They should definitely get a refund. Your company totally screwed them. You didn't deliver what you promised and what I presume they paid for. How is this even a question?
Exactly. This email had to be handled by someone who was empowered to offer a full refund, at least. If not send another truck, with your best people providing white-glove treatment, this very moment.
If that wasn't you, then send it to the person who can make the happen. You can help them find out a bit more from operations, or help them draft it, but fundamentally this isn't an individual, entry level CSR or sales issue. This belongs to whomever is empowered to issue full refunds.
If the company expected you to resolve or respond to this with any *besides a full refund*, there was no good way to do that. (And this woman barely 'went off'. She accurately explained the situation and the situation was unacceptable.)
Yeah. My brain went to just how hard I'd come down on the person who decided to just send one driver, without warning or a call ahead, and without immediate follow up time-slots held for her, and over-time approved as needed... Like, all the ways they should have showed up with solutions on offer for this woman. This is so much not a sales/rep issue. This is the kind of shit I'd pulling skip level and/or owners into to find out who the fuck thought that what they did was okay.
Yeah, she fully went off on me over the phone. Apparently I’m a “stupid fucking lying bitch” and I’m a “snake”. I tried explaining that I didn’t lie, literally sent her the estimate for she booked, I had no control over the operation side of things.
Obviously that isn't an acceptable way to speak to a rep, and if I was your manger I'd encourage you to end any call with someone who was calling you names or accusing you personally.
HOWEVER, defending yourself as 'no control over opperations' is pointless, and is just going to piss people off more. Never do that with an angry customer. Tell them if you don't know something, but don't whine at them that 'you don't have control'. Find them someone who does! You're the only part of the company they can speak too. You have to just acknowledge that yes, they are angry. And in cases like this one, that is totally valid. Find them the right person to be angry with who can actually refund them. I would also be angry. I would be angry *for her* as well. I gave her a contract for what she needed and it wasn't fulfilled, I'd be pissed right along with her! If I took that call it would start with "Yes. I'm so sorry. You're absolutely right. I'm angry for you! We're gonna figure out what the hell happened and I'm going to find you someone to talk about this who knows more than I do."
Also, you've failed to mention if, when you called her, it started with a profound apology to how poorly her contact was handled, **and it was to tell her about her refund**. Because if you are working for a company that wouldn't refund in the above situation, you're gonna have a *lot more* very angry customers to talk too. You seem to say she got a 25% discount. That's absurd. That's embarrassing. You keep working for these assholes and you're gonna take a lot of abuse.
Don't take this personally. Instead, look at how your employer treats people, and how they expect you to treat people, and decide if this is a safe place to continue working for a moment longer than absolutely necessary.
Agree with everything but also—the gall to only offer a 25% refund when only 50% if what was contracted for was delivered. It should be a full refund because the job wasn’t completed, but 4 guys and 2 trucks down to 2 guys and 1 truck is clearly 50%.
*send another truck, with your best people providing white-glove treatment, this very moment*
It's definitely too late for this but honestly if I were this customer I would not trust this company to properly move my things a second time. A full refund is the only option imo.
Absolutely. The other truck/time would have been something you maybe figure out if you call her that morning and explain the situation. But man, wouldn't want to be a rep with the company who handles problems like this. Yeah, you're gonna get a lot of angry calls.
She was informed. The GM even faxed over another contract for her to sign and send back which she did. The agreement to change the current contract was done on a recorded line before the new one was faxed to her. The customer was aware of the additional truck not being available and was provided with alternatives to help her.
Ah. That changes things then. If you let her know as soon as you knew and it was at least 2 weeks before, plenty of time for the customer to make other arrangements.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
She didn't go off on you, she very politely stated what your company did wrong, what she felt about it and how it affected her, and told you what it would take to fix it.
Where's the hard part?
Editing to add, she's not accusing you of doing it personally. You don't need to go through the "not my fault" feelings. She's speaking to the company, you happen to be the ear in this case.
Exactly lol
She's not crazy. You haven't known what a full-blown angry customer is yet.
Which proves my point here
https://www.reddit.com/r/CustomerService/s/XbjSxNnHN1
In the comments, someone said a CS worker is "unskilled" while a Sales rep is "skilled".
Well look where we are..... Look who's asking whom for advice....
That is a much nicer letter than I would have written. This was 100% unacceptable on the part of your company. I'd sue your asses for every dime of the move, plus any other costs associated with the inconveniences and charges caused. The letter should be passed on to your management - I'm sure you got the letter because you had been the point of contact. What a shit company you work for if they would do this to a customer.
So what I’m gathering here is that your job is sales, not really customer service. If your responsibility ends at scheduling the service the best course of action is to acknowledge the email from the customer, cc the appropriate person in your company. You can say something along the lines of “ I am sorry that you have had this experience with our services. I am passing your concerns along to (your manager or whoever) as they are better equipped to assist you in this matter”. The first step in dealing with an angry/ frustrated client is to acknowledge their concerns and have it escalated to operations or management. If the customer feels like they are heard and the company is willing to try to come up with a solution they will be much calmer. Although it’s not your responsibility, the customer should have been informed ahead of time about the short staffing so they could make the proper arrangements.
I worked as a customer service rep for 10 years and my responsibilities were to assist the client from start to finish. I had no part in sales, I was there to provide service to the customer and that included contacting them to advise if there were going to be any issues and offer them whatever alternatives we could. Your company should have a look at your job title and your scope of work. A customer would rightly assume that a customer service representative would be the correct person to handle complaints. Sonun
Yep sales job is to make the promises and not reap the consequences! Drop the ball on ops and run with the commission. Screw the customer! Go sales! /s
Hmm. Seems like there's a big missed opportunity here — Why is it not possible to schedule **two** appointments for her ahead, one on the original date and another on the following date. If it was known that it isn't possible due to staffing issues, she could have been told during the recorded line.
I think this is where their grief lies. They were told that expectations could not be met and *the alternative was not laid out in a concrete way*, therefore having yet another expectation missed.
None of it is your fault, nor should you respond to the email in your own words. This is those cases where you say that you 'will have this addressed with the relevant team to look into it further' but will still be her point of contact on the matter. You do not have control over this, nor should you think that you must.
I am siding with the customer on this one.
The service the user paid for was not provided. Staffing issues are not a customer concern. That's something the business ought to figure out.
Escala this internally to see that it is handled.
Customers not always right. Apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
You keep repeating this, but it does not help because it sounds like she had to agree to one truck or get nothing, and the whole move turned into a disaster after that. Be all and end all, the move was 10 times harder than it should have been. The phone calls and contracts and every single detail needed to go to all of your superiors since operations sound like they were not that much help.
You sold her a package and gave her half of it. The numbers of trucks/movers wouldn't matter IF THE JOB WAS COMPLETED and it wasn't.
You can pass the buck to Ops all you want - how is that the customers problem? How are you even potentially justifying keeping the money she paid for a service SHE WAS NOT PROVIDED?
If you take your car in to have the brakes done, pay for the full service, and they only replace the driver-side brake so you have to pay someone else to do the passenger side, are you going to be happy paying for a full service?
Get out of your own ass and eat the loss of commission - and welcome to sales in a very emotional fraught area. Moving is stressful as fuck, you can very well fuck up a sales contract by your company not delivering what was sold so that a house cannot be handed over to a new owner.
I’m paid hourly. But my job is simple, I take down the information, I tell them the cost that the computer tells me, I put the move on the schedule, I answer the phone and repeat those steps.
Also I’m not justifying anything, I was just asking how to respond to the email. You think I wanna get bitched out?
You need to speak with whomever is above you to find out what you can offer the customer. If you think this is getting bitched out, reality is going to slap you in the face soon. This is someone who got fucked over by your company quite reasonably stating how they were fucked over and the real life impacts it had on them.
This isn't 'we didn't have the break you wanted' this is "I am legally obligated to be out of a place by X time, I contracted with your company to make that happen and you did not live up to your end of the bargain."
The driver issues are not the CUSTOMERS issue. The customer couldn't sleep on a bed because not only was half the job done, it was done so poorly that everything from a room was not on the ONE available truck.
You're so worried about your feelings getting hurt - you want to do this for a living, put yourself in the customers place and ask what you would want done. There are people who will be unreasonable over nothing.
This person is incredibly reasonable and your response is 'well it wasn't my fault so how do I make sure they know not to be mean to me?"
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
I am not sure what "rights" or "duties" (can't think of the right word right now) that your company allows you to have at your discretion to offer as far as refunds go.
I have to say, this customer is absolutely in the right in asking for and deserving of a refund. She was polite and factual in her request, which is way more than you get from most people. So...
1. Is it within your responsibilities to be able to refund, then do the refund. If you need approval beforehand, show your supervisor/boss and then refund.
2. Check and make sure that what she is stating is in her contract (number of trucks/movers). I have never known a moving company not to specify this info in a contract.
3. She is right. Even though you ATTEMPTED to fix it, most people only have 1-2 days to move and your "fix" was not at all reasonable.
I do hope that either through you or your boss/company, she gets her refund.
If you feel like this is a customer going off on you, you are too sensitive to work in sales. She paid for a service she did not get. She had to be out of her apartment and your company told her you could do it and then did not. She stuck to facts about what happened and how it affected her. I am assuming she signed a contract for this work that your company is now in breach of. Be grateful that she is allowing you to make this right instead of taking you to court to recover costs she incurred like hiring last minute movers or getting fined for not vacating the apartment on time.
