Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Customer complaint in work now under investigation

53 replies

MrsHormonal2019 · 31/05/2019 18:42

I don't know where to start tbh. Been a proper crap day.
Customer has made allegation I refused to help them and told them to find someone else to help.
Complete lie naturally but my work are now putting me under an investigation.
Had a meeting today and they adjourned it to speak to my colleague who the customer approached to complain about me.
I've given my statements. But I'm at a loss. I had no negative interactions with customer on that date and what I'm accused of is something I would never in a million years do.
I'm 4 months pregnant and ended up having a panic attack and being sent home.
I'm an anxious person and hormones do not help what so ever.

Has anyone else been through something similar?
It's just really frightened me the out right lie of it. Makes me feel like someone has purposefully done this to hurt me.
I really don't want to go back to work Monday now

OP posts:
Bishbashthrash · 31/05/2019 18:46

Try not to worry too much.

Is there cctv?

Smeegler · 31/05/2019 18:46

Sorry to hear of your situation. Do you have any evidence to back you up? CCTV for example? You might want to contact your Union rep if you have one, or maybe ACAS. Are your other colleagues being supportive?

It might help your anxiety to ask your employers for their policy of dealing with customer complains, so you know step by step how things are going to handled. Knowing in advance can help you can. Make sure your work back up all discussions in writing (email is okay.)

Does the customer have a history of being a bit difficult? I'm sure you did your best, so try not to worry too much.

Original poster
MrsHormonal2019 · 31/05/2019 19:03

No cctv evidence. Only evidence is what customer told my colleague.
This procedure is fairly new.
I've been with company for around 12 years and before if a customer complained you got pulled aside and had a chat to find out the issue.
There would be an investigation if you had a few complaints.
I've never had a complaint against me before. So for it to go to this from one person's say so I find terrifying.

They will make decision and it will either end up in disciplinary or I be believed.
I just can't get my head around it. You'd swear a customer had come in a said I assaulted them or something.
I just don't get how they can legally justify the stress over one complaint.
There is no common sense to look at me previous work history and say hang on something doesn't add up.

OP posts:
Original poster
MrsHormonal2019 · 31/05/2019 19:06

Yes all my colleagues have been great. All said same thing that it's ridiculous and something I would never do.
But I want to know who this colleague is who up helf complaint because she walked around store with customer to confirm it was me and then pushed the complaint formally.
Never once approaching me on the day.
I was informed of incident a week later. Then I'm asked do I remember this customer issue.
I just find it very vindictive.

OP posts:
TurboTeddy · 31/05/2019 19:17

As a PP has said I think you need to get a copy of the policy that outlines the procedure for the investigation process and if you have a union
you need to contact your rep.

Can I ask if they have anything in writing directly from the customer or is it just the report from a colleague? I think unless the customer has gone through a formal complaints procedure it would be very difficult for them to discipline you on the say so of a colleague unless the colleague had witnessed behaviour they felt warranted a formal complaint and had filed it without consulting the customer. Is your working relationship with the colleague that escalated the complaint good?

I understand that if you have a good work record it is very stressful to be facing investigation and disciplinary but please try not to worry. If your employer is professional there will be a documented process they have to follow and they should do so fairly and offer you support through it.

I'm trying not to be too cynical here but do work know you are pregnant? What are the maternity benefits like and do they have a good track record of treating pregnant employees fairly?

Take the weekend to come to terms with the shock and arm yourself with information to make sure you are treated fairly through this process.

TurboTeddy · 31/05/2019 19:18

Sorry X post you have answered one of my questions.

SynchroSwimmer · 31/05/2019 19:20

I so feel for you.

I strongly believe your strong 12 years working record should stand you in good stead here, surely the the company will see that in good time.

I am so sad that this has happened to you and on a Friday too, when they know it will be on your mind.

Have you friends locally that you can call on just to listen, be in your corner and share the load with you?

Jakesmumandbump · 31/05/2019 19:29

Your colleague is vindictive to push for a formal complaint but honestly try not to lose any sleep over it, there’s one of two of them in every workplace - usually people trying to big themselves up. It’ll all be fine. 12 years and not one complaint says everything they need to know about your character. It’s going to be fine.

TheInvestigator · 31/05/2019 19:31

I worked for a proper dodgy shop for a few months in uni and they had a pregnant employee who they wanted rid of, so had a friend of theirs come in and make an horrendous claim about her behaviour. They then held a disciplinary and fired her for gross misconduct. It was all totally bullshit. Just saying...

mcmooberry · 31/05/2019 19:33

Could they have mixed you up with someone else?

