Shopping Discussion

Bending The Rules For Customers

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  • May 25th, 2009 3:02 pm
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Newbie
Jan 19, 2006
89 posts
1 upvote

Bending The Rules For Customers

Should employees disregard corporate policies in order to please their customers? Should business owners understand being scammed is the cost of doing business? Should employees understand, customers don't care about them because "it is their problem"? As a customer myself, I don't expect an employee to bent the rules all the time just for good service but its just me though. What is your opinion on those questions for those who never worked in retail and the service sector. Do you agree or disagree?
14 replies
Deal Guru
User avatar
Apr 17, 2005
12990 posts
1471 upvotes
policies are put in place as controls to prevent abuse from both the employees and the customers.

I agree there should be some leeway but nothing that a company/employee isn't willing to do again for another person.
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Deal Expert
Jan 7, 2002
29710 posts
29127 upvotes
Waterloo, ON
Nameless wrote: Should employees disregard corporate policies in order to please their customers?
Corporate policies should be flexible enough to empower employees to resolve customer service issues in order to please customers while at the same time protecting the interests of their employer. Of course this is easier said than done.
Should business owners understand being scammed is the cost of doing business?
No. Scamming, like say shoplifting, is illegal. It should not be tolerated. That said, when there's doubt, the customer should get the benefit of it.
Newbie
Mar 25, 2009
95 posts
Nope, I valued my job. Those decisions are best made by those in charge. Its not my place to question policy regardless of how absurd it is.
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Mar 31, 2007
5069 posts
3306 upvotes
Rules are intended to provide a sense of direction and understanding. However, rules (similar to laws) cannot completely encompass the various types of -unique- scenarios that may occur. So discretionary measures should be taken with that in mind.

Long story short,
- some rules should be flexible based on circumstances,
- others should be firm to avoid exploitation,
- discretion on the part of the employee/organization should determine which of the above should be used :D
Deal Addict
User avatar
May 18, 2004
2857 posts
507 upvotes
Ontario GTA
policies are in place as a guideline for employees.

however, that dosn't mean you can't bend the rules on a case by case basis if it warrants it.

that's the difference between normal customer service and outstanding service.
Deal Guru
User avatar
Aug 20, 2005
11318 posts
3866 upvotes
Nowhere
It depends on management whether policies are merely guidelines or whether someone will be fired for failing to follow it. In many places, the CSR will be fired for bending the rules and only management has discretion to do so. So before you come here complaining about some CSR, remember that in many cases, they are just trying to keep their job by doing what they were instructed to do.

What customers also fail to realize is that every customer has some excuse for wanting you to bend the rules. I've always believed in treating people equally so if I bend the rule for you then I've got to do it for the next guy and the one after that. Doing this basically nullifies the rule.

Also CSRs do get jaded in dealing with customers because some will use awful lies to get your sympathy and scam you. When I work in a grocery store many years ago, a common scam was to steal cases of baby formula and then try to return it without a receipt, saying that the baby died.
Newbie
Mar 25, 2009
95 posts
Cheap Cat wrote: It depends on management whether policies are merely guidelines or whether someone will be fired for failing to follow it. In many places, the CSR will be fired for bending the rules and only management has discretion to do so. So before you come here complaining about some CSR, remember that in many cases, they are just trying to keep their job by doing what they were instructed to do.
One of my co-workers got fired for allowing a customer to return a camera way past 30 days, was purchased over a year ago.

Then we have some rule about not giving over $100 in cash for returns. Customer only had his company card and it was a personal purchase. I said I would give him the money in cash. I just wanted to be courteous to the customer, but the b**** manager heard, stopped it, then I got s**t for it later.
Deal Expert
Jan 7, 2002
29710 posts
29127 upvotes
Waterloo, ON
Iterator wrote: One of my co-workers got fired for allowing a customer to return a camera way past 30 days, was purchased over a year ago.
This is where flexibility and good judgment trump rules. If a customer returns a defective product after, say 45 days when the rule is 30 days, then most reasonable people would give them the refund or exchange anyway. But after a year the customer has no reason to expect that. Still, there may be extenuating circumstances, e.g. it's a good customer who has bought lots of stuff over many years, or perhaps this customer has had nothing but problems with this camera, has had it serviced several times already and has now reached the limits of their patience.
Deal Addict
May 27, 2005
2284 posts
47 upvotes
Kingston
RiCHC3 wrote: Rules are intended to provide a sense of direction and understanding. However, rules (similar to laws) cannot completely encompass the various types of -unique- scenarios that may occur. So discretionary measures should be taken with that in mind.

