The customer is not always right...

Yup.


But in the interest of making sales, keeping a customer and the gossip train.... they're always right.

i've been in customer service for over 10 years. I have trained customer service and technical support, and most of whom i have trained came in with the incorrect notion that "the customer is always right." It's not the case, and no company I have worked for ever advocated that we take that approach. I have always stressed courtesy, a willingness to assist and educating the customer, but not blowing smoke up his/her *** to make them think they were right.

as a customer, i know i am not always right, and most people think this, too. In fact, in my experience, if you have a customer that says "the customer is always right" to you, they are the ones who know they are the most wrong. because they are quoting some outdated mantra as their sole defense.

I agree!! Nothing irks me more than an irate customer being abusive and quoting "but the customer is always right" line of crap.

I work at a finance company. You can imagine the quality of calls we receive if funds aren't being sent or items are being charged back.

I owned my own business for a while. I had a higher-end business that catered more to people with money. What I learned about all this is that often there is a mis-match between what a company offers, and the expectations of the customers. This typically happens a lot in retail, since any dub@$$ in the world can walk in. I have experience with retail, but it seems like it would be difficult.

For other businesses though, they sometimes bring it on themselves. I paid for a one-year hosting solution based on an add that they set-up for you and it's easy. After I paid on-line because that's how you had to do it, they started asking me for this really heavy technical information. I was like, WTF are you talking about. They really didn't want to explain, and acted like I was an idiot because I don't know what a DNS redirect means, or whatever. I got so pissed off with them, I demanded my money back. It wasn't easy, it wasn't friendly, it sucked and was a little bit demoralizing. When a place advertises, they need to stand behind it. If it's a bare bones operation, don't advertise like a full service, customer friendly place, and visa versa.

Companies often set themselves up for failure and make the cusomter support job difficult becasue they just try to get cusomters in the door, rather than work hard to get the RIGHT cusomters in the door.

One day, remind me to tell you my fish story. it's perfect for this.

I owned my own business for a while. I had a higher-end business that catered more to people with money. What I learned about all this is that often there is a mis-match between what a company offers, and the expectations of the customers.

Why? Salesmen seem to open that gap.

Amen. To all of this. I work in retail. Some people... >.<

I have worked in retail also and thought they were bad

then I got into the broadband business...lol boy was i wrong about retail..lol

unfortunately they are always right, even when they are wrong That's a hard thing to take, especially when you do what I do for a living, decorating cakes. Some people can be really picky, but they have a right to.

Remember, the customer is always right... (Except when they are wrong, which is ALWAYS)
I've worked in retail since leaving Sixth Form and it's made me lose all faith in humanity...

TO keep your job, their right lol

In fact sometimes they're just a dumbass...

Having trouble bridging the gap between what they are telling me they need and what they have in their mind that they need.

It's almost as if they are speaking another language - and when you finally figure out they needed a widget when they've been asking for a thing-a-ma-bob, they're like, "Yes, that's what I've been trying to tell you, you idiot!" And it's not just customers... it's bosses, too!

Customers challenge me on a daily basis. As if I have no idea what I'm talking about.

"can I get an estimate on a paint job?"

I'm sorry we don't do complete paint work.

"are you sure?"

or "do you work on campers/trailers/motorcycles" No sorry but you can try this place.... "oh are you sure? because I could have sworn you did"

UM YEP I'M SURE!!! I feel like Helen the waitress in Tommy Boy. "Sorry the grills closed. We only have cold stuff and dessert."

"Are ya sure? Some chicken wings would really hit the spot."

"Let me check. (she remains standing there) Yep it's closed."

LOL

My Aunt owned a bar. The sign hanging over the register- "The customer is always right, but WE get to decide who is a customer." :drinker:

Some good points made. Plain and simple to me the customer is not always right. However they are still the customer, and they are the life line of businesses. They deserve respect until they get out of hand, then I do not need their business. If they are jerks they are going to be jerks with just about everyone. I do agree though some are really............
In fact sometimes I can be a jerk as well, but I try not to be.