That thing about how we'd all be nicer customers if we worked in customer services or retail for a while

[Slicedbread]

People often say that if we all worked in customer services or retail for a while, we'd all be better customers and be kinder to staff. Has anyone else found the opposite, that such experiences have actually made you more demanding?

One of my first ever jobs was at a small call centre that gave first class customer service. We had our fair share of unreasonable customers. We really were very good, lots of people said so, but the bosses were very strict and I was eventually let go because of a minor thing that was nowhere near enough to sack someone. It happened to a couple of other colleagues too, for tiny things. It's affected my whole working life, where I'm constantly worried I'm doing something wrong.

I only speak up when really necessary. I still think a lot of the public are unreasonable. But on the odd occasion where I've had to kick up a fuss about something serious or something that would put me out of pocket, I sometimes find myself thinking well I had to give excellent service so why can't you?

And just to clarify, I don't go around asking for unreasonable things, or use personal insults at staff. I don't do dishonest things like breaking stuff deliberately or returning worn clothes. It's just that sometimes you have to be very insistent in order to get things sorted out. I've never said this to anyone's face but I sometimes find myself getting frustrated with how people are allowed to get away with such bad service when other people are under so much pressure to get it right.

If you need to experience shot customers to make you a better customer you are most definitely not a better person. People who treat others like shit are not better people. The shit I have taken over the years in various roles is ridiculous, but I would never in a million years be mean to someone who was just doing their job.

I'm not mean to people, just assertive when someone isn't sorting a problem out, and only when absolutely necessary. It's not a regular occurrence.

I get what you mean op - I'm insistent about a problem being sorted - I don't allow people to basically shrug at me. I insist on escalating the issue to someone sensible who has the authority to sort it.

But yes I used to work for M&S and we had a very strict supervisor. Some of the retail staff now don't know they're born! They stand around chatting and gossip and I think how the strict supervisor would have given them one of the horrible jobs from her black book if she'd seen it!!

@Slicedbread

I'm not mean to people, just assertive when someone isn't sorting a problem out, and only when absolutely necessary. It's not a regular occurrence.

Sorry I didn't mean you personally. I was just replying to the title that working in customer service makes you a better customer

Maybe the other way around kind of, if someone is rude to shop staff etc their punishment should be doing a shift themselves.

I'm not mean to people, just assertive when someone isn't sorting a problem out, and only when absolutely necessary

Your idea of assertiveness could be construed as meanness though

@AnneElliott

I get what you mean op - I'm insistent about a problem being sorted - I don't allow people to basically shrug at me. I insist on escalating the issue to someone sensible who has the authority to sort it.

But yes I used to work for M&S and we had a very strict supervisor. Some of the retail staff now don't know they're born! They stand around chatting and gossip and I think how the strict supervisor would have given them one of the horrible jobs from her black book if she'd seen it!!

The horrible jobs from the black book? Now I really want know what these jobs were

It would be great to have a Retail National Service!
What I've learned from my decade in retail is that you actually are allowed to complain, but there's a right way to do it. I know people who'd not take something back to a shop if it was faulty and have eaten food at restaurants that's wrong without complaining which is just daft.
However - you just have to be polite! From my own POV it was so much easier to help a customer with a complaint if they were polite and reasonable. Yelling and throwing insults never helped resolve anything and tended to result in the bare minimum - if that - being done. That's not out of spite, it's just that you want to be away from the unpleasantness as soon as possible.
If floor level staff all seem unmotivated and fed up it's probably a company culture thing. If you're treated like crap every day and only paid peanuts then you're not going to be an energised go-getter. In those circumstances I just take my business elsewhere. No fuss or drama, just leave.

What I've learned from my decade in retail is that you actually are allowed to complain, but there's a right way to do it. I know people who'd not take something back to a shop if it was faulty and have eaten food at restaurants that's wrong without complaining which is just daft.
However - you just have to be polite!

Totally agree (and yes, I have indeed eaten wrong food at a restaurant as I didn't want to make a fuss). And retail staff generally know if you're lying, e.g. if you've broken something deliberately. That's why I find bad service so frustrating because I'm an honest person and I never do anything unless I'm 100% sure I'm right. I know some refund people for blatantly worn clothes because it's less stressful than causing an argument, so when someone won't refund me for a genuinely faulty item, then I'm going to be annoyed.