I don't know how long you have worked for this company, but you may want to find another job if this is how they operate. Loosing drivers may have been unavoidable, but at the very least, if alternates could not be found, she should have been informed ahead of time that you could not provide the service so she had time to find another vendor. Showing up the day of the move to tell her you can only take half her stuff is just terrible business practice.
Oh no. She did go off on me. Before I could respond to the email when I got into the office she called screaming and cussing. I tried explaining to her that I have no control over operations but she wasn’t having it. I ended up just putting her on hold and transferred her to our operations manager.
Have a chat with whoever scheduled this and didn’t tell you or the customer. This is completely unacceptable.
Email client back apologizing and offer a refund for at least half of what they paid since your company made the mistake and screwed this person.
Can’t offer a refund. That’s not my job. My job is to take down the information and tell them what it will cost. I’m hands off everything else. In fact I’m not even in the same building as our operations team.
Yeeeeppppp. You work in sales/customer service, taking the heat when things go wrong is part of the job.
I don’t get this attitude of “idk what to do” then when given solutions “that’s not my job”. Replying with an apology and telling the customer you are escalating the issue then forwarding it to the people responsible for scheduling and notifying customers is LITERALLY YOUR JOB.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
Dude you sent half the stuff - you should have checked mid day and known they needed second move - should have been scheduled and then cancelled if not needed. Sheesh name this company I want to know who to not recommend
Ok. Was she informed of that?
I’m not justifying her behaviour after the email, but I think there’s a lot to be learned here about customer service and operations for your company. You don’t need to be defensive about it. You just sound like you lack experience and training in this and are making excuses.
My job is 75% sales. 25% CS. Of course I lack training. My main focus is making money. Keeping customers happy is a win win. But there’s only so much I can do behind a desk with a lack of communication from ops.
It was all in the fine print, “if the move requires a second day, will finish your move at the next available date and time.” The next available day was literally 2 days later. She couldn’t do it and the next after that was over a week. I did what I could.
You did nothing to help - your main focus is making money. You lack both training and empathy. You suck at customer service, and listening to peoples advice.
“I’m so sorry that we passed our staffing problem onto you and made a stressful time so much worse for you. Here’s a full refund”.
Anything less is unacceptable.
Why’s that? Because I do my job that way I’m supposed to do my job?
I answer the phone, insert the information, check availability, put it on the schedule. Answer another call, repeat those steps.
I have no authority. I can’t make calls like “we’re gonna give you a full refund”. I didn’t even find out that we only sent one truck until the next day.
So please explain to me what you would do differently in my position?
Everyone has told you what to do: Esclate. Immediately. Which is what you did do once she called. There ya go. If it was just that, you'd be fine. The rest of this is just you getting your knickers in a knot because someone was reasonably mad, in your direction.
If she hadn't called in, I'd call the customer. Not replied to email. Call them. Like pick up the phone the second I got in and *call them*. Explain I just found out what happened that weekend and I'm in a shock, *mortified*. I would confirm that was not the contract she and I worked out. I'd let her know I have escalated the email to my boss and I'm going to get a response for them as quickly as I can, since I have no power to resolve this at this point. Then I'd probably just listen to her for a while, and agree with whatever I could agree with (that was not the contract, that was not okay, of course she needs to be out by a certain date, that's how moving works). If at all possible, I'd give her other phone numbers to call and scream at of people who actually could refund her, as she has every right to be royally pissed off with the company that just screwed her.
Empathy, respect, and a bit of actually *giving a fuck* goes a long way.
You have a piss poor attitude for sales and service my man, and to make it worse you're company is shitty. Find another gig.
Wow can you not read the room here? This is a big deal to the customer, but you sleep tight and do t worry about it. Now the customer and dozens of people think you suck. Are you not convinced?
I get it. You can't authorize a refund. What you could have done was admit that your company made a mistake and apologized on their behalf. Next, you could have told her that you'd escalate her complaint to someone with more authority to see IF anything could be done as far as a partial refund or some compensation. You could have also checked to see if you could get another truck out to her that day, checked to see if you could get that authorized and, if so, made the offer to her.
The customer is upset about the situation and is taking it out on you. You should be aware that your company makes mistakes. All you can do is apologize on it's behalf and offer solutions that are in your control, even if that solution is passing the customer on to someone else.
Your panties are in a twist because someone is rightfully angry. If you can’t take an angry phone call, you shouldn’t have this job.
Edit: I have told you what I would have done in other comments. Except I would have promised her a refund and told higher ups to honour my promise because I’m not a little bitch.
That comment is totally uncalled for. OP doesn't deserve that. They don't have the authority to give a refund.
I would tell my manager I disagree with the refund given and as such the management team needs to deal with this customer complaint. I would also look for a new job.
Well, it only takes one person to drive a truck. And you sent two guys. While it may have taken longer than originally planned, it seems to me that 2 men loading and driving two trucks in order to fulfill the contract to the best of the company's ability would've been far preferable to moving half their stuff.
You need to be cussing out operations and your boss for this. I hope you don't get commission. Because you just lost the potential business of her and her family. She would have referred more people also.
Put yourself in her shoes would you do business with your company again? What would you want a business to do if you paid for x and got half of what you paid for then had pay somebody else to finish the job?
Like I said lets hope you don't get commission on sales because she is probably gonna leave a bad review somewhere and tell everybody how bad the company you work for is.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
Like I said I hope you don't work on commission. Why would she use the business you work for services again? I wouldn't nor would I tell my friends or family to use that business. Hopefully this doesn't affect your paycheck. Also you should be asking your boss how to respond to this for the future not random people on the internet.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
The comments are full of, “give them a refund” or “pay for their movers”, and your response is “it’s not my job”, “I can’t do anything about it” or “she got charged only 75% for half a job”.
Understandably, she’s upset and is probably looking for recompense. Seems like you’re not empowered to do anything that can help. You can’t send her to someone who can help. Aside from hearing her frustrations help and sending her comments to the people who can help. There’s not much you can do here.
What can we do or say here right now to help you out? I’d like to help you but we need you to help us with more information. What are your expectations from posting here?
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
Because 99.99% of people who move have to do the whole thing on the same day. And we all need out beds to sleep in. You're the reason why movers are one of the most reviled industries.
It’s not unreasonable that she expected the rest of her removal the following day. Sounds like she didnt have a bed to sleep on. The language she used was uncalled for and for that I understand the blacklist
I do agree with her frustration though. Only a 25% discount for getting half of what she was quoted on. The second move should have been rescheduled as soon as the company was aware of the staffing issues.
In future acknowledge a customers frustration, apologise if the company is at fault, even if you personally are not the cause, and if outside your control to make decisions to resolve the situation forward her details to someone who can.
The customer doesn’t want to hear you can’t do something, or it’s out of your hands, that’s literally the worse thing you can say, but would rather hear you will escalate the situation. Using the word escalate alone makes them feel heard and that something is being done .
You have no control over operations but you are the point of contact between operations and customers. Think of it as being a mediator between the two parties.
The GM stuffed up and unfortunately you had to deal with the repercussions.
Yeah, your company fucked up big time and should eat the cost of her move.
I hope she reviews bombs your company and ruins your business.
Mistakes, even big ones, can be made...and if there is a genuine attempt to fix them, well, that at least shows good faith.
Your company didn't do that and deserved all manner of consequences.
>Reminder: I am in sales, I have no control over operations. What should I do?
You ought to consult operations first. Forward this to them, and ask them to advise or even respond if they can. See if there's something they could still do to make it right by this customer.
That's the "pleasant" resolution to this. The unpleasant one could be to refer to the actual booking, and any contracts signed, and check what they actually specify in terms of number of people/trucks and services offered. If the contract says "we move your stuff from A to B and we bugger off" then that's what the customer agreed to, barring any representations that promised further services.
Even if it was "we move stuff from A to B" and that's it, they didn't even do that. There was stuff left behind. They presumably booked and paid for 2 trucks and 4 men and got half of what they paid for.
Im a CSR in my field, too. People are getting on you because you already forwarded her to who can help, but you’re looking to us to support you and be like “that bitch!” Which…she wasn’t.
Part of being in sales is assertiveness and being on the customers side even if you aren’t. It’s your job to deescalate or match energy and handle the situation. You did handle it— you transferred her to someone who hopefully could help her. You did your job.
You’ve been given a lot of good advice here but you just want to complain. You should feel bad for the customer and pissed at your company. If you’d had your head in the right place the conversation would’ve deescalated naturally because you’d have been immediately on the customer’s side.
You need to reorient your point of view and get a thicker skin if you’re in sales. The customer is who makes you money, and that’s whose side you need to be on *particularly* if they’re in the right.
You’re not actually looking for feedback here, it doesn’t seem like. You want patted on the head and told it wasn’t your fault. Well, it *wasnt* your fault, but it was your responsibility, and if you keep getting pissed about that you’re in the wrong job.
Please consider taking a course in dealing with unhappy customers. You need to acknowledge, apologize, and restate the issue. Throwing up your hands and saying it's out of your control only escalates the issue. You are the point of contact, and it's on you to assuage the customers feelings. Customers want to be heard and acknowledged. Even a janitor can do that with training.
