I hate rude and impatient customers

My job requires to get as much as info from a buyer to understand what he needs and sometimes people get rude, or impatient when i have another buyer allready waiting for the items to be given.

How is your job, do you get those kind of customers?

You should never "hate" or admit to hating potential customers, after all don't they pay your salary whether directly or indirectly?

Of course your secret is safe with me and OT.

I work at Wal Mart and I have to deal with these types constantly but I don 't hate them. They just get on my damn nerves.

After all they are helping my big corporation of a boss suck the small business economy dry but I digress.

Nope, but I understand how you feel. Nothing like sitting in line behind some customers who lack understanding of the situation in front of them. All they know is you're moving too slow, don't care why...

Im in PC repair, and it seems like all of the people that come in think they are being hacked.

"I think a hacker got my computer" = remove malware

"Dude, a hacker took over my PC" = remove pop-ups, spyware, and toolbars

"A hacker got in and is trying to get my shit!" = customer forgot their password

Now i know that hacking exists, but i have yet to see a real hacking situation and ive been with this company for 4 years.... So annoying!

I'm a physical therapist so yeah, I have to deal with idiots every now and then...they come to me to "fix them", so I do, then offer them some advice in order not to revert to their previous state, they ignore me, re-injure themselves within a week and blame me for "not fixing them properly".

Then you have those clients who flat out lie to you...a couple months ago I had a client who had this huge swelling on her face...I asked her a bunch of questions even though it looked like a textbook case of make-up allergies but she swore to me that she never wore any kind of makeup...so after much insistence on my part we ruled out makeup allergies (and about 100 other things). For 3 months, she would come to me looking like a balloon, I would drain the swelling, she'd leave fine, a week later, back with the swollen face. I talked to colleagues, teachers, doctors... sent her to the dermatologist more than once...we ruled everything out other than head trauma so I was about to tell her to go get a CAT scan when she calls me and says "Hey, I found out what the problem was...I bought the wrong brand of eye shadow...my normal brand comes in a pink box so I just grabbed the pink box but it was a different brand and I didn't notice"...so obviously I asked her why she lied about never wearing makeup; she replies "Well, I've been using this makeup for 10 years and never had problems so I was 100% certain it wasn't that, and if I had told you I wear makeup you might insist that was the problem".

What do you do with people like that? =p

@bowchicka07: okay, not hate all of them, but the most ones that are like, arive to the store like they are somekind of prime minister

I don't really hate any type of customer, other than those who obviously come into my business looking to get something for free through dishonest means.

Aside from that, they can act however they want so long as it's not incredibly disruptive to the experiences of other paying customers.

I'm so glad I don't deal with the general public in my line of work (programmer/system analyst). All of my work is project driven and I work almost exclusively with competent, professional adults.

People can be real bastards when they want to be.

lol Now this I know very well! I don't work for a company, but people ask me to take a look at their computer claiming someone is hacking them or they have a virus because their computer is suddenly too slow. It only takes a second to realize that their computer is running Windows XP using 500 MHz of pentium processing power, 128 MB of RAM, and 20 GB of hard drive space which is basically near minimum requirement to run XP! What really gets me is when the computer is REALLY telling them the problem but they claim its a virus despite its telling them they need more memory, hard drive space, and basically just buy a newer computer altogether...

lol i had to argue 3 hour with my internet provider to get something better since we were paying too much for what we were getting

if i ever have to argue with them again it wont last 10min

Interesting I have worked on and off in pc repair/helpdesk for the last 2-3 years, and I don't think I have ever had someone try to tell me that their pc has been hacked. Might just be that I don't get random customers though, it's always something pertaining to company software. If I worked at a place like Best Buy or Office Depot my guess is that this would happen a lot.

People do get mad though, but regardless I love doing jobs without much manual labor involved. It's not as glorious as waiting around for programs to fix software issues because you gotta move on and get other issues solved, but it beats the hell out standing all day at a cash register or various other jobs that make you sweat.

yeah I too come across a lot of messages telling me exactly what the problem is that the customer, "Just can't figure out."

I think South Park every time.

Ya, some people are impatient as f**k. Irritates the hell out of me.

