Insane Customers

[gibby]

Usually our customers are great with very few issues but in the last week have had the strangest issues.

Customer from the US places a very large order, but its one of those difficult ones with lots & lots of emails.
Customer is advised on delivery times well before the order goes out but as soon as its dispatched he starts kicking up such a fuss, demanding faster delivery or he will cancel, go to his card company etc etc.
Luckily we managed to pull the order back but now he is going nuts about that, demanding and threatening all sorts of crap.

Just as we are dealing with this another customer decides to change her mind about an item after its been sent but not arrived. Also demanding all sorts of things including refunds & compensation for our mistake of not being able to change the order after its gone out.

Sometimes I wonder why we bother with ppl like this.
Maybe we should be stricter and just tell customers when they are a pain

G

 

[deniser]

I had a mad one from the US recently complaining because we sent her what she ordered rather than what she had imagined she had ordered. She was thoroughly rude and obnoxious with it.

The best thing is not to enter into too much dialogue. Just tell them what's what and leave it at that.

Don't they drive you mad though?! I thoroughly sympathise.

 

[gibby]

Yes, they do drive us mad.
We are slowly trying to get rid of the awkward customers but locking the accounts, as we just don't have time for unreasonable customers.

G

 

[SamStones]

If we detect a customer is too demanding prior to purchase we will sometimes discourage them from purchasing from us. Especially re delivery times - we sell time sensitive items that take 2-3 days to deliver. They usually arrive sooner, but if a customer phones saying they need it in 2 days time we just tell them we can't do that - saves complaints down the line which just take time to deal with, and cost money in courier fees etc.

Remember: Every customer has a nutter inside them

 

[j600com]

Also be wary of those who are really pushy about when the order will be delivered/dispatched as this can be a sign of fraud.

 

[VinceSamios]

I was going to say the first guy sounded like a frauder....

 

[tony84]

We often get orders too which we post out then the next day you get an email saying i need it by such and such a date.

We have to explain all orders go out same day where possible but as it has to be signed for it can take up to 7 days (i have never known it to take that long but thats what RM say...so thats what we say).
Most people usually accept that. I think like has been said, dont get into dialogue/bending over backwards. State the facts maybe appologise and let them decide what they want.

 

[cjd]

A while back we changed the price of our telephone numbers from the silly price of £1.99 per month to the more honest price of £2 per month. This was our only (upward) price change in 5 years.

We had quite a few people thanking us for the change as it made their lives just a little bit easier or because they hate .99 marketing price points. But we also had one guy who was so upset by this massive increase that he said he was going to refer it to the company Board of Directors and ask them to consider closing their account.

We've got around 30,000 regular customers now, which is great, but it does mean that we can guarantee having to deal with at least one fruit-loop per day. The world isn't actually full of nutters but it certainly feels like it sometimes.

 

[MontagioCustomTailoring]

Not everyone's going to be like that. There's always going to be a minority that cause grief. I subscribe to the statement that you can't keep everyone happy all of the time. So lay down the law in a fair and equitable manner - those that repect what you do will not leave you, those that don't will leave you alone.... and you'll be the better for it.

We used to worry about the small % that cause grief, but quickly realised we were better off without them - sure, they were paying customers like anyone else, but the time and effort (and anxiety) was a huge cost we'd not factored in.

 

[Alicatt]

When I had my ecommerce business I had one who was thoroughly unpleasant because we sent her what she ordered this time and not what she had ordered 6 months previously.

Apparently we should have checked and queried it........ oh, and since we hadn't, replaced it free of charge without her returning the incorrect one.

 

[cjd]

Having now spent 5 years dealing directly with customers and customer support people I've learned something very important - if you want your problem resolved BE NICE ;-)

 

[OurGreenRoom]

I'm currently dealing with a similar complaint from America, and our return policy I think is very reasonable, and we always try to help, but not to the point where it makes our business unprofitable.

Customer wants to return the item as the colour 'is different on the screen'. We have, of course explained the difficulties with computer screen settings, and highlighted that we do offer a swatch ordering service (on every page), but accepted the refund request. We have asked that as per our terms an conditions, they return the item for a full refund. The customer, however, wants us to collect from America and pay for / refund all postage costs.

We have exzplained that (as per our terms and conditions of sale) we will exchange or repair a faulty or incorrect item and pay postage, but for customers who simply wish to make a return no postage will be refunded. We have offered to collect the item and exchange for a different colour and pay postage, but they have refused - they want to return it and we have to pay for it. Like above, they have the right item and colour - just not what they imagined it would be like.

I agree with the other poster, you just have to try to help as much as you can within the terms and conditions of sale, which they have agreed to by purchasing and try not to get into too much dialogue. Just state your position, what you can do to help, and that's it - stick to your guns.

If you havent done so already, publish some terms and conditions and an FAQ page and just quote from that to back up your argument. Repeatedly if necessary!

