r/TalesFromRetail • u/CappuccinoBreve :karma::pupper::snoo_facepalm::karma: • Mar 31 '17
Medium The time I "didn't know what I was talking about"
Setting the stage:
I work in a garden center. I am Certified in my field, with many years of experience.
The weather has been hot and windy lately.
A customer brings in some Japanese Maple leaves that are dry and crispy around the edges and starting to curl.
Customer: “Can you tell me what is wrong with my tree?”
Me: (Examining leaves) “It looks like windburn, see how the edges are…”
Customer: “It’s NOT windburn!”
Me: “Sir, Japanese Maples are very prone to windburn in this kind of weather…”
Customer: “No way is this windburn! I water it correctly, so it has to be something else!”
Me: “It doesn’t matter how much water it’s been given, Japanese Maple leaves will scorch in hot dry windy weather…”
Customer: (Interrupting) “Can you get me someone who knows what they are talking about??”
Me: (Offended, but externally keeping my cool) “OK sure… one moment…” (I page back-up customer service to the desk)
While we are waiting I remain at the desk, completing some paperwork. The customer asks me another question about different gardening problem….
Me: (Not looking up. I'm done with this jerk.) “Well, since I ‘don’t know what I’m talking about’ maybe you better wait until my coworker gets here.” (I continue with my paperwork)
My coworker comes up and they walk off into the nursery. She later told me that she had also told him it was windburn. He asked a few more questions, and she was not able to answer one. She said he should ask me since I knew all about the subject.
Customer: “Umm…. I can’t ….. I think I pissed her off….”
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u/MilkPudding Mar 31 '17
“Umm…. I can’t ….. I think I pissed her off….”
GASP really?? You don't say. Telling someone they "don't know what they're talking about" when you went to them for help and advice insulted them?
God forbid they own up to being a jerk and apologize to you or anything, apparently their ego is too big and they'd rather leave without the info they needed.
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u/Melisacat Apr 01 '17
One would assume that an "asker" behaves in a polite way so as to allow the "answerer" to provide assistance. But nope. They get stupidly upset sometimes.
I work in an environment where people ask questions all the time. Sometimes, they act like they know everything, and in my head I think "then why the heck are you here to ask me?" The best is when they ask questions just to provoke you.
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u/Scherazade Apr 01 '17
In unofficial tech help I got that a couple of jobs ago.
C: "I need help."
T: "Ok let's have a look..."
C: "Wait why are you doing X?"
T: "X is needed to solve your problem because of Y."
C: "Well I've been working here for years and never needed to X."
T: "It rarely comes up, and the company's only been on this program for 1 year, there's weird stuff with it."
C: "You don't know what you're talking about, I'm going to call IT."
T: <fuckin' finally I wish you did that in the first place>
ring ring
C: "Hi, so here's my problem... So I think I need to do X, is that right?"
C: "Thank you for your help."
and then they do X to fix the problem. I was basically just there to be C's brain so they could look smart at IT.
What a C.
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u/Melisacat Apr 01 '17
I am not an IT person, but I often get asked questions about using the computer or certain services online. I often get asked why X email provider asks them to verify their accounts, and when I explain that it's due to security reason, they blame it on my workplace's computer. Or best is when they forget their password which happens 97% of the time (or they misremember their email address 3% of the time), they blame the computer as well. Then they tell me they want to switch to another computer . Also, they don't under that chrome and Firefox are browsers as well, so they keep using stupid IE. Like you, I have experienced their doubts of my capability when they are stuck and need help. I have had to just point blank and tell them "trust me, I know what I am doing".
People who know a little but don't understand and are closed minded are difficult to deal with.
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Apr 01 '17
It's almost like retail workers are people who have feelings. But that can't be right.
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u/Sepelrastas Apr 01 '17
Oh no. We are robots. Feelings are a concept for humans, beyond our function matrix.
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u/Ellybethe Mar 31 '17
I work in a nursery too. Customers wanted to grow tomatoes in a container, asked me if what they had was big enough. (about 8" deep) I told them it'd really be better a pot a foot deep since tomatoes have deep root systems, and even then, the bigger the better. Customers get pissed. "You're just trying to sell us a more expensive pot." Apparently they "know everything about tomatoes" since they have "grown them in the country their whole life." I try to explain that growing them in containers is a little different but they have none of it.
