Is there any actual benefit of being rude, abusive towards any staff?

😂😂😂

Often rude or aggressive people do get what they want though, as evidenced by a few on this thread, and that's really frustrating as both a service provider and a reasonable customer!!

There’s absolutely no point whatsoever. The problem is that a lot of people are incapable of articulating themselves without aggression and rudeness, and a very large number are not able to handle even the most minor mishap or mistake. Also most of the people who they’re having a go at have no real authority over the thing they’re complaining about - it’s pathetic punching down.

It does work.

I did retail for years and often found that managers would give in to rude customers just to get them to go away.

I am in an ongoing battle with wickes about the warranty on my bathroom where the bath has not been installed properly. There have been endless delays and their systems are set up so inefficiently I am finding it extremely frustrating. A different team seems to deal with each aspect of the process and it has now been over 5 weeks unable to use my bathroom.

I don’t think I am rude but I have complained a lot: people not calling you back, people making stupid mistakes that cause delays (tried to engage an installer who lives nowhere near me), a poor admin team who have absolutely no power to do anything but they are the only people available to speak to on the phone.

No one deserves to be shouted at, at work but so much customer service is so appalling it is no wonder people get frustrated when you feel like they are holding you getting on with you life to ransom.

Made even worse when you know it could be done better - Neff and Nespresso both have excellent customer service in my experience and don’t need chasing up at all to just get their job done.

It is no wonder that people get so infuriated and made to feel helpless when they are the customer and you have a job because of them; without them your job would not exist.
Ah the if it wasn't for me you wouldn't have a job line! Customer service staff are poorly paid, aren't responsible for their training, have to deal with high staff turnover, don't make the policies and can't fight back. You must have eaten a lot of sneezed-on food.

I deal with clients daily.

I'm excellent at my job. But there are two ways to do it.

1. My default - go the extra mile. I get shit done very quickly and thoroughly and I'm a relentless advocate for that client. I take several extra steps that most of my colleagues don't, to really set that client up with everything they need and to future-proof them to an extent. This is the service 90% of people get.

1. The basics. This is for the arseholes that shout, swear, demand and insult and persist with this. I can do my job well enough that my managers and regulatory body still approve my work so there's no impact to me.

Everything takes at least 2-3 times longer with a shouting, abusive prick which gives me bloody joy. They're their own worst enemies.

I have a 2nd job in retail . I challenged a couple who looked under 25 and were buying alcohol. The lady had ID and was 21 but the man didn’t . Firstly he argued I should serve him because he was married and they had a baby with them . Then he argued he fought for this country but didn’t have his service ID on him .He had no suitable ID . I I had to refuse and he left cursing. I know it’s frustrating but I have to do my job and I always try to be polite .

I am never rude but I am assertive and determined and not easily fobbed off

I think a lot of people actually have poor emotional regulation and they are so cross they don't know how else to be and it's quite effective so they don't need to learn another way.

I'm not sure about the coldly rude people.

I work in a technically customer facing role, in a law firm.

I get sworn and shouted at all the time. People have just forgotten how to act

Not without getting their faces rearranged!!!

There is a saying that you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar, which is true if you have a legitimate complaint and are dealing with a reasonable organisation who have properly trained staff.
On the other hand, if you are dealing with an organisation that doesn't care about customer satisfaction - and they do exist - with indifferent staff who don't give a damn, being reasonable will not get you anywhere. In this case, it's often be who shouts loudest and longest who gets at least some resolution.

It goes both ways.
Being told I'm lying by a customer services representative when I'm not isn't going to get me at my most polite.

I listened to Anthony Scaramucci talk about an analogy of 'going up the field', which is how I think he referred to it: a soccer team coach going blustering up to the referree and creating a scene, not because anything major was wrong but because the coach would then know that their capacity for that kind of behaviour would be noted by the referree, and in future, refs would be more likely to give the coach's players the benefit of doubt.
I have a family member who operates a bit like this: in dealings with services and institutions they're in an ongoing relationship with (GP surgery, DC's school, high street bank branch etc), they make themselves 'uncomfortable' once over some trivial matter in order to signal they're not to be trifled with. I find it a really shitty and cynical strategy.
I've always worked in customer facing roles, from hospitality through call centres to education, and always make a point of being extremely nice to anyone providing me with any kind of service.

Anything I could have bent to help I didn't, save that for the polite/ justifiably upset but not abusive ones
Yep when I've worked in customer facing roles I've never had a problem with angry people as long they direct their anger where it belongs - businesses often have stupid policies designed by muppets who never have to deal with the fallout and when customers fall foul of them you often have nothing but sympathy - it's when they turn on you that it's a problem.

Will be hated for this but customer service is generally appalling. I am not talking face to face but insurance companies etc. It is no wonder that people get so infuriated and made to feel helpless when they are the customer and you have a job because of them; without them your job would not exist. The call handlers are the face of the company and their repeated incompetence and don't care attitude is frightening and dangerous. I get scared that they are managing something important so badly; that I might need their help in the future and yes I get very angry. What is not their fault is that once you hit the end of their knowledge there is nowhere to go nowadays ie another dept that you are immediately transferred to except as a pp said complain to the big boss. This should not be necessary.

When i worked in retail sadly the ones who were the rudest got what they wanted because our manager was a soft touch and soon word spread. Examples, paying someone for dry cleaning who said milk spilled in her car. A man who just so happened to have the receipt on him for the expensive jeans that bleach had opened and spilled on him, whilst walking around the store (definitely a scam the jeans were certainly not as expensive as he claimed) and the worst and what made me want to leave was the customer who accused my colleague of short changing him saying he gave her a £50 note. I checked the till in front of him and we didn't even have any £50 in the draw. So the customer accused my colleague of taking it. When i stood my ground and said the till wasn't short and said the customer had made a mistake the customer hit the fire alarm so we had to evacuate the store. He stood outside all smug arms folded, my store manager when back inside and did a £50 refund on the till and handed the man the money to make him leave.
I was so angry and wanted to walk out.

When I worked in retail I often got thanks from customers for the service I gave, I love helping people. But not the rude ones, they got polite stick to the rules. Anything I could have bent to help I didn't, save that for the polite/ justifiably upset but not abusive ones.
I am nice but not a doormat.
The horrible ones lacked emotional control. They were like toddlers in my eyes, but having been raised in a high conflict house it takes more than a tantrum to make me bat an eyelid.

I think your example is not alone, and makes people such as those feel justified in their behaviour. Being assertive is not the same as loud and rude.

I work in retail and I swear to God some customers just come in to piss off and be nasty us overworked retail staff.......by and large older people are the worst for this. I honestly do not get it, surely they have better things to be doing with their day ?? 😬

These days I just point them in the direction of a manager and hide in the warehouse. It's absolutely ridiculous the behaviour of some people.

No, none at all. The person you’re abusing is most likely not the one who makes the decisions.

Best way is to find out who is in charge, and complain properly (even by letter), to that person.