full moon?

[CHR]

Joanne, bravo!

Wise words. We never know which aspect of our work a consumer will latch onto. Counting flowers, complaining about leaving with neighbors, color, style, stage of openness, type of container ... this list goes on and on.

Your firmness under pressure is to be applauded.

 

[emilymoonflower]

Like you, I can become very hurt when people are mean spirited. I'm sorry to hear about your stupid experience.

I have a friend who, when really agitated by a mean customer simply replies with "Now, you are not being very nice."

A long long time ago I experienced something similar to you. On Christmas eve, a recipient of ours came home to find his flowers had been left with a neighbour, and called in a mad fury to say that that was a breach of contract...that we had been contracted to deliver to his residence, not to the neighbour, and we were incompetent, and he could break a leg going to the neighbour's house, and he would take us to court, and we would not last another month once his lawyers got through with us, that we would be sorry etc. etc. etc. Nothing would calm this asshole down, even an offer to go pick up and re-deliver the flowers, on Christmas Eve no less! No matter how much I tried to reason with him, it got worse until I became very upset, and began to tear up.

And then I remembered my friend.

I said to him, really really calmly, "Now, you're not being very nice are you? We have done everything to serve you, to the very best of our abilities. In return, you are being very mean to me. I'm sorry, I will not discuss this with you any further until you calm down, and remember your manners." Then I hung up.
I fretted about it all through Christmas, but sure enough, came back to work to find an apology on the answering machine.
His name and address is posted in the shop. We will not accept an order, or deliver an order to him again.
But, if nothing else, at least he learned that there is one woman who will not be bullied.
Oh, and don't worry about a lawsuit. This is Canada, and it would cost him way to much to even think about it. He's just a jerk.

Joanne,
I have copied your response to the customer and taped it to the order desk and the front cash -thank you for that!
It's amazing how much bull we permit ourselves to put up with in the name of upholding "great customer service".
We need to learn how to draw the line.
Emily

 

[Mikey the Flower Guy]

we had a customer come in last week, with a closest friend in tow...asked if it was a full moon or "something", and I said "yes" it was. She burst out with such an angry run on words, as can be had, then she broke down in tears, at our counter, I'm sure the counter was wet for an hour after wards!!
She was shaking, she was angry, she was inconsolable, and we were the targets, us, the "angels of death" that profit from the sale of God's beautiful flowers, that SHOULD NOT have a monetary value attached!!!......I was somewhat ataken...thought I'd seen and heard it all...
Then she proceeds to "order" TWO sets of flowers, ONE for her deceased husband's memorial service last weekend, and one set of funeral flowers, for her just deceased "boyfriend", last weekend....and says "I've lost the two most important men in my life", one 3 years ago, and one 3 days ago, and I don't think I can do this again!!!! SOB <lottsa> ...I made the mistake of saying" SURE you can, you're still young"!! (not realizing that), she says "you idiot, I'm 87 now, you think I'm young??"!!!!!!!! ( I swear she looked maybe 65)
She order the flowers, paid for them, was pounding on the counter, and as she turned away to head out, her friend turned to me and <mouthed> thank you, and nodded her her, guiding her friend out!
I think we may be more targets than you all think.....and we often have NOTHING to do with what the customer "wants" to say...people are furious with all sorts of governments, and unions, and company downsizings, and piss poor communication skills by our youth, and sometimes it's just that YOU'RE in their pathway......at that moment!

 

[shannonlovesflowers]

Wow!

"Angels of Death" eh?

Well, I thought it was just me this past week. Tuesday to be exact.-
I have been working on this wedding, they have already changed the wedding twice on me. Told me they had not much budget, but wants roses, callas and cyms..... and 18 centerpeices.
So, I'm pretty dang good at figuring out how to work with in a budget- But this one was proving to be challenging..
They had made a $181 deposit. MOB calls and wants to cancel. I couldn't believe it. She was such a b*tch about it too. I was explaining to her all I had done for her, and she just kept being a b*tch. Finally I just had enough And told her I'd send her a check. I was so upset. I couldn't believe it. I told Bettina what had happened. Bettina got so angry- but not with me. She siad "If she thinks she's going to find what you do somewhere else, she's crazy! You are a champion! Don't worry about it!" So that was a relief. But I'm one of those people who will think about it 4 years from now and it will bug me then too.

But we ended up having a very good week anyway.

I think the earthquake in Chile, had something to do with it all. Seriously, I read that the earthquake was so powerful it messed with the axis of the earth.

 

[Mikey the Flower Guy]

I think the earthquake in Chile, had something to do with it all. Seriously, I read that the earthquake was so powerful it messed with the axis of the earth.

it indeed DID move the earth's rotation, from where it previously was....and actually "changed" the rotation time of earth's orbit!!
It was the 7th most powerful earthquake ever recorded....

 

[RWK]

SWell, i had the doozy of a customer today..........She picked out a nice silk arrangement, mixed spring flowers. really pretty and simple......wanted me to add a few things to it............She picked out the items and I added it............since I was working on another customer order, I had her fill out a custom order form and sign it.