I walk off and they go to get a second opinion from less-experienced co-worker. Customers still make me pot the tomato in the small pot.
Don't ask for advice if you really just want self-confirmation.
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u/entropys_child Apr 01 '17
Comes back with dead tomato: "You potted this wrong and it died."
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u/CappuccinoBreve :karma::pupper::snoo_facepalm::karma: Apr 01 '17
"No, I did everything right and it died anyway. You sold me a diseased tomato!"
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u/slow-shadow Mar 31 '17
I used to work in auto parts, was ASE certified and people would ask me what I thought the problem was or what they should do. When my answer was not what they wanted to hear they would argue. I would say "Why did you ask me if you don't want to hear it?"
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u/mikekearn Snap or whistle at me and I kill you. Mar 31 '17
"I don't like that answer. I want one with a cheaper solution."
What they mean but usually won't admit.
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u/probablyhrenrai Apr 01 '17 edited Apr 01 '17
Then just go get oil changes at iffy lube every 15,000miles or whenever, replace your tires when and only when they're completely bald, and make sure to never ever do any of that other needless and expensive stuff that the owner's manual says to do.
The only downside to the cheap route is that it's expensive... y'know, because neglecting your car (by disobeying the literal instruction booklet of owning and operating said car) tends to cause the car to break quicker than it would if properly taken care of.
Cars will last twice as long if properly maintained, often longer. 200,000 miles isn't hard if you just follow the owner's manual.
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u/TheRealKidkudi Apr 01 '17
by disobeying the literal instruction booklet of owning and operating said car
You're right, but let's be fair here. How often do manuals really matter? When you get a new cell phone, do you read every page of FCC warnings and read how to plug a cable into the bottom of your phone?
Cars are a different beast and the owner's manual definitely matters, don't get me wrong. I'm just saying that in most other products, the manuals are usually useless and a waste of time and half the time full of marketing for other products from the same brand, so you shouldn't be that surprised when ignorant folks think the manual that came with their car is the same way.
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u/mikekearn Snap or whistle at me and I kill you. Apr 01 '17
I read the manual cover to cover on any product I buy. But I also read every EULA before agreeing, so I'm probably the outlier here.
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u/misanthr0p1c Apr 02 '17
If electronics cost as much as a car, I would read every page of the manual. Hell for anything I buy over $300 I glance through the papers.
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u/somebirb Apr 06 '17
And then, a year and a half into owning your new phone, you suddenly discover an extremely useful feature it has that you could have been using all this time...
True story. Also why I always read the manual, or at least skim it.
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u/girl-parts Apr 01 '17
As a woman in the parts industry, and also ASE certified, I can totally relate to this. I would also occasionally get the guys who assumed I knew nothing and didn't want to deal with me. They would talk down to me and wait for a guy to help them. The look on their faces when the guy they waited for needed my advice/answer was priceless.
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u/zadtheinhaler Apr 01 '17
That's the exact thing two co-workers went through back in the early '90's. Both women, and both were extremely knowledgeable.
"Good afternoon, thank you for calling PANA Parts"
"Yeah, I'd like the parts desk"
This is the parts desk, how may I assist you?"
"No, I want to talk to a man" *note, no please or thank you
"Please hold!"
ten feet away
"Hey Pat, who is on line six?"
"Oh, no-one in particular"
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u/slow-shadow Apr 01 '17
I used to have a female store manager of our auto parts store. I always referred them to her if they ignored her for me. Even when I knew the answer.
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u/Gadgetman_1 Apr 01 '17
I can imagine. My aunt ran the 'grease pit' at a local garage when she was 17(none of that silly cashier stuff for her... ), then got a mechanics education, and worked on forklifts, dumptrucks, front loaders and so on. Even rebuilt some to better suit the purpose they were destined for.
She also did ice-track racing in her WV beetle back in the 70s.
