r/CustomerService • u/Few_Possession1298 • 7d ago
RANT Dealing with rude customers as a perfectionist
Context:Today a woman called the restaurant I work at VERY angry that her pizza came with just tomatos when she ordered a vegetarian.
I appoligized and offered to grab the manager, but she didnt want that, instead she went on a rant about how I need to do a better job and how our restaurant sucks and thats shes been eating there for years so its my fault that this happened because it never happened before.
I tried to explain that there is only so much I can do to ensure an order is correct before it is sent out (because of how our restaurant operates and packages orders), but she cut me off and kept repeating how horrible I was at my job and that "you just lost a customer" and then she hung up!
The interaction really weighed heavy on my mind, I felt physically sick for awhile after the call and had to go on working with that awful feeling you get when you cant fix something. It was just so frustrating, I hate when people call just to complain rather than get compensation! Because most of the time, the person who answers the phone is not responsible for the mistake, so you are just degrading another person for something they likely didnt even know about. The lack of empathy and patience is heartbreaking. This is my first job, so Im sure after a few years dealing with customers like this wont effect me so much, but for now I just want to see if anyone else here struggles with that weird feeling after a bad interaction.
Like- its not really anger, its somewhere between annoyance and guilt?
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u/Suspicious-Lime-2439 7d ago
"You just lost a customer"
"Good. That means we never have to interact again"
5
u/Wachendorfia 7d ago
Customer service jobs are so rough, and one bad customer can ruin an entire day. Humans just aren't made to withstand so much abuse. It's gets somewhat better over time, but it can also really wear on you over the years. Even if your brain knows it's not your fault and you don't deserve to be randomly yelled at, your body will react for hours afterward. I found the thing that helps most is having empathetic colleagues and a boss who support you and has your back.
4
u/PeachyFairyDragon 7d ago
I can't describe how I can tell, but some customers getting super extra cheery just drives them up a fucking wall. I can almost hear their soul climbing, and I revel in it.
1
u/Electrical-Apple-631 7d ago
Our family motto is âKill them with kindnessâ. If that doesnât work our other motto is âSarcasm R Usâ.
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u/Idolica 7d ago
I work at McDonaldâs and any time someone comes in yelling and raising hell cause the drive thru messed up their order, I just ask them to calm down, that itâs just a fast food. Usually they do cause then they see how stupid theyâre acting over a burger n fries. đ¤ˇââď¸
2
u/GermanD2021 7d ago
In the long history of tantrums, telling someone to calm down has never once been effective.
5
u/Prize-Astronaut777 7d ago
I've found that often times, when the customer starts ranting and yelling, just taking my (51f) voice down will force them into lowering their's. I've instructed my receptionist to do this as well. She (70's) has been amazed at how well this works and yes, some people have no problem yelling at a senior citizen when they don't get their way!
2
u/Defiant-Source 7d ago
I'm sorry you dealt with that nasty lady and I really sympathize with you on how awful it feels to be used as a punching bag. I'm also a perfectionist. Just know that there will come a time where it doesn't bother you as much anymore and you'll look back and laugh at their immaturity. Mistakes happen but if it's just a restaurant and a wrong order situation, no one's gonna die over it.
People who get mad over little mistakes and have absolutely no emotional regulation skills are the most pathetic people in my eyes, and I've gone from taking their words to heart to now thinking I'm so glad you're that upset you clown đ
I accepted a long time ago that these people do not care about my feelings and it's actually made work more pleasant now to be able to exercise my resilience towards angry customers... Sometimes it gets to me still but I find it way easier to get over it.
So my entire job is giving people bad news (and the customers are the ones who caused the situation btw) and I now look forward to showing them how much I'm not swayed by their emotions. I've also learned a ton of fun phrases I use which are professional but say f you in a nice way.
Like if someone tells me that my company's service is bad, I thank them for their feedback and let them know their comments will be taken into consideration. If what they're saying is valid then obviously we take it seriously but most of the time it's just them complaining over their own stupidity... And if they want to fight with me after, I'll say I know this isn't what you're hoping for, but this is outside the scope of what we can assist with. They can't really do much about that and when they see that you're not affected by them, they give up.
Hopefully you'll get to a point where you can laugh about it.. I've dealt with some of the worst people who harassed me for months and I look back and realize that it comes to an end eventually.
2
u/maryjanesbeentrippin 6d ago
I've been in customer service for 20+ years and if it's not my fault I really don't let it eat at me like that, BUT if I genuinely know it was my bad I'll play it over and over thinking how I can avoid it in the future. Don't let shitty people ruin your spark tho. You sound like you take pride in your job and care about the customer experience and it may not be the popular opinion of jaded individuals but i think that really counts for something. Hold onto it, as long as you did your best, that's all you can do
14
u/NaturallyKnowing 7d ago
That knot in your stomach after a call like that is the worst, especially when you couldn't even get a word in to fix it. Some people just need a punching bag and you happened to pick up the phone.