Let me start by saying I will not be offended. Actually, I will feel relieved. If anyone in your family or any of your friends are Customer Service Reps and if they ever see my name come up, please refer me to someone else. It will be best for all of us. I already feel bad about making Laura cry, I can't take too much more.
Our relationship was doomed from the beginning. There was a tiny language barrier which certainly didn't help but in the end, wouldn't have been a deal breaker. Because I semi-understand myself, when I am in a CS situation, I routinely ask, Is what I am saying making sense? I want them to have Something to hang on to.
There were four receipts, four dates and 4 dollar amounts. The more questions I asked, the more confused Laura became. After 30 minutes which included her putting me on hold twice for 5 minutes to either gather information or catch her breath, I told her, Laura - we are not getting anywhere. I need to talk to your supervisor, please.. I could hear her choke up and trying to hold back tears and retain what little dignity she still had. She tried one more time to gather her thoughts and decipher her notes but she was totally gone by then. After 5 more minutes, I said, Laura, I need to speak to your supervisor now. I was firm but it was cruel to let this go on.
Her supervisor came on the line and I told her that Laura and I were having difficulty understanding one another. I am sure she would work better with less intense and less organized people - In the right situation, I am sure she works well with others. I am not sure I can say that about myself. The supervisor and I sorted out the problem in less than a minute - all is well and no one was hurt.
But I thought about Laura for the rest of the day. I hope she went home to her family and they all gathered around her as she told the tale of the nasty, fast talking yet powerfully prepared woman she had to deal with. They take turns hugging her and but it isn't until they take her out for ice cream that the memory of her day begins to fade.
Customer service is not created equal. Retail CS is much different than dealing with let's say, the US Government CS. I am so glad that Laura is where she is. She would never survive working for the government - there just isn't enough ice cream in the world to deal with that...
