Rant I Shall Try to Keep My Chin up

[Brenda.the.chef]

Tonight was my first attempt at Customer Care calls.....sad isn't it? I printed a show summary report and went down the list. I remembered one guest specifically as being a heckler at the show and wanted to skip over her name because I knew she was going to be lethal. She did not disappoint! Dang!

At the show, all she did was complain about an apple peeler that she purchased a year or so ago. She even brought it with her for me to check out... she couldn't figure out how to use it.

After the cooking show, I took it out of the box, and of course had nothing to peel with it, so she insisted I take it home to try it. She made it clear that she didn't really care if she ever got it back because she thought it was crap. She didn't have her receipt so I had no idea of who sold it to her or when, so I was doing my best to make this woman happy.

I brought it home and it worked just fine. I called her and said it worked, but she said she wanted it to just barely scrape the peel off... so I went back and tried again and re-adjusted the tension so the peel came off nice and thin. (Mind you, this was about a 2-week process because she RARELY would answer her phone).

Finally, I called my host and told her that I had the peeler, it was adjusted to what I believed were her specifications and wanted to return it, but she wasn't answering her phone. I finally made arrangements with my host to give the peeler to her and she could deal with this mean woman!


Well.... I called her tonight to make sure she was happy with her purchases and she chewed me up and spit me right out! Told me our products were junk and she gave it all away and she especially did not like the way I handled her problem with the peeler. She wouldn't even let me speak and she told me to never call her again! DANG!

Has anyone else ever experienced such a thing? This was a first for me, but I just went on to the next customer. SMILE BEFORE YOU DIAL is what I learned last night, and I did... but my feelings were somewhat scarred because I didn't think I did anything wrong.

Did I mention that this woman was DRUNK AS EVER at the cooking show... AND on this phone call? Either way, I guess I won't be calling her back.

I feel better now.

 

[cincychef]

First let me say I am so sorry you had this lady for a customer!!! You did nothing wrong at all!!!! You went above and beyond with customer care. Luckily customers like that are few and far between so you may never have one like that again. It sounds like she is a very unhappy woman and you got to bear the brunt of that.

 

[Sheila]

Alcohol does weird things to people. Don't let a mean drunk deter you girl.

 

[pampered1224]

She obviously drinks because she in unhappy. And apparently unhappy about EVERYTHING! This is one you can definitely take off your own shoulders. In fact, dump it in a glass and I bet you get a martini or 6! This is one time you really need to get rid of anything derogatory you are pointing at yourself. Bless and relese my dear, bless and release! Oh and loose that phone number!!!

 

[carlajanes]

shake it off girlfriend! you are Not in the wrong...you were doing your job
there, unfortunately, are more of these kooks than i care to think about but i pray no more will come to your shows
as john said...bless and release....in the Bible it talks about blessing those who curse you....not easy but rewarding (sorry retired pastor here )
~carla

 

[ChefMarylu]

Unfortunately we will run into people like that in our type of business. Anytime you deal with 'people', you encounter a rotten egg now and then. Don't let them hook you and don't let it get to you too much, easier said than done, but it CAN be done. ;-) As a long time employee of customer service, you think you hear it all, then you meet someone at one of your shows that will either bad mouth PC or you, or both in front of others and try and make you feel bad (and often succeed.)
I just do my best not to let it get to me, and don't let their negativity bring me down. Jillian Eisenberg Grant said in the Cooking Shows Live DVD, "don't ever let negativity put you out of business." It's true and it's not worth it. Be glad you are not that woman.

 

[byrd1956]

well said by all the responders above!

 

[sherri lynn]

Honey, {{{Hugs}}} this sounds like a miserable person. I know we went over customer care calls last night, and kudos to you for picking up the phone. Sorry this customer was so bad, it sounds like she is one to be written off your list. You did nothing wrong. Keep your chin up, stand up, smile, and call the next one.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

She is probably a member of a group of people that are referred to as the Perpetually Offended.Members of the Perpetually Offended wake up every morning and set a goal to find something, that very day, to be outraged about and gripe to anyone in earshot about how offened he/she/it is.

 

[Sheila]

I think my Mother-in-law is a member of that group!

 

[heather223]

You did everything right! Bless and release!

 

[Jolie_Paradoxe]

Ouch! So sorry you were treated that way. Some great advice above. Congrats on picking up the phone and an added wow for going for the heckler first! Now, you can put the worse case scenario behind you. I'm also impressed that you moved on to another call.

