Steroids build bulk and strength, but can have some pretty nasty side effects. Likewise, customer service run amok can be equally nasty.
I recently bought myself a digital SLR camera to replace my wonderful 22 year old 35 mm film camera. I found the camera, accessories, and price I wanted online and having done thorough research, knew exactly what I needed and I knew who the best dealers were. I ordered what I needed online with my credit card. Easy.
The fun started when I received an email from the company saying that I needed to call a customer service number to confirm the order (I now realize this was simply a ploy for them to have me on the line so they could try to upsell.)
After the customer service rep located my order he tried to sell me a high speed memory card for $149. I said, "No thanks, I'm not interested at this time." He pushed and I responded, "No thanks, I need to do more research. I am not prepared to spend more money on something on which I don't have all the information." When he saw that he was getting nowhere he lowered the price to $129. Fair enough, but then it got worse. He began goading me with comments about how was I going to use my nice new camera without this "essential" memory card. I might as well buy a cheaper, less sophisticated camera (in this rep's opinion) if I wasn't willing to spend the money to buy the right high speed memory card for this very high tech wonderful purchase I was making. Whether or not he was right is not the issue here. The fact that this clerk in New Jersey was putting me and my selection down to try to pressure me into buying more stuff was insulting and rude. He went on and on like this for awhile, challenging me to tell him how I planned to use the camera so that he could continue show me how "stupid" I was by not buying the card he was trying to sell. I couldn't believe I was even thinking of "explaining" myself and my rationale to this intrusive stranger. He finally lowered the price to $99. Seems like a good deal to me, but I said no, because by this time I was so appalled that any customer service rep would bully a customer as I felt I was being bullied. I wouldn't have bought it if he offered it for $1!
I maintained my composure throughout, never raising my voice, never taking the bait, never responding with sarcasm or insults, by saying, "No thanks, I'm not interested" over and over. This seemed to piss him off more and each time I said it he escalated his raging bull technique. I realized this guy was getting very angry with me and had he been physically closer, I would have been scared.
Hey, anger is a valid human emotion. It's not the emotion that is wrong or right, it's the delivery. Uncensored explosive behavior is abuse. I felt abused by the end of this phone call. Abused by a customer service rep whose PAID job it was to thank me for my business and make me feel good about buying from this company.
Good old fashioned customer service built on regular workouts, healthy diet, fixing mistakes, humility, and commitment. Good.
Customer service on steroids and uncontrolled anger in guise of trying to enlighten me...no thanks.
Ann, Vermont Shortbread Company...where customer service is built on creating enduring relationships!
Apalling customer service! Hard to believe that such neanderthal behavior still exists - but it does, unfortunately.
If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't even want the camera from this company anymore - I'd have such a bad taste in my mouth!
Great energy management on your part - you didn't let the rep steal your JOY!
In Spirit,
Lauren Lee
Posted by: Lauren Lee | December 29, 2006 at 12:45 PM