The concept that "the customer is always right" was a lie from the beginning, a lie that sold.

God damn. Why can’t people just be nice to one another and show respect. It’s such a simple thing.

I quit a job at an insurance call center last year because I absolutely positively could not take it anymore. My job was arguing with stupid people all day who thought they knew my job better than I did. And like you said, people could stand to learn that the person helping you when you call someplace are NOT the people who make the policies, set the prices, etc.

My favorite was people who would immediately start bitching about the hold times. I always wanted to say, "What makes you think I have any control over that?" Or the idiots that would call for a quote, and then complain about the quote. "I'm not going to pay that. Why should I pay that much for this policy?!" What good does it do to bitch at me because you don't like the price? I always wanted to say, "Look, a$$hole, if you don't want it, DON'T BUY IT. Problem solved!"

Let me give y'all a piece of advice while we're at it: always, ALWAYS ask questions about something BEFORE you buy it. I can't tell you how many times I had to listen to people bitch and moan and threaten to file lawsuits because they bought insurance ASSUMING it would cover something it didn't. (And what happens when we ASSUME, boys and girls?) There's a big difference between being a victim of fraud and being someone who couldn't be bothered to read the contract.

The only time the customer is always right is when they treat you right. Or if the commision on the sale makes it worthwhile for you to put up with thier crap !

People really do shoot the postman for the letter.

Well stated. I judge people by how they treat customer service and food service people. If tey are rude to them, or treat them as if they are less-than, I wash my hands of them. Of course, I tell them why and suggest to them they it is, in fact, they who are beneath the lowly customer service person.

Very true - same culture in the UK and people in low paid customer service roles often have to use leave / holiday time as sick also if sick "too much" to be covered in work schemes /contracts.

I think most people build up a lot of frustration and hostility each day - work, family, existential angst, etc - then pick the easiest target to vent on.
Who better than someone paid to be pleasant like service personnel.
It's a dick move on their part, but then they feel justified because "I'm paying for this".
Now that it's nearly official government policy ( in the US ) it's only getting worse.
Seems many people like being assholes.

Always treat customer service people with respect. Working in outside sales always treated grocery clerks, grocery managers and all managers with respect. No one should face customer's abuse.

Amen

I have walked out on dates for being rude to a waiter or waitress at dinner. That's a huge red flag for me.

I have worked as a server, a delivery driver, and a social worker. Some elements of the general public are downright sociopathic. I was fired from the server position for getting into a fight with a customer, who was so insulting that I had to defend my honor. With the delivery job, I had numerous occasions where customers would yell at me like I was a 5 year old, then when I yelled back, they would call the store and complain about my "rudeness"
And with the social service job, I ended up physically and psychologically burned out, by rude pushy psychos.
The customer is not always right, but is a fellow human being, who must understand that the customer service worker is his fellow human being, and being insulting, and launching personal attacks could get him into some serious consequences...including violence.

There have been times when I am so pissed that I cannot hold it in. The first thing I do is tell the person what is happening and appologise for being so upset. It is the company I am pissed at not their representative. I find the person on the other side usually appreciates this, yelling at them does no good. I have almost always found caring for this other person helps as they have agreed with me.

The people we interact with the most at work are never called "customers." One of the top best things about my job is not having to make "customers" happy. We're nice to people but we will not put up with nasty people on the phone. The other day somebody called all bent out of shape about something and one of the other ladies in the office said if we don't have at least one pissed off person call a day we're not doing our jobs!

You really do have to wonder about the intelligence level of someone that will call and scream at ladies that can take their money.

As a matter of fact, if you call and scream at us, we'll use every tool at our disposal to hunt you down and take your money! And happy dance through the office when we get it. LOL!!

This needed to be said, thank you. Be kind, period.

I know this is ancient history now, but I saw something that applies here today.

I worked for Sainsbury's in the UK, one of our largest supermarket chains, for 8 years and hear you loud and clear. All employees started on minimum wage, and might get a pay increment each year, depending on a yearly performance review.

I never got to work on the Customer Service Desk itself, and wouldn't have wanted to. But as a shelf-stacker and till operator, I got my (un)fair share of abuse from customers who were pissed off because we'd sold out of an item that was on sale - probably the biggest gripe that I faced. Sainsbury's were very good in their employee training and we would often be able to turn a disgruntled customer into one of our greatest fans by offering to save the item for the customer when it was next in stock

At the time I was just starting to get into Buddhism, which helped me a lot. A smile can go a long way, and patiently and honestly explaining a situation kept me in good stead.

But then there were total assholes who just weren't interested in engaging at all.

Used to do industrial sales and when dealing with a person on the other end and you need their help yelling never works nor abuse. Treat them and make them fell like only they can fix this problem even if it is their fault