vB Easy Archive - So we had to call the police today

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So we had to call the police today
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Posted by: Mazzel

So i come into work around noon today, theres a customer working with my third key rep, i walk into back, three minutes later walk back out this guy is on the phone with customer service using every word that mom doesn't want us to use...background of this story is he made a payment over the phone and apparently made the payment to the wrong account...how this happens with all the different verifications is beyond me...but we advised him in the store there is nothing we can do to help him as we cannot reverse a payment

he sits down in the lobby and starts cursing again at some poor customer service rep whose notes on the account are nothing short of beautiful...

myself and another rep walk over to the store and ask him to calm his voice as he is making other customers upset...although we didn't use the last part in our request...he gives both of us the finger and tells us to "**** off"

at that point we said sir calm down or you can leave...he got up and walked to the other side of the store and threw one of our house lines on the ground and sat down on the chair while still cursing at the customer service rep...

so the other rep in the store called the police and asked them to come remove this customer...i called one of the palm beach sheriffs and to expedite things asked her to get someone at our store location...

now at this point my mom calls me, as my parents were visiting with me and my brother over the weekend...as i walk outside of the store to take this call this customer calls me and walks right into my face and grabs my phone and tells me if "i call the police, i'm gonna be sorry" so i grabbed my phone and screamed that i was talking to my mother and walked away...he proceeded to take a step after me but at this point 4 other reps in my store came outside and made it clear they were outside...i hung up the phone and said sir you have two options...one is clear with the staff outside or you may leave...he got the message and jumped in his car and left...

2 seconds later the police show me, take down the report...called him and had a nice chat with him and advised him if he steps into our store again...the word "trespassing" will flash neon like a sign on the las vegas strip...

end of story is this guy leaves, this is 6 hours ago, the notes on the account clearly point out he has tried to get under everyones skin...

sometimes i just want to throw down this name tag and go postal...

hope you all had a better day

Posted by: SuxBeingU

another advantage of be an indirect, you can go postal if the situation calls for it. I have inly had to one time and that was on another employee.

Posted by: zero_divide_1

Gawd, I'm sorry man. I thought I had it bad sometimes. My sympathies. But, hey, nobody can fire you if you get into a fight with a customer if he throws the first punch, right? Self-defense, isn't it?

Posted by: drewpost

Quote:

Originally Posted by zero_divide_1

Gawd, I'm sorry man. I thought I had it bad sometimes. My sympathies. But, hey, nobody can fire you if you get into a fight with a customer if he throws the first punch, right? Self-defense, isn't it?

I don't know about that, but I read in some training module of that Gawd Awful Learning Edge that Cingular doesn't care if you press charges against them...

Posted by: AmsterdamRave

That sucks but did you at least offer to help him before he got mad? I mean if i made a payment even though its not a store issue i would of been a little pissed that there was no alternate solution offered.

Even thought you couldnt give him what he wanted a point in the right direction would of probarly have soothe things

Posted by: UnwiredOne

Quote:

Originally Posted by zero_divide_1

Legally Yes that's right, but Cingular and other retailers usually don't allow for contact to be made with customer reguardless of who threw the first punch.

Posted by: bobolito

If the payment was put in the wrong account, isn't there a way to track where this payment went to? There has to be something that can be done other than "there's nothing we can do"

Posted by: .7

I think on a local store level theres not, or at least not a way that I'm aware of.

Those paystations are pretty much the beginnig and end of the stores involvement when it comes to payments from my experience.

Posted by: BellaDea

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobolito

If the payment was put in the wrong account, isn't there a way to track where this payment went to? There has to be something that can be done other than "there's nothing we can do"

Like Tripy said, in a store there's nothing we can do than take the payment. If the customer would have been patient and nicer I'm sure he would have found out that yes there is something that can be done but it just takes a little time to do this. My husband and I had to go through that when we migrated from TDMA to GSM when GSM first got started and before we knew there would be a new account number.

If there's something I cannot do myself I invite the customer to call customer care from here so if they have any questions (customer or care) then I'd be right here to help them but I cannot make the call initially for them.

