They Have A Pool… For The Worst Customers

(I work in a pool store. We are in the middle of the summer. The phone is ringing non-stop, and all the team is working very hard, but as usual at this time of summer, our schedule is full. We are trying to fulfill our work as best as we can. We all work extra hours, every day. The phone rings.)

Me: “Good afternoon. [Pool Store]! This is [My Name]. What can I do for you today?”

Caller: “Hi, um… I have a frog in my pool. I need you to come and take it away!”

Me: “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”

Caller: “What time you will arrive?”

Me: “I see that you are not in our database, and unfortunately we don’t have any technicians available at the moment; in fact, the schedule is full this week. I can see if one of our technicians is near to your location and see if they can do it. Can you give me your address?”

Caller: “How much it will cost me?”

Me: “To be honest, I will just charge you for a half-hour of technician work; I think it will be more than necessary to catch the little swimmer in your pool. It will be [price].”

Caller: “Why so much? Two minutes of work will cost me half an hour?!”

Me: “Yes, ma’am, this is our store policy; I have to charge for half an hour, even if the work will be done in less time.”

Caller: “Okay, bring him here right away!”

Me: “As I said to you, first I need to check with our technicians. I have no guarantee that they are able to go to your home now or today because of the workload that we have at this time of year, but let me check and I will call you back in a moment!”

Caller: “You said you could send a technician to my house right away!”

Me: “Ma’am, I didn’t say that. First let me check with the technicians, okay? I will call you back in fifteen minutes.”

(I call the technicians, and I find one near the address of the caller, so I ask him if he can do the job, since it will be really fast. He complains, but while he is on the phone with me he rings the doorbell of the caller’s house. I call back the caller as fast as I can, because our policy is to inform the customer before we do anything.)

Me: “Hi, this is [My Name] from [Pool Store]. Good news! I found a technician near your house, and he is probably ringing the doorbell right now!”

Caller: “He already entered the house. Thank you very much for your quick service! I hope I see you when I go to your store to pay out the bill!”

Me: “You are welcome, and I’m glad I could help you so quickly, too. Bye, have a nice week.”

(After five minutes I received a call from the same person, complaining that the technician was refusing to clean the pool for her.)