45/month, NATIONWIDE. with a larger coverage area tham t-mobile. hehe we use their towers nationwide along with our own and older att/suncom, and some new cingular agreements have surfaced.
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Ok I'm sorry, but it is really rude to ask a company where there rival is. It's like a slap in the face. I agree with freedom. That would piss me off too.
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im with you on that one!!!! if people ask me where a competitor is, I usually point them in the wrong direction.
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I get this all the time, I use to show them what way to go. But every since I got pregnant my fuse is really short and I express my feelings a little more freely without really realizing it. I get more phone calls than anything, the last time someone called asking if I was ( competitor ) I told them no, then they asked for there number. I told them I didn't know. Then they asked if I could look it up in the phone book for them because they were driving and didn't have a phone book. I asked them ware they got my number from? They hung up.... Oops! 😈
I also get allot of people come right up to my big sign and look right at it and say " Are you (competitor)."
I also get allot of people come right up to my big sign and look right at it and say " Are you (competitor)."
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YEah I get that alot as well. When they ask me where a competitor is I usually ask them if they are going there to cancel. Or why would you want to find them?? Other than that the one thing freedom could have done so he doesnt get interupted is greet them before they have to interupt you. I have had customers "interupt" me but it was only after i didn't acknowledge them standing there. However certain people need to be aware of how rude they are being.
I was opening my kiosk once and was counting the registers. Some teenager walked past and asked what time the stores open. I thought he was talking to his friend cause he didnt stop to wait for my answer. I kept counting. I then hear him whisteling at me like a flippin dog! I turn around a...
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I was opening my kiosk once and was counting the registers. Some teenager walked past and asked what time the stores open. I thought he was talking to his friend cause he didnt stop to wait for my answer. I kept counting. I then hear him whisteling at me like a flippin dog! I turn around a...
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I guess I just don't get why it matters. Tell them where it is and let them be on their way. I guess there are much worse things in this world to get upset with.
Gotta rub that Buddha belly a bit and let your stress melt away hehe.
Gotta rub that Buddha belly a bit and let your stress melt away hehe.
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If you have been in the business for any length of time you certainly would appreciate that a particular carrier can not satisfy everyones legitamate cell phone requirements and preferences. Given that reality each carrier uniquelly is qualified to better serve a particular potential client.
Why then should any sales person take it personally and be offended?
This person was in need of directions and decided to interupt your conversation because she knew that the interuption would take 10 seconds versus waiting 10-15 miutes for you to finish with the customer. From that perspective it does not seem to unreasonable. Of course it would have be graceful if she first excused herself appologetically prior to blurting out her question.
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Why then should any sales person take it personally and be offended?
This person was in need of directions and decided to interupt your conversation because she knew that the interuption would take 10 seconds versus waiting 10-15 miutes for you to finish with the customer. From that perspective it does not seem to unreasonable. Of course it would have be graceful if she first excused herself appologetically prior to blurting out her question.
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did ya miss the part where i said i saw her stare at the mall map less than 6 feet away from my kiosk for approximately 5 minutes? i knew she wanted to know where something was and was too lazy/stupid to read a map and find it on her own. Taking time away from a paying customer to do guest services job for them isnt what i get paid for. also, there is a carrier for everyone. i agree. but until i know what their needs are and find out why i cant help them i wont send them on their way. i am here to make money and by sending someone someplace else, their money will have a hard time finding my pocket 🙂
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yes I read about her inability to understand the map. Your decision to dismiss someone because she could not read a map indcates you either have littel empathy and/or do not care much about maximizing your income. simply put your strategy in the long run does not maximize your profit. You are not sending them on their way instead of having them as a customer. She was not interested in exploring your services at that time. Given the churn rates you should think about the future customer and what she may share with others about your customer service.
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I sincerely hope he/she is not implying that he/she had a paying customer witnessing such blatant disregard for proper behavior while on the job.
Maybe she had very little schooling as a child & had a hard time reading the map. She may not be smart, but she's got every right to complain to his/her manager about the rude behavior of someone representing Freedom Wireless.
Here's my example. Someone is stuck in the middle of nowhere in Kentucky roaming off of our towers. Dials 611 only to get me on the line. She's from Oregon. She has Cingular. I spent 15 minutes of my own time trying to find her the Cingular # in Oregon so that she can use her roadside assistance to get a tow truck since she has no $$ on her. (This story is tr...
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Maybe she had very little schooling as a child & had a hard time reading the map. She may not be smart, but she's got every right to complain to his/her manager about the rude behavior of someone representing Freedom Wireless.