Posted by: Mazzel

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobolito

If the payment was put in the wrong account, isn't there a way to track where this payment went to? There has to be something that can be done other than "there's nothing we can do"

believe me we tried everything we could possibly do to turn this customer around, but i'm sorry regardless of whether or not i could have solved his problem, there comes a point when efforts will be fruitless and the customer will be politely at first asked to leave the store location, after a while there comes a point when the customer is no longer welcome in the location and his attempts at assistance went in silence...you can scream, you can yell, you can point fingers and scream bloody murder...but when you threaten a fellow rep, customers and customer service reps alike...your as far as i am concerned free ballgame...

we tried to help him bobo, believe me we tried, i felt bad for him and i came into the situation with the other rep and tried to help him, but our management said only c/s or cfs can assist in this type of situation...besides the point the payment was NOT made at our store...i wish i could post the notes from the account...you guys would have a riot reading them

Posted by: bobolito

I'm sure you guys did everything you could. Cingular doesn't want you guys to get involved in those tasks. That's why there is a billing/credit department. Did you suggest that he call them? You probably did, but I just didn't read that in any of the previous posts.

If all else fails and Cingular can't find his payment, there are many other things he could've done without resorting to violence. If he paid with debit/credit card he can simply talk to his bank and file a dispute for the charge. In that case he can prove the payment was debited from his bank account and was not credited to his phone account. All he has to do is show the bills and his bank statements. That's the way I would've gone about it. But unfortunately, some people think that screaming is the only way to fix problems.

One time I had a gas station charge me twice for the same time I went to fill my tank. After I discovered the double charge, I only spent 5 minutes at the gas station talking to an attendant who gave me the manager's number who never answered the phone or returned my calls. At that time I realized it was simply easier to go to my bank and file a dispute. No need to argue, get my blood pressure high, or make a drama scene. The bank takes care of it very promptly.

Posted by: DaleJr#8

man, I dunno whats up with all of these crazy corp stories like these lately.

for example: one day last week I was hanging out with some of my friends that work at a blue story near my house. all of the sudden, some @sshole comes in who's plain outright mad at the world and he tried to take his anger out on one of the new girls who just got hired a couple weeks ago. (now mind you, this new girl is so nice and so sweet. yelling at her would be like yelling at Bambie.)

so my buddy (who happens to be the store manager) sees whats going on and imediately goes up front. he then tells the customer that he better pipe down before he throws him out of his store. the guy still doesnt shut up and is still ranting and raving how Cingular's CS screwed him over and blah, blah, blah...

thats when my buddy really got pissed and told the guy to leave. the guy then tells my buddy that he isnt going anywhere. as soon as he told my buddy that, my buddy got right in his face and told him that he can leave the easy way or the hard way and that it didnt make no difference to him.

after my buddy told him that, the guy's attitude completely turned around and he left the store peacefully. Jesus, I honestly thought that my buddy and this arrogant a-hole were going to start "throwing hands" at each other. luckily things didnt get that far...

Posted by: tygercsw

Heh...welcome to my world. I am in the Milwaukee area and have had to call the police more than once on a customer in the past. I swear some of them would kill a human to get their phone working again. There are just some people that you can't help, no matter what. We work VERY hard at our store to keep customers happy because we are mom & daughter and what we do here puts food on the table (per say). Our family business has been a Cingular (Ameritech) agent since 1987 and we have seen it all. A few months back we had a grown adult - 45 years old - throwing a temper tantrum on our showroom floor...and why you ask? Because HIS credit card was maxed out and he couldn't make a payment on his bill! Huh...but that was MY fault.

I completly am there with everyone who has had to deal with irate, out-of-control customers. And, yes, it IS getting worse. Even 2 years ago people were not like this. BUT, it's everywhere - I was locked into Best Buy in spring because a lady was threatening to kill an employee because she wouldn't take back an out-of-warranty item. They locked her out (and us in) until police showed up. I am sure her toddler and husband appreciated the vulgarities she let fly at the employees (isn't it a sad world sometimes?). People have lost self-control and respect for others and it's a real shame. Oh, and I am not OLD...I am 30 and feel that many in this world have lost it (or never had it). Unfortunately, as people rely more an more on phones, this is just going to get worse and worse. Some people cannot be helped no matter how hard you try. And they wonder why we drink...

Oh, and then there's the new *impossible* policies being imposed on agents in the GLR by Cingular. Not cool to an agent who is doing well and has been around for 18 years...

Posted by: VanillaGorilla

Quote:

Originally Posted by tygercsw

Oh, and I am not OLD...I am 30

Quote:

Not cool to an agent who is doing well and has been around for 18 years...

You've been doing this since you were 12?

MtA

Posted by: FatFreeDietWaer

Quote:

Originally Posted by VanillaGorilla

You've been doing this since you were 12?

MtA

30-12=18.....

Posted by: NukuCamui

no no, they said they were 30 and had been doing this for 18 years.

30-18=12

Posted by: FatFreeDietWaer

Quote:

Originally Posted by NukuCamui

no no, they said they were 30 and had been doing this for 18 years.

