Bad customer service or just a really stupid customer?

I feel like a dragon right now that’s about to breathe fire through his nose. I am starting to think that customer service people just love to pick on me. What?! Have I not been a good employee during my stint as a customer service agent? 

Okay, here’s what happened but I’m not gonna drop any names unlike last time but it’s still not gonna be pretty.

I’ve decided to sign up for my own privilege/loyalty card in a very popular store. It takes a few weeks to process the registration but the idea is that even if I don’t have the card yet, I can collect all my purchase receipts so I could add them to my card’s earnings later. I’ve amassed quite a hefty number of points during my waiting period so I was very excited to get the card.

I got the card last week after waiting for almost a month. In my excitement, I totally forgot to bring the receipts with me before going there. When I remembered it was already too late because the customer service dude was already processing it. A woman came to us while I was waiting. She looked like she was not just a regular customer service lady judging from her more formal uniform. A short conversation followed…

Woman: So you’re claiming your card?
Me: Yeah… but I forgot to bring with me the receipts I collected.
Deceitful Woman: You have some?
Me: Yeah, but I forgot them at home.
Devious Woman: (nods and looks away)

I have to mention that she looked nice and was smiling the whole time. So I didn’t thinking anything could go wrong although at the back of my mind, I did think for a second that I should ASK them if I could go back to add those points. But because that they didn’t even ASK if I had collected any receipts, I thought everything was alright. And I’m not really the kind of person who likes doing small talk to strangers so encounters like this are almost always awkward for me. 

I try to practice politeness wherever I go so I said…

Poor ol’ me: Thank you. I’ll be back with the receipts.
Two-faced b*t*h: (simply nods and smiles again)

I wasn’t able to go back that same day. After a few days, I returned to the store and said to the one lady there that I would like to add the receipts I neglected to bring last week. Well, I think you know already what happened. Basically, she said that it wasn’t possible and that I should have brought them while claiming the card. I tried to think of things I could say so I could talk her into it but I knew it was hopeless. I was already starting to feel angry so I just left. I didn’t want to blame her for anything because she had no idea what really happened. And I know how it feels to be on the other end of an irate customer. I learned to try to be more understanding of people in the service crew. But I can’t deny to myself that I was hurt by this experience.

You’d probably say to me that I should have done the one obvious thing: ASK! Yeah but you know, it’s always easy to point out the mistakes AFTER the fact. Also, why did they not ASK if I had receipts in the first place? That in itself is bad customer service. I also didn’t like the fact that the second woman didn’t even empathize with my disappointment. Instead, she made me feel like I was cheating them as if I’ve been collecting receipts from the garbage! That’s another score for terrible customer service.

So what I’m really furious about is the poor customer service and that lady who didn’t even inform me that I couldn’t go back to redeem those receipts. Such a huge waste of my time! Now I’m not sure if I’m happy that I have this card now. There’s no doubt that it will be used a lot but I’m afraid I’ll just be forever reminded of this ugly experience every time I bring it out in their stores.

So, bad customer service or just a really stupid customer?  :-S

Image credits: 1, 2, I made the 3rd one.