Autumn Approaches

James.k.Polk wrote:Arkay,

If it were me I'd trade on the boss's goodwill and make a point to remind him how little trouble you cause him, how loyal and dependable you have been, and how few and far between your requests for time off are.

I'd also state outright that you are feeling pretty frazzled and you really need the time to relax and de-stress.

See if he relents.

James.k.Polk wrote:

NebulaJack wrote:

James.k.Polk wrote:

Mini-Polk tale.

I was at work today and one of my sales guys comes to my desk and says someone wants to talk to me. I come out to the sales floor.  There's an older lady there waiting.  Other customers are purchasing things from other reps...

This lady launches into me about how she bought an HTC phone a month ago and that the online price had been $150 lower and I should have known the online offer and told her about it.  I should have DONE MY JOB and found a lower price for her.

I told her I had no idea the phone had been cheaper online.  

Well you should have known!

I ask her to lower her voice.  She does not.

Apparently she wants me to "do something" even though the 14 day exchange period is over and I still have no idea if there was a cheaper online price a month ago.  Again I ask her to keep a calm voice.  She does not. I ask her if she has called customer care to ask if they will help her.  She says they will not help (surprise?!)

I tell her that if she cannot stop making a scene we will need to step outside to speak and we walk to the door.  outside she again starts with the accusation that it was my job to find and offer her the lower online price.

At this point I kind of lost it.  I start shouting at her the same way she's shouting at me.  I tell her SEE I Can yell YELL TOO and tell her I can't understand how she expects me to honor a price she did not know about or ask for.

She starts waving a finger at me and starting up the whole "you're a terrible manager" routine.

I wave a hand at her, say "We're done." and walk back inside the store.

A few minutes later she came back into the store.  She glowered at me, but appeared to be shopping the accessory walls.  She never said anything else and left shortly thereafter.

I feel bad for yelling at her.  but honestly, would she want me to tell her what Best buy's prices for the same phone were and offer her a competing discount?  I don't understand crazy.

So is this the online price from the company you work for? If so, I can see the confusion on her part, because "it's all the same company" even though the stores, phone reps and websites all go through different channels. I often had the same problem when I took calls for AT&T. A customer wanted to get the online deal, but the website was screwing up and I had to ask for management approval to override the sale price in my system, which I couldn't always get.

The really shitty thing, is that so many customers don't seem to understand that being nice goes a loooong way. They hear the advice of "be firm and demand satisfaction" and confuse that with "be an asshole and demand satisfaction". You can be firm and be nice. The customers that have treated me nice have always gotten the best service I can offer.

I completely understand that there can be some confusion about online pricing versus in store pricing.  But I have no idea if that phone was the price she says it was 30 days (or more) ago.  And the return/exchange period is 14 days.  To honor that price, I would have had to refund and return the phone we sold, and then allow her to order the same phone online.  She would then have had to go to the company-owned CPMCI store (mine is a dealer) to pick up the online purchased phone. Would have had to be done within the 14 days.  She seemed to want either to just A) be mad and yell or B) have me give her $150 out of pocket.

If you go to the airport and buy a ticket on American Airlines to fly to Guam, do you then go back to the airport a month later and yell at the people there because you found out that the same flight was cheaper if you bought it on American airlines' website?

NebulaJack wrote:Hey Polk, guess what's finally on youtube!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIoDSuVFWVg&index=12&list=PLslxeOGneMPt9tVdDPuKMLUk6S0fDAS1D

NebulaJack wrote:

James.k.Polk wrote:

Mini-Polk tale.

I was at work today and one of my sales guys comes to my desk and says someone wants to talk to me. I come out to the sales floor.  There's an older lady there waiting.  Other customers are purchasing things from other reps...

This lady launches into me about how she bought an HTC phone a month ago and that the online price had been $150 lower and I should have known the online offer and told her about it.  I should have DONE MY JOB and found a lower price for her.

I told her I had no idea the phone had been cheaper online.  

Well you should have known!

I ask her to lower her voice.  She does not.

Apparently she wants me to "do something" even though the 14 day exchange period is over and I still have no idea if there was a cheaper online price a month ago.  Again I ask her to keep a calm voice.  She does not. I ask her if she has called customer care to ask if they will help her.  She says they will not help (surprise?!)

I tell her that if she cannot stop making a scene we will need to step outside to speak and we walk to the door.  outside she again starts with the accusation that it was my job to find and offer her the lower online price.

