Time For A New Phone! And A New Attitude.
I work in the technical support call center for a major smartphone manufacturer, and I receive the following call.
Me: “Thank you for calling [Major Phone Manufacturer]. My name is [My Name]; how can I help you?”
Customer: “This morning I changed my password and now my phone won’t charge. I’ve tried several different charging cables that all worked yesterday. What did you do to my phone?”
Me: “I’m sorry to hear that your phone isn’t charging. Have you tried holding the power button for ten seconds?”
Customer: “Yes, and it won’t turn on. It’s completely dead. What did you do to it?”
Me: “I assure you that I didn’t do anything to your phone. I am sorry that this happened. I’d be happy to set up service for you to have the phone repaired.”
Customer: “I can’t bring the phone to your store and I can’t mail it in. Why did changing my password cause my phone battery to die?”
Me: “It didn’t. The two things have nothing to do with each other. It’s just a coincidence.”
Customer: “It can’t be a coincidence. It was working fine yesterday, and now the phone is dead and it won’t charge. Why did you ruin my phone?”
Me: “Two things can happen on the same day and have nothing to do with each other. Imagine: a person who has never drunk any coffee in his entire life wakes up one morning and decides to have a cup of coffee. He leaves the house, and while crossing the street, he gets hit by a bus. Did drinking coffee cause him to get hit by the bus?”
Customer: “What is your name?”
Me: “It’s [My Name].”
Customer: “My husband is rolling his eyes at how rude that comment was.”
Customer’s Husband: “What does coffee have to do with anything?”
Me: “I don’t mean to be rude, but that’s exactly my point. Coffee doesn’t have anything to do with a bus, and your password has nothing to do with your phone’s battery.”
Customer: “I want to speak to your manager.”
Me: “Sure. Hold, please.”
I then transferred the call to my supervisor and explained what had happened on the call. He had a good chuckle and took the call.
Question of the Week
Have you ever served a bad customer who got what they deserved?
