Customer Service…Where Do You Draw the Line?

A few nights ago, I was working at my second job selling fine jewelry and the department phone rang. I answered the phone and on the other end was a manager letting me know she was transferring a customer who was very irate ‘cause he had been trying to get through to our fine jewelry department for a half an hour. My thoughts? “Uh..oh…what am I in for?”

Here’s how the phone conversation went:
Me:  Hello, Fine Jewelry, may I help you?
Customer:  YEAH, I”VE BEEN TRYING TO GET THROUGH FOR THE LAST 30 MINUTES! I NEED YOUR HELP!
Me:  Okay, what can I help you with?
Customer:   NOW LISTEN! IT’S MY DAUGHTER’S 15TH BIRTHDAY, AND I WANT TO GET HER A REALLY NICE PRESENT! ARE YOUR SALES AT THE LOWEST RIGHT NOW? ARE THEY 50% OFF OR MORE?
Me:  Well, our jewelry is at its lowest prices right now, but now everything is 50% off. Our diamonds are 30% off with an extra 15% and our...
Customer:  HEY! DON’T B.S. ME! I WANT TO KNOW IF YOUR SALE PRICES ARE HALF OFF? I WANT TO GET SOMETHING THAT’S VALUED AT $100 ON SALE FOR $50. I HAVEN’T WORKED FOR 14 MONTHS AND I’VE BEEN SICK FOR THE LAST TWO WEEKS. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I’VE COME OUT OF THE HOUSE IN TWO WEEKS AND I WANT TO GET MY DAUGHTER A VERY NICE PRESENT FOR $50!
Me:  I think we can find you something.
Customer:  I JUST PARKED MY CAR AND I’M COMING IN WHAT DO YOU LOOK LIKE?
Me:  I’m the only redhead in the department.
Customer:  ARE YOU THE ONE WITH THE BIG BEHIND?
Me:  Wow! Are you here already? Where are you?
Customer:  (chuckles) I’ll be in soon.

Would you have hung up on this guy? And if so, when? I was trying to be understanding. He was probably very frustrated for many reasons, but still, the “big behind” comment was completely out-of-line, don’t you think?

When he entered the department he walked up to me and the first thing he did was comment on my looks and how beautiful he thought I was and how he expected me to look differently because of the sound of my voice over the phone. He said, “I want to apologize for being so rude on the phone…” My thoughts, “Dude, you already made your first impression, too late to try to charm me now.”

As I’m trying to show him possible gifts for his daughter, he kept trying to hit on me. He said, “Oh, I notice you don’t have a wedding ring on, if you don’t mind me asking, are you single? Please say you’re not married.”

Dang, why did I tell him the truth? Forty-five minutes later, I’m still trying to sell him a piece of jewelry for his daughter and he’s still hitting on me. He ended up choosing a heart pendant that was on sale for $300, completely out of his budget. He asked me to put it on hold for him…I know he’s not coming back for this – why did he waste so much of my time? ugh….

Sure enough, the next time I came back to work, the piece was back in the case. So, what did I learn from this experience?

Once again, nonverbal communication had a role here. The high-pitch tone of my voice over the phone, gave him the impression that he could act rudely to me without any consequences. But, what if I never talked to him on the phone and he just came in person? Would he have tried to act charming? And if he would have, would I have fallen for it not knowing the other side to him? Hopefully not, yet it reminds me of the important lesson of how people are not always what they seem.