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Originally posted by lisa
My God! That is quite an understandable reaction no matter what kind of person you are. For someone to wish death upon you just for having some administrative red tape that he doesn't care for.
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I made sure I told my supervisor about it, to cover my ass. As a supervisor, we have some leeway in handling irate customers, but I'm not one to abuse something like that.
As I mentioned, I've been in customer service for over 10 years now--in person, on the phone, and online. I've been called a lot of different names. I've had customers threaten to meet me on parking lots after closing time. As a whole, I've always handled myself well, even though I can have a temper. I've always tried to handle customers in the most professional way. But in the past 2 months at this god-forsaken job of mine, I have heard some of the meanest, most spiteful comments ever. I have my posits as to why (such as the fact that many people have become too dependent on their wireless phones), but that is neither here nor there. In the span of 8 hours yesterday:
--One customer that told me I better watch my back b/c I denied his claim.
--One customer who wished I had been in the World Trade Center.
--Another customer who began cussing at me b/c of his error in delaying the filing of his claim.
F**k that...I've had enough of the world of customer service. 10 years is more than enough.
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I suppose that he may be pretty high-stressed himself right now -- may have lost someone in the distaster that he cares for. But, even if that is true, it's sad that he would express it in that way.
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This could tie in to why this thread was originally started.
The guy I was on the phone with was from Seattle. Certainly, he could have had someone involved in what happened, but I would suspect no. Who knows?
But given that this customer is 3000 miles away from what happened, maybe he does not feel as sensitive to it as I or others do. I don't doubt that people around the world felt the sadness or pain of what occurred...but as Undertoad said, "If you're not connected to the situation, plenty of time has passed."
I personally feel a moderate connection to what happened. New York City is a mere 90 miles away from Philadelphia. Washington, DC is 120 miles away. The original reports had suggested that one of the hijacked planes was headed for Philadelphia. My fiance works in University City and rides the El to and from work. And, although it was all the way across the state, one of those planes went down in Pennsylvania. Not to mention, a friend of mine works near the WTC. Lastly, although I try to use logic as much as possible, I tend to be more emotional. Therefore, (using some of that psychology education I have), I would deduce that your reaction to what happened is based on where you were, the depth of involvement (friends or family that were at Ground Zero), and your own emotions. Perhaps I could use this as some sort of hypothesis for an experiment.
When I left CVS, I tried desperately to find a job away from the world of customer service, but none were to be had at the time. But I've been there, done that now...and it wouldn't surprise me if it was contributing to my current health problems. I would love to be a consultant, where I could advise a) Companies on how to make customer service, and b) Common folk on how to control their "I want it and want it now!" urges. But it figures, I'm looking for a job in a city with slim pickings and a national economy that is slowing down.