Re: The Worst Customer Service Issue I had In The Business

[ABLE1 <somebody@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 9/23/2022 1:54 PM, Bob La Londe wrote:
> I'm brusque and to the point for the most part.  Some folks don't like
> that and I really do not care.  That was never an issue for me when
> dealing with managers and owners who weren't trying to manipulate me or
> cheat me.  Those who wanted my services and wanted good solid knowledge
> of what they were getting and what was happening.  Being brusque was
> generally not a "customer" service issue.
>
> My biggest issue was third parties.  Employees, new managers, nosy busy
> bodies.  "Whatcha doing."
>
> "I am working on the building, and other than that I can not discuss
> it."Â  You should see a self important person bristle when they hear
> that.  Its like watching a fluffy kitten stand off with a rottweiler. In
> many cases the person trying to grill me was the person or one of the
> people who I was warned caused the situation for which they requested my
> services.  OC reports, access control, hidden cameras in "public" areas.
>
> I had a policy of not sharing anything with somebody who's name wasn't
> on the contract, or on the primary contact list.  In some cases the
> person I was told to deal with whom may not have been named not he
> contract.  I always made a note.  Deal with Joe Schmuck on access
> control matters.  Deal with John Meh on IT.
>
> In some businesses this was much appreciated.  One large multi campus
> access control client always made a point of introducing me to the new
> office manager, and the new IT manager so I knew who to talk to and not
> talk to about various issues.  In some businesses it cause division and
> back stabbing.  More than once I had a secondary manager or floor
> employee report me as a rude asshole for refusing to share information
> with them.  You would think it was just businesses, but I had this
> happen in residential settings as well.  "Hey I am Joe Schmuck's step
> mom whom you have never heard of, name doesn't match, and I'm not on the
> contact list.  He is out of town, and I am feeding his cats.  You need
> to come over here and disable the alarm until he gets back."
>
> "No.  I can not do that.  You are not an authorized party on that alarm
> and your name is not on the contract."
>
> As you can imagine I pissed some people off.  I was called an asshole (I
> am one) and other other things less polite.
>
> Sometimes I would get caught between a manager an owner or between two
> owners with conflicting directives.  While that can be pretty horrific,
> generally it never caused me as many issues as refusing to dish out
> inside intel to people who were not specifically authorized to have that
> intel.
>
> Sometimes it was the manager or owners own fault.  They handed the task
> off to somebody else and didn't tell me.  When I would ask to speak to a
> known authorized party the person who just got what might have been
> their first "trusted" responsibility would bristle and often refuse.
> "sorry.  I do not know you.  I need to verify that this IS your
> responsibility now."
>
> In retrospect I can see now how I might have handled some of these
> better than I did, but there are some that anything, but clicking my
> heels and snapping, "Yes sir," in the most subservient tone possible
> would not have been acceptable.
>
>
Whoops!!! Forget the previous!!!

Hi Bob,
Thanks for the long story(s)!!  I have had a few similar but not enough
to make long comments on.   One recently told me he was the
"Owner/manager and needed some information.  I had to explain that I
needed to have a conversation with MY contact person to figure out what
happened and they will get back to you.................  Needless to say
the conversation got real short.

I have had some that I have told them to go with the other's that has
given them a "below MY cost" price for a system.

Once a long time ago I was in the Controllers office working above the
drop ceiling.  The Controller(Female) and another(Female) came into the
office, sat down and started a conversation.  It turns out the other was
a outside financial consultant.  She said rather clearly the following.

"On the larger contractor invoices you want to pay them rather quickly.
However, on the smaller contractors billing you can let them drag for a
while, its a minor issue."

That is when I came down off the ladder and LOST IT!!!

I was NOT pleasant!!

The Controller said;
"It's OK Les, I do remember the phone call we had previously!!"

I went back up the ladder to finish my job and they left the office!!

Les