Urban Art Association

When I say customers are crap i didnt mean all obviously, I should have made that clear and I apologies. Though even the good can turn bad when a sale doesnt run smoothly. They can become unreasonable and lack an understanding of the fact that it is a way of the world that mistakes, faults or unavoidable situations can arise and that shouldnt be a reason to start talking to the customer service rep like shit. Thats when we say 'Fuck you' because after all the help in the world, they jus never seem happy in the end. So when I say the consumer has a reponsibility towards the way customer service is given today, I mean a reasonable attitude towards unavoidable situations would restore the attitude we have towards the consumer.

well put, but is there such a place

It'll be interesting to read some views from the States where on the whole customer service seems better than over here. Particularly with the need for tips in the service sector.

And we dont have to put up with bad customers either. Im more than happy for those customers to take their custom elswhere. Internet shopping is probably better for them as their is no interaction required which is where these people generally have a problem to start with. which is probably why our internet sales are rising daily. 'joe public' have a really bad opinion towards customer service reps on any level and talk to them like shit anyway, so attitudes are established on both sides. so who is to blame really?

pkt75 you sell things thats it,
all you should be doing is selling things for our money,
you make me laugh, people like you selling clothes or anything for that matter doesnt make you a genius. you are sales people you aim is to get our money its not that hard.
why would you think looking down your nose helps your buisness, its not us who is @ fault,
the is no such thing as bad money, you should be good @ your job for money mine or your share holders money, not for me.
when sales fall and your rep is in s**t, its the shareholders who loose out.
i can always find another place to get what i need.
where for some reason they, the staff are better @ their job than people like you.

if you can afford to give business to your competitors then fair play... doesn't make business sense to me

customer focussed businesses will always be successful

Robin Hoods about to start on BBC1, now there's a man with a good customer service policy

PKT75 - Let me give you an example of why trying to be selective when it comes to giving exemplary customer service does not work.

A member of your staff decides that someone has crossed the threshold you have established (by example) in terms of acceptable customer behavior (do not get me wrong customers can and will be totally unreasonable at times). So they decide to explain to the customer their custom is not welcome. Another potential customer comes in at the end of the experience and only witnesses what appears to be a lack of customer service. Result...loss of business.

So next your staff learn to only do this when no one else is around. Is this acceptable? No! The person you have decided has crossed this threshold has many friends some of which are perfectible reasonable people and potential customers. Guess what you have just alienated people whom you or your staff have never even met.

I can assure you there is never ever a situation were the customer is wrong (firearms excluded).

Customers are never wrong? Are you kidding? I only speak about a minority, but I always have and always will stand by the fact that if a customer gives off negative attitude in my store then they get nothing from me. Those that respect sales staff as professionals get the full personal shopping experience. I wont reward attitude with a smile. I may have let money walk out the door but store turnover doesnt suffer as a result. We have been open for eight years with no sign of slowing .
The staff are a priority of mine and will be respected as human beings. In turn they are more productive with those that are worth serving. Its not all Black and White. There is a Psychology behind commercial productivity. Many will disagree with this, tho its probably the same people that consider sales staff as s**t and give the attitude in which I speak. In which case, I couldnt give a f**k.

Oh and all consumers we come into contact with are nothing but big balls of fluffy positivity. wake up mate, U may be the kind that would let some tosser of a customer walk all over you and talk to u like shit for little bit of extra cash. I wont. I save my best bits for the majority of serious and genuine customers. The rest can shop elsewhere. Its a modern approach to retailing, tho i think letting the arrogance of some know that they dont get wot they want with demands and a rude attitude is a step in the right direction. I works for my store. It keeps the shit out!!!

Ur probably right, but u jus have to read some of the earlier posts on this thread to see the attitudes we r up against. Id rather they jus continue to buy via the web then we are all happy.

Stuey09 - 100% what I am talking about.

I apologize for my rant (pkt95 it is nothing personal) but I really feel passionate about this subject matter.

I would add pkt95 it is refreshing to see the lack of negatives used. This is exactly what forums are about. Strong heated debates and differences in opinion.

Pkt75 - and I disagree.

In summary. The attitude of the customer is always right leads to a best in class approach to customer service. It might not always be possible to take or have this approach but it is an aspiration I would rather have than yours of the customer can "fu*k off" (your words not mine).

This attitude is just not acceptable and IMO is exactly what ultimately leads to poor customer service.

It is a fine line we walk and no one said it would be easy but I have no doubt your can reap the rewards.

What your attitude ultimately leads to (and I can not say this specifically of your business) is the type of business that I have a problem with. I am talking about the business that basically ignores its customers because it believes they (that is the customers) should consider themselves privileged to be serviced by them. I am positive each and everyone of us know the type of business I elude to. Maybe people think this creates exclusivity, personally I think it creates an environment in which I would rather not be associated with.

I with you harveyn, what is the world coming to