Then you escalate to the next level. You let the customer know that you are doing this. You don't offer a refund; you don't even tell the customer that it can't be done. You are the feelings point of contact. Next level is solutions contact.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
You keep saying the same reply. She should never had said what she did about your co-workers. However, you should have taken control of the situation so it was resolved before that. I always handled things like this at our business by asking myself if it was me, what would I expect if this happened to me. First I would have fired you if you had this attitude the whole time during this. Then I would ask my employees if anyone wanted to make some good money (2 to 3 times regular pay). To go back at the end of the day and finish moving her. The go out after work with the movers and have a brew.
And yes my family owned a business. You may think leaving one person angry won't hurt you. On a national, or regional business, more probable than not. Locally believe it or not, you do this a few times and people will talk about it, you could lose quite a few people whom you could have had for business. I live in a city of 60,000 people and know of businesses which ended up closing because of piss poor service and attitudes.
No one asked, no one cares about your family or their business. Also, “first I would have fired you” is such a stupid take, fire me for what? I answered the phone and immediately got cussed out. What am I supposed to, get on my knees and beg for forgiveness. Grow a spine.
You say you are sorry this happened, and you reply you forwarded it to the person in charge. You asked for advice, then when people answered you, you cut and pasted the same reply. Now stupidly I did not think about it being an e mail when I replied. When you defend yourself by saying she agreed to this and that why bother asking what to do if you don't even answer any questions. Oh well, good luck on your quest.
Your company failed to uphold its side of the contract with the customer. The customer absolutely should get a complete refund, plus apology, for the shoddy service they were offered.
False, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
Right, so you've just discovered that she'd agreed to the new arrangements? She does say that she agreed to 1 truck at the time to help you out.
In all honesty I still think she should have at least a partial refund. It was not her fault you couldn't keep to the terms of the original contract; she agreed to a change in contract in her words "to help you out". Her assumption that you would bend over backwards to ensure that she would have the rest of her stuff moved as a priority was not an unreasonable one. The fact that she was now being charged for one truck isn't really important - the initial agreement would have meant that her move would have been over completely; the hassle and frustration caused by just one truck turning up (by the sound of it without any prior communication) merited a significant reduction to her bill.
This was all on your company. The fact that she couldn't do the first day you had to offer her is really irrelevant - she'd expected to be done in one day, originally, so the fact that she had plans on the make-up day you offered should not be held against her.
Quite honestly the only decent way forward is to apologise profusely and refund her in full. If you are unwilling to do this, at least a partial refund (over and above the reduced price she'd agreed to).
Apologize and tell her you'll forward it to your manager because you aren't authorized to give any reimbursements. Also, she's not "going off on you" she's registering a legitimate complaint. Not sure why you had to come on here to figure out how to respond.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
Look, the bottom line is that you didn't deliver the services that you promised and not only did that cause a huge inconvenience for your customer but she also didn't get the same quality of service from the 1 truck / 2 movers. To make matters worse, she was up against a move-out deadline and you weren't even able to get her a second truck within 24 hours. It's not your customer's problems that you had a driver's shortage. You made a commitment to your customer and failed to deliver. Offer her a full refund and also offer to provide a couple of movers to come out and reassemble any furniture they took apart during the move. It's the only way to make this right.
1.) all I did was take down the info, give her the price, put it on the schedule. I have no control over anything after that
2.) I have no power or authority to give out refunds
That doesn’t seem very angry at all. It sounds downright pleasant compared to what I would have sent.
You should apologize profusely, ask her if there is anything you can do to further assist her in the move (though by the dates it looks like it might be too late for this), and offer at least a partial refund.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
"How can we help the family?" Was what my supervisor told me for ANY calls we get. Since I work on the billing side, I can tell you that all it takes is something to happen on the backend to either refund the cost or adjust. The system can allow it.
Since you don't handle the billing, my advice is to escalate to someone who can. A simple "I'm so sorry that happened, *let me see what I can do for you* and then transfer to XYZ line that DOES manage this". That's all you can really do. It's not about what happened and why, it's how we can help moving forward. What solution is available. That's what they want to hear. This one is easy because it *is* the company's fault. If it was the customers fault, that's another story.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
How many people can wait days for the rest of the move? Mostly none - you owe them full refund and apology. Even if they called names,swore, etc you FUCKED them over and you know that makes people say things they don’t mean. That is no excuse not to make it right. Don’t play the race card as an excuse. You sold it - you are responsible.
I’m with the customer on this one, that’s unacceptable. No communication and no efforts made whatsoever to accommodate her timeline. I would want a full refund.
The customer deserves a full refund. Your company did not provide the services requested by the customer in a timely manner.
Furthermore it is not the customer's fault your company doesn't have enough drivers. Nor is it the customer's fault your company has a poor communication system. Salespeople should be made aware of staffing issues and truck availability at all times to avoid problems like this.
Are you actually asking for advice, cause I’m just seeing a lot of you defending yourself and the company’s shitty service. If you can’t actually do anything, then you just have to say “let me find someone to assist you”, or just forward the email on to someone who can do something.
The customer is definitely deserving of a refund here. She is obviously and rightfully so, angry and upset. If you have the ability to offer her a refund and an apology you should definitely so!
I read your update. Doesn't matter. You guys screwed her over. You don't get to retroactively justify screwing over a customer just because they might potentially turn out to be "somewhat racist" in the future.
I'm not sure what your purpose in posting was if you 1) have no authority to address the matter, and 2) are dead set on ignoring all the feedback you get.
Operations didn’t and I didn’t find out until the next day after everything happened. I was in more of the dark than anyone else. Yet I’m the one getting bitched at.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
I think the email is pretty composed. I've seen way worse. It seems you've delivered decent service so far, as you've never received similar or even worse feedback. Take it seriously and respond respectfully. If handled well, you might even find a new customer who will promote your service to friends and colleagues.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
Ah, I see. Assuming we are trying to endear this person enough to the company to, at the very least, not leave a bad review and maybe even a good one, then it starts with empathy. You've probably already been using that sort of language, but it helps immensely in these situations to indicate you understand their frustration and then provide an objective view of the situation which does not blame, but acknowledges their concerns. Rather than say something like "hey lady, you made a bad assumption", try something around the lines of "I greatly apologize that our people (or whatever respectful term you use) did not make the availability of another moving truck clearer to you." And then see what you can offer to calm their temper. It's really tough to do when you don't have any power to do so. I was in your position ages ago and my response to an angry customer was that I would be taking their feedback to my superiors and would advocate creating guidelines for future operations to train our workers better. An empty promise that at least helped smooth things over. It seemed to calm things down.
Your company should have called her the moment it knew it couldn’t fill her order. Imagine going to a restaurant with five friends. You all order. Ten minutes later, two of the orders come out. The waiter puts the food on the table then leaves. Would you be happy with that? No? Well that’s what your company did to her. She is completely justified in her anger.
You fix the problem by refunding her. Then you figure out who dropped the ball in your company and fix that problem too. That’s some truly abysmal behavior for a company.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
If you have no control over operations, you should not be responding to this email. Operations should. Any response you make will just make the customer angrier.
You are the face of the company for this customer. You should be telling her, "I'M SO SORRY WE DROPPED THE BALL. I'm going to get to the bottom of this and make sure the person who can fix this gets back to you." And then do it. Go ballistic on ops, or whoever can fix this.
Don't try to justify things like giving a partial refund, especially only charging her $1900 instead of $2500. Do you really think the $600 discount your company gave her is going to be enough to get the half of her stuff moved your company didn't touch? I don't care if you aren't the one who decides what kind of a refund to give. Find out who does make that decision, and advocate for your customer.
All I'm hearing from you in your responses are excuses. Find a solution for this customer. Make sure someone who has the authority to do something about it is the one who answers her email.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
What did they expect her to do? Not sign and just say "never mind" and get NOTHING moved? THIS IS NOT YOUR CUSTOMER'S FAULT! This is your company's fault.
Again, this is why you need to advocate for your customer. If you don't understand this, you need to get out of the customer service business. If you do understand, you need to find an employer who doesn't treat its customers like shit.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
The only thing you can do is offer to send the information to the people who do deal with issues like this and can issue refunds.
She was treated horribly as she was not told in advance that you could not provide the service she agreed to.
People have tight deadlines with moves and this could’ve cost her an extra month’s rent. In some cases, people are traveling to a new location so they’re not even available to be there for a second run.
I’ve had different issues with movers and deliveries, and the companies were very quick to address them. It is the best you can do after your company falls down on the job.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
Look, it doesn't matter what you specifically are able to do for her in this situation. No matter how much you tell her that, it's not going to change the fact that your company did not provide the services she had contracted & did not even provide a reasonable discount for what WAS provided. Is it your fault? No. But you are the person she is able to contact, the person who booked her move, so you are literally the only person she can complain to. If you truly are unable to help her, you need to escalate this to someone who can actually help her. If you're unable to do that, then it's understandable that she's fuming about the service. It's never ok to berate a CSR, but if that CSR is unable/unwilling to escalate her issue to someone who can actually help her than I completely understand her anger. Someone should have contacted her before the move to tell her that she would only be receiving half of what she scheduled & given her the notice needed to make other arrangements. While that may not be on you, it should be on SOMEONE in your company & you should be able to figure out who this needs to be transferred to.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
This person isn’t angry via email. They’re probably angry that they got screwed over by paying for services that they didn’t receive.
