Tech Support Custy Throws A Tantrum And An RHUer Needs Advice

Hey there, RHU, first time poster, you can call me Wallflower.

I've been relatively lucky in my short job life, my most major job (up til this month), was a run for a very famous three-letter DSL's technical support for both home and businesses. As you can imagine, I only had to deal with the over-the-phone bull crap, and I'd like to share a memorable story with you.

Part of the way the company worked was that the older members in our team would get to sit in on live calls with us when our managers would be too busy to do so. To make sure we're following company policy, you know. ;)

Enter in this one Crazy Custy. She needed to call in and check on the status of her shipped modem, and I needed to get her phone number. I'm not hard of hearing or anything, but numbers are very hard for me to catch, so the way she said it, it all sounded like a blur.

When I asked her to repeat it for me, that's when all hell broke loose - she started getting very huffy and impatient, and would not slow down on the phone number, so that after three minutes, neither my fellow team member, Angel, or I could get an account up.

That's when the screaming started, calling me fuckin' incompetent and a bitch, slut, and everything in-between. Now, I pride myself on being able to handle situations, but the nice lady behind me, Connie, could hear the whole thing, and the three of us are giving each other glances.

I give her a warning about language - while the company has its' downsides, we were always allowed to hang up when bad language was used. This got her into such another fit, that she hung up the phone on herself, ten minutes into a call that would have taken two... if she had just slowed down.

Ahh, karma. I got full points on that call, too.

Now, the secondary reason why I wanted to submit:

I'm finally getting a face-to-face retail job, working as a cashier in a grocery store that's affiliated with a mart of walls. This is my first time as a cashier, and my first time with a face-to-face customer service position, so if you've got any tips or tricks to send my way, to make sure that my first couple of months go smoothly, that would rock.

Comments

[Evie]

Get shoes with support. Trust me, after a few hours on your feet you will FEEL IT. Double up on the relief mats if you can. And word to the wise, your first two weeks, you will attract assholes who can smell that you are new. Take a deep breath, lean on your supervisors, and remember that it gets better.

[Bitch Boy]

If you are getting a position at the company we all think you are, good luck!

My advice: If the internal padding for your shoe starts to rip, a little duct tape (or clear packing tape) can hold you off for about 2-3 days. This may give you the extra few days you need for payday.

addendum: carry a taser...

[Skittles]

Try to find a place that sells nurse shoes. As in shoes used by nurses those are the best I've found for standing all day. Be prepared to hear the most offensive crap come out of some crusties mouths and be forced to ignore it.

[bitterbookaddict]

be prepared for mindnumbing, mindblowing stupidity of epic proportions!!

[NC Tony]

Come back here often for advice on how to handle the customers, co workers and managers you'd like to strangle.

[Luna]

Above all, smile. Biologically speaking, a smile begets a smile. You are happier because smiling releases endorphins to actually make you FEEL happier. Psychologically speaking, customers that see you smiling subconciously raise their mood, if only by a little bit. You pick up on that stuff working face-to-face.