A Story to Teach You How to Handle a Difficult Customer

I am going to call this short story Alice and the Better Business Bureau. Alice is an elderly woman who called the office today miserable, in tears and very angry. You see, Alice complained that she had been on her cellular telephone for three hours with talk time running out trying desperately to cancel her internet service. She sounded very angry and adamant about reporting her pain, grief and strife to the Better Business Bureau. Her complaint seemed to be more focused on having been on her cellular phone for three hours more than concerned about the purpose of her call. I allowed Alice to rant and rave only interrupting to get her account information to fix her problem. Alice had her service since December and the day of her call was January, So Alice had plenty of time to get full retribution of her money. She was unable to disconnect the service herself. Alice was put on hold to vent and calm down while considering the connection. Promises were made to make Alice return the internet service with a refund. Without knowing this was possible, it was an attempt to rid her of her tears and to calm down her irate ness.

Upon picking up the telephone after being on hold, Alice thought she had found a new best friend. After reading notes from her previous calls to the company, I realized that sure enough, she had threatened to call the Better Business Bureau (BBB) on the other sales agents for having her on hold for three hours. Let’s see. Alice claimed she was on hold for a total of six hours and the center had not been open that length of time. Alice had found what she wanted. Probably something that had shadowed and trailed her all of her life up until this very moment. Alice wanted someone to complain to and her only cushion of hope so far had been the Better Business Bureau. Alice, don't be a waste your time. If the Better Business Bureau was your only hope and help when things did not go your way, you should seek and find a better recourse or course of action. Sometimes if we are ready with our weapons of defense, be it the BBB or any other barrier , these types of situations will almost surely arise. So here is Alice on her cellular telephone, crying, complaining, angry and frustrated for being on the phone for three, not three but a total of six hours. Sure enough, Alice was able to use her secret weapon, the BBB. Alice was told to use a land line so that the cell phone bill would not be atrocious. At this suggestion, she was benevolent telling me that I was the nicest person she had talked with all day. No Alice, I was not the nicest person you had talked with all day. I had simply seen through your sorrowful situation. The problem was not your internet service. The problem was not the time you spent on the cellular telephone. The problem was not even having the Better Business Bureau as a backup. The real problem was being overwhelmed with yet another seemingly impossible task in life where things did not work out the way you wanted it to. These problems had been compounded on steps that had to be taken that may lead to other problems with no foreseeable solutions. Yes Alice, I listened and I saw that this issue was just another way out of no way that would lead to tears and frustrations. Alice, I have compassion for you. I did not join the other sales agents who said, this is just another irate caller, listened and got off of the telephone.

This was Alice, an old woman who used people to cry and to pounce on instead of looking to herself and trying to handle her emotions that would lead to her being able to solve her problems. Alice, I hope that from this day you do not rely totally on the BBB but on your inner strengths. Alice, the next time someone puts you on hold because they think you are just another irate caller, hang up the cellular telephone, say a little prayer and redial using your land line. If you do not have a landline then get connected to one. Say another little prayer before the agent answers and calmly as if talking kindly to yourself, explain your situation. All possibilities are that if you speak calmly then the person on the other side of the line will speak calmly also. Do not try to handle all of that anger and frustration alone. It is now time to get off of your roller coaster of dealing with companies and people with complaints and the BBB as your back up. Alice, if the agent answer is not within your satisfaction, do not complain. Complaints only hurts the one complaining and no one wants to hear it. Alice all you have to do is calmly escalate the call to a higher level of management in a business like manner. Sales agents can hear your character over the telephone and you want to sound like the life lived so far has earned you strong and decent character. Remember Alice, you were smart enough to purchase a “smart” internet service bundle. You are smart enough to hanle your emotions and your patience. If not satisfied at the managerial level, then kindly write to the company's corporate office. This procedure proves the better and the smarter choice. Less stress, less tears and more results is the goal you should seek, Alice. I shall continue to speak nicely to you as I do all of my customers who I am in contact with on a daily basis. I shall not treat you any differently so that you feel you should be armed with your BBB and anboxious attitude. I am happy to have served you today, Alice, and I am glad that I was able to calm you down to get the help you needed. I hope that the two return numbers I gave you were sufficient to get your service restored or your money returned. Because, Alice isn’t that what you really wanted; just someone, anyone to listen to you without having to scream and shout out a lifetime of disappointments? I pray, Alice, that today was your turning point and that you can move on in a more peaceful and positive world. Remember, Alice, though I can not tell you over the cellular phone or the landline you promised to install, God Bless you.