Customers think they know better than techs and claim to do destructive testing to prove them wrong
Dealing with frustrated customers is a delicate art. Employees must know what to say to soothe them. Sometimes employees go out of their way to help upset clients and refrain from yelling and pouting without saying a word of thanks.
In the case of u/JohnDGardner, it was impossible to find common ground with customers because they demanded to do things their own way. His arrogance left him burned, both literally and figuratively.
More information: reddit
If a customer refuses to listen to you or your colleagues at your own risk, there’s only so much you can do to stop them
Image credit: peakpx (not actual photo)
The author works as a circuit breaker tester and had to do two different tests for each breaker in one job.
Image credit: u/JohnD Gardner
The customer saw that the poster was only tested once for a particular piece of equipment and requested two tests as usual.
Image credit: u/JohnD Gardner
The technician tried his best to persuade the customer from a second test that would destroy the equipment, but he didn’t have it.
Image credit: u/JohnD Gardner
Not discouraged by the posters and the warnings of colleagues, the customer performed the test even after signing a waiver that he was aware of the risks.
Image credit: u/JohnD Gardner
After just a few minutes smoke was coming out of the breaker and someone had to run out to get a replacement breaker.
The original poster for the story was working as a circuit breaker tester. He was testing the kind of circuit breakers found in home switchboards, but only the larger industrial versions.
The important thing he details is that circuit breakers can have two overcurrent conditions: thermal and magnetic. In most cases they have both, but in special cases they may only have magnetism, such as fire pumps.
The poster was working with a customer representative to check many breakers for him. When the fire pump came out, he only tested the magnetic components, but the customer requested that the thermals be checked as well, which they didn’t have.
The customer signed a waiver that he knew what he was doing and demanded that the procedure begin, contrary to the OP’s better judgment. The test was supposed to take 300 seconds, but in less than a minute, smoke started coming out of the breaker. The customer representative was not only perplexed, but had to run out to get a replacement breaker for the pump.
Image credit: Pete (not actual photo)
Sometimes well-informed customers are great. They know what they want, they are more open to your suggestions, and you have a good time conversing with them. Sometimes there are people who think they know better than you.
Sometimes they want to show how much more they know than you.OP said they had the opportunity to teach that customer a lesson, but they made the customer feel better and the customer Knowing how to sell what you want is often harder than it sounds.
Sedia proposes Avoid getting angry, smile and be friendly. And if you let them talk long enough, chances are they’ll end up buying something.
A know-it-all might not want to believe you without a source, so it’s usually a good idea to just state the facts about the product without stating your opinion. It’s about showing what it says about the product on the box.
Taking rants from customers can also be very difficult, but remember this is not personal. customer service zone saysThis is likely a way for the customer to feel better about themselves, and if you try to be defensive or fight the customer, you are more likely to lose out in the end.
Image credit: pxfuel (not actual photo)
If they make a mistake that you need to correct, you are encouraged to do so indirectly. Instead of pointing out their mistakes, you can pawn it with the manual being wrong or with similar expertise. You can also
You can also win by stroking your customer’s ego a little and praising them for their knowledge in the area. Finally, there may come a time when your customers know everything, so you need to act with caution. After all, there is no shame in making a mistake or admitting something without knowing it.
The post received over 4,000 upvotes and nearly 300 comments. The commenter laughed at the client’s rep and particularly highlighted the man’s ignorance of passing the test even after he had to sign a waiver. Enjoying the fact that he was being educated by a skilled technician must have also made his self-esteem difficult.
If you have an interesting or funny story about any customer who was actually clueless, share it with us and our readers in the comments!
Commenters enjoyed laughing at their customers, especially for being confronted with the “I’m an engineer” mentality.
Image credit: Douglas Paul Perkins (not actual photo)