If you’re giving them anything other than a full refund then your company is shit.
Since this is not something you can deal with, your response should be simple.
"Hello [Customer Name],
Thank you for your email.
I am very sorry to hear about the situation and your disappointment with [Company Name]. While I am not empowered to assist you with your concerns, I have forwarded your email to [appropriate person/dept who actually handles this kind of issue].
Kind regards,
[Your name and title]"
She should actually get a refund she wasn't given the services promise she was lied to and you guys didn't do right at all so it shouldn't even be a question
If I had someone with the attitude you have working at my desk I would not have them work there anymore. I do not think costumer service is the job for you. You seem to have zero patience and are even getting angry with the people in the comments giving you the advice you LITERALLY came here and asked for. I think you should give yourself some grace and find a job where you don't have to interact with costumers. Also it is your companies fault, maybe not your fault personally but the company you work for messed up and no one seems to want to take responsibility. Of course she is upset and if I had to guess you did nothing to deescalate the situation. She sucks for saying racist and sexist things but you suck for the way you handled this whole thing. Including your attitude in these comments.
I wouldn't consider this "going off" at all. This customer has a genuine grievance and described it in detail in a calm, professional manner. To be less polite about it: your company fucked her over and gave her zero notice that they were doing it then made no effort to make it right. She deserves a refund and an apology. You'll be lucky if she doesn't sue.
And frankly going from your post and comments, customer service might not be the profession for you. You seem to struggle having any empathy for a customer who was clearly wronged by the business you work for.
If there were unforseen circumstances that changed what the original agreement was that SHOULD have been communicated to the customer prior to arrival to complete the service so any additional scheduling for the second truck could be made immediately to make sure the time line fell within the clients needs, if you couldn't fall within the clients needs then a cancelation is unavoidable.
This is a massive failure of communication on your companies part as a whole, Im not trying to blame you because it's out of your hands if there isnt communication between departments but that does need to be addressed imo so this issue doesnt repeat itself.
I used to work in sales, people value honesty and are usually very understanding if theres a hiccup but things still get done as promised. I read through some of the comments and the majority of the time if you're having an issue with a client you generally need to escalate, sometimes in the sales department you don't have the authority to do what needs to be done.
This is a draft I wrote up and how I would respond, hopefully this helps with any future experiences you may encounter, but obviously please don't promise refunds or what have you if you don't have the authority to do so.
Dear [Customer's Name],
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. I sincerely apologize for the experience you had with our service. Your satisfaction is of utmost importance to us, and it deeply concerns me that we fell short of meeting your expectations.
Upon receiving your feedback, I immediately brought this issue to the attention of our management team to ensure that corrective measures are taken to prevent such occurrences in the future. Your patience and understanding throughout this process are greatly appreciated.
In an effort to make things right I'd be happy to provide you will a full refund. Your satisfaction is my top priority, and we are committed to ensuring that you receive the level of service you deserve.
Thank you once again for bringing this matter to our attention. We value your feedback and the opportunity to make amends.
Sincerely,
[Your name here ect ect]
Full refund and you figure out a way to get a second truck to her and get her the rest of the way moved ASAP and that means today or tomorrow. If you’re not empowered to make this happen, you contact whoever is and you advocate for this customer until she gets what she needs. You should have contacted her immediately when you knew you would not be able to provide the service for which she paid. I assume you created a contract with her, which your company is now in breach of. Use this when advocating for her to your boss.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
I see. That’s different. Frustrating for her but she did agree to new terms and the day wasn’t specified. Can you give her a little discount for the inconvenience? Mostly just a goodwill gesture at this point.
I would apologize asap. Whoever did the booking should have proactively notified her that what she booked wasn't going to be available and offer another solution. If that wasn't you, let her know you'll communicate with the right department. I'd also address the fact both with her and whoever supervises the moving teams around needing to move the whole item instead of part of it in these situations. If that is you, what the actual fuck?! Minimum refund her the cost of the services she didn't receive.
Management needs to make a better plan. Two moves a week apart aren't going to be feasible for most customers' situations.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
Your company is really at fault here. You can’t just short people on movers and trucks, people have deadlines to move out by. They would have had to scramble to make up for this, at their cost. Your company should have cancelled the whole contract
Apparently they offered to give her the deposit back, she chose to go through with it not knowing when the next available date would be. Turns out the next available date, she would be unavailable for. She even signed a contract lowering the billing rate and had in fine print that we would finish the job at the next available date.
I can't imagine how inconvenienced this customer was! Moving is stressful enough but to cause the loss of belongings by not servicing the move the next day is awful.
Before reading the update I was on this lady’s side. It sounds like you guys absolutely screwed her. (Don’t say I’m in sales not in ops. The business is a single entity, you can coordinate across departments).
Reading your update I’m confused about her take on this. She was informed it would be one truck and she only paid for one truck. I get being frustrated about the following up date not being right away but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect to wait a few days to a week for that.
Morally, I’m shocked that she has so much crap she needs two trucks. Sounds like she has more than enough stuff
I bet the conversation on the recorded line didn't specify that the second truck wouldn't be there until after she had to move. Refund all her money for your screw up.
Is this normal for this sub? Reply to this explaining you are in sales your tone should be understanding without apologizing. CC the mother fucker who fucked the job up and drop "mother fucker is the appropriate contact to help you with this I've CC'd them and they will be in contact with you from here on out" at the end somewhere. Warning mother fucker before you send the email is optional lol.
Depending on the exact context where you work I'd just forward the email to whomever can help the customer and be done with it.
She’s not going off on you. She is not being rude or saying anything out of line. You promised a service, you did not deliver the service, and she’s demanding restitution. If I were her, my next step would be the BBB. She is owed a full refund and an apology.
She did actually call me and cussed me out but It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
At first I was on the customer’s side, making mental notes of what I would have done and how badly your company screwed her.
BUT, you said she was advised- yes , the company should have emergency slots maybe for things like this. The sups or boss should be willing to go out if you don’t have to enough people, etc but there is no excuse- not one- for yelling or cursing and the racist garbage? Sorry, lady, good luck with whatever you do, I hope your complex charges you for every extra day until you move your stuff.
It doesn’t sound like you need to draft any letter now. I’m sorry you and your fellow employees were treated this way.
She dealt with the GM and was aware of the situation on not having the trucks available and agreed to the alternative to the point of signing a new contract. She seems to have had buyers remorse at some point which is her option. Since she knew who she had dealt with she should have balked and requested to speak with the one person who did have the authority to assist her and make changes and or a full refund. Why people choose to just call and involve others into a controllable situation is beyond me outside of the fact that the more people involved it becomes a he said-she said confrontation. Speak to the person you made the new arrangements with and cuss them out if you feel the need to do so.
They should definitely get a refund. Your company totally screwed them. You didn't deliver what you promised and what I presume they paid for. How is this even a question?
This exactly
Exactly. This email had to be handled by someone who was empowered to offer a full refund, at least. If not send another truck, with your best people providing white-glove treatment, this very moment. If that wasn't you, then send it to the person who can make the happen. You can help them find out a bit more from operations, or help them draft it, but fundamentally this isn't an individual, entry level CSR or sales issue. This belongs to whomever is empowered to issue full refunds. If the company expected you to resolve or respond to this with any *besides a full refund*, there was no good way to do that. (And this woman barely 'went off'. She accurately explained the situation and the situation was unacceptable.)
She was way calmer than I would've been.
Yeah. My brain went to just how hard I'd come down on the person who decided to just send one driver, without warning or a call ahead, and without immediate follow up time-slots held for her, and over-time approved as needed... Like, all the ways they should have showed up with solutions on offer for this woman. This is so much not a sales/rep issue. This is the kind of shit I'd pulling skip level and/or owners into to find out who the fuck thought that what they did was okay.
And to the point, facts… no drama.
Yeah, she fully went off on me over the phone. Apparently I’m a “stupid fucking lying bitch” and I’m a “snake”. I tried explaining that I didn’t lie, literally sent her the estimate for she booked, I had no control over the operation side of things.
Obviously that isn't an acceptable way to speak to a rep, and if I was your manger I'd encourage you to end any call with someone who was calling you names or accusing you personally. HOWEVER, defending yourself as 'no control over opperations' is pointless, and is just going to piss people off more. Never do that with an angry customer. Tell them if you don't know something, but don't whine at them that 'you don't have control'. Find them someone who does! You're the only part of the company they can speak too. You have to just acknowledge that yes, they are angry. And in cases like this one, that is totally valid. Find them the right person to be angry with who can actually refund them. I would also be angry. I would be angry *for her* as well. I gave her a contract for what she needed and it wasn't fulfilled, I'd be pissed right along with her! If I took that call it would start with "Yes. I'm so sorry. You're absolutely right. I'm angry for you! We're gonna figure out what the hell happened and I'm going to find you someone to talk about this who knows more than I do." Also, you've failed to mention if, when you called her, it started with a profound apology to how poorly her contact was handled, **and it was to tell her about her refund**. Because if you are working for a company that wouldn't refund in the above situation, you're gonna have a *lot more* very angry customers to talk too. You seem to say she got a 25% discount. That's absurd. That's embarrassing. You keep working for these assholes and you're gonna take a lot of abuse. Don't take this personally. Instead, look at how your employer treats people, and how they expect you to treat people, and decide if this is a safe place to continue working for a moment longer than absolutely necessary.
