Unfiltered Story #67503

I work for a large company that sells ingredients to other food manufacturers. We sell thousands of different items and customers often take the same thing under different names (ie. Sweet & Sour dusting, chip flavour, S&S etc)

Customer: Hi, my name is (name) and I work for (Company). We’ve been taking (Product A) for years. We are in the process of updating our sustainability policies and I was wondering if we could get (Product A) in paper bags instead of plastic buckets.

Me: If you hold one one moment, I will see if we do that.

I look some things up, double check about three time, compare all possible products that could be Product A.

Me: I’m sorry, you did say (product A) right? Which you last order on order 1234?

Customer: Yes, exactly!

Me: Well in taht case … No, we can’t deliver that in paper bags.

Customer: Oh, well can you raise an oppertunity to start doing that?

Me: I’m sorry but no. (Product A) is a liquid, we can’t deliver that in a paper bag. We have the same product in cryovac of 10 kgs?

Customer: No, are you listening to me? We need something that’s not plastic.

Me: You can have it in a 1000 kg metal tank?

Customer: No! Are you being deliberately obnoxious? I want (Product A) in 25 kg paper bags. You deliver (Product B) in paper bags.

Me: Yes, (Product B) is a powder and comes in paper bags. (Product A) is a liquid, we won’t pour this in a paper bag.

Customer: Well, you’re not very helpful. I always though that (my company was very concerned with sustainability! I will be calling (Account Manager)! And I will ask for a different Customer Care contact from now on!

20 minutes later I get a call formteh Account Manager.

AM: So, I just had this call from (Name)… I’m telling you (My name) one of these days…