There is nothing more despicable than the American consumer.

I think part of it is the system we live in. We have stores like Walmart that are open 24/7, and if they aren't open at all hours they close anywhere from 9-10pm. In Europe most places close up around 7:00pm, furthermore taking stuff back that you are unhappy with is sort of a taboo where as it's standard in the US.

Practices like that, among others, lead to a system where customers are use to getting what they want, when they want it, and don't get me started on the mentality of never telling the customer that they are wrong. Hell in the IT world customers want their computers to do stuff that they were never designed to do all the time, and you just have to finesse your way around telling them that what they want simply can't be done. Gotta let them down very gently.

Europe sounds like a dream (if I were still working in retail). I've found customers are almost always wrong.

Well in europe where i work is from 7:30 til 18:00 , its not as big of a shop as the ones that work til like 19:00 or 20:00 and thank god i dont need til 21:00

Rude and impatient employees are no better.

@BranKetra: true that, i had i guy a few days ago that was saying rude things to me and at that point i lost it, after a minute my boss comes over and i explain the situation and then he told me that person talked like an ass not the first time

I used to hate customers when I worked retail as well. The only solution is to get out and find a better job.

What actually do you sell? Context makes a big difference in buying into your frustration. In some retail setups answering all the customers questions is essential, and yeah people need to wait their turn, like if you're selling cars or mattresses and such.

It does bug me though when I go to a major electronic store like Fry's, Best Buy, Target, Walmart, and I can't find a single person to get me the item I need and already know I want, the ones not on the shelf and are locked away in a security case or in the back. I don't expect these people to know great deal of what they're selling either. And the only time they're trying to act knowledgeable is when they're trying to upsell something like $150 HDMI cables, in which case I can see through the bullshit.

I myself as a consumer am increasingly frustrated with retailers like Radio Shack, can't even go into one anymore just to buy a pack of batteries without having to wait in line behind people asking about their cell phones and their plans and I'd have to wait like 30 minutes to an hour just to buy a pack of batteries, and they wonder why they're losing business.

Welcome to retail. You have two options:

1. Deal with it.
2. Get another job.

Good god, the number of times I've wanted to maim these ungrateful, impatient, know-it-all bastards. . .customers destroyed every ounce of faith in humanity that I ever had; having worked with legitimately insane people, the only difference I've found between my job as a public employee and as a retail employee is the pay and benefits, and I don't have to live under the stupid-ass philosophy of "the customer is always right."

And rather than stick up for their burnt-out employees, who have to deal with everything from insults to threats to actual violence at bare minimum wage, managers just kneel down and suck off whomever throws their temper tantrum. It's why people are so fucking spoiled now; they've gotten away with it elsewhere and they think that if they yell loud enough you'll be able to do something about the rules.

@lamprey263: okay i found a similar shop that is in America (i think) its Homedepot that has similar things that i sell (building materials)

Do you guys all live in the big city or something? I read this thread yesterday and then headed out shopping with the wife. I hanged out at the customer services of a few stores and paid a bill in one. Customers waited politely in line. There was no yelling or cursing when a couple of returns were disallowed (with proper reasoning provided).

Patience is one of my virtues. I do get angry at motherfuckers who don't understand the concept of personal space when waiting in line. "hey, SOB, is it that hard to stand at least 3 feet from me?". Jesus F. Christ.

I get them all the time. If it really bothers me I tell them to drop the attitude or I'll walk away and they can wait for someone else. I have done that several times. Funny, they keep coming back too. Although I notice a vast improvement in their behaviour.

Imagine if almost all customers behaved politely you'd wonder if you came to work in some kind of alternate reality or parallel universe. That didn't contribute much, it's been a long time since I worked in retail which was in a RV supply store. (recreational vehicle)

I've met some really rude customers, i just bite my teeth together and try to be as polite as i can

@korvus: that was great.

Rudeness, impatience, and stupidity are some of the worst traits in people and they all come out full force as soon as they walk through the doors of a retail or food service establishment. I have 1001 stories about people being all three at once.