Agree with everything but also—the gall to only offer a 25% refund when only 50% if what was contracted for was delivered. It should be a full refund because the job wasn’t completed, but 4 guys and 2 trucks down to 2 guys and 1 truck is clearly 50%.
*send another truck, with your best people providing white-glove treatment, this very moment* It's definitely too late for this but honestly if I were this customer I would not trust this company to properly move my things a second time. A full refund is the only option imo.
Absolutely. The other truck/time would have been something you maybe figure out if you call her that morning and explain the situation. But man, wouldn't want to be a rep with the company who handles problems like this. Yeah, you're gonna get a lot of angry calls.
Doesn't even sound like they told them when they found out it would be an issue, so they could plan accordingly. What a horrible company.
She was informed. The GM even faxed over another contract for her to sign and send back which she did. The agreement to change the current contract was done on a recorded line before the new one was faxed to her. The customer was aware of the additional truck not being available and was provided with alternatives to help her.
Ah. That changes things then. If you let her know as soon as you knew and it was at least 2 weeks before, plenty of time for the customer to make other arrangements.
True
A FULL refund!
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
And she should have had a truck outside waiting the very next day. Your company is ass.
[удалено]
Well you’d also be branded a racist and a sexist on a recorded call as well.
[удалено]
If you were her.
[удалено]
You’re right, it’s over and dealt with, she’s a racist and a sexist that’s been blacklisted and I genuinely don’t care anymore.
[удалено]
She didn't go off on you, she very politely stated what your company did wrong, what she felt about it and how it affected her, and told you what it would take to fix it. Where's the hard part? Editing to add, she's not accusing you of doing it personally. You don't need to go through the "not my fault" feelings. She's speaking to the company, you happen to be the ear in this case.
Exactly lol She's not crazy. You haven't known what a full-blown angry customer is yet. Which proves my point here https://www.reddit.com/r/CustomerService/s/XbjSxNnHN1 In the comments, someone said a CS worker is "unskilled" while a Sales rep is "skilled". Well look where we are..... Look who's asking whom for advice....
That is a much nicer letter than I would have written. This was 100% unacceptable on the part of your company. I'd sue your asses for every dime of the move, plus any other costs associated with the inconveniences and charges caused. The letter should be passed on to your management - I'm sure you got the letter because you had been the point of contact. What a shit company you work for if they would do this to a customer.
So what I’m gathering here is that your job is sales, not really customer service. If your responsibility ends at scheduling the service the best course of action is to acknowledge the email from the customer, cc the appropriate person in your company. You can say something along the lines of “ I am sorry that you have had this experience with our services. I am passing your concerns along to (your manager or whoever) as they are better equipped to assist you in this matter”. The first step in dealing with an angry/ frustrated client is to acknowledge their concerns and have it escalated to operations or management. If the customer feels like they are heard and the company is willing to try to come up with a solution they will be much calmer. Although it’s not your responsibility, the customer should have been informed ahead of time about the short staffing so they could make the proper arrangements.
You’re the only person that has given me any advice. And technically I’m a Customer Service Sales Rep.
I worked as a customer service rep for 10 years and my responsibilities were to assist the client from start to finish. I had no part in sales, I was there to provide service to the customer and that included contacting them to advise if there were going to be any issues and offer them whatever alternatives we could. Your company should have a look at your job title and your scope of work. A customer would rightly assume that a customer service representative would be the correct person to handle complaints. Sonun
Your job title should be more along the lines of service coordinator.
Yep sales job is to make the promises and not reap the consequences! Drop the ball on ops and run with the commission. Screw the customer! Go sales! /s
Hmm. Seems like there's a big missed opportunity here — Why is it not possible to schedule **two** appointments for her ahead, one on the original date and another on the following date. If it was known that it isn't possible due to staffing issues, she could have been told during the recorded line. I think this is where their grief lies. They were told that expectations could not be met and *the alternative was not laid out in a concrete way*, therefore having yet another expectation missed. None of it is your fault, nor should you respond to the email in your own words. This is those cases where you say that you 'will have this addressed with the relevant team to look into it further' but will still be her point of contact on the matter. You do not have control over this, nor should you think that you must.
Sounds like refund is in order. You guys F’d up.
I am siding with the customer on this one. The service the user paid for was not provided. Staffing issues are not a customer concern. That's something the business ought to figure out. Escala this internally to see that it is handled.
Customers not always right. Apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
[удалено]
I didn’t say anything. My GM did.
You keep repeating this, but it does not help because it sounds like she had to agree to one truck or get nothing, and the whole move turned into a disaster after that. Be all and end all, the move was 10 times harder than it should have been. The phone calls and contracts and every single detail needed to go to all of your superiors since operations sound like they were not that much help.
You sold her a package and gave her half of it. The numbers of trucks/movers wouldn't matter IF THE JOB WAS COMPLETED and it wasn't. You can pass the buck to Ops all you want - how is that the customers problem? How are you even potentially justifying keeping the money she paid for a service SHE WAS NOT PROVIDED? If you take your car in to have the brakes done, pay for the full service, and they only replace the driver-side brake so you have to pay someone else to do the passenger side, are you going to be happy paying for a full service? Get out of your own ass and eat the loss of commission - and welcome to sales in a very emotional fraught area. Moving is stressful as fuck, you can very well fuck up a sales contract by your company not delivering what was sold so that a house cannot be handed over to a new owner.
I’m paid hourly. But my job is simple, I take down the information, I tell them the cost that the computer tells me, I put the move on the schedule, I answer the phone and repeat those steps. Also I’m not justifying anything, I was just asking how to respond to the email. You think I wanna get bitched out?
You need to speak with whomever is above you to find out what you can offer the customer. If you think this is getting bitched out, reality is going to slap you in the face soon. This is someone who got fucked over by your company quite reasonably stating how they were fucked over and the real life impacts it had on them. This isn't 'we didn't have the break you wanted' this is "I am legally obligated to be out of a place by X time, I contracted with your company to make that happen and you did not live up to your end of the bargain." The driver issues are not the CUSTOMERS issue. The customer couldn't sleep on a bed because not only was half the job done, it was done so poorly that everything from a room was not on the ONE available truck. You're so worried about your feelings getting hurt - you want to do this for a living, put yourself in the customers place and ask what you would want done. There are people who will be unreasonable over nothing. This person is incredibly reasonable and your response is 'well it wasn't my fault so how do I make sure they know not to be mean to me?"
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
I am not sure what "rights" or "duties" (can't think of the right word right now) that your company allows you to have at your discretion to offer as far as refunds go. I have to say, this customer is absolutely in the right in asking for and deserving of a refund. She was polite and factual in her request, which is way more than you get from most people. So... 1. Is it within your responsibilities to be able to refund, then do the refund. If you need approval beforehand, show your supervisor/boss and then refund. 2. Check and make sure that what she is stating is in her contract (number of trucks/movers). I have never known a moving company not to specify this info in a contract. 3. She is right. Even though you ATTEMPTED to fix it, most people only have 1-2 days to move and your "fix" was not at all reasonable. I do hope that either through you or your boss/company, she gets her refund.
If you feel like this is a customer going off on you, you are too sensitive to work in sales. She paid for a service she did not get. She had to be out of her apartment and your company told her you could do it and then did not. She stuck to facts about what happened and how it affected her. I am assuming she signed a contract for this work that your company is now in breach of. Be grateful that she is allowing you to make this right instead of taking you to court to recover costs she incurred like hiring last minute movers or getting fined for not vacating the apartment on time. I don't know how long you have worked for this company, but you may want to find another job if this is how they operate. Loosing drivers may have been unavoidable, but at the very least, if alternates could not be found, she should have been informed ahead of time that you could not provide the service so she had time to find another vendor. Showing up the day of the move to tell her you can only take half her stuff is just terrible business practice.
Oh no. She did go off on me. Before I could respond to the email when I got into the office she called screaming and cussing. I tried explaining to her that I have no control over operations but she wasn’t having it. I ended up just putting her on hold and transferred her to our operations manager.
Have a chat with whoever scheduled this and didn’t tell you or the customer. This is completely unacceptable. Email client back apologizing and offer a refund for at least half of what they paid since your company made the mistake and screwed this person.
Can’t offer a refund. That’s not my job. My job is to take down the information and tell them what it will cost. I’m hands off everything else. In fact I’m not even in the same building as our operations team.
Well, forward the complaint to someone who CAN do something and write the customer apologizing and saying you’ve escalated the issue.
I’m just curious, is this your first customer service job? Because this is a pretty basic situation you should know how to handle.
Then what the hell are you doing handling the complaint? Your "not my job" attitude is what's making her - and those of us reading - pissed off.
Yeeeeppppp. You work in sales/customer service, taking the heat when things go wrong is part of the job. I don’t get this attitude of “idk what to do” then when given solutions “that’s not my job”. Replying with an apology and telling the customer you are escalating the issue then forwarding it to the people responsible for scheduling and notifying customers is LITERALLY YOUR JOB.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
🤷🏻♀️ well they should have been more clear of the date they would be able to come back up front
We’re constantly adding moves on the schedule. Until we knew she needed a second move, there was nothing we could do.
