billege

Damn those know-nothing customers for spending money and keeping us all in work.

Whose fucking job is it to help them? Not mine damnit! Those stupid fools who don't do this all day, and don't know what they are talking about!

They should know everything about everything before even picking up a phone.

Stupid customers.

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I can sum up the clash of religion in one sentence:
"My Invisible Friend is better than your Invisible Friend."

shakran

I don't think anyone is saying the customer should know everything. But when the customer doesn't know it, asks you, and then proceeds to argue with you for half an hour, usually mentioning things like you're dumb, you don't know what you're talking about, you shouldn't have this job, etc, then I think people who work retail have the right to get a little pissy. I haven't worked behind a parts counter but I do work retail. For those that haven't, try not to. A surefire way to develop a cynical attitude toward the entire human race is to have to deal with them as a sales clerk. I've had people swear at me, threaten me, tell me I'm stupid, etc, just because I wouldn't go along with whatever dumbassed scheme they wanted me to tell them was a good idea. (ex: "I didn't glue my PVC pipe together and now it leaks. I want some tape that will stop the leak." I told him he'd just have to go in, disassemble it, and glue it together. He told me I was a fucking retard, threatened to kill me, then when i told him to calm down, he grabbed me by the throat (I don't tend to take crap from people). Many times a day I get people who come in my store and ask me "What's the difference between product A and product B" and when I tell them they tell me I must be wrong, I don't know what I'm talking about, What, am I stupid, etc.

People have this idea that they don't have to be polite when talking to someone who works in a store. They have an idea that we are there to serve them and to let them walk all over us because that's just the right way to be. I don't put up with that bullshit for one second. If they're polite I help them out a lot, and usually save them a lot of money over what they were gonna do in the first place. If they can't have the decency to even pretend to know how to be polite, then I don't waste my time with 'em.

grumpyolddude

Don't get so defensive! We only want straight answers to pertinent questions. We are trying to help our customers to solve their problems, it just that , too often, we run into a guy who believes HE knows it all, or someone who thinks we shouldn't need any information at all!

I feel sorry for the poor women who call us while their husband sits swilling beer, shouting instructions to her across the kitchen. She's a victim here, and it's almost impossible for us to help her.

How should I deal with the customer who insists that I sold him something that doesn't exist... 2 years ago! And HE'S pissed because I can't get him ANOTHER ONE!!! IT STILL DOES NOT EXIST, BUDDY!!!

The great majority of our customers are wonderful people who are a pleasure to work with. They are the ones that keep us going. However, when faced with a few of the other kind, we sometimes need a place to vent. We're doing it here, rather than in the faces of those jerks. Get it?

Now, if you want to explore the other side of the issue, start a thread about it. You'll get plenty of support.

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"Regret can be a harder pill to swallow than failure .With failure you at least know you gave it a chance..." David Howard

Snakeyes

People like her piss people like me off, but for a different reason.

I'm no asshole when it comes to computers but when I call I guess it's in their training to treat everyone like an idiot.

It's fun sometimes because after the tech realizes that I'm not an idiot, I learn something new because he starts talking about why this fixes it and stuff like that. I've also had a lot of conversations with the Rogers Cable techs about their jobs and some of their stupid customers, because, sadly, I have to call them alot. But I don't blame the techs .

Me: My router doesn't work, I think there's a conflict with my MAC addresses or something.

Tech: Alright, I want you to look carefully at your desk. Do you see the little white thing? It may be a shade of gray. Grasp it, not too tight, but so your hand is comfortable on it.

Me: You mean the mouse?

Tech: Right. Now use the little arrow on your desktop to go to the place marked "Start". Then click the left mouse button.

Me: Open winipcfg?

Tech: Uh, yeah...

Then the conversation turns from "Right click on my computer, then press..." to "Open System Properties". I like that.

Wow I just babbled a lot.

Snakeyes

So, can you sell me some sensor fixing fluid or not?

Sion

"People would always want a bottle of liquid that they could pour in their engine,tank trranny, etc that would fix busted seals, bad sensors or injectors or other major failures, used to crack me up."


the bad thing about the "mechanic in a bottle" type of products is that some of them DO work, sometimes. but, unfortunately, most of them dont, and those few that do help only work in very specific situations. for example, if you have a slow seepage leak from a gasket that is beginning to go bad, there are products that will swell the gasket and stop the leak, even though it is only a temporary fix.

my worst pet peeve from my parts counter days though are these two:

1. people who always want to go the absolute cheapest possible route to fix their brakes. it's almost as if they WANT to kill themselves (and possibly others). I actually told one guy "A car that wont start can't kill you, but a car that wont stop is almost certain to kill you." stupid bastard still did not take my advice. (note: my advice was NOT to use compression fittings to repair a rotted out steel brake line.)

2. the guy who says "just gimme the cheapest tires you got. no, dont balance them. I'm selling the car in a couple of months." if I have heard this excuse for not repairing a car properly once, Ive heard it 10,000 times. and it is for this reason that I will not buy a used car without spending 2 or 3 hours going over it with a fine toothed comb.

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He's the best, of course, of all the worst.
Some wrong been done, he done it first. -fz

I jus' want ta thank you...falettinme...be mice elf...agin...

wyld_bill2001

i know its a little off line, but still auto related...you wanna here customers complain, you should work at a gas station.. my SO has managed one for 13 years and every time the price goes up, they wanna know why "she" is gouging them for all the money she can cause she knows they have to have gas. i know she wants to reach across the counter and smack some of them.