Unfiltered Story #67078

(I am ringing up a customer for a new tablet that she is buying. Keep in mind that this story takes place a few days before Christmas, so naturally, our store is swamped with customers. Our employees DO make an effort to engage with every customer that comes into their department, but when a line of customers starts to build up and one customer is unsure of whether or not they want to buy right then and there, the employees often have to politely excuse themselves and help another customer. They do, however, tell the customer they were just helping that if they have any questions, that customer can feel free to come and ask the employee.)

Me: “How are you today?”

Customer: “Well, I wasn’t given very good customer service by one of your employees. He kind of upset me.”

Me: “Oh, that’s no good! Do you remember who it was?”

Customer: “Yeah, I’m not going to say his name, but he was helping me find this tablet, and it just seemed like he was rushing me to make a decision.”

Me: “Oh, I’m sorry about that.”

Customer: “Yeah, it was hard for me to even find anybody back there, since there’s NO ONE in tablets at all. When I finally did find someone, he kept asking me all these questions and wanted to know if I was going to buy it then or not. I got overwhelmed and frustrated, and he said he had to move on to someone else, so I asked him to just take it up here for me. I mean, I want to buy it, but not from him, since I felt rushed.”

(It is important to note that we are REQUIRED to ask customers a lot of questions about their lifestyle and how they will be using the tablet so that we can match them with the best possible product that meets their needs. If it is a gift, we ask them these questions about the person they are buying the gift for. This minimizes returns and also helps us to provide exceptional customer service. However, during the holiday season, we do have to politely excuse ourselves from indecisive customers and move on to another customer, as we cannot keep other people waiting or they will get angry. At this point, I am not really sure what to say.)

Me: “Oh, well, I’m sorry you felt rushed.”

(The customer makes some comment that I really didn’t understand, and then leaves with her purchase.)