Maybe, Nudge Nudge, Wink Wink, Don’t Do That?
I worked for a major auto manufacturer in Detroit back in the day. Sometimes people from the French office would come into town for business trips, and they would get a car to drive from the loaner pool. There was one guy who was over for business and came in one day with his loaner damaged after being rear-ended: the back bumper was smashed and barely hanging on.
“Man, poor guy. It must be so stressful having something like this happen on a business trip in a foreign country,” everyone thought, and they swapped him into another car.
Not long after, he came back, and that car ALSO had the back bumper hanging off. “This guy must have the worst luck!” everyone thought, and they switched him into another car again.
You can probably guess what happened next: he ended up coming in with that car’s rear smashed up, as well. One of the higher-ups said what everyone was thinking: “Maybe this isn’t just a coincidence.” He brought the guy in for a meeting.
Manager: “What happened?”
Driver: “I’m driving on ze freeway and someone… BAM! Drive into ze back of my car!”
Manager: “Every time?”
Driver: “Yes!”
Manager: “Okay. Let’s back up. Before you got hit, what were you doing?”
Driver: “Well, I’m driving in ze fast lane, and I come up behind someone who is not driving fast enough. And he does not move over and doesn’t go faster, so I give him ze nudge.”
Manager: “Wait, what?”
Driver: “I, you know, I nudge him.”
Manager: “I’m sorry, what?“
Driver: “I give him, you know, ze nudge.”
Manager: “With your car?”
Driver: “Yes.”
Manager: “You can’t do that!“
Driver: “What do you mean?”
Manager: “You can’t do that!”
Driver: “I don’t understand. Is just a nudge!”
Manager: *Big sigh* “Okay, so… what would happen after you ‘do the nudge’?”
Driver: “Well, zey move over.”
Manager: “Yes…”
Driver: “And I pass.”
Manager: “Yes…”
Driver: “And then zey get behind me and BAM! Zey drive into ze back of my car!”
Eventually, they were able to get through to him why exactly this kept happening to him, and somehow — magically — it did not happen again.
Question of the Week
Tell us your story about a customer who couldn't understand the most simple concept.
