told a client/customer off?...I just did, and told him if he didn't get out, I'd call the cops. I feel good, because he was cursing and being abusive...but part of me feels bad, cause he was a good client...
Have you ever felt fed up and let a client/customer have it?

the wife of the asshole just called and told me he had been that way with her for the past 4 days, and she's hoping that she's allowed to do business with us..I told her I'd apologize to her husband for losing my patience with him, but I'm do an apology in turn.
[Edited 7/28/06 15:10pm]

ok, he just called and apologized profusely...he was off his "meds"...he said I was not wrong at all, but I apologized to him for losing my patience
[Edited 7/31/06 6:41am]

Oh hell yeah, we have to deal with alot of construction contractors, and county, DOT inspectors and such, the assholes are usually one of these
a-they think they know everything and they don't need to listen to the engineer
b-they are in a position of authority and want to make sure you know it



I've told off more than one of these losers, and no, I didn't feel bad at all, they were assholes.

jerseykrs said:

amen Bro, amen

My share of co-workers, yes. Customers, that would be our patients. Hmm... I remember this one man who was terminal. Boy did I take some verbal abuse from him... "Customers are always right" :wtf: Well... I went downstairs... gave fair warning to the supervisor at the time, you know... a headsup. I knew I would face this man again within this day. I understood his action and suggestive mannerism was due to his loss of control, his lost control of his life. I took that into consideration, I truly did. I go upstair... knock on his door... and that looks began once again. I allowed him to get all worked up... he said... "I am so mad, I could kick you to the curb", I don't remember exactly what I said... but I ended up walking out... in the middle of his rage.. and decided... "This is so not worth my time... nor is it directed towards me, personally."

I have to remember this often... and this really helps me understand where another may be coming from, instead of fueling the fire. Because lord knows I can be a professional fuel feeder.

Freespirit said:

not only professional

as to answer the origanl question yes i did just yesterday, nothing serious, just told someone to wshut up and do her job
it felt good

Freespirit said:

you?...you're so pure...that can't be true

Yes, when my boss gave me the ok to do.

After confronting a co-worker... I have usually, in the past... gained a new sense of respect. I could be your worst enemy, if I choose to use the energy it takes. I just don't have that desire or energy anymore.

once i was ringing up this customer that was already snotty. i was polite and when i was done i said thank you and i put her books in the bag. so this bitch proceeds to throw some other stuff she had in here hand at me and said 'put this in there to'. now usually i'd do it without a problem but she was rude and i told her no because i don't take things that are thrown at me. needless to say she walked off in a huff and complained to my supervisor who is also a good friend of mine . she apologized to the lady but just laughed at me

purplerein said:

Come shadow me a day at my work. Many or most here, have no idea.

Freespirit said:

AndGodCreatedMe said:

i was referring to you Julie

is was this one time when i was a waiter and a customer was pissed off because we were out of coleslaw and she wanted some. everyone else at her table was like, "c'mon, chill out, they're out of coleslaw" and she was all, "HOW HARD IS IT FOR THEM TO MAKE A BOWL OF COLESLAW FOR ME?!?!"

so finally i said, "if it helps, i can chew a big mouthful of salad and spit it in a bowl for you, because that's as close as you're going to get here."

everyone at the table laughed...except for her, of course. oopsies!

AndGodCreatedMe said:

I know. You know a bit too much.

u.

Anx said:

i like that

Uh, yeah, a massage client.....catch my drift?????

Freespirit said:

Call your boss or manager over and let them resolve it, thats what they get paid for.

Cut em off mid-rant and say something to the effect of, "I'm sorry, I can't help you. My supervisor will be over in a moment" then just walk away from it all.

luv4all7 said:

she wanted a happy ending huh...

purplerein said:

.....funny.

Anx said:

tell me you got a nice tip from the table...please?

purplerein said:

You did the right thing! And yes, it feels good. We're animals, it's natural.

I can only remember a few incidents.

When I was 16, I worked in a coffeshop-type place. A man with two small children came in to get food and I have honestly repressed the memory! I’m not quite sure why he was so heated; but I think it had something to do with the wait or me making some sort of mistake. Anyway, after being extremely rude and inappropriate around his children, he ended up throwing a cup of ice cream at me and I lost it on him. I slammed the cash register shut and made some sort of reference to him being a shitty father and that his kids were welcome back, but I’d never wait on him again. He called me a few names and I told him to get out or I’d call CPS. I really should have, and I pray to god he was never like that with them.

When I was 18, I was a checker in a 24-hour grocery store. I was working 8PM to 4:30AM to cover during the graveyard shift woman’s surgery, and my asshole of a boyfriend would come in and stand behind me while I was scanning items and trying to be friendly to customers. There was no management present at that time of night and he wouldn’t leave; he’d just stand there and insult me, etc. (he wasn’t like that in the beginning, TRUST.) After a few nights of him doing this, I got Naomi and Tito (coworkers. rest in peace Tee-tee) on each side to follow me and I physically shoved him outside the store. I told him I’d put his testicles in a meat grinder if I ever saw him again. That fucker got away with all my Playstation 2 games and a whopping Blockbuster bill in MY name, as he had my card.

I’ve got a recent one, but it gets me so heated that it’s a bad idea to type out.

