Settle an arguement
- Thread starter johnboyjjb
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darkartminiatures
New member
It would feel good to make him wait but like folk say, it would be bad for business. 
One good thing about it though is that the guy probably doesn\'t have any mates to to tell
One good thing about it though is that the guy probably doesn\'t have any mates to to tell If it wouldn\'t have been a big deal, I would have given him his car. If I was unable to for some reason (keys locked in timed safe) then obviously not.
Proverbs 25:21-22:
If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you.
Who says God doesn\'t have a sense of humor?
Proverbs 25:21-22:
If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you.
Who says God doesn\'t have a sense of humor?
First, do you have a personal angle on the profits from the store. i.e. If you lose his business, will it cut into your profit sharing. If so, you kicked yourself in the gubbins or goolies or whatever. Now if the store pays you to work and not to think, do what you want. BUT, as a beleiver in Karma and you get what you give, I would have done it as I would have wanted someone to do it for me. Also, the Gods of fate may punish you for being inconsiderate, while the Gods of Valor may reward you for teaching the liar a thing or two.
Personally, I may have lied and said the manager would have to do that and he left at 6, though, if you have keys buddy, you can steal the car, I mean, who\'s gonna report it stolen.
Knowing your orky nature, I can\'t beleive that you didn\'t punch him and steal it yourself. Pick up a few of your orky buddies and joyride to a barfight.
Cheers.
Personally, I may have lied and said the manager would have to do that and he left at 6, though, if you have keys buddy, you can steal the car, I mean, who\'s gonna report it stolen.
Knowing your orky nature, I can\'t beleive that you didn\'t punch him and steal it yourself. Pick up a few of your orky buddies and joyride to a barfight.
Cheers.
johnboyjjb
Active member
I\'ve stayed up to 4 1/2 hrs late getting a car done for a customer and more. But requiring something done at a specific time and then not get it when it was done. Argh!
I can empathize with you Vince. That would torque me off too. But this was different. Doors closed, lights off, paperwork done, and register settled. To give him back his car would have required about 15 minutes to get everything running again and another 15 minutes after to redo all the paperwork. Even then, if he had been a normal customer, a regular, or even not so demanding the first time I probably would have done it.
This guy wasn\'t obviously upset the next day and quite honestly, if his friends are anything like him, I don\'t particularly want them as customers. The only good thing about the whole transaction is that I could thumb my nose at him one day without having teeth marks left in butt-cheeks the next.
I can empathize with you Vince. That would torque me off too. But this was different. Doors closed, lights off, paperwork done, and register settled. To give him back his car would have required about 15 minutes to get everything running again and another 15 minutes after to redo all the paperwork. Even then, if he had been a normal customer, a regular, or even not so demanding the first time I probably would have done it.
This guy wasn\'t obviously upset the next day and quite honestly, if his friends are anything like him, I don\'t particularly want them as customers. The only good thing about the whole transaction is that I could thumb my nose at him one day without having teeth marks left in butt-cheeks the next.
Einion
New member
No successful one anyway, unless maybe it exists in a wonderful fairyland where all the customers are standup people that wouldn\'t demand things merely to suit their schedule.
Rant on brother, rant on!
My patience for this sort of thing was worn very thin over the years (I know I\'m not suited to service jobs).
I\'ve got a hoard of stories like this: we get a request from a regular to put a rush on his very large job, on a Friday, so that \"it could get to the printer before the weekend\". We do this, delaying every other customer\'s work in the process (only one job could be done at a time then) get it delivered early... only to hear from one of his co-workers later that day that it wasn\'t to meet a printer\'s deadline, it was so that our client could put it out of his mind while he ****ed off to the golf course for the afternoon
Perhaps my personal favourite - because it affected me directly - was suddenly having to rush to finish a big job, get it on disk and get it out the door to meet some deadline the customer claimed was looming that we hadn\'t previously been aware of. Then a couple of weeks later we hear from the nice folks at the next stage in the process that there was a problem with the Zip disk and they needed a replacement immediately :flame:
Look at it the other way: this guy\'s caught up with him and he didn\'t get his car back on the day because he\'s an ass
Einion
No Such Agency
New member
I\'ve never understood why people LOOOOOVE couriers. They show up at your house in the middle of the day, and often seem to have NO ability to deliver anywhere after hours. So if you can\'t take it at work you are screwed. Luckily I CAN take it at work, but it always adds a delay to the delivery... usually 2 days since on delivery day, you get home (after hours), find the notice, call the next day, the f&cking truck is already off to try again AT YOUR HOME, AND THEY CAN\'T REROUTE THE PACKAGE... UNTIL THE NEXT DAY.