One time I was working as a cashier, and a woman wanted a raincheck on a vacuum. Problem was, the vacuum wasn't on sale. It was at its' regular price, just out of stock. So, being the courteous employee that I am, I said to her she doesn't need a raincheck because that's the regular price. She thought I was trying to screw her over and lost her marbles, first running back and grabbing the sign on the shelf, waving it in my face, and making all kinds of demands to see the manager, the owner, the CEO. I offered to order her in one at that price, put one aside for her when stock came back in and call her, etc etc. Nope.

I finally just wrote her a raincheck (not really supposed to, as it confuses the system when put in as a raincheck for the regular price of an item) and sent her on her way. She never came back for the vacuum as far as I know.


Another story: we have key-entry single bathrooms where I work, and people regularly (very rudely) storm up to the front desk and push past other customers to demand access. Everyone who works the front desk has become passive-aggressive about it and tells people they'll get to them when they're done with the customers they have.

So this guy storms up, demands access. He's told to wait. He's an ass, not even 'It's an emergency, please' or anything. We learn a little too late he has a small child with him who needs to go. Never mentioned it to us. The kid wets themselves and makes a huge puddle of pee on the floor in a high-traffic area (which was nowhere NEAR the bathrooms, the dad left the kid somewhere in the store to go get access to the bathroom, which makes NO sense), and the dad proceeds to pick them up and walk up to the desk and inform them that his kid pissed all over the floor and that's what we get for not opening the bathroom to him right that second.

So he leaves the store, kid in hand, and it becomes a game of 'find the piss before someone slips in it and sues us'.

@Allicrombie: It certainly makes you glad to have chosen a profession where you can help people! =P

I've worked at the Home Depot with those kind of customers. Contractors are on another level though. They think they own the world and think they have the right to yell and make you hustle to get their 40 bags of concrete or whatever in their trucks. Worst part, you can't do anything about it. One time a customer literally showed his knife to one of my coworkers when his card wouldn't go through so he could rent a snake (cleans toilets and drainage) and he reported it to the manager. The managers took the customers side and apologized and even let him rent it for free.

So glad I got a job at Lowe's and am now working in the night crew. No customers and drama free environment.

Fortunately my retail job is night shift so I only have a ten minute window either side of my shift where I could potentially see customers. I must say I prefer it this way, its easier to get the job we need to get done without customer queries.

The downside is Iv only had one saturday night off in the last 3 and half months and 0 friday nights. Im in desperate need of a night of alcohol induced stupidity.

@always_explicit: I don't know about the alcohol, but you can always count on these forums for the induced stupidity part =D

@korvus: Haha thats so very true.

One question for you Korvus. Off topic haha.

Im planning a trip in November and I was thinking of going to Iceland.....but Im also considering Norway, Sweden and Denmark as options!!!
Do you have any recommendations knowledge and experience to share on those places???

Im also going solo :P

@always_explicit: My travels so far are consigned to Portugal, Spain, Netherlands, Germany and Belgium (with Italy next week), but I believe my wife has been to all 3 you mentioned, maybe even Iceland (I know she really liked Sweden and I also have cousins there), so I'll ask her for her impressions when she gets home and will PM you with the answers =D

I knew you were fairly well travelled!! Id really appreciate that. Thank you.

@always_explicit: No problem. Between me and my wife, she's the well traveled one; she's been pretty much everywhere in Europe and she's been to the US a few times as well.

I'm currently a medical student doing an attachment at the hospital... and oh God, dealing with patients is WAY more difficult than what you guys experience at retail.

people who get angry at salespeople are the biggest cowards alive, they know they have the advantage because you have a job to lose if you try to get even with them. if i ever own a business ill tell all my employees theyre allowed to tell the customer to **** off and throw in some insults

@-paranorman-: its really similar to what I work

@jimy1475: Yeah, that kind of job isn't worth it man. I recommend working at night if you have a night crew position. It's way more peaceful.

I'd never work a job in retail unless I was desperate. They don't pay that well and you have to deal with people no thanks.

I work behind the scenes and my boss knows why i hate working in the front.

People piss me off and I can only take it so much. So half way through the day anytime i am forced to work in the front due to staffing I start to get really sarcastic in a bad way.

The place is to small to be working long hours, its only from 7:30 till 18:00