Sparklesocks · 31/05/2019 19:33

Sorry you’re so anxious OP, it must be very stressful.
Hopefully as you’ve been there 12 years your reputation and proven track record will work in your favour and they will dismiss it a a disgruntled customer Flowers

TheIncredibleBookEatingManchot · 31/05/2019 19:46

I'm so you're going through this Flowers

In fairness to the colleague who reported the complaint, the customer might have demanded that he/she walk round to identify you and that the complaint was taken to the top and he/she may have been afraid that if they didn't the customer would complain about them, and then management could have forbidden them to discuss the complaint with you once it had been reported. It isn't necessarily your colleague wanting to be mean to you.

Some customers just like to make things up to get staff into trouble for stupid minor things that are usually beyond your control like being out of stock of what they wanted or a having to queue for more than 2 seconds. It sounds like one of those.

You have 12 years with no complaints and the customer has no proof that you did anything wrong. Hopefully your employer's will take the word of a long-term, good employee over a random customer.

Thatsnotmyotter · 31/05/2019 19:49

How ridiculous! In my previous customer facing jobs, you’d have had to have been a hell of a lot ruder to get even as much as a slap on the wrist. It all sounds very blown out of proportion! Hopefully it will blow over.

notontopofthings · 31/05/2019 19:54

Are you in the union, if not, join today. If there is no proof, then it is her word against yours, and the balance of probability is likely to go in your favour I would have thought with your good track record. Also, the allegation is that you were unhelpful to her, which I would hardly think warrents an investigation. As others have said, read through your company policy though.

Thecabbageassasin · 31/05/2019 20:00

You’ve got 12 years service, you’re pregnant and presumably no prior warnings, history etc, if no one else has ever complained about you.
They’d would be pretty stupid to get rid of you on one customers say so , you could take them to the cleaners. Don’t worry about it, but to put your mind to rest speak to acas.

Jaxhog · 31/05/2019 20:01

Sorry this has happened, but if the customer insisted, your colleague may have had no choice but to initiate the complaint procedure.

Complete lie naturally. I was ever so slight concerned by your comment. You seem so certain that the customer complaint is false. Is there any chance that you may have made a flippant comment that was misinterpreted? Maybe the customer was having a bad day and took what you said the wrong way.

But I'm sure that an employee with an unbelmished record won't be unduly punished.

Isatis · 31/05/2019 20:05

The fact that they left it a week before alerting you is very poor practice. You should have had the opportunity to give your side of the story whilst it was all fresh in your memory. I'd suggest you point that out if they take this any further.

TheHumanSatsuma · 31/05/2019 20:06

I can only echo the comments about the union, even if you are not in one you have a right to have someone with you in all meetings.
Make it clear that you want a supporter and meetings can only tak3 place if that person is able to be there.

SmallAndFarAway · 31/05/2019 20:26

Do they know you're pregnant?

DoNotDisturbPlease · 31/05/2019 20:30

Lay your cards on the table

  1. I dispute this ever happened and I'm not sure what the customer is getting at and there is no evidence

  2. I've worked here for over a decade and I've never once had a complaint previously

  3. I am anxious in general and I am pregnant - i believe this whole process is risky for mine and my babys health so i suggest we accept this likely didn't happen as the customer is saying, draw a line under it and move on - i will not have this dragged out risking me becoming very upset and risking my health.

Be brave, be strong.

Shitsandgigglez · 31/05/2019 20:35

I'm sorry this is upsetting you OP.

So it's a shop you work in? Is it a large company? Or an independent store?

How do you know there is no CCTV evidence? If it is a shop I'd imagine all areas are covered. Who has told you there is no CCTV evidence?

It all does sound very harsh as I can imagine many legitimate scenarios where you might actually tell a customer to find someone else to help. Ie you were already helping another customer. Is there more to the complaint than you simply told them to find someone else to help?

Also, whether or not they know you're pregnant is very important to this

Shitsandgigglez · 31/05/2019 20:37

And you don't know which colleague it was that upheld the complaint? All sounds a bit dodgy to me!!

TeaForTheWin · 31/05/2019 20:40

What kind of weirdo complains about being told to ask someone else? How would that be a disciplinary procedure even if they did? I mean maybe you had to go run to the toilet or maybe you had finished your shift or something. Surely if you've worked in a company 12 years they should take you at your word.

I'd be suspicious of another employee being up to something tbh, pushing it as an issue and making it a big deal when it wasn't. Have you put anyones nose out of joint lately? or is there a company arshole that has it out for you?

TheMarbleFaun · 31/05/2019 20:48

What DoNotDisturb said ^
This happened to me before I said “I’m sorry there’s just what’s out”
Customer heard “You’ll just have to look yourself”
People are absolute arseholes OP Flowers

ReadMyLipss · 31/05/2019 20:48

This theory is a bit far fetched, but could the colleague who reported you be preemptively trying to cover themselves because they're the one who actually said this to the customer, but they're trying to attach your name to the complaint in case the customer themselves directly puts in a complaint later?

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

Join Mumsnet Log In

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.