30-18=12

I stand corrected. I thought I saw 12 years and not 18 years.

Posted by: ChocoTaco369

damn, i feel sorry for you phone reps, especially TS and CS. it's ridiculous how customers flip out and blame reps for everything when they had nothing to do with the mistake. people flip out over the dumbest things. i'd be bringing tums to work. i know my stomach would be freaking out if someone yelled at me like that. i'd get his address off the computer and pour cement in his gas tank at night.

Posted by: jjwalker1212

It seems like everyone needs psychiatric {sp} help now a days but as a song i know says: world full of crazy people and i guess im one in the same. although i never would yell at someone cause i am an idiot. just makes one look worse. but i guess thats why these people are labled idiots..

Posted by: jjwalker1212

at my other job working for an impound company i got to tell people they were stupid right to their face... i loved that job.

Posted by: NukuCamui

Quote:

Originally Posted by FatFreeDietWaer

I stand corrected. I thought I saw 12 years and not 18 years.

Its all good

Posted by: elushon

I think the OP is the Daughter of that Mom and Daughter operation guys...

Posted by: Imari

They actually LOCKED people inside the BestBuy store? I'm suprised someone didn't go up there and knock the ladies lights out for making them stay in the store waiting for the police to get their....I would have.

Posted by: pikapp168

All I have to say thats why its nice to be an agent! I work my butt off to please people and provide good customer service. I have been doing this line of work for 7 years now and am very knowledgable in my industry, but I will be damned if someone is gonna get in my face! I told people off for being a **** and not worried about it cause my owner is a good ole boy and will back me because he trusts me. Like I said before, I will all I can to help a customer but I won't be talked down to or treated with disrespect!

Posted by: fr0ng

Haha..one time I had a stupid customer come in who was mad because she went over her minutes and it was somehow our fault. Once we told her we could not do anything in the store (she got the phone from some indirect seller), she starts grabbing all the accessories on the pegs and throwing them on the ground by the handful. I was so pissed, but could do nothing other than demand that she gets out of the store, NOW...I hate having to contain myself at work >

Posted by: theclarks1

Quote:

Originally Posted by UnwiredOne

Legally Yes that's right, but Cingular and other retailers usually don't allow for contact to be made with customer reguardless of who threw the first punch.

clock out and go find him without the name tag and the shirt for the company. Then proceed to give him some knowledge of how to treat people.

Posted by: jjwalker1212

ok happened yesterday, we have refund checks for cash returns after the first day, cust calls up says he hadnt recived a check yet i say ok let me check... (4-6 weeks) as it says on paper and is signed for by cust. he says thats not the way its gonna work.
i say well you signed it we xplained it to you when you did so.
he says i am gonna come kick your a$$
i say come on down
he says seeya in couple min chump

me (not a big dude but can hold my own.) ok big man
he never shows calls and tells my general manager today that he is gonna kick my a$$
me....still waiting
whats the point of saying something just to say it what ever happened to actions?

Posted by: cowboys93

Years ago, I had a customer call and complain to me about his cellphone and pager being cut-off.

While I did cut his pager off for non-payment, I had no control over what LA Cellular did to his account. He called and threated me over the phone. I told him politely to take the issue up with the wirless carrier, not the dealer.

He decided to come up to the store to "make me" help him. When he arrived, we already called the police (who luckily where at another store, so there car was around back). He was peacefully removed without incident.

Not all customers are this bad. Keep the faith!!

I have to remember that its a cellphone people, not life or death.

If you need your phone for business, pay the darn bill. Stop getting mad at the messenger and take personal responsibility for your own actions.

Posted by: theclarks1

[QUOTE=cowboys93]Years ago, I had a customer call and complain to me about his cellphone and pager being cut-off.

While I did cut his pager off for non-payment, I had no control over what LA Cellular did to his account. He called and threated me over the phone. I told him politely to take the issue up with the wirless carrier, not the dealer.

He decided to come up to the store to "make me" help him. When he arrived, we already called the police (who luckily where at another store, so there car was around back). He was peacefully removed without incident.

Not all customers are this bad. Keep the faith!!

I have to remember that its a cellphone people, not life or death.

If you need your phone for business, pay the darn bill. Stop getting mad at the messenger and take personal responsibility for your own actions.[/QUOTE]

AMEN brother preach it!!!!!

Posted by: mplswaltar

This is why I have a second job as a bouncer at a college bar very near to campus. Its very easy to toss around drunk college guys and its left up to your discretion and no matter what your boss and the cops always back you up