At this point I kind of lost it.  I start shouting at her the same way she's shouting at me.  I tell her SEE I Can yell YELL TOO and tell her I can't understand how she expects me to honor a price she did not know about or ask for.

She starts waving a finger at me and starting up the whole "you're a terrible manager" routine.

I wave a hand at her, say "We're done." and walk back inside the store.

A few minutes later she came back into the store.  She glowered at me, but appeared to be shopping the accessory walls.  She never said anything else and left shortly thereafter.

I feel bad for yelling at her.  but honestly, would she want me to tell her what Best buy's prices for the same phone were and offer her a competing discount?  I don't understand crazy.

So is this the online price from the company you work for? If so, I can see the confusion on her part, because "it's all the same company" even though the stores, phone reps and websites all go through different channels. I often had the same problem when I took calls for AT&T. A customer wanted to get the online deal, but the website was screwing up and I had to ask for management approval to override the sale price in my system, which I couldn't always get.

The really shitty thing, is that so many customers don't seem to understand that being nice goes a loooong way. They hear the advice of "be firm and demand satisfaction" and confuse that with "be an asshole and demand satisfaction". You can be firm and be nice. The customers that have treated me nice have always gotten the best service I can offer.

James.k.Polk wrote:

Mini-Polk tale.

I was at work today and one of my sales guys comes to my desk and says someone wants to talk to me. I come out to the sales floor.  There's an older lady there waiting.  Other customers are purchasing things from other reps...

This lady launches into me about how she bought an HTC phone a month ago and that the online price had been $150 lower and I should have known the online offer and told her about it.  I should have DONE MY JOB and found a lower price for her.

I told her I had no idea the phone had been cheaper online.  

Well you should have known!

I ask her to lower her voice.  She does not.

Apparently she wants me to "do something" even though the 14 day exchange period is over and I still have no idea if there was a cheaper online price a month ago.  Again I ask her to keep a calm voice.  She does not. I ask her if she has called customer care to ask if they will help her.  She says they will not help (surprise?!)

I tell her that if she cannot stop making a scene we will need to step outside to speak and we walk to the door.  outside she again starts with the accusation that it was my job to find and offer her the lower online price.

At this point I kind of lost it.  I start shouting at her the same way she's shouting at me.  I tell her SEE I Can yell YELL TOO and tell her I can't understand how she expects me to honor a price she did not know about or ask for.

She starts waving a finger at me and starting up the whole "you're a terrible manager" routine.

I wave a hand at her, say "We're done." and walk back inside the store.

A few minutes later she came back into the store.  She glowered at me, but appeared to be shopping the accessory walls.  She never said anything else and left shortly thereafter.

I feel bad for yelling at her.  but honestly, would she want me to tell her what Best buy's prices for the same phone were and offer her a competing discount?  I don't understand crazy.

James.k.Polk wrote:

Mini-Polk tale.

I was at work today and one of my sales guys comes to my desk and says someone wants to talk to me. I come out to the sales floor.  There's an older lady there waiting.  Other customers are purchasing things from other reps...

This lady launches into me about how she bought an HTC phone a month ago and that the online price had been $150 lower and I should have known the online offer and told her about it.  I should have DONE MY JOB and found a lower price for her.

I told her I had no idea the phone had been cheaper online.  

Well you should have known!

I ask her to lower her voice.  She does not.

Apparently she wants me to "do something" even though the 14 day exchange period is over and I still have no idea if there was a cheaper online price a month ago.  Again I ask her to keep a calm voice.  She does not. I ask her if she has called customer care to ask if they will help her.  She says they will not help (surprise?!)

I tell her that if she cannot stop making a scene we will need to step outside to speak and we walk to the door.  outside she again starts with the accusation that it was my job to find and offer her the lower online price.

At this point I kind of lost it.  I start shouting at her the same way she's shouting at me.  I tell her SEE I Can yell YELL TOO and tell her I can't understand how she expects me to honor a price she did not know about or ask for.

She starts waving a finger at me and starting up the whole "you're a terrible manager" routine.

I wave a hand at her, say "We're done." and walk back inside the store.

A few minutes later she came back into the store.  She glowered at me, but appeared to be shopping the accessory walls.  She never said anything else and left shortly thereafter.

I feel bad for yelling at her.  but honestly, would she want me to tell her what Best buy's prices for the same phone were and offer her a competing discount?  I don't understand crazy.

