It may be pointless, but it is also our right as customer service representatives.
A question about reading comprehension.
- Thread starter Tiberius Jim
- Start date
^and the right of the customers to whine about the signage, pricing, and poor/rude service.
Your point?
I have none.
Time to hang up the tape and start waving people past with a "nothing to see here" speach, then. 
Then again, it was fairly obvious from the onset. the sign isn't THAT confusing, but not as clear as it could be, so can't really fault people for asking to be sure. Especially since every store around has signs hanging everywhere about mega sales, percentages off, etc. Pretty much the beginning and end of that. Add in some pretty regular "flux hates his job" flavor for good measure, rinse and repeat...
Then again, it was fairly obvious from the onset. the sign isn't THAT confusing, but not as clear as it could be, so can't really fault people for asking to be sure. Especially since every store around has signs hanging everywhere about mega sales, percentages off, etc. Pretty much the beginning and end of that. Add in some pretty regular "flux hates his job" flavor for good measure, rinse and repeat...
9 times out of 10, whining about anything is pointless, but we do it anyway.
Time to hang up the tape and start waving people past with a "nothing to see here" speach, then.
Then again, it was fairly obvious from the onset. the sign isn't THAT confusing, but not as clear as it could be, so can't really fault people for asking to be sure. Especially since every store around has signs hanging everywhere about mega sales, percentages off, etc. Pretty much the beginning and end of that. Add in some pretty regular "flux hates his job" flavor for good measure, rinse and repeat...
I don't hate my job, I just have a high level of contempt for the particular clientele of my particular store.
I had someone yesterday ask me what the Sprint brochure meant by the term "Unlimited calling"
Seriously.
I *am* looking forward to the day I no longer ever need to work retail. That will be a magical day.
Yeah...even though I understood it without difficulty, it wouldn't hurt to put "You Pay------>" near the $199, just to aide in understanding.
9 times out of 10, whining about anything is pointless, but we do it anyway.
Time to hang up the tape and start waving people past with a "nothing to see here" speach, then.
Then again, it was fairly obvious from the onset. the sign isn't THAT confusing, but not as clear as it could be, so can't really fault people for asking to be sure. Especially since every store around has signs hanging everywhere about mega sales, percentages off, etc. Pretty much the beginning and end of that. Add in some pretty regular "flux hates his job" flavor for good measure, rinse and repeat...
I don't hate my job, I just have a high level of contempt for the particular clientele of my particular store.
I had someone yesterday ask me what the Sprint brochure meant by the term "Unlimited calling"
Seriously.
I *am* looking forward to the day I no longer ever need to work retail. That will be a magical day.
Ever read the fine print on "unlimited" services? It's a smart customer that would ask what it means. I would ask what it means. Ex: Verizon offers "unlimited" wireless broadband.....up to 5 gb in a month.
I can't believe the thread's gone on so long and no-one's mentioned another possibility - people understand the tag just fine, but are angling for an extra discount. This is a classic haggling opening gambit.
Lots of shops, esp. during sales, allow a little extra to be sliced off the sale price at the manager's discretion (OK, some chains have very strict policies, but many don't and allow some local discretion esp. when they're towards the end of a sale and still have too much stock). By feigning a little confusion over price, you can then go on to try to negotiate a little bit more of a discount. I use this tactic from time to time myself.
Lots of shops, esp. during sales, allow a little extra to be sliced off the sale price at the manager's discretion (OK, some chains have very strict policies, but many don't and allow some local discretion esp. when they're towards the end of a sale and still have too much stock). By feigning a little confusion over price, you can then go on to try to negotiate a little bit more of a discount. I use this tactic from time to time myself.
Some people wouldn't understand it if it was spelled out for them on a 50 foot tall red neon sign. The label was clear as day, I'm tired of the constant catering to laziness and idiocy.
I write technical documentation as part of my job and while I'm not saying the label was up to the standards of a manual I'd have to write, I am saying that I'm well aware that while you can attempt to write as clearly and structured as is possible, there will always be some idiot who just doesn't get it, who you'll have to write MORE clearly for until you reach the point your head explodes in frustration.
Only
$199
20% Off
Reg. 249.99
CLEAR AS DAY. If I wrote it like this:
Only $199, 20% off Regular 249.99.
...would you be more satisfied? It's the same thing!
9 times out of 10, whining about anything is pointless, but we do it anyway.
Time to hang up the tape and start waving people past with a "nothing to see here" speach, then.
Then again, it was fairly obvious from the onset. the sign isn't THAT confusing, but not as clear as it could be, so can't really fault people for asking to be sure. Especially since every store around has signs hanging everywhere about mega sales, percentages off, etc. Pretty much the beginning and end of that. Add in some pretty regular "flux hates his job" flavor for good measure, rinse and repeat...
I don't hate my job, I just have a high level of contempt for the particular clientele of my particular store.
I had someone yesterday ask me what the Sprint brochure meant by the term "Unlimited calling"
Seriously.
I *am* looking forward to the day I no longer ever need to work retail. That will be a magical day.