Brenda - she sounds like a nasty woman who was cruel and rude. You went above and beyond and KCG is right....part of an exclusively miserable club. She did you a favor by giving you permission to never call her again. Let the customer be right...no more contact for her. he he

 

[vanscootin]

I feel your pain... I remember posting something a while back about a customer at a show who was mad at me for running out of prize tickets etc etc.... well I wrote her a little note and stuck it in her order. I saw the host the other night at a party booked from her show and asked if this lady had gotten her order. She said "Dawn, she did and she is not happy. She told me what to say to you but I just can't repeat it. I'm so mad at her for the way she acted." This was at check out and I nearly came to tears because even though this customer didn't deserve my extra umph I gave it to her and she STILL found it necessary to cut me down.

It's customers like this that I wouldn't wish on anyother consultant. Like everyone says, let it go, bless and release, vent about it here, etc etc. There has to be at least one of these customers on everyone's contact list.

 

[raebates]

I'm so sorry. I'm sure there is nothing you could have done to please her. As we say here, bless and release. Move on. CCCs are rarely that traumatic.

 

[esavvymom]

We've all had at least one...that's why it is so hard to pick up the phone! And why they always have to be be the FIRST calls we make and to the "most vulnerable" consultants (already scared to death of making that call in the first place!). Been there, done that, got the T-shirt, right? ;-) The next calls- make them to the customers you know and like. The ones with a SOUL!

 

[Brenda.the.chef]

Thank you all! She is water off the duck's back, but I thought I would share this with ya'll....

At 7 this morning my phone rings. I didn't hear it because I was drying my hair. When I saw that I missed a call, I called the number back. Guess who it was? It was my hungover-witchy-apple-peeler-heckler!!! She said that she missed a call from MY number at 7am and proceeded to argue with me about whether or not I had called!

The whole time, I knew who it was, but didn't identify myself. I'm thinking, "beyotch, you have a lot of nerve to call me" but I let her yack away and then she apologized all nice and sweet saying that she was sorry for calling me and that she must have been mistaken...


Then, she tells me her name.... and I say, "Oh! Now I recognize your number! I'm Brenda with The Pampered Chef and I called you last night to make sure you were happy with your purchases from Heidi's show!" (WITH A SMILE, mind you!)

Dead silence. She hung up on me ... LOL

I shall chuckle about this all day.....

 

[esavvymom]

That's funny! "Heap burning coals on your enemies head", right?

 

[Bren706]

Bless and release, and keep it up with the customer care calls. Don't let one sour apple ruin it for the rest of them .

 

[Brenda.the.chef]

Oh, I blessed and released last night when she chewed me up. As I stated, I really didn't want to call her in the first place because I remembered how ugly she was at the cooking show. It was a blessing that she said to never call her again. I really have no problem with that....at all.:angel:

 

[ShellBeach]

That is too funny that she called you after warning you off!

 

[Teresa LM]

Sounds like someone needs some alcohol intervention. She didn't even remember that you had called her. That's a bad sign for her.

 

[carlajanes]

way to go brenda!
~carla

 

[esavvymom]

Sounds like someone needs some alcohol intervention. She didn't even remember that you had called her. That's a bad sign for her.

After a call like that, I think *I* would have needed an alcohol intervention - HA! Smirnoff Lemonades would have called mine name THAT night. I'm glad you worked through it though. No matter how old you get, it still hurts when someone is mean to us.
"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me!" - who made that up?!?

 

[Sheila]

Singing ...

Jose Cuervo you are a friend of mine.
I like to drink you with a little salt and lime.
Did I kiss off the consultant, who called me last night?
Did I yell in her ear and try to start a fight?​

 

[lcucinella]

Singing ...

Jose Cuervo you are a friend of mine.
I like to drink you with a little salt and lime.
Did I kiss off the consultant, who called me last night?
Did I yell in her ear and try to start a fight?​

LOL Sheila that is perfect!!!:thumbup::sing:

 

[Sheila]

THAT is what PC should be playing at National Conference. Our new theme song! LOL

 

[chefliz]

Wow is all I can say after reading the whole story! Good grief!

I always tell my team (and myself) thank goodness the good far outweigh the bad! THAT is what keeps us going...

Good for you that you even called her in the first place though and at least you can laugh about it now.

 

[islandgurlchef]

At the show, where was the host? I always think it's weird when hosts do nothing to head off witchy complaining guests! Did you get a booking? Hopefully this unkind person will not be included in the next guest list if you did!

You did a great job making us all look good!

 

[esavvymom]

At the show, where was the host? I always think it's weird when hosts do nothing to head off witchy complaining guests! Did you get a booking? Hopefully this unkind person will not be included in the next guest list if you did!

You did a great job making us all look good!

That kind of person, I think I would accidentally LOSE her invitation...hmm. "So sorry that happened!"