Do you agree with the slogan "The Customer's Always Right"?

[Rebel Dynasty]

No, I don't agree with it. Most of us have worked in retail, fast-food, etc. and while there is a certain level of maturity and professionalism expected on the employee's part, it becomes null and void if you find yourself faced with a particularly abusive customer.

Case in point; in my late teen's, I worked at a Harvey's; the Harvey's (at the time) was joined with Swiss Chalet. One of my co-workers (we either had a busy night, or were short-handed) ended up working both the Harvey's drive-thru, and the Swiss Chalet cash register.

A customer came in, and ordered one of the bigger chicken dinners. When the price came up, and she realized she didn't have enough money, instead of ordering one of the cheaper meals instead, she freaked out on my co-worker, making it seem like it was her fault that's this tactless **** couldn't afford the meal, and using guilt tactics to get what she wanted.

My co-worker--making only $7.45 an hour--ended up paying for half of this twat's meal...which I think was nearly $40 in total.

That customer was so, so ****ing far from right, and yet my co-worker paid the price for it. :/

On a related note, I got written up for rounding on that bitch. Good times. :thumbsdown:

 

[Innsmouth]

You're right about that. I agree that if you really have nothing to lose, then you should work on how you handle it(after all I worked in a hotel for 3 1/2 years before I found a warehouse job), and if you're gonna be a bigger beeyotch than the customer, then you should just quit. That's the objective truth. But like I said, I don't blame the workers for going off, cuz sometimes enough's enough.
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you're right. Workers are humans too. Sadly it's just by taking job it lays responsibility that you should hold through. But let's admit, some working places just suck and demand thick skin, so maybe it's better for people without it to be away from them.

 

[Meg]

No the customer is not always right. Unless I'm the customer. And I'm asking for enough money to pay off my student loans.

 

[Demi-fiend]

The customer is always right when the customer is me.

That is all.

Hail Angel!

... And Meg. :shifty:

 

[Meg]

Hail Angel!

... And Meg. :shifty:

I didn't even realize that Angel made that joke first. :laugh: Great minds think alike!

@Angel and I should probably team up to go shopping. Mwahaha!

 

[KRSkull]

NO i don't. I believe that its bollocks.

Two years ago i was working in pizza hut and one customer came and ordered small pepperoni pizza, potato, and pepsi. Her order cost 8.25 USD. I gaver an offer same order for 6.50USD (you'd think that they would be happy). She paid and left. A few seconds later she came back shouting and calling me a thief (how is that logical?). And then she said " I am a customer and i am always right. And you have no right to argue with me."

Me angerly: you know what *turned around and gave her my back* YOU CAN * pointed at that area in his body* K.M.A and i got fired.

 

[DreadnoughtDT]

NO i don't. I believe that its bollocks.

Two years ago i was working in pizza hut and one customer came and ordered small pepperoni pizza, potato, and pepsi. Her order cost 8.25 USD. I gaver an offer same order for 6.50USD (you'd think that they would be happy). She paid and left. A few seconds later she came back shouting and calling me a thief (how is that logical?). And then she said " I am a customer and i am always right. And you have no right to argue with me."

Me angerly: you know what *turned around and gave her my back* YOU CAN * pointed at that area in his body* K.M.A and i got fired.

What's even better is having a homeless guy come in, eat his food (literally all of it) and then ask for another because the first was "too cold" even though I made damn sure there was freshly cooked meat on it. And then when the manager tried to tell him that we put the freshest meat on it, he played the "I'M HOMELESS SO YOU SHOULD CATER TO MY EVERY WHIM CUZ I SERVED IN 'NAM" card.

To which I say "That's great and all, but that's also not really an achievement because we lost that war."

 

[AgentRedgrave]

Is the customer always right? I doubt it. That being said, you can't just dismiss everyone because of a few immature babies.

 

[ArabPikachu]

Sooner or later, the buyer will make a mistake in their respective role; For that matter, they are a double-edged sword.

 

[Dante's Stalker]

Yes and no.
I once sent back a raw fritter. So the manager asks if I want my money back. I say no, I just want my fritter baked through. Cue the fing manager telling the cook "it's not your fault" and making me feel like sht. Vowed to never go back there and IF I do, it will be on a bad day so I can give them some real fing grief. I mean how about some professionalism? I was the pregnant emotional one ffs.

Also, I don't see how it was my fault that a customer sat and waited for over an hour for service. Considering I was on cleanup duty and the other madams were sitting on their arses in the same vicinity as the customer? It was my fault that the idiot didn't come in or signal for service? The chop was sitting outside at the furthest table and it was nearly closing up time. I thought he was waiting for one of the workers to finish. Oh but of course everyone blamed me and circled me (I mean that literally) because guess what? I was the only white girl on duty. And the boss didn't have the balls to question the other workers because he was scared they'd accuse him of racism (because yes, you only have to look at them funny or pass them in traffic or order at the drive-thru to be racist). Lucky my dad pitched up and really laid into the boss and called his bluff on the 'customer is always right' bs.

When a severely patriotic couple came to eat at our coffee shop and complained to mum about what scum our black workers are for not speaking their language and generally laying into my poor backbone-lacking mother, I took away their plates while they were still eating and told them to take their arses elsewhere. Cue 'we're never coming back here you'll never see a penny from us' customer-rage. I was just like, dude your money isn't worth your bs now go or I'll call security.

So no the customer is not always right, but the workers/managers aren't always right either.

 

[Enigma]

Absolutely not, for all the reasons people have already stated, really.

But I think the point of the saying is not literally that the customer is always right. What it means is that you're supposed to remain curteous, and if customers have valid (personal, subjective) complaints, you need to accomodate them. Unless of course they're being completely unreasonable. It sounds to me like a saying that has more to do with assuaging problems that don't actually exist, or maybe to cater to the customer if they want something that isn't part of the standard package of your product, but is within reason for them to order. Things you can supply out of the kindness of your heart.

 

[V]

In my business, yes; yes, they are. :laugh:

 

[berto]

It's human nature, mate. You make a policy and someone will always, always, try to take advantage of it. No, the customer isn't alway right, and there will be times when that little policy gets abused by the 'customer.'

 

[Lain]

I used to work in a theatre and I hated when it was my turn to run the front desk because of customers like these.
The worst type is the people who are completely uncooperative, one guy was so paranoid about the government getting his personal details that he wouldn't even tell me his name to write on the ticket!

 

[LordOfDarkness]

Yes, the customer is always right. Even if by that logic that means they know more about the job than I'm supposed to, which I doubt. For instance, understanding prices of items better than myself or other colleagues I work with. Of course, sure you do Sir/Madam. And I'm extremely rich. I just work here to get complained at and corrected about things, because I enjoy it.