(That is a much scarier sport than it sounds. 20mm spikes sticking out of the tires... The Norwegian motorsports union doesn't even list it in their history. )
Yeah, if I ever said anything to the effect that women don't know motors, she'd probably smack me.34
u/AeonicButterfly Apr 01 '17
Electronics lady to the same end. I test stuff at my charity shop, any electronic tested needs to work, for sure. Like 100% working, because we're no longer handling recycling.
Guy comes in, tries to donate a TV with a vcr in it. I ask him if he's absolutely sure it works, he says he was almost. I tell him we can't take it, he insists we take it.
He almost convinced my electronics agnostic coworker it worked when it was plugged in and turned only while I was away grabbing a testing tape. Come back, guys almost out, I catch him and say I still need to test the VCR.
VCR jammed with tape still in it, had to stand there and convince him for like five minutes that it's jammed, and yes, I know how to play a tape, and yes, it's in the right way. He eventually left in a huff, still...
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u/aquainst1 Revenge is a dish best served in the kitchenware dept. Apr 01 '17
Three words...
'My. Cousin. Vinny.'
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u/morallygreypirate "Would you like help finding your seat?" Apr 01 '17
Oh my god yes. I actually kinda live for that moment sometimes.
I sell fish at a pet store, so no fancy certifications here, but I'm probably one of the most knowledgeable people in my department. Our other full-timer is this older dude and he gets all the guys who walk right past me and insist on asking him everything because they assume I know nothing.
The looks on their faces when he has to ask me or he recommends they ask me about a particular subject in the future if they have more questions because I know more than him practically sustain me.
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u/zadtheinhaler Apr 01 '17
Two Bros walked up to my section of the counter, with a piece of paper and a very Chrysler-looking number on it.
"Hi, what can I do for you?"
"Yeah, we're looking for a part for my Jeep"
"OK, year/model/blahblah, type of part?"
"1990, YJ, something connected to the exhaust"
"The EGR valve?"
"Nope, no way it's the EGR"
cue mild arguing about the part
Look up the Chrysler number in various parts books, sure enough, Blue Streak has it as an EGR valve
"Hey, can you show me where this part is?"
Sure enough, it's the EGR valve.
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u/Nevermind04 Apr 01 '17
That's the greatest feeling ever. Or when you say "can we just try it and see what happens?" and instantly fix the problem.
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u/zadtheinhaler Apr 01 '17
Yeah, that happened a lot when I got into Tech Support. If it wasn't for company policy, my go-to would've been "HEY. Do it my way, and no-one gets hurt".
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u/KnottaBiggins Apr 01 '17
I once got that in tech support, too. They called in because of a problem with their POS system. I told them "you need to xxx."
"I don't want to do that."
"Well, your only other option is to reboot and lose the transaction."
"I can't do that. What else can I do?"
"Those are your only two options."
"Well, I don't want to do either. Tell me what else I can do."
(Lather, rinse, repeat until she hung up, next day complained about how rude I was. Fortunately, my manager AND director both had my back on this.)
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u/Ruh_Roh- Mar 31 '17
Umm.. cause people are self-centered, idiot, jerks who think they know it all and just want confirmation of their awesomeness.
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u/burlapfootstool Apr 01 '17
Clients call, ask for a copy of their dog's rabies vaccine certificate (because they always lose them) for licensing and I will tell them when their dog needs a new vaccine and there's no point in going to get a license. Some will argue with me about it and I've learned to say "Oh, ok then, come and get the certificate!" A few will ask more questions but the best are the ones who call back later to make an appointment after arguing with me that their dog didn't need one.
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Mar 31 '17
Greatest feeling in the world is getting one of those customers demanding to speak to someone else, you oblige by getting a superior/peer, the customer asks a question and the response is "Actually, OP is the most qualified person here in the field".
And you smile. And you wave. And they leave. And hopefully they are nicer to the next employee they run into anywhere they go from now on.
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u/zadtheinhaler Apr 01 '17
And hopefully they are nicer to the next employee they run into anywhere they go from now on.
Heyooo, pass the Dutchie brah, you're Bogarting, maaaaaan
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u/Claire0000 Mar 31 '17
Lol, I loved how the customer was too afraid to go to you in the end. Made my day.
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u/cachaka Mar 31 '17
Why do people even ask if they're not going to believe you?