Good Luck

Lois
OurGeenRoom

 

[fisicx]

I spent some time working with a business that did canvas prints - anything up to A0.

People would send in images taken on their mobile phone and expect the image to be crisp and clean when blown up to poster size. Even with a HUGE caveat on the order form and the confirmation emails people still complained when we couldn't do a poster sized print.

In the end we just made the quote ludicrously high for these numpties so they would go away.

Also had the people every who complained that our single sheet photocopies were more expensive than the library. Our response was for them to go to the library. They then moaned that is was at the other end of town. As if this was our problem.

 

[Wiggy]

Like many of you, I have the odd customer with what can best be described as a unique outlook. The most common variety being the ones that phone us first thing on a Monday morning asking why;
1. The order they made at 9pm on Friday hasn't been delivered? and
2. Why we haven't answered the 30 emails they sent on Sunday?

I'm never short or sarcastic but if severely pressed, I have been known to ask, "How exactly did you expect it to arrive, by Owl?"

 

[Jayser100]

We recently had a US customer who entered the wrong zip code into their Paypal account. It cost us £8.20 to send her sunglasses by Airsure - of course, they never arrived because the USPS couldn't find the address. She was thoroughly rude to us, accusing us of all sorts and then put in a dispute with Paypal which ultimately ended with her getting a full refund, despite my submitting documentation proving it was their fault. We were told we'd get the glasses back - two months later, nothing. Even if the glasses do come back we are £8.20 out of pocket. Grrrrr!

 

[Sky Racer]

Like many of you, I have the odd customer with what can best be described as a unique outlook. The most common variety being the ones that phone us first thing on a Monday morning asking why;
1. The order they made at 9pm on Friday hasn't been delivered? and
2. Why we haven't answered the 30 emails they sent on Sunday?

"

Not just me that gets the 'where is my item...... I ordered it at least half an hour ago' types then..

I've got a right ***** pestering me at the moment about an item he ordered from our website that was heavilly discounted due to it having some damage.

About a week after receiving it he complained that what arrived is damaged ! Despite a very clear description on the website and a couple of nice clear high res photos on there too... He is now demanding a full refund etc as he didn't want a damaged one but of course did want to pay less than half the usual price !

 

[kulture]

That reminds me of the time an Irish customer ordered from my web site on Tuesday night and then called the police (who came round!) on Wednesday morning saying we had ripped him off as it had not been delivered.

 

[ecommerce84]

That reminds me of the time an Irish customer ordered from my web site on Tuesday night and then called the police (who came round!) on Wednesday morning saying we had ripped him off as it had not been delivered.

That is just insane!! Please tell me you are joking?

I and a customer pay me with a stolen credit card and had the goods sent to their home address. I called the Police who were not even slightly interested. I called the nearest station to the house in question - couldn't be bothered (it was less than 400 yards away).

As for numpty customers, I find that 99% of them put their name and address in lowercase, so flags start waving as soon as the order is placed.

 

[kulture]

Nope, it is true. You could not make it up! We phoned the customer, refunded his money, and we might have suggested where he put it! There was no way we were going to have him as a customer.

 

[Wiggy]

That reminds me of the time an Irish customer ordered from my web site on Tuesday night and then called the police (who came round!) on Wednesday morning saying we had ripped him off as it had not been delivered.

I'm amazed that the cops came round!

This even beats the guy who reported me to the DTI when I refunded his payment rather than send his order to anywhere other than his billing address.
The 'men in grey' who turned up were nice folks, they sat down, had a cuppa, read the email trail and discussed how nice it would be if there was a penalty for wasting government time. . .

 

[OurGreenRoom]

Like many of you, I have the odd customer with what can best be described as a unique outlook. The most common variety being the ones that phone us first thing on a Monday morning asking why;
1. The order they made at 9pm on Friday hasn't been delivered? and
2. Why we haven't answered the 30 emails they sent on Sunday?

I'm never short or sarcastic but if severely pressed, I have been known to ask, "How exactly did you expect it to arrive, by Owl?"

Ha Ha Ha - yep we get those!

 

[deniser]

the ones that phone us first thing on a Monday morning asking why;
1. The order they made at 9pm on Friday hasn't been delivered?

Yes, every Monday, even on Bank holidays (email though on Bank holidays rather than phone) and including the ones who order on Sunday night!!!

 

[Price-Tracking]

Customer from the US places a very large order, but its one of those difficult ones with lots & lots of emails.
Customer is advised on delivery times well before the order goes out but as soon as its dispatched he starts kicking up such a fuss, demanding faster delivery or he will cancel, go to his card company etc etc.
Luckily we managed to pull the order back but now he is going nuts about that, demanding and threatening all sorts of crap.

Sometimes I wonder why we bother with ppl like this.
Maybe we should be stricter and just tell customers when they are a pain

I think you did the right thing, sometimes customers are more hassle than there worth - and you shouldn't be afraid to tell them that as you (virtually speaking) show them the door...

 

[hostedweb]

Also be wary of those who are really pushy about when the order will be delivered/dispatched as this can be a sign of fraud.

yeap, i had an order from the states for 2k which, after it was provisioned became a chargeback.. Then i noticed that they had set up a second account earlier and referred themselves using our affiliate program

 

[gibby]

Its still going on with the US customer.
We cancelled the order in the end but he/she is still sending lots of emails.

They must be a bit insane as most of them make no sense at all.
Keeps referring to staff we haven't got, emails we havn't sent etc.

G

 

[deniser]

Its still going on with the US customer.
We cancelled the order in the end but he/she is still sending lots of emails.

They must be a bit insane as most of them make no sense at all.
Keeps referring to staff we haven't got, emails we havn't sent etc.

G

Just bonkers like our recent one. Nothing you can do. Just ignore them.

 

[Wiggy]

They must be a bit insane as most of them make no sense at all.
Keeps referring to staff we haven't got, emails we havn't sent etc.

G

Which reminds of another type of loony; the greater, shouting "I bought from your Ebay store and if you don't sort this problem, I'm demanding my money back from PayPal" type.

These are mostly amusing because we have neither Ebay store nor PayPal account. . .

I try not to laugh too loud and always suggest that as we are clearly easier to contact than the Ebay store in question, perhaps they should buy from us in the future. . .

 

[chalkie99]

We get this with a similarly named website.

Their aggrieved customers do a quick Google for the relevant 'phone number and find us instead.

We then sit calmly waiting for a pause in their rant before explaining they have called the wrong firm.

 

[Sparx]

We get this with a similarly named website.

Their aggrieved customers do a quick Google for the relevant 'phone number and find us instead.

We then sit calmly waiting for a pause in their rant before explaining they have called the wrong firm.

Surely that is rather alarming for you? Doesn't that have a knock-on effect for your reputation you think?

 

[MartCactus]

They must be a bit insane as most of them make no sense at all.
Keeps referring to staff we haven't got, emails we havn't sent etc.

G

The missus's family have a "homestay" b&b type place in India.

They got some hassle from a potential customer who said they'd previously quoted him a much better price and he was very upset with what they were charging. When asked to produce the quote, he couldn't.

Eventually he did provide it but it was from a completely different homestay. But he still felt he was in the right, and that they should honour the quote that the other homestay provided him! Kind of like me getting a quote to buy a Ford Mondeo and then waving it at the Ferrari salesman insisting he should honour it.

 

[MartCactus]

Which reminds of another type of loony; the greater, shouting "I bought from your Ebay store and if you don't sort this problem, I'm demanding my money back from PayPal" type.

These are mostly amusing because we have neither Ebay store nor PayPal account. . .

We're software developers but in the past we've had various strange phone calls

"I ordered a barrel of beer from you, where is it"

"I ordered an XYZ sex toy from you, but it hasn't arrived"

etc

It appears that these people have ordered from a customer who purchased our software in the past. When they can't contact the site itself (perhaps because they are idiots, or maybe the site's owners have disappeared) they follow the link in the footer of the site ("built by") and decide to give us both barrels on the phone.

Even when we explain we don't sell beer/sex toys they still seem to think its our fault and we have to sort it out, normally something along the lines of

'oh passing the buck again eh? Call yourself a legit business? Whatever happened to "the customers is always right"?.'

We then point out they aren't a customer because we don't sell beer/sex toys.

 

[SillyJokes]

Today I've been asked whether 30cm was big.

Weeeeeeell, for an ant, yes, for a washing machine probably no.

 

[gibby]

Got a daft one the other day.
Lovely couple come into the store now & again & ask us to get hard to find items.

They ordered some health foods and asked us to call them when they arrive.
I call the husband and tell him his health foods are in but he tells me they ordered an xmas tree but not ready for it until December.
I explain about them visiting last week etc and its ready to collect but he keeps repeating they want the tree in December.

This goes on for 5 mins until I politely ask him to ask his wife to call us.
He appears next day, very apologetic and sheepish.
I found it hard not to laugh but I still don't know where he got the idea about an xmas tree?

G

 

[j600com]

Which reminds of another type of loony; the greater, shouting "I bought from your Ebay store and if you don't sort this problem, I'm demanding my money back from PayPal" type.

We get similar things from sites we've built, instead of contacting the site owners they contact us - we've even had negative reviews written about us because a site we've hosted has gave poor service "don't buy projectors off visualsoft, they never turn up" etc.

 

[James1980]

It appears that these people have ordered from a customer who purchased our software in the past. When they can't contact the site itself (perhaps because they are idiots, or maybe the site's owners have disappeared) they follow the link in the footer of the site ("built by") and decide to give us both barrels on the phone.

"Who gave you permission to invade my website and block me and anyone else from accessing it???

Please remove your software immediately before I report it to government officials!!

I am the City Manager of Tuttle, Oklahoma."

http://wwwf.centos.org/127_story.html?storyid=127



James