I've worked in call centres and retail and I have high expectations. I don't accept poor customer service but I do think I have a better perspective as a result as working in these environments and, as you say, I'm never rude.

Unfortunately a lot of people think that shouting and being rude is the route to getting the outcome they want. Sometimes this is true due to poor management and company culture.

It's a tricky one OP.

I do think people, today, feel much more entitled and, as such, are more demanding that their perceived rights are met. Hence complaining about food will entitle you to money off a restaurant bill if the only problem was that you didn't like it. I've heard of this many times but restaurateurs are not wanting negative social media feedback.
Many businesses feel the same.

That being said, having to wait 45 minutes to be served in a restaurant is not acceptable.
Neither is waiting at the supermarket checkout , for ages while staff members are chatting , for so long that you have to press 'do you wish to continue' several times for someone to come and verify your age or do a random check .

Yes and no, I've been done with lots of Cs roles and reception /waitress work

So when they are unhelpful or unfriendly in so think I did far better than that. Especially receptionists when people are going to job interview.

Both myself and my husband have worked in retail and we were having a conversation the other day about there being a "retail national service" !!
Honestly the amount of sheer rudeness and sometimes violence towards us as retail staff is disgusting. It's only been worse since the pandemic.

I spent 20 years in retail, so have plenty of experience. But, at the same time, I won't put up with crap customer service which is all too often the "norm" these days. I don't rant and rave or be rude, but I'll not hesitate to be "assertive" when I receive poor service or complaining about a faulty item or service, that will sometimes mean insisting on the matter referred to a supervisor/manager or lodging a formal complaint. An awful lot of customer service staff are woefully poorly trained and some seem to take a perverse delight in trying to argue black is white when it comes to consumer rights, i.e. refusing to accept their obligations for faulty goods etc.

l work in retail and customers seem to get very easily triggered and offended over absolutely everything. It is extremely wearing especially when you have same old complaint several times that is out of your control. They say stuff like " You need to tell your manager blah blah blah, " when l very rarely see my manager myself, nevermind actually interact with him. He is always upstairs well out of the way, in meetings or on a course.
So yes,.l am very mindful not to offload on nearest member of staff l see, to be honest its extremely rare l will complain at all,
l think working in retail has given me the hide of a rhino, nothing upsets me.

I've worked in various CS roles and what surprises me the most is customers who almost seem to get pleasure from being rude or attacking the company publicly without contacting them first (for example leaving a horrible 1 star review on Trustpilot if something arrives damaged rather than emailing the company). These angry customers take up so much energy and time for the CS workers to solve when a short and politely worded email would have solved the issue much quicker. If they buy something online and there's an issue when the item arrives, why would anyone assume the company isn't going to help?

I work in retail , today I tried to tell someone that the item they were trying to return hadn't been bought in thr first place . She wasn't getting it so I explained that 'some people ' steak stuff then try and return it to get the money back so they were very strict about returns , plus she hadn't paid in the first time . She reacted like I drowned her first born ! Utterly bonkers . I wasn't rude , I just explained it to her calmly and quietly .🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

@nordica

I've worked in various CS roles and what surprises me the most is customers who almost seem to get pleasure from being rude or attacking the company publicly without contacting them first (for example leaving a horrible 1 star review on Trustpilot if something arrives damaged rather than emailing the company). These angry customers take up so much energy and time for the CS workers to solve when a short and politely worded email would have solved the issue much quicker. If they buy something online and there's an issue when the item arrives, why would anyone assume the company isn't going to help?

Yes I totally agree, that's the wrong way of doing things. Apparently some people even do credit card claim chargebacks for things they haven't received, when they haven't even contacted the company first. Writing a bad review or making a credit card claim should be something you do as a last resort when all other attempts have failed. I really don't understand why you wouldn't just send a quick email first if you haven't received something.

I got a load of abuse last week from a 'customer' basically because I stopped her from leaving the store with a load of unpaid for stock in the bottom of her pushchair. I was polite and didn't accuse her of trying to steal it. She is going to return with the police. I can't wait:)

@LuckyLuckyWoman That's just plain theft, and I'm sorry you have to put up with this. It's not really the type of demanding customer I was thinking of, where you have to be demanding if someone's not addressing a problem. This was out and out shoplifting which is totally different.