NebulaJack wrote:

rkwsuperstar wrote:

NebulaJack wrote:

rkwsuperstar wrote:Time for a small Superstar rant.  We have a leave calendar for the business office, so that each of us can see when the rest are gone, so our boss can keep up with it, etc.  I can't be off if Coworker is off, etc.  I've had my leave for the wedding on the schedule since February (this is next Friday) and the following Wednesday for my birthday since the first of the year.  We talked about my leave last week, he has it written on the calendar.  Today, I actually submit the leave requests in the system.  He emails me to say that he may decide to be out of town around that time, but hasn't decided yet, so if he decides to go, I'll have to give up my leave because he doesn't want to leave the Coworker here alone.  Uh...I told him I could give up the 23rd, but the 18th was a have-to (the wedding is Saturday, but we have a lot of stuff on Friday, including the rehearsal).  So he's "letting" me have that day and will tell me before I leave that Thursday if he's going to let me have the other day that's already been approved.  What the hell crap is this, pulling this move a week before my planned leave?  At least he's willing to let me have the day that matters, that he approved verbally in February.  I wasn't planning to do anything on my birthday, but have a day of no idiot Coworker, sleeping in, and wearing pajamas all day, but it's more the point that his last-minute plans come before someone else's planned-in-advance-and-approved plans.  

Do you have any sick leave accrued? If so, and he stiffs you on the birthday off thing, you could call in Monday or Tuesday and tell him you caught something from someone at the wedding will need a few days off.

I like "celebrating" my birthday. I just don't want to do it at work. I want people to leave me alone beyond required work interaction.

That's not an option.  Number 1, I need to be here Monday.  Number 2, I don't believe in calling in sick when you aren't sick, because then you have used up your time on fake sick days.  Number 3, he can always deny the request, sick or not, meaning I would have to take it as leave without pay and I can't afford to not get paid.  Number 4, it'd be very obvious what I was doing, and I do not wish to foster ill-will from my boss, when I have enough problems while he has good-will towards me.

Then you should make everyone wear party hats, for the entire shift. Tell them that every interaction with you must start with the words Happy Birthday.

Seriously though, I hope your boss comes around and doesn't make you work on your birthday.

rkwsuperstar wrote:

NebulaJack wrote:

rkwsuperstar wrote:Time for a small Superstar rant.  We have a leave calendar for the business office, so that each of us can see when the rest are gone, so our boss can keep up with it, etc.  I can't be off if Coworker is off, etc.  I've had my leave for the wedding on the schedule since February (this is next Friday) and the following Wednesday for my birthday since the first of the year.  We talked about my leave last week, he has it written on the calendar.  Today, I actually submit the leave requests in the system.  He emails me to say that he may decide to be out of town around that time, but hasn't decided yet, so if he decides to go, I'll have to give up my leave because he doesn't want to leave the Coworker here alone.  Uh...I told him I could give up the 23rd, but the 18th was a have-to (the wedding is Saturday, but we have a lot of stuff on Friday, including the rehearsal).  So he's "letting" me have that day and will tell me before I leave that Thursday if he's going to let me have the other day that's already been approved.  What the hell crap is this, pulling this move a week before my planned leave?  At least he's willing to let me have the day that matters, that he approved verbally in February.  I wasn't planning to do anything on my birthday, but have a day of no idiot Coworker, sleeping in, and wearing pajamas all day, but it's more the point that his last-minute plans come before someone else's planned-in-advance-and-approved plans.  

Do you have any sick leave accrued? If so, and he stiffs you on the birthday off thing, you could call in Monday or Tuesday and tell him you caught something from someone at the wedding will need a few days off.

That's not an option.  Number 1, I need to be here Monday.  Number 2, I don't believe in calling in sick when you aren't sick, because then you have used up your time on fake sick days.  Number 3, he can always deny the request, sick or not, meaning I would have to take it as leave without pay and I can't afford to not get paid.  Number 4, it'd be very obvious what I was doing, and I do not wish to foster ill-will from my boss, when I have enough problems while he has good-will towards me.

NebulaJack wrote:

rkwsuperstar wrote:Time for a small Superstar rant.  We have a leave calendar for the business office, so that each of us can see when the rest are gone, so our boss can keep up with it, etc.  I can't be off if Coworker is off, etc.  I've had my leave for the wedding on the schedule since February (this is next Friday) and the following Wednesday for my birthday since the first of the year.  We talked about my leave last week, he has it written on the calendar.  Today, I actually submit the leave requests in the system.  He emails me to say that he may decide to be out of town around that time, but hasn't decided yet, so if he decides to go, I'll have to give up my leave because he doesn't want to leave the Coworker here alone.  Uh...I told him I could give up the 23rd, but the 18th was a have-to (the wedding is Saturday, but we have a lot of stuff on Friday, including the rehearsal).  So he's "letting" me have that day and will tell me before I leave that Thursday if he's going to let me have the other day that's already been approved.  What the hell crap is this, pulling this move a week before my planned leave?  At least he's willing to let me have the day that matters, that he approved verbally in February.  I wasn't planning to do anything on my birthday, but have a day of no idiot Coworker, sleeping in, and wearing pajamas all day, but it's more the point that his last-minute plans come before someone else's planned-in-advance-and-approved plans.  