I've done it but it makes me feel rotten.

Yes, the summer before my last year of undergrad, I had the shittiest job of my life--working at a movie theater (concessions area, primarily). I was 21, got excellent grades in college, etc. and I would get so fed up with the way people would treat me and my co-workers as if we were absolute morons who couldn't make change for a dollar just because we worked at the movie theater. (I had just gotten an A in Calculus that spring.)

One day this woman and her dirty, barefoot kid came in to go to a movie and my friend Javier couldn't let them into the theater b/c it wasn't clean yet. She was arguing with him, but he still wouldn't let her in; so she comes over to the concessions complaining about him and wants to buy something; except the manager hadn't opened my register yet, so I couldn't make any sales. I told her to go to someone else's register and she got a huge attitude. It was the last straw...I told her that she didn't need to treat us all like we were idiots just because we were working at a movie theater and that her child running around barefoot in a food service area was a health violation.

The manager had to give her 10 free movie passes. I offered for her to dock my wages, but she said no, just bite your tongue next time.

That job made me realize how much shit people in customer service have to put up with and to this day I try to be much more patient because of it. (Plus I never leave my food wrappers in the theater after the movie because I had to pick up so much gross shit that summer.)

jone70 said:

that's part of my point...i had had enough of his abuse, and if I didn't say something, I would feel awful inside

purplerein said:

I know...one can only take so much. Sometimes in those situations I feel like I have to say something or they'll just go through life being rude and bullying people because no one has ever stood up to them.


RE your specific story: I feel sorry for that guy's wife if he was treating her like that for 4 days. At least you don't have to live with the guy!

PS. What kind of industry are you in, if you don't mind my asking.

oh man, i have a story for you!! but i dont' have time to post it right now. i'll be back later!

purplerein said:

i remember they didn't screw me out of a tip, though i don't think it was extraordinarily good. it was average, though certainly more than i was expecting.

fantasyislander said:

thanks for the reminder purplerein!!


ok, here goes.

We have this customer that has been a consistent problem. When I started this job (in an insurance office) I was working for a different agent…. Mark was a BIG guy… played football in college, was on the Husker team that won the National Championships back in the 90s, and he still worked out…. About 6’4” and probably close to 300pounds…. ALL MUSCLE. I remember coming to work one day and this jerk of a customer (hereafter will be referred to as “the jerk”) was yelling at Mark, saying that he’d been ripped off, blah blah blah. Getting all worked up, and i seriously thought it was going to turn into a fight. this guy woulda got pummeled!! Turned out to be a complete misunderstanding, but once the jerk gets an idea in his head he thinks he’s right and no one will convince him otherwise.

There is a different agent in the office now, and when Gary took over he had a talk with the jerk (he’d heard the horror stories…. Believe me, the incident above was not the only one!) and basically told him he would have to behave himself or he’d be sent packing. That was two years ago, and he’s pretty much behaved himself since then.

A couple months ago he came in all upset b/c he thought his business insurance had been cancelled. Well, it had cancelled, b/c he didn’t pay it. He brought in the payment needed to reinstate it, but he was arguing about the fact it had cancelled. I printed off his payment history and tried to explain it to him. “Look _____, March’s payment was the last payment received. They sent the bill out for April, and that wasn’t paid. They sent out a past due notice, and that wasn’t paid. They sent out a cancellation letter, and that wasn’t paid. So it cancelled for non-payment.” He kept insisting that he hadn’t gotten a bill. “Well ____, they sent the bill for April to the same place they sent the March bill, and you obviously got the March bill.” He kept getting more and more irate, and the more I tried to calm him down and explain things to him he just got more angry. Tried blaming it on the company. I said “Wait a minute, they sent the bill out to you, to the same address they sent March’s bill….. If the company puts it in the mail and the post office doesn’t deliver it to you, how is that our fault?? Shouldn’t you be getting mad at the post office for not delivering your mail?” (Although we both knew this whole time that he had gotten the bills… )

THAT got him really mad!! He started yelling “Don’t you talk to me like that!! You talk to me with respect!!” I had had enough. So I yelled back “I want the same thing!! YOU talk to ME with respect!! I’m trying to explain to you what happened and you’re not listening!!” He was even trying the intimidation factor, leaning over the counter to make himself appear bigger than me. (I’m 6’1”, he’s about 5’8”) So I stood up. And I leaned over the counter. There was NO WAY IN HELL I was going to let him intimidate me. And the jerk backed off a bit. I seriously thought he was gonna deck me… and I was honestly hoping he would! Because then I could either hit him back, or file charges against him and send his ass to jail!! About that time the other woman who works in the office came out of the back room. She’d called Gary and told him he needed to get here NOW. As soon as she said Gary was on his way the asshole quieted down. And he was all nice once Gary got there…. I hate people who think they can push the women around, but once a man shows up they behave themselves.

My boss said next time he did that we should say “Gary told us if we ever feel intimidated by you we should call the police.” I was thinking “No way in hell!! I’m not going to let him have the satisfaction of knowing that he was intimidating me!! I ain’t backing down! If he wants to swing at me BRING IT ON!! We’ll see just how tough the asshole is!!”

fantasyislander said:

I do not ever ever want to get on your bad side..