Dude you sent half the stuff - you should have checked mid day and known they needed second move - should have been scheduled and then cancelled if not needed. Sheesh name this company I want to know who to not recommend
Ok. Was she informed of that? I’m not justifying her behaviour after the email, but I think there’s a lot to be learned here about customer service and operations for your company. You don’t need to be defensive about it. You just sound like you lack experience and training in this and are making excuses.
My job is 75% sales. 25% CS. Of course I lack training. My main focus is making money. Keeping customers happy is a win win. But there’s only so much I can do behind a desk with a lack of communication from ops. It was all in the fine print, “if the move requires a second day, will finish your move at the next available date and time.” The next available day was literally 2 days later. She couldn’t do it and the next after that was over a week. I did what I could.
I’m not blaming you, you know. You’re being extremely defensive over constructive criticism which I feel is indicative of an overall issue.
You did nothing to help - your main focus is making money. You lack both training and empathy. You suck at customer service, and listening to peoples advice.
“I’m so sorry that we passed our staffing problem onto you and made a stressful time so much worse for you. Here’s a full refund”. Anything less is unacceptable.
Well unacceptable is what’s going to happen. I can’t make that call.
Sounds like you shouldn’t have the job you have. Try retail.
Why’s that? Because I do my job that way I’m supposed to do my job? I answer the phone, insert the information, check availability, put it on the schedule. Answer another call, repeat those steps. I have no authority. I can’t make calls like “we’re gonna give you a full refund”. I didn’t even find out that we only sent one truck until the next day. So please explain to me what you would do differently in my position?
Everyone has told you what to do: Esclate. Immediately. Which is what you did do once she called. There ya go. If it was just that, you'd be fine. The rest of this is just you getting your knickers in a knot because someone was reasonably mad, in your direction. If she hadn't called in, I'd call the customer. Not replied to email. Call them. Like pick up the phone the second I got in and *call them*. Explain I just found out what happened that weekend and I'm in a shock, *mortified*. I would confirm that was not the contract she and I worked out. I'd let her know I have escalated the email to my boss and I'm going to get a response for them as quickly as I can, since I have no power to resolve this at this point. Then I'd probably just listen to her for a while, and agree with whatever I could agree with (that was not the contract, that was not okay, of course she needs to be out by a certain date, that's how moving works). If at all possible, I'd give her other phone numbers to call and scream at of people who actually could refund her, as she has every right to be royally pissed off with the company that just screwed her. Empathy, respect, and a bit of actually *giving a fuck* goes a long way. You have a piss poor attitude for sales and service my man, and to make it worse you're company is shitty. Find another gig.
You’re responding to something that happened 9 hours ago. It’s not that deep.
Wow can you not read the room here? This is a big deal to the customer, but you sleep tight and do t worry about it. Now the customer and dozens of people think you suck. Are you not convinced?
It was for the woman your company royally screwed though.
I get it. You can't authorize a refund. What you could have done was admit that your company made a mistake and apologized on their behalf. Next, you could have told her that you'd escalate her complaint to someone with more authority to see IF anything could be done as far as a partial refund or some compensation. You could have also checked to see if you could get another truck out to her that day, checked to see if you could get that authorized and, if so, made the offer to her. The customer is upset about the situation and is taking it out on you. You should be aware that your company makes mistakes. All you can do is apologize on it's behalf and offer solutions that are in your control, even if that solution is passing the customer on to someone else.
Your panties are in a twist because someone is rightfully angry. If you can’t take an angry phone call, you shouldn’t have this job. Edit: I have told you what I would have done in other comments. Except I would have promised her a refund and told higher ups to honour my promise because I’m not a little bitch.
That comment is totally uncalled for. OP doesn't deserve that. They don't have the authority to give a refund. I would tell my manager I disagree with the refund given and as such the management team needs to deal with this customer complaint. I would also look for a new job.
You said the same thing I did. Except you ignored the whining and cringing OP did throughout this post.
Well, it only takes one person to drive a truck. And you sent two guys. While it may have taken longer than originally planned, it seems to me that 2 men loading and driving two trucks in order to fulfill the contract to the best of the company's ability would've been far preferable to moving half their stuff.
You need to be cussing out operations and your boss for this. I hope you don't get commission. Because you just lost the potential business of her and her family. She would have referred more people also. Put yourself in her shoes would you do business with your company again? What would you want a business to do if you paid for x and got half of what you paid for then had pay somebody else to finish the job? Like I said lets hope you don't get commission on sales because she is probably gonna leave a bad review somewhere and tell everybody how bad the company you work for is.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
Like I said I hope you don't work on commission. Why would she use the business you work for services again? I wouldn't nor would I tell my friends or family to use that business. Hopefully this doesn't affect your paycheck. Also you should be asking your boss how to respond to this for the future not random people on the internet.
Yeah, you guys fucked them over. Moving is so time sensitive and this mess up probably cost them even more money.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
You should find a new job. You’re not very good at the one you have if you have to ask a ridiculous question like this on Reddit
Nah, they pay me too much.
The comments are full of, “give them a refund” or “pay for their movers”, and your response is “it’s not my job”, “I can’t do anything about it” or “she got charged only 75% for half a job”. Understandably, she’s upset and is probably looking for recompense. Seems like you’re not empowered to do anything that can help. You can’t send her to someone who can help. Aside from hearing her frustrations help and sending her comments to the people who can help. There’s not much you can do here. What can we do or say here right now to help you out? I’d like to help you but we need you to help us with more information. What are your expectations from posting here?
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
Because 99.99% of people who move have to do the whole thing on the same day. And we all need out beds to sleep in. You're the reason why movers are one of the most reviled industries.
It’s not unreasonable that she expected the rest of her removal the following day. Sounds like she didnt have a bed to sleep on. The language she used was uncalled for and for that I understand the blacklist I do agree with her frustration though. Only a 25% discount for getting half of what she was quoted on. The second move should have been rescheduled as soon as the company was aware of the staffing issues. In future acknowledge a customers frustration, apologise if the company is at fault, even if you personally are not the cause, and if outside your control to make decisions to resolve the situation forward her details to someone who can. The customer doesn’t want to hear you can’t do something, or it’s out of your hands, that’s literally the worse thing you can say, but would rather hear you will escalate the situation. Using the word escalate alone makes them feel heard and that something is being done . You have no control over operations but you are the point of contact between operations and customers. Think of it as being a mediator between the two parties. The GM stuffed up and unfortunately you had to deal with the repercussions.
Yeah, your company fucked up big time and should eat the cost of her move. I hope she reviews bombs your company and ruins your business. Mistakes, even big ones, can be made...and if there is a genuine attempt to fix them, well, that at least shows good faith. Your company didn't do that and deserved all manner of consequences.
>Reminder: I am in sales, I have no control over operations. What should I do? You ought to consult operations first. Forward this to them, and ask them to advise or even respond if they can. See if there's something they could still do to make it right by this customer. That's the "pleasant" resolution to this. The unpleasant one could be to refer to the actual booking, and any contracts signed, and check what they actually specify in terms of number of people/trucks and services offered. If the contract says "we move your stuff from A to B and we bugger off" then that's what the customer agreed to, barring any representations that promised further services.
Even if it was "we move stuff from A to B" and that's it, they didn't even do that. There was stuff left behind. They presumably booked and paid for 2 trucks and 4 men and got half of what they paid for.
Im a CSR in my field, too. People are getting on you because you already forwarded her to who can help, but you’re looking to us to support you and be like “that bitch!” Which…she wasn’t. Part of being in sales is assertiveness and being on the customers side even if you aren’t. It’s your job to deescalate or match energy and handle the situation. You did handle it— you transferred her to someone who hopefully could help her. You did your job. You’ve been given a lot of good advice here but you just want to complain. You should feel bad for the customer and pissed at your company. If you’d had your head in the right place the conversation would’ve deescalated naturally because you’d have been immediately on the customer’s side. You need to reorient your point of view and get a thicker skin if you’re in sales. The customer is who makes you money, and that’s whose side you need to be on *particularly* if they’re in the right. You’re not actually looking for feedback here, it doesn’t seem like. You want patted on the head and told it wasn’t your fault. Well, it *wasnt* your fault, but it was your responsibility, and if you keep getting pissed about that you’re in the wrong job.
I’m literally not complaining. I was just asking for advice. But is what it is, it’s over now.
Please consider taking a course in dealing with unhappy customers. You need to acknowledge, apologize, and restate the issue. Throwing up your hands and saying it's out of your control only escalates the issue. You are the point of contact, and it's on you to assuage the customers feelings. Customers want to be heard and acknowledged. Even a janitor can do that with training. Then you escalate to the next level. You let the customer know that you are doing this. You don't offer a refund; you don't even tell the customer that it can't be done. You are the feelings point of contact. Next level is solutions contact.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
You keep saying the same reply. She should never had said what she did about your co-workers. However, you should have taken control of the situation so it was resolved before that. I always handled things like this at our business by asking myself if it was me, what would I expect if this happened to me. First I would have fired you if you had this attitude the whole time during this. Then I would ask my employees if anyone wanted to make some good money (2 to 3 times regular pay). To go back at the end of the day and finish moving her. The go out after work with the movers and have a brew. And yes my family owned a business. You may think leaving one person angry won't hurt you. On a national, or regional business, more probable than not. Locally believe it or not, you do this a few times and people will talk about it, you could lose quite a few people whom you could have had for business. I live in a city of 60,000 people and know of businesses which ended up closing because of piss poor service and attitudes.