Long story short,
- some rules should be flexible based on circumstances,
- others should be firm to avoid exploitation,
- discretion on the part of the employee/organization should determine which of the above should be used :D
I agree completely. It is the place of the front line employee to follow the policy and ask the supervisor for reconsideration if the customer demands it or it seems just in the situation. It is the place of the supervisor or manager to consider the situation, use discretion, and grant exceptions to policies.

It always cracks me up when I meet a manager who insists that he can't make exceptions to store policies. If this is true, they have no purpose for existing. I sometimes aks these guys why they're even there. Not one of them really had a good response to that question.
Deal Addict
May 27, 2005
2284 posts
47 upvotes
Kingston
Iterator wrote: One of my co-workers got fired for allowing a customer to return a camera way past 30 days, was purchased over a year ago.

Then we have some rule about not giving over $100 in cash for returns. Customer only had his company card and it was a personal purchase. I said I would give him the money in cash. I just wanted to be courteous to the customer, but the b**** manager heard, stopped it, then I got s**t for it later.
Wanna tell us where you work so we can boycott? :D
Deal Addict
User avatar
Nov 15, 2006
1555 posts
659 upvotes
Ottawa
Siefer999 wrote: policies are put in place as controls to prevent abuse from both the employees and the customers.

I agree there should be some leeway but nothing that a company/employee isn't willing to do again for another person.
Agreed. Do anything you want to make "customer A" happy, but be prepared to do it for "customer B" (or customer A again). If you are going to do something that is a one time thing, they you shouldn't be doing it.
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Oct 22, 2007
9280 posts
3006 upvotes
London
belgiangenius wrote: It always cracks me up when I meet a manager who insists that he can't make exceptions to store policies. If this is true, they have no purpose for existing. I sometimes aks these guys why they're even there. Not one of them really had a good response to that question.
Well, it's not that they can't make exceptions.. it's they won't make an exception for _you_. ;-)
Newbie
Mar 25, 2009
95 posts
bylo wrote: This is where flexibility and good judgment trump rules. If a customer returns a defective product after, say 45 days when the rule is 30 days, then most reasonable people would give them the refund or exchange anyway. But after a year the customer has no reason to expect that. Still, there may be extenuating circumstances, e.g. it's a good customer who has bought lots of stuff over many years, or perhaps this customer has had nothing but problems with this camera, has had it serviced several times already and has now reached the limits of their patience.
I wish customers could understand that. It's common sense, stores sell the product, manufacturers make it. Stores cannot be expected to be responsible for a product for its entire lifetime. I've even seen some manufacturers say don't return the product to the store if its defective, send it to us directly and we will deal with it.

and personally I don't care if a customer is returning something from 100 years ago still unopened. It is old inventory. or if they give some excuse that they went on a trip for the summer.
belgiangenius wrote: Wanna tell us where you work so we can boycott? :D
Even though I quit, I'm sure it would cause more harm for me. I would be hunted down. But let's just say people are already boycotting it.
Deal Addict
May 27, 2005
2284 posts
47 upvotes
Kingston
Iterator wrote: I wish customers could understand that. It's common sense, stores sell the product, manufacturers make it. Stores cannot be expected to be responsible for a product for its entire lifetime. I've even seen some manufacturers say don't return the product to the store if its defective, send it to us directly and we will deal with it.

and personally I don't care if a customer is returning something from 100 years ago still unopened. It is old inventory. or if they give some excuse that they went on a trip for the summer.



Even though I quit, I'm sure it would cause more harm for me. I would be hunted down. But let's just say people are already boycotting it.
ROFL. Gotta be stOOpleS.

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