Here's my example. Someone is stuck in the middle of nowhere in Kentucky roaming off of our towers. Dials 611 only to get me on the line. She's from Oregon. She has Cingular. I spent 15 minutes of my own time trying to find her the Cingular # in Oregon so that she can use her roadside assistance to get a tow truck since she has no $$ on her. (This story is tr...
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Freedom I feel your pain. This is simply a case of this woman being too lazy to look for something herself. And of course being a consumer she seemed to have felt that it was her right to get what she wanted when she wanted it. I used to work at a kiosk that was directly in front of the mall directory and several times a day someone would come up to me and ask me where a certain store was and if I didn't know the answer they usually walked off in a disgusted mood. I finally started telling people that this was my first day at the mall or I was filling in from another location. It wasn't that giving directions was so difficult I just got tired of being treated like information.
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Stories like this remind me why I left retail.
If you don't want to hear an opinion that agrees with the thread starter stop reading now.
Any more customers feel they are the only one with a question, concern, need, etc. To that end they ignore everything else even other customers. I believe it comes from the years and years of hearing "The customer is always right" I have news for everyone. The customer is not always right.
I worked in a video rental store. One day a customer came in to get fees waived. I refused. They wanted to speak to my manager. He was right next to me. I told them I was a manager (which I was) and for the following reasons we would not waive the fees. I read to them a note in their account stataing t...
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If you don't want to hear an opinion that agrees with the thread starter stop reading now.
Any more customers feel they are the only one with a question, concern, need, etc. To that end they ignore everything else even other customers. I believe it comes from the years and years of hearing "The customer is always right" I have news for everyone. The customer is not always right.
I worked in a video rental store. One day a customer came in to get fees waived. I refused. They wanted to speak to my manager. He was right next to me. I told them I was a manager (which I was) and for the following reasons we would not waive the fees. I read to them a note in their account stataing t...
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How much time off your life do you lose each time you let someone like this person bother you.
Considering the attitude of the original poster, how do we know the customer didn't politely say, "Excuse me, but do you know where T-Mobile is located?".
Whatever way they asked and whether or not you feel they deserved a smart ass remark WHO CARES. Relax, move on, have a ****tail after work or do whatever you need to reduce the stress on your heart and body.
When you don't need to take heart medicine in your 40's and 50's you'll thank me.
Considering the attitude of the original poster, how do we know the customer didn't politely say, "Excuse me, but do you know where T-Mobile is located?".
Whatever way they asked and whether or not you feel they deserved a smart ass remark WHO CARES. Relax, move on, have a ****tail after work or do whatever you need to reduce the stress on your heart and body.
When you don't need to take heart medicine in your 40's and 50's you'll thank me.
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You should have taken this as an opportunity... Common courtesy would have just been to advise her. perhaps you should have asked her if maybe you could help her cuz your rates were better, etc etc. It could have meant a sale for you.
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did ya read my message fully? i did state that i offerred to show her our plans in a minute because i keep a binder with all current offerings from every wireless company... 6 are available and within view from my stand. after she refused my offer she got pissy. every person who comes up to me i view as a potential client.
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I actually have friends who work with other providors and send them customers whose needs I cannot meet. They also send me their high usage customers because their plans do not offer people enough minutes. I like the industry and the people I meet in it.
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wow i cant believe some people...
maybe it's me but i wouldnt go up to someone and ask directions to their competitor. It's called common courtesy in my book. But then Ive noticed a huge drop in common sense in this country too...
maybe it's me but i wouldnt go up to someone and ask directions to their competitor. It's called common courtesy in my book. But then Ive noticed a huge drop in common sense in this country too...
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Freedom, while its true this customer was inconsiderate for even asking this question. A better response from you would have been - oh were you interested in starting a new wireless service? perhaps i could help you with that. then proceed with the probe and benefit statement process. if she was already a customer of xxx wireless try to convince her to port her number out. I just convinced a woman to pay 2 penalties to sprint to come over to cingular. why did she do it because i listened then sold her on benefits. failing that talk to her about buying something til she walks away frustrated. 🙂
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jamorr said:
Freedom, while its true this customer was inconsiderate for even asking this question. A better response from you would have been - oh were you interested in starting a new wireless service? perhaps i could help you with that. then proceed with the probe and benefit statement process. if she was already a customer of xxx wireless try to convince her to port her number out. I just convinced a woman to pay 2 penalties to sprint to come over to cingular. why did she do it because i listened then sold her on benefits. failing that talk to her about buying something til she walks away frustrated. 🙂
Ha! That would show her not to ask where a competitor is again unless she wants to get hassled ab...
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thanks for the advice, everyone.. in retrospect i wouldnt reply the same way again. live and learn! 😉
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