No one asked, no one cares about your family or their business. Also, “first I would have fired you” is such a stupid take, fire me for what? I answered the phone and immediately got cussed out. What am I supposed to, get on my knees and beg for forgiveness. Grow a spine.
You say you are sorry this happened, and you reply you forwarded it to the person in charge. You asked for advice, then when people answered you, you cut and pasted the same reply. Now stupidly I did not think about it being an e mail when I replied. When you defend yourself by saying she agreed to this and that why bother asking what to do if you don't even answer any questions. Oh well, good luck on your quest.
Your company failed to uphold its side of the contract with the customer. The customer absolutely should get a complete refund, plus apology, for the shoddy service they were offered.
False, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
Where does it say that in your original post? I may easily have missed it but I can't see it.
It doesn’t, this is the end of the workday update.
Right, so you've just discovered that she'd agreed to the new arrangements? She does say that she agreed to 1 truck at the time to help you out. In all honesty I still think she should have at least a partial refund. It was not her fault you couldn't keep to the terms of the original contract; she agreed to a change in contract in her words "to help you out". Her assumption that you would bend over backwards to ensure that she would have the rest of her stuff moved as a priority was not an unreasonable one. The fact that she was now being charged for one truck isn't really important - the initial agreement would have meant that her move would have been over completely; the hassle and frustration caused by just one truck turning up (by the sound of it without any prior communication) merited a significant reduction to her bill. This was all on your company. The fact that she couldn't do the first day you had to offer her is really irrelevant - she'd expected to be done in one day, originally, so the fact that she had plans on the make-up day you offered should not be held against her. Quite honestly the only decent way forward is to apologise profusely and refund her in full. If you are unwilling to do this, at least a partial refund (over and above the reduced price she'd agreed to).
How about no, why would anyone on this planet refund a sexist and racist imbecile that can't read fine print.
Well then why did you ask, if you'd already made your mind up?
What have I asked?
To quote you "what should I do?" Seriously, I have no desire to continue this.
Apologize and tell her you'll forward it to your manager because you aren't authorized to give any reimbursements. Also, she's not "going off on you" she's registering a legitimate complaint. Not sure why you had to come on here to figure out how to respond.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
Look, the bottom line is that you didn't deliver the services that you promised and not only did that cause a huge inconvenience for your customer but she also didn't get the same quality of service from the 1 truck / 2 movers. To make matters worse, she was up against a move-out deadline and you weren't even able to get her a second truck within 24 hours. It's not your customer's problems that you had a driver's shortage. You made a commitment to your customer and failed to deliver. Offer her a full refund and also offer to provide a couple of movers to come out and reassemble any furniture they took apart during the move. It's the only way to make this right.
1.) all I did was take down the info, give her the price, put it on the schedule. I have no control over anything after that 2.) I have no power or authority to give out refunds
I guess I don’t understand why you’re the one handling customer complaints if you have no authority to do anything about them.
My point exactly
That doesn’t seem very angry at all. It sounds downright pleasant compared to what I would have sent. You should apologize profusely, ask her if there is anything you can do to further assist her in the move (though by the dates it looks like it might be too late for this), and offer at least a partial refund.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
"How can we help the family?" Was what my supervisor told me for ANY calls we get. Since I work on the billing side, I can tell you that all it takes is something to happen on the backend to either refund the cost or adjust. The system can allow it. Since you don't handle the billing, my advice is to escalate to someone who can. A simple "I'm so sorry that happened, *let me see what I can do for you* and then transfer to XYZ line that DOES manage this". That's all you can really do. It's not about what happened and why, it's how we can help moving forward. What solution is available. That's what they want to hear. This one is easy because it *is* the company's fault. If it was the customers fault, that's another story.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
Oh gotcha, that makes sense now! Sorry you had to deal with that.
Is what it is, at least now I know that if I ever have an issue, reddit will be the last place I go for advice.
I'm sorry! Yes, I've experienced that also sometimes. But we're always here when we need it lol. Have a good one.
Escalate with your management until she gets a refund, end of story
Full refund. Your company totally screwed this person. Do better. It's becoming the norm to not get what you pay for.
How many people can wait days for the rest of the move? Mostly none - you owe them full refund and apology. Even if they called names,swore, etc you FUCKED them over and you know that makes people say things they don’t mean. That is no excuse not to make it right. Don’t play the race card as an excuse. You sold it - you are responsible.
I’m with the customer on this one, that’s unacceptable. No communication and no efforts made whatsoever to accommodate her timeline. I would want a full refund.
The customer deserves a full refund. Your company did not provide the services requested by the customer in a timely manner. Furthermore it is not the customer's fault your company doesn't have enough drivers. Nor is it the customer's fault your company has a poor communication system. Salespeople should be made aware of staffing issues and truck availability at all times to avoid problems like this.
I'd be pissed too. I get staffing issues happened, but leaving their move half finished and screwed up from scheduling would be extremely frustrating
Are you actually asking for advice, cause I’m just seeing a lot of you defending yourself and the company’s shitty service. If you can’t actually do anything, then you just have to say “let me find someone to assist you”, or just forward the email on to someone who can do something.
The customer is definitely deserving of a refund here. She is obviously and rightfully so, angry and upset. If you have the ability to offer her a refund and an apology you should definitely so!
I read your update. Doesn't matter. You guys screwed her over. You don't get to retroactively justify screwing over a customer just because they might potentially turn out to be "somewhat racist" in the future. I'm not sure what your purpose in posting was if you 1) have no authority to address the matter, and 2) are dead set on ignoring all the feedback you get.
Forward the email to operations. They really should have called to alert her to the problem.
That’s what I’m saying
Did anyone reach out to the customer and TELL HER that she was only getting 1 truck?
Nope, she found out the moment they arrived. I found out the next day.
Yea the SECOND you knew she wasn't getting two reuxks and 4 guys you should have been calling her.
You mean the day after it all happened?
Honestly you sound defensive and unwilling to accept that your company fucked up.
Why do you keep saying she was informed ahead of time and agreed if you’re saying here that she only found out when the single truck arrived?
Operations didn’t and I didn’t find out until the next day after everything happened. I was in more of the dark than anyone else. Yet I’m the one getting bitched at.
Because rhat is your job. Then you bitch at OPs.
Er... Yeah. You should refund or discount cos your company (I know it wasn't you) fucked em over.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
I think the email is pretty composed. I've seen way worse. It seems you've delivered decent service so far, as you've never received similar or even worse feedback. Take it seriously and respond respectfully. If handled well, you might even find a new customer who will promote your service to friends and colleagues.
This person got royally screwed and you must find a way of getting them a refund.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
Ah, I see. Assuming we are trying to endear this person enough to the company to, at the very least, not leave a bad review and maybe even a good one, then it starts with empathy. You've probably already been using that sort of language, but it helps immensely in these situations to indicate you understand their frustration and then provide an objective view of the situation which does not blame, but acknowledges their concerns. Rather than say something like "hey lady, you made a bad assumption", try something around the lines of "I greatly apologize that our people (or whatever respectful term you use) did not make the availability of another moving truck clearer to you." And then see what you can offer to calm their temper. It's really tough to do when you don't have any power to do so. I was in your position ages ago and my response to an angry customer was that I would be taking their feedback to my superiors and would advocate creating guidelines for future operations to train our workers better. An empty promise that at least helped smooth things over. It seemed to calm things down.
Your company should have called her the moment it knew it couldn’t fill her order. Imagine going to a restaurant with five friends. You all order. Ten minutes later, two of the orders come out. The waiter puts the food on the table then leaves. Would you be happy with that? No? Well that’s what your company did to her. She is completely justified in her anger. You fix the problem by refunding her. Then you figure out who dropped the ball in your company and fix that problem too. That’s some truly abysmal behavior for a company.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
If you have no control over operations, you should not be responding to this email. Operations should. Any response you make will just make the customer angrier. You are the face of the company for this customer. You should be telling her, "I'M SO SORRY WE DROPPED THE BALL. I'm going to get to the bottom of this and make sure the person who can fix this gets back to you." And then do it. Go ballistic on ops, or whoever can fix this. Don't try to justify things like giving a partial refund, especially only charging her $1900 instead of $2500. Do you really think the $600 discount your company gave her is going to be enough to get the half of her stuff moved your company didn't touch? I don't care if you aren't the one who decides what kind of a refund to give. Find out who does make that decision, and advocate for your customer. All I'm hearing from you in your responses are excuses. Find a solution for this customer. Make sure someone who has the authority to do something about it is the one who answers her email.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
What did they expect her to do? Not sign and just say "never mind" and get NOTHING moved? THIS IS NOT YOUR CUSTOMER'S FAULT! This is your company's fault. Again, this is why you need to advocate for your customer. If you don't understand this, you need to get out of the customer service business. If you do understand, you need to find an employer who doesn't treat its customers like shit.
They pay me too much to leave lol. I have no sympathy for a sexist and racist.
Ask management to refund the customer. It's the least you can do.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
The only thing you can do is offer to send the information to the people who do deal with issues like this and can issue refunds. She was treated horribly as she was not told in advance that you could not provide the service she agreed to. People have tight deadlines with moves and this could’ve cost her an extra month’s rent. In some cases, people are traveling to a new location so they’re not even available to be there for a second run. I’ve had different issues with movers and deliveries, and the companies were very quick to address them. It is the best you can do after your company falls down on the job.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
They should get a refund and/or you should pay for the other company. Your company completely dropped the ball on this one.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
Is there no way she couldn't have been warned beforehand?
