Not A Member And Maybe That’s A Good Thing

(I work in retail at the back office so my job involves me having to attend phone calls from customers or suppliers every now and then. This is a story about one memorable customer.)

Me: “Hello, good afternoon. This is [Company]; how can I assist you?”

Customer: “Yeah, I would like to complain about not receiving your newsletter again.”

(In my company, we have two types of membership. Customers get to choose between membership A, where we send them physical copies of our newsletter, or membership B where the customers get to view the newsletter online — usually, faster than membership A. It’s normal for people from membership A to complain about not receiving their copies on time.)

Me: “I’m really sorry, ma’am. May I please have your membership number so I can look up your information?” *this is our standard procedure to check*

Customer: *ignores me but continues talking in a stern voice* “Do you know there was a [Brand] shoe sale last week? If your newsletter had arrived earlier then I would have known about it and taken advantage of the sale.” 

Me: “I’m so sorry you have missed the sale, ma’am, but if you could—”

Customer: “Do you know I have a back pain and must only wear [Brand] shoes? My entire family came down from [Rich Country] and if we would have known, we would have taken advantage of the sale and bought many pairs.”

Me: “Ma’am, again, I am very sorry you have missed the sale; perhaps you would like to visit us again soon? We are having the same sale next month.”

Customer: “This is ridiculous. Why can’t your company deliver the newsletter on time? I could have taken advantage of the sale; this is very unprofessional.”

Me: “Ma’am, I’m really sorry. Do allow me to check your details. Perhaps I can help to check again if the delivery details are correct? Just in case? So you won’t miss another sale.”

Customer: “Oh, I don’t have a membership number. My daughter’s a member, not me.”

Me: “…”

Customer: “Anyway, you guys are really unprofessional because I missed the sale for [Brand] shoe and now my back will hurt. You know what? I will submit a complaint to the Consumer Bureau so they know you guys are cheating.”

Me: *fed up* “Ma’am, if that’s the best choice you think you should proceed with, by all means.”

Customer: “You, how dare you?! I missed the sale because of your company’s late delivery, and you are doing nothing to compensate me? I need [Brand] shoes for my bad back. I’m a [title equivalent to Lady] and I know people from the Consumer Bureau! What’s your name?”

Me: “Ma’am, my name is [My Name] and if you wish to complain, by all means, please do so. I will notify my management that they have an unsatisfied customer complaint from the Consumer Bureau.”

Customer: “You just wait for someone to catch you guys. You guys are cheating!” *hangs up* 

(Ma’am, if you are a “Lady” of some honorable title, I would assume you have more class and dignity than to yell at some company staff for missing out on a sale and for slamming down a phone. And no, no one from the Consumer Bureau caught me or any of my colleagues.)