A Riot Of Color
(Within our copy store there are about twelve copy machines. Every machine prints in black and white, except one. Our only colour copier is right next to our office. On its cover, and on the wall right above it, there are two large warning labels to advise people about it, since colour copies are six times more expensive than black and white. One thing about our copy cards: first, you buy one for 2€ — 1€ for the card itself, 1€ for the credit, so six black and white copies or one colour one. Then you can add credit on it for a whole year.)
Customer: *holding a perfect copy* “Excuse me?”
Me: “Yes? Can I help you?”
Customer: “I just bought a card. I did just one copy, and now it says my credit isn’t enough.”
Me: *knowing where this is going, and pointing to the colour copier* “Did you use that specific machine?”
Customer: “Yes! But I don’t understand what’s the matter.”
Me: “This one is a colour copier. Copies are 0.92€ a piece when you use it.”
Customer: “Oh, no! I only wanted a black and white copy! I needed the text, without pictures! Well, now, I guess you have to refund me.”
Me: “I’m truly sorry, but we use only a card system. Hence, we don’t keep any money in our office, and anyway, we’re prohibited to do any kind of refunding.”
Customer: “Come on! Why not?”
Me: “This is a self-service. We can help you to do your copies, but if you don’t ask for our help, if the copier works fine — which it did — we can’t do anything at all, even if you mess your copy. I’m sorry!”
Customer: “But I’m asking for your help right now!”
Me: “I mean help before doing any copy.”
Customer: *angry* “But it’s false advertisement! You didn’t warn me about it!”
Me: “Actually, we did.”
Customer: *angrier* “Really? And how was I supposed to know that it was a colour copier?”
Me: “There are labels on it, and on the wall in front of you.”
Customer: *getting more and more angry* “Nobody f****** reads these posters!”
Me: *now bored out of my mind* “Yes, I think you’re right. And that’s the main issue there. We are in a library where nobody even bothers to read.”
(In a way, I guess being a smart-a** didn’t help me to keep that job more than four months.)
Question of the Week
Have you ever served a bad customer who got what they deserved?