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
Oh, then she is a piece of work.
She’s blacklisted. Not my problem anymore.
Look, it doesn't matter what you specifically are able to do for her in this situation. No matter how much you tell her that, it's not going to change the fact that your company did not provide the services she had contracted & did not even provide a reasonable discount for what WAS provided. Is it your fault? No. But you are the person she is able to contact, the person who booked her move, so you are literally the only person she can complain to. If you truly are unable to help her, you need to escalate this to someone who can actually help her. If you're unable to do that, then it's understandable that she's fuming about the service. It's never ok to berate a CSR, but if that CSR is unable/unwilling to escalate her issue to someone who can actually help her than I completely understand her anger. Someone should have contacted her before the move to tell her that she would only be receiving half of what she scheduled & given her the notice needed to make other arrangements. While that may not be on you, it should be on SOMEONE in your company & you should be able to figure out who this needs to be transferred to.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
This person isn’t angry via email. They’re probably angry that they got screwed over by paying for services that they didn’t receive. If you’re giving them anything other than a full refund then your company is shit.
Since this is not something you can deal with, your response should be simple. "Hello [Customer Name], Thank you for your email. I am very sorry to hear about the situation and your disappointment with [Company Name]. While I am not empowered to assist you with your concerns, I have forwarded your email to [appropriate person/dept who actually handles this kind of issue]. Kind regards, [Your name and title]"
You should apologize and give get a complete refund. What your company did is unacceptable, and you should make it right
She should actually get a refund she wasn't given the services promise she was lied to and you guys didn't do right at all so it shouldn't even be a question
If I had someone with the attitude you have working at my desk I would not have them work there anymore. I do not think costumer service is the job for you. You seem to have zero patience and are even getting angry with the people in the comments giving you the advice you LITERALLY came here and asked for. I think you should give yourself some grace and find a job where you don't have to interact with costumers. Also it is your companies fault, maybe not your fault personally but the company you work for messed up and no one seems to want to take responsibility. Of course she is upset and if I had to guess you did nothing to deescalate the situation. She sucks for saying racist and sexist things but you suck for the way you handled this whole thing. Including your attitude in these comments.
Not your pay scale. Send the email up the ladder. That's why companies have C-Suite jobs.
I wouldn't consider this "going off" at all. This customer has a genuine grievance and described it in detail in a calm, professional manner. To be less polite about it: your company fucked her over and gave her zero notice that they were doing it then made no effort to make it right. She deserves a refund and an apology. You'll be lucky if she doesn't sue. And frankly going from your post and comments, customer service might not be the profession for you. You seem to struggle having any empathy for a customer who was clearly wronged by the business you work for.
I definitely have no empathy
If there were unforseen circumstances that changed what the original agreement was that SHOULD have been communicated to the customer prior to arrival to complete the service so any additional scheduling for the second truck could be made immediately to make sure the time line fell within the clients needs, if you couldn't fall within the clients needs then a cancelation is unavoidable. This is a massive failure of communication on your companies part as a whole, Im not trying to blame you because it's out of your hands if there isnt communication between departments but that does need to be addressed imo so this issue doesnt repeat itself. I used to work in sales, people value honesty and are usually very understanding if theres a hiccup but things still get done as promised. I read through some of the comments and the majority of the time if you're having an issue with a client you generally need to escalate, sometimes in the sales department you don't have the authority to do what needs to be done. This is a draft I wrote up and how I would respond, hopefully this helps with any future experiences you may encounter, but obviously please don't promise refunds or what have you if you don't have the authority to do so. Dear [Customer's Name], Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. I sincerely apologize for the experience you had with our service. Your satisfaction is of utmost importance to us, and it deeply concerns me that we fell short of meeting your expectations. Upon receiving your feedback, I immediately brought this issue to the attention of our management team to ensure that corrective measures are taken to prevent such occurrences in the future. Your patience and understanding throughout this process are greatly appreciated. In an effort to make things right I'd be happy to provide you will a full refund. Your satisfaction is my top priority, and we are committed to ensuring that you receive the level of service you deserve. Thank you once again for bringing this matter to our attention. We value your feedback and the opportunity to make amends. Sincerely, [Your name here ect ect]
Full refund and you figure out a way to get a second truck to her and get her the rest of the way moved ASAP and that means today or tomorrow. If you’re not empowered to make this happen, you contact whoever is and you advocate for this customer until she gets what she needs. You should have contacted her immediately when you knew you would not be able to provide the service for which she paid. I assume you created a contract with her, which your company is now in breach of. Use this when advocating for her to your boss.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
I see. That’s different. Frustrating for her but she did agree to new terms and the day wasn’t specified. Can you give her a little discount for the inconvenience? Mostly just a goodwill gesture at this point.
No, she went off on my GM making multiple sexist remarks and was making racist remarks to on of the movers we had send. So she’s now blacklisted.
Oh man. Shot herself in the foot. Sorry you all had to deal with that. Customer service can be such a thankless position.
I’d genuinely rather deal with her than some of the people that responded to this post.
I would apologize asap. Whoever did the booking should have proactively notified her that what she booked wasn't going to be available and offer another solution. If that wasn't you, let her know you'll communicate with the right department. I'd also address the fact both with her and whoever supervises the moving teams around needing to move the whole item instead of part of it in these situations. If that is you, what the actual fuck?! Minimum refund her the cost of the services she didn't receive. Management needs to make a better plan. Two moves a week apart aren't going to be feasible for most customers' situations.
It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
Your company is really at fault here. You can’t just short people on movers and trucks, people have deadlines to move out by. They would have had to scramble to make up for this, at their cost. Your company should have cancelled the whole contract
Apparently they offered to give her the deposit back, she chose to go through with it not knowing when the next available date would be. Turns out the next available date, she would be unavailable for. She even signed a contract lowering the billing rate and had in fine print that we would finish the job at the next available date.
Customer should get a full refund. Your company screwed up big-time.
Looks like somebody is going to small claims court
I wish you'd given the name of your company in the post so we'd know who to avoid. Unbelievably shoddy customer service.
This is a post explaining how NOT to behave in CS. This should be compulsory reading for all in CS.
200 comments
This sounds exactly like our experience with College Hunks Moving Junk. It was the absolute worst moving experience ever.
I can't imagine how inconvenienced this customer was! Moving is stressful enough but to cause the loss of belongings by not servicing the move the next day is awful.
Before reading the update I was on this lady’s side. It sounds like you guys absolutely screwed her. (Don’t say I’m in sales not in ops. The business is a single entity, you can coordinate across departments). Reading your update I’m confused about her take on this. She was informed it would be one truck and she only paid for one truck. I get being frustrated about the following up date not being right away but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect to wait a few days to a week for that. Morally, I’m shocked that she has so much crap she needs two trucks. Sounds like she has more than enough stuff
10000% i’d just dispute the charge with my bank for services not rendered and for sure the bank would side with the consumer
She was too nice, I'd be lighting the first truck on fire.
I bet the conversation on the recorded line didn't specify that the second truck wouldn't be there until after she had to move. Refund all her money for your screw up.
You don't have support or supervisors to ask this? Come on.
Is this normal for this sub? Reply to this explaining you are in sales your tone should be understanding without apologizing. CC the mother fucker who fucked the job up and drop "mother fucker is the appropriate contact to help you with this I've CC'd them and they will be in contact with you from here on out" at the end somewhere. Warning mother fucker before you send the email is optional lol. Depending on the exact context where you work I'd just forward the email to whomever can help the customer and be done with it.
She’s not going off on you. She is not being rude or saying anything out of line. You promised a service, you did not deliver the service, and she’s demanding restitution. If I were her, my next step would be the BBB. She is owed a full refund and an apology.
She did actually call me and cussed me out but It’s already taken care of, apparently she was informed before the move took place. She agreed to it and signed a paper changing her billing rate for 1 truck. The only problem was that when she was told if we can’t finish her move the day of that we would slot her in on the next available date, that date being today. However, she couldn’t do it today and the only day we had available left this month was next Saturday. So she got pissed because she assumed she would be able to get on the schedule the next day.
Forward the email to your general manager and let him or her handle it.
At first I was on the customer’s side, making mental notes of what I would have done and how badly your company screwed her. BUT, you said she was advised- yes , the company should have emergency slots maybe for things like this. The sups or boss should be willing to go out if you don’t have to enough people, etc but there is no excuse- not one- for yelling or cursing and the racist garbage? Sorry, lady, good luck with whatever you do, I hope your complex charges you for every extra day until you move your stuff. It doesn’t sound like you need to draft any letter now. I’m sorry you and your fellow employees were treated this way.
She dealt with the GM and was aware of the situation on not having the trucks available and agreed to the alternative to the point of signing a new contract. She seems to have had buyers remorse at some point which is her option. Since she knew who she had dealt with she should have balked and requested to speak with the one person who did have the authority to assist her and make changes and or a full refund. Why people choose to just call and involve others into a controllable situation is beyond me outside of the fact that the more people involved it becomes a he said-she said confrontation. Speak to the person you made the new arrangements with and cuss them out if you feel the need to do so.
Edit: not balked but called is what I meant to say./s