Settle an arguement

[johnboyjjb]

I am currently having a heated discussion with one of my coworkers. I was hoping to get a group opinion.

I am the service center manager for a franchised auto service chain. I had a customer come in and drop a car off who required it back by 4:30. I let him know it shouldn\'t be a problem. He replied, \"I have to have it by 4:30, can you guarantee it?\" \"It will be done by 4:30.\"

So, we got the car at 4:15. I left him a message saying that the car was done and that we close at 5:30. I called again at 4:30. Again at 5:00 and again at 5:30. I then did all my paperwork and as I was leaving at 6:15 he pulls up and wants his car.

I let him know at that point in time that we open at 8 AM in the morning and that he could pick it up then.

We had rearranged our day to get his car done by a specific time and he apparently didn\'t have the need he claimed to have. Was I justified in telling him no?

 

[Evil Dave]

Damn, straight.

 

[Ritual]

I don\'t think you did wrong, since you had closed for the day. One could argue, however, that since you were still there you might as well have given him the car and kept a satisfied customer. I don\'t know... Sometimes you really want to teach people some manners, but not to the point that it becomes bad for business.

 

[airhead]

The customer (client) is always right - even when they are an ass.

 

[ricanboy57]

I would have to say your in the right at this point, because you have your reasons, the paperwork was done and the shop closed. Getting it out would just cause more hassle to you (on top of the rearraged schedule)
Now, to put your feet into his shoes, if there was a legit reason why he was late, like something REALLY outragous, AND he still needed the car for a serious reason, then taking a couple minutes out of the night to get the car out, wouldn\'t be a problem.
So, unless he had great excusse that you knew for sure was true and needed the car for something like...i dunno... cause he needed to make it to the emergency room. You were in the right. Cause you put in the work, he just droped it off.

 

[Temporary Sanity]

The customer is always right, if you care about keeping them as a customer.

John did what I would have done.

\"Sorry, we\'re closed. We open tomorrow at 8. You can come get your car then.\"

 

[tidoco2222]

Make him wait, he obviously didn\'t need by 4:30 and there may have been other cars that neede work as urgently and he had his made priority. I would have made him come back.

 

[fredwinu]

keep his damn car, hell even sell it off on ebay..

ha ha reminds me of the time when some guys girlfriend got soo angry after they had a fight, that she sold his lotus sports car for £0.50 on ebay roughly $1lollollol

 

[freakinacage]

kneecap him

 

[EricJ]

I say the customer is always right, WHEN you\'re on the clock. If this was 6:15, after hours on your own time, then it\'s not a issue of employee dealing with a customer, it\'s an issue of one person deciding if they like another person enough to take time out of their day to help them. The guy sort of sounds like a prick, and I probably wouldn\'t have helped.

 

[Naukhel]

I have no opinion at all.

 

[funnymouth]

im with eric on this one. it was his mistake, you were off work, the shop is closed, end of story.

 

[Ratcals]

Well, being a True Neutral Half-Elf Fighter I could fight equally for both sides. Or I could remain neutral.

 

[Ritual]

Originally posted by EricJ
If this was 6:15, after hours on your own time, then it\'s not a issue of employee dealing with a customer, it\'s an issue of one person deciding if they like another person enough to take time out of their day to help them.

Most people probably agrees with this, but somehow I don\'t think the customer/prick sees it this way and thus it affects his view on the service. I agree wholeheartedly that the customer\'s behaviour is highly questionable, though...

 

[Orchid Noir]

If the customer was at least rather polite/nice when they came up to me after closing I might be inclined to help them out, even more so if they were apologetic for the earlier demands and inconveniences.

It\'s a case of do unto others to me, if I was acting an a$$ I would hope someone would call me out on it and give me a metaphorical slap in the face (ie. not letting me get the car so late), but that\'s just me.

 

[Ogrebane]

Well you can be right or you can run a service business. Whilst it might be gratifying to give this prat what he deserves for every customer you Pee of, he will tell 10 of his mates that your company sux.

I personally would make him wait.

 

[DrEvilmonki]

Personnaly I would have opened up to sort out his car but that\'s me. I am more interested in service and customer satisfaction than I am in making a point.

 

[vincegamer]

I once rushed home from work to get to UPS before they closed. I got there right at closing time. The person behind the desk refused to give me my box. It was sitting there 4 feet from her and she would not let me have it because they were \"closed.\" They would not deliver it to my home, I could not receive personal packages at work, and this was the only chance I had to get the package but she didn\'t care, she was \"closed.\"

They had to return my package to the store it came from. Problem is, I didn\'t know what the store was or who it was from or what was inside it. I have always guessed it was a wedding present and someone has been silently mad I never sent a thankyou card.

So I say you had a right to refuse, but the civil thing would have been to give him his car.

I have never used UPS since.

 

[TAB Studio]

My question to you is

If you had taken the time to give his car back would you be writing us asking how we feel? Would you have all night to simmer and or stress with the need to vent.

Your position is right of course you have limits and it is your business.

In my life though I would rather for me (not him) get his frickin car off the property and not have to deal with him or his car the next day.. I would handle it politely cause that gives me the leg up when the next time he thinks he will get me to jump his hoop.

Future dealings with him I can either refuse or charge a fee for the rush order. They he will not bother me one way or the other, long as I can make my money.
He will in turn not bad mouth my business as well.
I like Ogrebane was taught that one mouth has ten friends and each of them has the same. I would rather have them speak kindly if I can.
I do not believe they are always right that is how i get taken advantage of personally and most times I can not afford to.

 

[EArkham]

\"The customer is always right\" is a fallacy. No business operates that way, and frankly it smacks of shyster salesmen who may as well be saying, \"I\'ll say anything you want to hear as long as you buy something.\"

What do you think a doctor should do if a patient (the customer) insists that he is right and requires prescription drugs or some other ridiculous thing instead of proper care? Or next time you see one of those cute \"customer is always right\" signs, ask the business to knock 90% off the cost and see if you \"right.\"

The customer is NOT always right. If you care anything about keeping customers, you need to deal with them honesty and respect -- not kiss assing and toadying.

Sorry for the rant, but this is a pet peeve of mine, borne from salesmen acting like idiots to get me to buy something.

In this situation, I think honesty and respect would have been better, too. Just tell him that you had changed the schedule to meet his needs and he failed to follow through, then give him the car. The point would still have been clear and he\'d at least not have a reason to hate the place.

Kep