Discuss: Warranty Periods, Good Faith Ethics, Statutes of Limitations.

[BrewnWKopperKat]

Social media and email often amplifies the message in unnatural ways.

Most of it is discussion and maybe it (social media and email) is best discarded before it becomes "toxic".

eta: updated to take a different path towards the same destination.

 

[bkboiler]

I've interfaced with Gail from Seattle Coffee Gear on the phone before and I think she has a great balance of staying involved with the business to make sure it keeps a customer focus with great service, but also stepping back to focus on new business development.
I think you do a great job as well Bobby, but yes, like you said, maybe time for a break and a vacation!

 

[Steveruch]

I think you do a great job as well Bobby, but yes, like you said, maybe time for a break and a vacation!

Perhaps a trip to Cancun is called for?

 

[InspectorJon]

This is the reason one must always be careful when relying on social media or internet posted product reviews. They often self select for disgruntled customers that are difficult or impossible to please. People that are happy with a product or service rarely say anything about it, they just go on with life. People that are disappointed or angry are looking for a platform to be heard and a place to vent. Any of us that are in business and deal with customers have similar stories about unreasonable customers that just cannot be made happy. Some people are just unhappy most of the time and don't even know it. There are other people just have unrealistic expectations. Dealing with them is part of the emotional cost of doing business.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

The best thing I can really do is to get myself out of the customer facing side of the post-sale business entirely. I have a very polite employee that is fielding more of these types of calls, ultimately with the "answer" coming from me behind the scenes but she more prone to the high road for longer than I can handle. I remember dealing with St. Pat's of Texas about 12 years ago and the owner was short, rude, aggressive and profane with me for asking for a shipping quote. Immediately I wondered who pissed in the guy's cherrios. I guess it was a handful of customers over a lot of years.

If you've got an employee like that, make sure she feels very valued and is well compensated--it'll make your life easier in the long run!

I'm in a similar role. I'm an engineer, but my job is to be the technical side of the customer support organization and work with our large customers using our products. I feel like a bit of a unicorn to have both the technical ability and simultaneously have the "soft skills" to deal with customers in difficult circumstances, such as when millions of dollars are on the line because something's going wrong and their execs are breathing down their necks to fix it and it's my job to help.

I've found that many small business owners get into what they do out of love and passion for their craft, but rarely does that love and passion also reside in a personality that is naturally tuned to customer service. Many CAN do it; few are naturals.

So my advice would be to just give whatever is appropriate of a reward for said employee... Maybe it's a $20 Starbucks gift card, or $50 from Amazon; it could be more or less, but I don't know the situation... Tell her you know that she's on the front lines of dealing with customers and it's a rough job, but she's good at it and you're happy to have her to do it so you don't have to.

It'll make her day and continue to make your life easier.

 

[Bramling Cross]

It seems like the frequency of full bore nut jobs has quadrupled on the custom service front. I'm no expert about these things, but I can't help but think that the frustration, hopelessness, and lack of agency that people are experiencing as a result of the pandemic must be (at least in part) driving this uptick.

It's sad. It's as if they're using customer service reps as a kind of depraved therapy. I sure hope I never let myself get that low.

 

[marc1]

If all is as described, you are not the A hole.

Many years ago I did product development for a chemical company. Additionally, I would help out with customer complaint investigation/resolution.
The easiest ones to close out were expired product - nothing was warranted after expiration, no investigation necessary, recommend they buy fresh.
The second easiest were complaints about properties that weren't on the spec sheet - also not warranted. I could however help them find a better grade to meet their needs if we had it.

I don't think I ever had anyone argue about expired product.

This was B2B though, so maybe people were expecting less freebies?

 

[Cyclman]

I was a National sales manager, responsible for a 9 figure territory. Got hollered at hundreds of times. Sometimes by very large customers.

At some point, you have to know where your “line” is (mine, like yours, was rather customer-sided), and know, when you are unfairly attacked, it is they who are the a-hole. Or, having a bad day.

Offer a shallow apology that they are dissatisfied, move on, forget it happened. Gotta have very thick skin to be customer facing.

 

[Steveruch]

Keep on mind that there are a lot of stupid people out there; some are also jerks.
Back in the 80s I worked for McCullough chain saw company. The guy in the returns department told me a fair amount of the "won't start" complaints were because of bone dry gas tanks.

 

[Hammy71]

Sucks you have to deal with people like this Bobby. You and your company have always been upfront and decent to me. As stated above, there's always gonna be these folks, especially with retail.