Do you have any sick leave accrued? If so, and he stiffs you on the birthday off thing, you could call in Monday or Tuesday and tell him you caught something from someone at the wedding will need a few days off.

rkwsuperstar wrote:Time for a small Superstar rant.  We have a leave calendar for the business office, so that each of us can see when the rest are gone, so our boss can keep up with it, etc.  I can't be off if Coworker is off, etc.  I've had my leave for the wedding on the schedule since February (this is next Friday) and the following Wednesday for my birthday since the first of the year.  We talked about my leave last week, he has it written on the calendar.  Today, I actually submit the leave requests in the system.  He emails me to say that he may decide to be out of town around that time, but hasn't decided yet, so if he decides to go, I'll have to give up my leave because he doesn't want to leave the Coworker here alone.  Uh...I told him I could give up the 23rd, but the 18th was a have-to (the wedding is Saturday, but we have a lot of stuff on Friday, including the rehearsal).  So he's "letting" me have that day and will tell me before I leave that Thursday if he's going to let me have the other day that's already been approved.  What the hell crap is this, pulling this move a week before my planned leave?  At least he's willing to let me have the day that matters, that he approved verbally in February.  I wasn't planning to do anything on my birthday, but have a day of no idiot Coworker, sleeping in, and wearing pajamas all day, but it's more the point that his last-minute plans come before someone else's planned-in-advance-and-approved plans.  

rkwsuperstar wrote:

kegs wrote:

rkwsuperstar wrote:Yesterday, Coworker was getting a FedEx shipment together.  She's been having problems scheduling pickups online, so I asked her if she wanted me to schedule the pickup for her.  She tells me that the employee is actually taking it to the FedEx store in WF today.  So I email that person to remind them that they will need to submit a travel request, and her response today, word for word, is "I'm not going anyplace, gossip isn't always truth."  What?

What is actually happening is the other staff member for that project is going out in the field, not her, so I needed the travel request from him.  But why isn't that her response?  Why is some ridiculous comment about gossip?

Because some people are happiest when they're causing drama?

I guess...this is why I don't like people.  Except you guys.  Y'all are okay.

kegs wrote:

rkwsuperstar wrote:Yesterday, Coworker was getting a FedEx shipment together.  She's been having problems scheduling pickups online, so I asked her if she wanted me to schedule the pickup for her.  She tells me that the employee is actually taking it to the FedEx store in WF today.  So I email that person to remind them that they will need to submit a travel request, and her response today, word for word, is "I'm not going anyplace, gossip isn't always truth."  What?

What is actually happening is the other staff member for that project is going out in the field, not her, so I needed the travel request from him.  But why isn't that her response?  Why is some ridiculous comment about gossip?

Because some people are happiest when they're causing drama?

rkwsuperstar wrote:Yesterday, Coworker was getting a FedEx shipment together.  She's been having problems scheduling pickups online, so I asked her if she wanted me to schedule the pickup for her.  She tells me that the employee is actually taking it to the FedEx store in WF today.  So I email that person to remind them that they will need to submit a travel request, and her response today, word for word, is "I'm not going anyplace, gossip isn't always truth."  What?

What is actually happening is the other staff member for that project is going out in the field, not her, so I needed the travel request from him.  But why isn't that her response?  Why is some ridiculous comment about gossip?

Patch wrote:

NebulaJack wrote:

At this point, I'd be screaming "SEND ME A MANUAL RIGHT NOW!"

I did and brought it up on 3 separate calls today. Still no manual. They said something about kicking us off the project because of the issues, then I twisted off on everyone. Probably not the smartest thing to do but they were in the wrong.
I told my boss if he needs to scrape goat me to keep the project I was fine with it.

Turns out it wasn't needed. They actually took up for me with the end user. So we are still working. My next call with my guys that screwed up, was me really twisting off. Everyone better get their heads out of there asses from here on .

NebulaJack wrote:

At this point, I'd be screaming "SEND ME A MANUAL RIGHT NOW!"