Polar Opposites

It's not often that I encounter both ends of the spectrum in the same day when it comes to dealing with customers. 

The morning for me started, unfortunately, on the rather sour side, due to a customer on the phone. 

The situation had started simple enough.

A call had come in where a customer had requested that she speak to our Greenie. -Aka our newest coworker in the store. 

This coworker started working like...a week ago.

So therefore, is still very green in many things.

Like...in how to work the work phones. 

Therefore, I was kinda confused why someone would be asking for them specifically...

Until I remembered that our Greenie was in training to become our new dog trainer. 

and therefore, I figured it was probably a training question. 

It wasn't. 

In any case, I gave the phone to our Greenie, showed them how to answer it.

And left it at that.

Well....

Apparently from the customer's pov, our Greenie had hung up on her. 

idk if they'd tried to put her on hold and failed, or misunderstood what she was saying and thought the conversation was over or what.

All I know, is that I eventually heard a call for customer service to the grooming salon.

Why?

Because my department phone had ended up there. 

As Greenie had placed it there....

Not sure why....though from later conversation I think they weren't aware that you hand it to another coworker or keep it on you when you're done talking on the phone. 

Any how, I took the phone back, went back to working on my task I was working on.

When Greenie came to find me saying that they thought that they'd been called to answer the phone again. But when I went to hand it to them, they were like "Nevermind, I think a manager got it." 

....they hadn't.

The phone I had rang like two or three minutes later.

And when I answered the phone, the woman on the other side was like "Hi, may I speak to {Greenie Coworker's name} 

To which I was like. "Sure, let me put you on hold---" 

Yah.

Didn't get to finish that sentence because crazy lady freaked out on me.

DON'T YOU DARE PUT ME ON HOLD! YOU GUYS DID THAT LAST TIME AND NEVER CAME BACK. DON'T YOU DARE PUT ME ON HOLD.

To which I was like. O.o *blink blink* Okay? 

Like...why are you yelling at me lady? I'm just trying to help. 

"I'm sorry." was what I managed to get out as I was processing this lady's angry rant.

"NO YOU'RE NOT! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU ALL HUNG UP ON ME AND AGAIN DON'T YOU DARE PUT ME ON HOLD" 

Can I say I honestly was tempted to put her on hold there out of spite? Because. Geez. Lady. Calm down. You can't say I'm not sorry. Because I was. It's not like anyone at work purposely accidentally hangs up on people and it's not like my Greenie knew any better because guess what? THEY'RE NEW. 

*Exhales* 

I don't even remember what I was trying to say to her beyond that point, beyond me trying to soothe her as I was trying to find my coworker so I could give him the phone. (by now I was dying of curiosity why she wanted to speak to the Greenie so badly) 

So I was like "Alright, just let me find him...I know he's here some--"

And again she was like "ARE YOU TALKING TO ME?!" 

Because....I guess it didn't seem like I was talking to her? I mean, I was just kinda spouting out words as I was searching, but I guess it sounded like I may have been talking to another. 

So I was like "No, I am talking to you, I'm just trying to find my coworker." 

And I think I said something like. "I'm going to just need you to hold on"

"DON'T!"

"I'm not going to put you on hold." I was quick to interrupt. "You just need to hang on a second, which I am not going to put you on hold, but I'm not going to be able to talk for a second to you as I search, but you're not on hold. Okay?" 

Thankfully. I found Greenie rather quickly. And in an undertone warned them that there was an angry lady on the phone.

Surprisingly I think Greenie took it rather well...I checked in on them later and they seemed unaffected by it.

And what was the fuss all about?

*shakes head*

Apparently the woman had been in the store earlier today, had bought a crate, Greenie had helped her out. She'd thought she'd bought the right size, but turns out she'd gotten the wrong size.

And all she wanted.

Was to know if she could exchange it out for a different size.

*eye twitch* 

Like....lady. You could have saved yourself the hassle if you hadn't asked for a specific coworker by name.

Like I get it. Greenie coworker helped you out and you probably wanted them to remember you so that no one would think you were lying.

But seriously.

You could have just said. "Hi, I bought a crate and it was the wrong size, can I exchange it?" To any one of us.

And guess what?

We'd have been like. "Yes. Just have the receipt and the product and you can get the correct size when you come back in."

Honestly, it was a simple answer. 

Though...with the Greenie they may not have known that that was alright to go. So I could see them trying to put this customer on hold to ask a someone else if the customer could do this...and ended up hanging up on them.

*exhales* 

In any case. Crazy angry lady came in, and yah...Greenie was right. She was just grouchy in general. The woman had a face that looked like it could chew nails. Aka. Very grumpy. 

*shudders*

I'm glad I didn't have to deal with her beyond the phone conversation though. I doubt I would have been nice to her. 

Do you know how much I was tempted to actually go put myself in the line of fire and be like "Oh yes, you're the lady who yelled at me on the phone." Just to see what her reaction would be. *shakes head*

Thankfully I have a strong sense of self preservation lol. 

So I didn't do that.

But yah.

That was my negative experience of the day....of the month really. *shakes head*

But I also had a more positive experience with a customer as well. :) 

As a customer had come into the store at some point to pick up an online order. 

Only when he'd come to pick it up, we hadn't had all the product he'd had on his order. He'd been shorted one thing of squeezey cheese. (dog version) 

So what he'd done was he'd just gone and grabbed another flavor of the squeezy cheese off the shelf.

Showed it to the cashiers, and left. 

Only to discover....sometime later, after he received an email about it...

That because we'd been unable to fulfill his order, the money for the item he'd purchased online had been returned to him. 

Apparently...neither he nor the coworker who'd helped him had known this....

*shakes head*

Because yah...if we can't give you the product you ordered online because we were for some reason out of stock....your money gets refunded to you.

The same happens if you don't pick up your order after a certain time frame. If you never pick it up, then the money is again returned to you.

In any case.

Other people would have shrugged it off and gone "Oh well. I got this squeezy cheese anyways!" 

But no siree.

This gentleman "Had been done too much good by Starsmet" -aka we'd been really nice and helpful to him. To let the fact that he'd basically stolen a can of squeezy cheese from us slide by.

No he wanted to make it right. Since he hadn't paid for the squeezy cheese he wanted to come back and pay for it.

So first he called our manager on duty at the time. 

Told him the situation.

Told him he'd be in later that day.

And told him he'd pay for it.

Only...the manager had neglected to tell anyone else this was happening. *sighs* 

lol. 

In any case.

I helped the gentleman out...once I figured out what he was trying to do.

And grabbed the price tag off the shelf (as we had no more of the same product on the shelf) took him up to the register, and had him pay for the item he'd taken home. 

And he was so happy and positive and just...thankful that he could do his part to help us out as we'd helped him out so often and been so helpful with him whenever he'd come in...

It was just...a really good feel good moment you know.

To know that there are customers who care enough about us to want to do good by us.

After all, the manager had basically told him on the phone to not worry about it. That we'd just write the item off. 

But the customer was like "No. I took it. I want to pay for it." 

And aww.

He deserves a lot of good karma for that act. ^^;; Just saying.

It was a good way to end the day. That's for sure. :D 

Until you next read these words;

I'll be watching the leaves.

Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi