Unfiltered Story #217763

Customer #1: I have some copies I need to do

Me: Ok, are you comfortable doing them yourself, or do you want to pay the extra fee for me to do it?

Customer #1 (turning to her husband, customer #2): We can do it ourselves, right? (he nods and she turns back to me) Yeah, we’ll do it ourselves.

Me: Ok, then you either need a credit card, or a prepaid photocopy card.

(I put just the right amount of money needed for their copies onto a card for them. They go to self serve and I go about my business completing copy orders that were submitted online or booked in earlier)

Customer #1: Can I put this stack of papers through with a staple in it?

Me: No, you need to take the staples out. (I hand her a staple remover, but also notice they seem to be working at the colour copier, and I calculated how much money she needed for the black and white copier) Oh, that’s the colour machine you’re using there. It’s more expensive.

Customer #1: That’s ok, we just selected the black and white option.

(Note that it says NOWHERE on the copier that black and white copies are cheaper. It has a HUGE colourful sign above where you put your card in, saying how much it is per copy, and after you put your card in, the screen displays the price as well)

Me: It will still charge you the colour price, though.

Customer #1: Well how am I supposed to know that?

Me: Well it has a price sign there, and it tells you on the screen.

Customer #1: But I selected black and white, so it should be cheaper!

Me: Well I’m sorry, but it isn’t. You won’t have enough money on your card to do it on that copier. If you want black and white, just end your session and move to this copier over here.

Customer #1: It’s too late; I already put my card in.

Me: That’s ok, you can cancel it and take it out.

Customer: Well I don’t understand why it’s more expensive if I selected black and white.

Me: Because it’s the colour copier. It’s completely different from the black and white ones, and it’s better quality and it’s more expensive. You can still print in black on this one if you want the better quality, but you won’t have enough money on your card.

(at this point I notice that they’ve already printed things, and their card has run out of money)

Me: Oh, your card’s already empty. You can reload it if you want, and you can do the rest of your copies at a black and white machine.

Customer #2: Why don’t we just take it somewhere else? This is too complicated.

Me: Well I can help you get started on the black and white machine if you want.

Customer #2: (it a rude, accusatory tone) No, it’s too complicated. Plus <competitor> only charges 10 cents for their copies.

Me: ….Ours are 10 cents too. You’re just on the wrong copier.

Customer #1: No, we’ll just leave. They’ll charge us 10 cents a copy AND do it for us. This is ridiculous.

(they leave in a huff and I try to shake it off and go back to my work. But another customer from self serve comes up to me seeming a little shy)

Customer #3: Don’t you just hate us people who need to ask for help…?

Me: No, you can ask for help. I just don’t like it when people make it sound like their misunderstanding is my fault. If you need to ask me something, that’s totally fine.

Customer #3: You were very clear about everything with them, by the way. They were being rude.

(I showed her how to do what she was confused about, and she thanked me as she left)