There\'s still a thing called the post office, and they offer package tracking too. And they aren\'t any more likely to lose your parcel than the couriers. I actually sent a complaint to Battlefront minis to this effect - their website said \"USPS\" but they sent it Purolator. If I\'d KNOWN they were sending it by courier... I would have put my work address in the first place. I told them \"you are not doing the customer a favour here\".
(So you NEVER got your package from UPS? they wouldn\'t even hold it?)
Infidel Castro
New member
Bollocks, that\'s capitalist business crap. The customer is human and should be treated as such. There\'s a cut-off point at which even a paying customer steps into the realms of normality, and the lack of respect shown in original instance here definitely merits the punishment (if it can be labelled as such)
By the way, I never read any responses past Airhead\'s, and I also stand open to the claim he was being ironic in which case I\'ve gone too far too quickly, but hey-ho, point made
Infidel Castro
New member
As an addendum, I helped build a business for someone else in the coffee trade (retail - twice!) and I do understand the need for excellent service. I also learnt the need for a grown-up approach with it as well, and when to face up to someone rather than letting the old \'customer is always right\' routine to stand. I think other customers appreciate seeing that now and again and actually support you in that position.
vincegamer
Active member
Nope. No idea what it was or who it was from - the return address was some company I\'d never heard of in some northern state like Michigan; I assume there was a note inside.
The only day I could get out of work early (since the UPS office closed at 5) happened to be the last day they would hold it before returning to sender as undeliverable.
Now, even with the post office I have all packages sent to my work. Back then I worked at a University library and my wife worked in a biotech firm and it was just after the Unibomber stuff so no personal packages were permitted at either workplace.
I\'ve never felt there was a \"right\" or \"wrong\" in these situations. Point is, you were there, the car was there...and paperwork or not, you could have just as easily started his business on the new day that night. On the flip-side, the customer didn\'t show at the agreed time.
That aside, I\'ve always looked at these situations as \"opportunities\" or \"challenges\"..whichever corporate power-word you want to choose.
Point is----
These are the crossroads that lead to two very distinctively different outcomes--
You had an opportunity to create a lifetime customer....or, you had an opportunity to lose a customer for a lifetime. Those are the best/worst outcomes here (unless, of course, you consider the customer whipping out an uzi and mowing down the store).
Whose to say which was the better choice. The intangibles are too great to weigh...
The customer could have told his friends, \"Yep, they opened the store back up and gave me my car\"....or \"The store wouldn\'t let me get my friggin\' car\"...
We don\'t know *what* happened in the customer\'s life that made him late---and I\'m sure he was probably already pissed about whatever that was. So, the opportunity to make the end of his day pleasing was passed up, for all intents and purposes, to prove a point.
The words \"the customer is always right\" is a fallacy. The words \"Service the customer with a pleasant and positive attitude--in every reasonable fashion\" are not a fallacy.
Personally, I don\'t feel like letting him get is car was unreasonable---but I wasn\'t there---so whose to know.
That aside, I\'ve always looked at these situations as \"opportunities\" or \"challenges\"..whichever corporate power-word you want to choose.
Point is----
These are the crossroads that lead to two very distinctively different outcomes--
You had an opportunity to create a lifetime customer....or, you had an opportunity to lose a customer for a lifetime. Those are the best/worst outcomes here (unless, of course, you consider the customer whipping out an uzi and mowing down the store).
Whose to say which was the better choice. The intangibles are too great to weigh...
The customer could have told his friends, \"Yep, they opened the store back up and gave me my car\"....or \"The store wouldn\'t let me get my friggin\' car\"...
We don\'t know *what* happened in the customer\'s life that made him late---and I\'m sure he was probably already pissed about whatever that was. So, the opportunity to make the end of his day pleasing was passed up, for all intents and purposes, to prove a point.
The words \"the customer is always right\" is a fallacy. The words \"Service the customer with a pleasant and positive attitude--in every reasonable fashion\" are not a fallacy.
