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

[RTS <gafa@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 9/23/2022 1:58 PM, ABLE1 wrote:
> 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
>
>
>
had one once who wanted a code added for them in the security system..
I installed one, then told them that the code would only ARM the system.
To disarm the system they'd have to get a code from their boss..
.
They weren't too happy but never complained..
I also noted that that code was never used...  ;-)
. . .
RTS
--

*Rocky T. Squirrel, esq.*