Do you think the customer is always right?

1. 85

   Sunshine625posted 11 years ago

   Do you think the customer is always right?
   
   

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   Ruchiraposted 11 years ago

   haha...I don't think the customer is always right
   My hub says it all...
   http://ruchira.hubpages.com/hub/-Custom … ways-right

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3. 69

   MartieCoetserposted 11 years ago

   The customer is definitely NOT always right, but in the world of business we allow them to believe that they are. It is like making the best decision in a bad situation. Making the customer believe that they are wrong, means losing them as well as our (good) reputation. Making them believe that they are right, means keeping all possibilities to win open.

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      Sunshine625posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Great answer Martie! I've witnessed some rude customers and I enjoy when they lose their "battle."

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      teaches12345posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I agree with Martie.  The customer may not be right, but a business owner must work with them on how best to gain their trust and thus help the company business.

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   beadreamer247posted 11 years ago

   OK, depends on whom you ask and how you mean it. In a business world - why do you think they teach you that the customer is always right? Simply because you want to keep the customer, want to make him happy and please him. If you let the customer know he is wrong you won't reach this goal. You still can, in other ways and tactics let the customer "realize" for himself that he is wrong.....that is the key and skill of customer service.
   If two customers disagree? What do you mean...? Two customers individually or disagree with each other???Or on the same issue/topic? Please clarify this a bit more.

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      Sunshine625posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Beadreamer, Thanks for sharing your point of view.
      The photo is a joke!

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   fpherj48posted 11 years ago

   Linda Sue......Unfortunately, whether the customer is right wrong or just plain rude....businesses have to often just bite the bullet and use diplomacy.   Most, if not all establishments, that deal directly with the customers, teach their staff to smile, remain cool and do what is necessary to make the customer happy.  If it gets to be a real mess, managers need to get involved, the owner, the Corporation.....some people will simply not stop until they get what they demand.
   So it all leads back to "the customer is always right." 
   With sky-rocketing prices and declining customer service....."customers," in general are getting angrier and I don't blame them.

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      Sunshine625posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      It's a vicious circle my Effer. Aren't you glad you don't have to deal with these customers? We just get to be one of these customers. Haha!

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   34th Bomb Groupposted 11 years ago

   Absolutely not. Unfortunately, many retailers teach their salespeople that they are - which leads to more obnoxious purchasers and frustrated clerks.
   I have worked in retail. Very tough job.

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   vocalcoachposted 11 years ago

   Well, of course the customer is always right...when the customer is ME! 
   
   I've seen Customers who are so irate, their behavior borders on abusive. This is just wrong. No one should be subjected to the immature and cruel outbursts of another person - customer or not.
   
   I see this happening a lot when a customer has to wait in a long line. Heck, it's not the sales persons fault. They don't make the rules.  If you don't like a long line, shop during the dinner hour or fill out a complaint form.
   
   That's my two cents.

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      Sunshine625posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I appreciate your two cents Audrey and I agree! I've witnessed some nasty outbursts and the customer still wasn't right.

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      Claudia47posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I like your first line...and second it.

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   nanderson500posted 11 years ago

   Definitely not. There's no way that the costumer can always be right.

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   Rosemay50posted 11 years ago

   Definitely not but businesses have to keep them onside in order to keep their custom.
   But I've witnessed some horrible customers, there is absolutely no excuse for a customer to stand there spitting abuse at some poor sales person and that is just not on.

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10. 84

    SidKempposted 11 years ago

    I hold the view that the customer is not always right. But the customer always has a point.
    
    First, let's separate out the very few customers who are cheats. (I read an article once about young women who buy expensive dresses they can't afford actually planning to wear them one night at a party and use the store's "return within 30 days" policy to get a full refund. That's not a customer, that's a cheater.)
    
    In all other cases, the customer has a point. As a business owner, I think it is our best policy to listen, to understand their point, and to extend ourselves generously. At the same time, we should not give away the store. If we find we are being taken advantage of, we should change our policies so that we are fair, we are respectful, we listen, we are reasonable, and we also do what works for our own business.

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    Trinity Mposted 11 years ago

    No I don’t think the customer is always right, however, business is business and if the customer is yours it is your duty to resolve the customer’s problem as diplomatically and elegantly as possible (without giving yourself and ulcer in the process that is!).

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    Jordanwalker39posted 11 years ago

    No, the customer is not always right. I spent several years on the other side of the fence of the customer. I found out that customers, we are rarely correct about the happenings of the store. I think this saying is just a short way to state that employees should appease the customer at almost any cost for the good of the business.

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    Claudia47posted 11 years ago

    Easy answer - No.
    
    I've spent most of my adult life working in the Customer Service field, counting call centers, banks, and a web hosting service.  One thing that amazes me is how consistently difficult people are, especially when they call.
    
    Maybe it's something about not being able to see the person they're speaking to, but many, many people truly expect that they can begin conversations by verbally abusing a representative, then demand respect and a solution to their problem.  Many also expect additional compensation.
    
    Although I enjoy helping people and believe that good businesses bend over backward for their customers, the customer is not only not always right, but some should be "fired". This is the practice of politely advising customers that, unfortunately you obviously cannot meet their needs and suggest they select a business which can.  In fact, this theory has been incorporated into some of the most customer-friendly businesses on the planet, including airlines.
    
    Customers deserve respect, but need to approach a business rationally,  If they are not helped, or are treated badly, they can and should escalate the issue until it is resolved.  If the service is completely unacceptable or the problem unresolved, they should do the thing business fears the most - boycott the business and spread the word.

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    quicksandposted 11 years ago

    Well, the customer is never always right. He who coined the phrase "The Customer Is Always Right" should be banged hard on the head with an empty 1.5mL plastic Coca Cola bottle. Although that would not solve the problem, the fact remains that knowing this phrase is what gives them the impetus to act the way they do.
    
    However there is a good side to this too. It's the customer's feedback that enables businesses to improve. There's nothing more rewarding than receiving thanks from a satisfied customer. They even go on to recommend you to others. When they do, it goes viral, you see!
    
    I love all my customers from the bottom of my heart ... but I am still searching for that guy who coined that phrase! 

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    OwuorSamOcholaposted 11 years ago

    Yes, because majority of the prospecting  buyers already know what they want. A few buyers ask for a new information.

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    hagsvilleUSAposted 11 years ago

    sometimes i really hate that in a business sense "the customer is always right."  there's something about such a statement that's almost offensive: we, as people, know when we're being treated unfairly or being taken advantage of; but under the cloud of all-mighty business, we turn the other cheek and take that dirty money.  the customer may always be right, but it takes more than that to be a decent person.

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    vashttii1posted 11 years ago

    Do you ever notice the only time we ask our selves that question, is due to the fact that we just experienced a rude or very dramatic customer!  The desire to keep our jobs depends on our ability to bite our tongue and keep in control of our emotions, but would it not be nice if their was a regulation that made customers apologise for their behavior! For example, the customers receipt should say " Thank You for your purchase, but if you ever want to shop here again you will have to write an apology letter". Wishful thinking right! Customers are never right, but ethicly we have to treat them as if they are.

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