Don’t Know What They’re Smoking

(I work in a membership club in a specialized department. My department has more rules and laws that we have to follow than any other department. Quite a few of them have to do with refunds and exchanges. I see a member coming up with two of my department’s items.)

Me: “Hello, how can I help you today?”

Customer: *fairly polite* “Someone gave me the wrong items yesterday. I asked for big size and they gave me small size.”

Me: “Okay, I can get that fixed for you. Let me go and grab the right type.”

(As I double-take to make sure I grab the right brand and flavor, I notice one item is open and has one-tenth of the items in the pack missing. As I go back to grab the two she wants I call my manager on the walkie. I tell her what I saw and verify I will not be able to switch out that pack since it is not complete. I come back out and explain it my customer that I while I can change out one, no problem, I can not do the other one because some of it is missing.)

Customer: “No, call your manager right now! This package was already open and I will not hear no for an answer. I am the customer. I will get what I want!”

Me: *on walkie* “Manager, please come back to tobacco for customer help.”

Manager: “It will be a few minutes; I am with another customer.”

(After waiting one minute. I try to make small talk, but all the customer does is yell at me.)

Customer: “I want another manager, not her! One that will say yes!”

Me: “Ok, ma’am.” *on walkie* “Original manager cancel; she wants another manager back to tobacco.”

Manager: “I am the only one on duty. Give me a minute and I can call you.”

Customer: “No! I want another manager. One that will say yes! Not her!”

(The manager calls after about another minute of the customer just straight yelling and me saying I could exchange out one, but I need to talk to manager about the other. The manager calls and tells me to subtract the price of the missing piece and take it off the exchange and make her pay the difference. I tell the customer who then flips her attitude back to normal. That sounds fair. I go to do the exchange and finally get a good look to the box to see she clearly tore the package open, but there is nothing I can do but do what my manager says. So we just lost out because by law we cannot sell an incomplete pack. I totally get she got the wrong item and she deserves to get her right item, but you can not use said item and expect to get a complete exchange. I finish with her and finally get to the next customer, a very nice regular.)

Customer #2: “You know she totally smoked that pack, right?”

Me: “Yep. Thanks for waiting.”

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