Ever read the fine print on "unlimited" services? It's a smart customer that would ask what it means. I would ask what it means. Ex: Verizon offers "unlimited" wireless broadband.....up to 5 gb in a month.
Um...wrong. Nobody can claim to give an unlimited service if it isn't actually unlimited. Show me an ad from Verizon stating that they have an unlimited broadband plan that has a 5GB/mo plan. There isn't one, because that'd be false advertising.
My cell plan includes unlimited text messages and unlimited data usage. What does that mean? It means I can send an unlimited amount of messages and use an unlimited amount of data. So...unlimited calling would mean...unlimited amount of minutes. No fine print; it's pretty self explanatory.
Trust me, the person in question was a moron. I also had to explain what was involved in a 2 year contract...they thought it meant they were simply renting the phone for 2 years and had to give it back when the contract was up.
^that's different with other services, so not unheard of. I signed a 1-year contract with my cable company (for example), but don't own my receiver at the end of it. At the same time, I DO own the cable modem at the end, so it's not always obvious. And since most fine print is out to screw you, doesn't hurt to ask clear questions before signing a contract.
Otherwise you get a situation like the housing market, where people took retarded mortgages, and then cry and bitch that they didn't understand, or didn't read the fine print.
Knowing what you owe and what the company owes you, very important in any contract, so can't hurt to ask. Sucks you're the guy standing there to ask, but it's part of the job. Sure, it's obvious to you, but you do several of these every day, the person asking may not have done this in 3-4 years, and policies change all the time.
Otherwise you get a situation like the housing market, where people took retarded mortgages, and then cry and bitch that they didn't understand, or didn't read the fine print.
Knowing what you owe and what the company owes you, very important in any contract, so can't hurt to ask. Sucks you're the guy standing there to ask, but it's part of the job. Sure, it's obvious to you, but you do several of these every day, the person asking may not have done this in 3-4 years, and policies change all the time.
I do that too. What is the worst that can happen? They say no. Best.. they think im a bit silly, but they give me a better price
. I can live with them thinking im a bit ditzy. I am never rude, and I am always pleasant.
That's a little extreme. Customers can probably sense your feelings, and react accordingly. Which is to say, they become even more annoying, on purpose. That's what I'd do.
It's your attitude dude, if that's what you think of people, no wonder you never have anything good to say about your work.
I supposedly have "unlimited" local calls on my landline. I was told I could use it anytime, any day. The fine print however says the calls are only free for the first hour, after that, they start charging. In light of hidden little things like that, it's a perfectly sensible question to ask. Dumb not to ask actually.I had someone yesterday ask me what the Sprint brochure meant by the term "Unlimited calling"
Seriously.
I *am* looking forward to the day I no longer ever need to work retail. That will be a magical day.
The thing is, she didn't ask as if she wanted to know if there were any loopholes...she asked as if she didn't understand what the words meant. I said "with this plan you get unlimited calls, texting & data usage" & she looked at me like I had just described the process of splitting the atom & asked "what does "unlimited calls" mean?"
These are the same people who ask if a camera has "auto zoom", want to know if their TV uses "UBS cables" to hook up to their computer & think its our fault that we can't access their accounts because they forgot their security PIN.
I'm actually completely pleasant to everyone who walks in the door, even when they're annoying. The only time I drop the nice act is when they cross the line from being simply ignorant to be rude/abusive & ignorant. I'll keep the smile and friendly attitude all day...even to the really clueless ones...right up until you start being a dick about it.
These are the same people who ask if a camera has "auto zoom", want to know if their TV uses "UBS cables" to hook up to their computer & think its our fault that we can't access their accounts because they forgot their security PIN.
I'm actually completely pleasant to everyone who walks in the door, even when they're annoying. The only time I drop the nice act is when they cross the line from being simply ignorant to be rude/abusive & ignorant. I'll keep the smile and friendly attitude all day...even to the really clueless ones...right up until you start being a dick about it.
If it's BT, just hang up & redial when you get close to the end of the hour. The clock resets.
Personally, and this is totally off-topic, but I don't really "get" long phone conversations; in fact I'm not much of one for phone conversations at all (outside of work calls). I hate not being able to see body language and get bored very easily over the phone. I guess I treat phones as tools rather than an entertainment medium.
I guess it depends who you're talking to... some people I'd be delighted to talk with all day long, if it were possible. Others I can't wait to get off the phone, like my mother.
i understand it just fine.
but i work in a shop.
i had a customer today who clearly couldn't read. she was buying 8 mugs. six were £1 each. 2 were £2 each. the sign atop the stand said 'AMAZING VALUE FROM £1' the shelf the £2 mugs were on had a shelf edge runner with £2 all along it. the mugs had price stickers on the bottom with £2 on and she still thought they were a quid.
but i work in a shop.
i had a customer today who clearly couldn't read. she was buying 8 mugs. six were £1 each. 2 were £2 each. the sign atop the stand said 'AMAZING VALUE FROM £1' the shelf the £2 mugs were on had a shelf edge runner with £2 all along it. the mugs had price stickers on the bottom with £2 on and she still thought they were a quid.
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