Well, We are closing the store and I am walking the floor making sure no customers are still wandering around our huge store when something tucked behind a shelf of pillows catches my eye..........I go over to look and lo and behold, it is the same arrangement I did earlier...........lying down on it's side........with decorative throw pillows laid on top to hide the darn thing.

I WAS MAD........................I did something I almost never do.....I said " OH HELL NO she didn't ". The senior manager heard me and came over to see what was wrong and when I explained the situation and showed her the work order..............She let fly..........She then said...."If you don't tell anybody I let it go, I won't tell that you let it go"

She could tell that I was fuming the whole time I carried that arrangement back to the display area..........

I am going to start a petition to congress to have a new national holiday declared......for retail workers everywhere to enjoy.......it will be called "Slap the Crappy Customer Day"

 

[theflowersmith]

Wow, it's nice to know we weren't the only ones. Full moons and earthquakes and wackos, oh my!

Here's ours: Woman comes into the store, says her husband bought 3 dozen roses and one dozen carnations for Valentines Day. She claims at least two roses in each dozen died and when she phoned, someone in our store told her she would get $20 cash back. (Our policy is replacement, and of course, she has no receipt). I try to find her in our POS using three different names and several phone numbers as she said her husband buys lots of flowers in our store. (By the way, I tend to remember those customers who purchase 3 dozen Valentine roses).

I explain the store policy and offered to give her 1/2 dozen roses free of charge. Disgustedly, she says "I don't want any flowers!" and leaves the store. We're still wondering if she's going to all local retailers trying to find someone dumb enough to give her $20 cash!

 

[Mikey the Flower Guy]

you betcha!!

 

[Mikey the Flower Guy]

SWell, i had the doozy of a customer today..........She picked out a nice silk arrangement, mixed spring flowers. really pretty and simple......wanted me to add a few things to it............She picked out the items and I added it............since I was working on another customer order, I had her fill out a custom order form and sign it.

Well, We are closing the store and I am walking the floor making sure no customers are still wandering around our huge store when something tucked behind a shelf of pillows catches my eye..........I go over to look and lo and behold, it is the same arrangement I did earlier...........lying down on it's side........with decorative throw pillows laid on top to hide the darn thing.

I WAS MAD........................I did something I almost never do.....I said " OH HELL NO she didn't ". The senior manager heard me and came over to see what was wrong and when I explained the situation and showed her the work order..............She let fly..........She then said...."If you don't tell anybody I let it go, I won't tell that you let it go"

She could tell that I was fuming the whole time I carried that arrangement back to the display area..........

I am going to start a petition to congress to have a new national holiday declared......for retail workers everywhere to enjoy.......it will be called "Slap the Crappy Customer Day"

Ricky...you gotta learn this.....when you're posting, don't be hyperventilating...that was a hard read, if it were a book, ida tossed it!!..so, go backwards from "Slap the Crappy Customer Day", and give me an overview of what you just said, though, it WAS suspenseful, I thought maybe the "lady" was it the pillows...sorta.....

 

[sandytf]

We had a customer browsing in the store the other day and we asked if we could help them find anything. "Yes!", she answered. "Do you have any men's trousers?"

Umm....no, sorry we don't.

 

[RWK]

Mikey - I gave ya'll the edited version........In reality the arrangement I had made for her was TORN apart when I found it !!!!!

and in case you might think it's poor mechanics........I used steel pics and pan melt glue to assemble the design........

That's what made me mad.........that she was in the store, walking around and shopping supossedly, with a custom-made design for her home.......and somehow finding ways to tear apart an arrangement picked and glued together.

 

[Mikey the Flower Guy]

We had a customer browsing in the store the other day and we asked if we could help them find anything. "Yes!", she answered. "Do you have any men's trousers?"

Umm....no, sorry we don't.

was she panting when speaking??....

 

[Gracie]

I can't really compete with all these stories, but hugs to everyone that has to deal with abusive customers, and I love the idea of Slap the Crappy Customer Day!

On Monday evening, I had a woman run, literally run, into the store, come to a screeching stop in front of the baby/plush display and demand where that spray thing was. I pointed out the room spray and asked her if that was what she was looking for. Yes! she said exultingly, and took up the tester and sprayed her entire body with it, then ran out of the store yelling, "I love your stuff!"

Ok.

Guess she had a hot date with someone who likes Calming Chamomile Nursery Room Deodorizer.

 

[emilymoonflower]

Gracie,
LMAO! Thanks for the chuckle!
Emily

 

[Kristine]

I can't really compete with all these stories, but hugs to everyone that has to deal with abusive customers, and I love the idea of Slap the Crappy Customer Day!

On Monday evening, I had a woman run, literally run, into the store, come to a screeching stop in front of the baby/plush display and demand where that spray thing was. I pointed out the room spray and asked her if that was what she was looking for. Yes! she said exultingly, and took up the tester and sprayed her entire body with it, then ran out of the store yelling, "I love your stuff!"

Ok.

Guess she had a hot date with someone who likes Calming Chamomile Nursery Room Deodorizer.

her sister lives in my town. Every day she would come in and use the burts bees samplers - body lotion, hand cremes,cuticle creme etc. I think if we had shampoo samples she probably would have asked to use the bathroom to do her hair.