Personally, I don\'t feel like letting him get is car was unreasonable---but I wasn\'t there---so whose to know.
johnboyjjb
Active member
Would that be coverd by L&I? I suppose if he didn\'t hit anything vital - like my painting arm it wouldn\'t be too bad.
Hullebullen
New member
Meh, unless he had a really good excuse I would\'ve done the same. If it was my own business I would\'ve also given it a second thought before brushing the guy off.
But, you called the guy four times, reminding him to pick up his car before closing time...
Customer or not, some people in this world unfortunately are egocentrical, inconsiderate a-holes who think their own sweet time is worth more than yours. Such people need to be reminded from time to time that this isn\'t necessarily true...
But, you called the guy four times, reminding him to pick up his car before closing time...
Customer or not, some people in this world unfortunately are egocentrical, inconsiderate a-holes who think their own sweet time is worth more than yours. Such people need to be reminded from time to time that this isn\'t necessarily true...
Infidel Castro
New member
Absolutely, but a good boss will trust your humane nature lol
Godlikebuthumble
New member
I don\'t know whether this is just a \"German\" thing, but:
If I drop off my car at a service store, with a deadline to boot, it\'s considered good service to do so. Them calling me - four times! - to tell me it\'s done, is great service. But me, wanting to pick up the car after the regular closing hours... is pushing a bit too far, simple as that. Had he arrived, say 5 minutes befor you closed, it\'d have been a clear deal... he\'s an ass, but still \"in the right\". As you prolly have your working hours written by the friggin\' door - that\'s that. Everybody is a customer here and there, but nobody really expects the supermarket folks to open the store for you after 8pm (closing time around here), even if there\'s still someone there! People working there (i.e. you too) have a life as well! His life might have made it neccessary for him to be late. Yours might have made it neccessary to leave punctually.
I\'m on your side there.
If I drop off my car at a service store, with a deadline to boot, it\'s considered good service to do so. Them calling me - four times! - to tell me it\'s done, is great service. But me, wanting to pick up the car after the regular closing hours... is pushing a bit too far, simple as that. Had he arrived, say 5 minutes befor you closed, it\'d have been a clear deal... he\'s an ass, but still \"in the right\". As you prolly have your working hours written by the friggin\' door - that\'s that. Everybody is a customer here and there, but nobody really expects the supermarket folks to open the store for you after 8pm (closing time around here), even if there\'s still someone there! People working there (i.e. you too) have a life as well! His life might have made it neccessary for him to be late. Yours might have made it neccessary to leave punctually.
I\'m on your side there.
I think you did the sensable thing. Your operation has rules. I\'m nto sure wether or not you control the rules, but say you do, i am sure you would like to keep things consistant, and expect your employees to follow suit. This makes for a more manageable safe/steady buisniess, ehh?
What terrible things can this disgruntled guy say? \"I came late, i missed my deadline, and now I dont have my car! That damn garage and it\'s curtieious service, and rules.\" \"Hey, I came 2 hours late, and the garage was closed, and i made them re-open, those mechanics are push overs there, and you can get away with hussling them?\" lol
Naw, i dont think either statements are probable, worth saying, or more even worth listening to, from an informed/serious customers point of view.
Sometimes I think exceptions can be made, but basically i find it is usually a safer bet to stick with the rules, especially if the are rules given to you, and following those rules is your job. Secondly, no sensible person should be taking a piss at you for following the established rules of the company. I can understand him getting upset at his predicament.
A steady, or known customer may expect something different, on behalf of his face. This could be a little trickier... i\'d open the garage for the right person.
What terrible things can this disgruntled guy say? \"I came late, i missed my deadline, and now I dont have my car! That damn garage and it\'s curtieious service, and rules.\" \"Hey, I came 2 hours late, and the garage was closed, and i made them re-open, those mechanics are push overs there, and you can get away with hussling them?\" lol
Naw, i dont think either statements are probable, worth saying, or more even worth listening to, from an informed/serious customers point of view.
Sometimes I think exceptions can be made, but basically i find it is usually a safer bet to stick with the rules, especially if the are rules given to you, and following those rules is your job. Secondly, no sensible person should be taking a piss at you for following the established rules of the company. I can understand him getting upset at his predicament.
A steady, or known customer may expect something different, on behalf of his face. This could be a little trickier... i\'d open the garage for the right person.