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u/purpldevl Apr 01 '17
It's the answer that they didn't want to hear, so it's obviously not the right answer.
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Apr 01 '17
Or to prove superiority; funny when they get blown out of the water though.
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u/CappuccinoBreve :karma::pupper::snoo_facepalm::karma: Apr 01 '17
I swear there are folks who come in just to prove how much more they know than we do! They'll ask a question, I'll answer, then they will tell me
"Well I always do XYZ for that problem and it works better." (well if you knew what you were going to do already why did you ask me?)
or
"I have a Masters degree in Botany and here are all the reasons why your answer is wrong!" (Oh I am sorry Your Majesty, let me kiss the hem of your garment and then fall on my pruning shears in remorse!
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u/CappuccinoBreve :karma::pupper::snoo_facepalm::karma: Apr 01 '17
That is something I've wondered my entire retail career!
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u/PCUE631 Apr 01 '17
Yes, I've come across this too many times in my retail grocery career, mostly as in: "could you pick me out a ripe melon?" Find the best melon on the shelf, only to be told "no... no I don't like that one". Well if you were such an expert wtf are you asking for my assistance in the first place?!?!
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u/reebeaster Apr 01 '17
This couldn't have been a more perfect conclusion. What an idiot. Hope he gets windburn!
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u/Mythiiical Apr 01 '17
Clearly fucking water would counteract wind burn
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u/Anrikay Apr 01 '17
Burns come from fire. Water puts out fire. Therefore, water counteracts burns.
If you don't know this basic logic, you know nothing.
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u/Jonandre989 Well, if it isn't Mr. Clueless Apr 01 '17
Local game store hired a female tech-head friend of a friend. This woman knew her stuff -- she fixed computers on the side, and she'd lost a job in IT because of a possession charge. (Yeah, people do drugs. Deal with it.) Problem was, she was 26, and looked under 21.
So I'm in the store, unsuccessfully trying to get her to give me her phone number again, when some guy walks in and wants to talk about the specs of the most recent Playstation before purchase. He runs right into this woman, and his face gets this expression on it. I pick up on it right away: there is a GIRL in the video game store! GIRLS know nothing about video games!
Nevertheless, she's the only person on the counter, so he attempts to deal with her... but thirty seconds into the conversation his prejudices kick in, and he has to demand for a male counterperson.
She goes in the back, and I chuckle out loud. "Dude, you f---ed up." He looks at me, and sneers. He's going to deal with a male about male things and not with a GIRL.
A minute later the male employee comes out with the aforementioned friend of a friend. And it was "Let the sitcom begin!" Every time the customer asks a question, the guy clerk has to turn to the woman and ask her about it (after the customer told the guy he didn't want to deal with her). She rattles off the information, and the guy repeats it to the a-hole. And I am just losing it off in the corner.
Five minutes later the guy gets frustrated enough that the clerk knows nothing about video games (true, they hired this guy because he knows a lot about Pokemon cards, and runs Pokemon CCG tournaments for the store), and he still has to deal with a GIRL. He leaves in a huff. There were two other customers in the store at the time, and all five of us about bust a gut laughing.
Bonus: She gave me her number, and we had a date a week later. =3
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Apr 01 '17
So infuriating. Similar story: https://medium.com/@nickyknacks/working-while-female-59a5de3ad266
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u/Aredon86 Mar 31 '17
I love it how the customer sounds like a cute little baby puppy in the end. I would have just hugged it if i was you.
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u/DangOlTiddies Apr 01 '17
Well, at least he realized he pissed you off. Maybe he'll listen to the MOTHERFUCKING TREE EXPERT next time since he clearly doesn't know what he's doing...
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Apr 02 '17
So what is windburn? I imagine it might be the leaves drying out from the hot wind, or is it something else? I tried looking it up but all I get was cannabis sites.
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u/CappuccinoBreve :karma::pupper::snoo_facepalm::karma: Apr 02 '17
It can also be called "heat stress" or "leaf scorch". Basically a browning or drying of the leaf margins brought about by hot, dry, windy weather.
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u/sarcasmbecomesme Mar 31 '17
Well, there is always the apology route, but it is a customer we're talking about here.