# Stupid customers



## Pugwash69 (Jun 12, 2012)

Seriously one customer has sent us a link to a review web site showing 36 reviews of our company, half of them not good. He reckons he wouldn't have ordered from us if he'd known we were so bad. :roll:

(We sold a few thousand orders last year)


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## Spandex (Feb 20, 2009)

I don't understand which bit is stupid... (I'm assuming they're looking at it as a statistic, rather than assuming that those 36 reviews represent all of your sales).


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## Callum-TT (Jun 3, 2013)

As always in business regardless of how good you are it's the bad ones that make the biggest impact.


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## Pugwash69 (Jun 12, 2012)

Spandex said:


> I don't understand which bit is stupid... (I'm assuming they're looking at it as a statistic, rather than assuming that those 36 reviews represent all of your sales).


Happy customers don't usually say a word. This chap was unhappy and has threatened to blacken our name across the entire internet and social media. He must wield a mighty mouse click!


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## Spandex (Feb 20, 2009)

Pugwash69 said:


> Spandex said:
> 
> 
> > I don't understand which bit is stupid... (I'm assuming they're looking at it as a statistic, rather than assuming that those 36 reviews represent all of your sales).
> ...


Sorry, I still don't see how he can be described as stupid without making a load of assumptions about how he has interpreted the statistics. I think this does show that it's worth taking the time to sort out problems even when you think the customer is completely in the wrong though, as negative reviews clearly have an impact, no matter how convinced you are that they're misleading.


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## brian1978 (Jul 10, 2013)

I can see you value your customer base. :-|

I get complaints too. Its part of selling things not everyone is happy. But I try to remember without customers, however stupid they may be, I would be unemployed :wink:

People will always assume the worst when they read a bad review, and unhappy customers will always make 100x more noise than happy ones. Its just the way it is.


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## Pugwash69 (Jun 12, 2012)

Well my post is only half of the story. When a customer says they have received something that's faulty or doesn't fit properly, we ask them to send us a photo of it. This lets us see what they have received and then we can send a replacement free of charge or give a full refund. It's sorted as soon as they email or text the image.

This customer has taken offence because we assumed he would be able to take a photo, or know someone who would be able to take it for him. We weren't expecting a work of art, just a photo taken on a smart phone or such. Instead he's insisted on sending it back to us (which probably cost him about £10 postage) and thinks distance selling regulations will force us to refund his return postage. He's babbled on about consumer rights and such when all he needed to do was remain civil and help us help him.

Oh, and he's failed to read some of our emails we sent him, so is angry about that too.


> I work with computers so I'm extremely capable of spreading the word on your far from satisfactory service


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## Spandex (Feb 20, 2009)

Pugwash69 said:


> Instead he's insisted on sending it back to us (which probably cost him about £10 postage) and thinks distance selling regulations will force us to refund his return postage.


Well, if it is faulty (I presume he believes it is), he's correct.

While we're on the subject of returns policies, I bought a NAS from Dabs the other week. It was one of their '2nd hand' products (basically stuff that's sent back to them, tested and NFF) and was advertised as already having a HDD in one of the 2 bays. It was £155 all in (a saving of about £50-£60 I think) so I ordered it and a matching new HDD to put in the 2nd bay.

When it arrived there was no HDD in the NAS, so I contacted them and they said they'd see what they could do about sending a new one out for my troubles. After a few days of them not calling me back and not being able to find someone senior enough to authorise the new drive, they eventually said I could return it for a full refund, or they could refund £20 for the missing drive... That would mean I was paying £135 for the second hand NAS - the same NAS they were selling brand new for £120.

Anyway, I got my full refund and they paid the return postage, but the stupidity of the whole thing has put me off buying anything from them again. All it would have taken was a reasonable partial refund or a discount on a new drive to keep me as a customer (and I've used them a lot in the past).


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## JNmercury00 (May 22, 2007)

Spandex said:


> Pugwash69 said:
> 
> 
> > Instead he's insisted on sending it back to us (which probably cost him about £10 postage) and thinks distance selling regulations will force us to refund his return postage.
> ...


Cool story bro......


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## jamman (May 6, 2002)

I get very few complainers but if I do I tend to listen thoughtfully to any issue they have and then electrocute them.


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## Pugwash69 (Jun 12, 2012)

That's probably why I stick to doing the technical stuff and my business partner deals with customers. I have very little patience.


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## Pugwash69 (Jun 12, 2012)

Spandex said:


> Pugwash69 said:
> 
> 
> > Instead he's insisted on sending it back to us (which probably cost him about £10 postage) and thinks distance selling regulations will force us to refund his return postage.
> ...


If it's faulty (which we can easily determine with a photo) we don't ask them to return it. If they decide to return it of their own choice even though we don't want them to, we don't pay for it.


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## John-H (Jul 13, 2005)

People can be stupid but with distance selling regulations they have the right to return it for refund even if it isn't faulty.


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## brian1978 (Jul 10, 2013)

Pugwash69 said:


> That's probably why I stick to doing the technical stuff and my business partner deals with customers. * I have very little patience *.


You would never have guessed it.


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## zltm089 (Jul 27, 2009)

That's why I like review websites! Time for businesses to start caring about their customers. ( Not accusing the OP of anything). But for so long, customers have been buttfcuked by arrogant and "i don't give a shit" companies. Customer service staff normally have that "it's not my problem" attitude. From Natwest to vodafone etc.

Websites like Tripadvisor etc are great but it looks like "marketing" is taking over now and they are becoming less of a review website but more of a "booking" one.


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## jamman (May 6, 2002)

Shit I agree with the bloke above.


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## mullum (Sep 16, 2011)

:lol:


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## flashp (Mar 9, 2014)

This reply is not with respect to the OP since the customer hasn't had an opportunity to post his argument, so this is generalisation;

The internet empowers the public to make an informed choice easily.

I don't know enough to know what's gone on with the OP and this customer but the true measure of a business is how efficiently they correct problems.

I've used a wheel refurbishment service who have many many positive reviews. I had a potentially dangerous experience with my wheels when tracked (which they were advised I would be doing prior to work commencing) and the previously 'smashing bloke' couldn't have been more obnoxious during resolution.

So, there it is. Things are never what they seem!


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## Pugwash69 (Jun 12, 2012)

I wouldn't put too much faith in review web sites either. I'm not saying people don't have complaints, but competing companies can also post fake crap reviews and then some owners try to post loads of great reviews about themselves.

I've been replying to emails again this morning as my business partner is away on holiday. Beware shopping online today.


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## Spandex (Feb 20, 2009)

Companies who have good online reviews will say how important they are - companies that have bad online reviews will say how unimportant they are.

Personally, I think review sites of all kinds are a very useful tool. As long as you understand statistics, basic human nature, and look for patterns rather than individual complaints, you can get a lot of information from them.


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## A3DFU (May 7, 2002)

If I were to think my costumers are stupid I don't think I'd have any as emotions (thoughts&feelings) are usually pretty obvious to the recipient of the same.
[this is targeted at the OP]


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## Pugwash69 (Jun 12, 2012)

Maybe you don't work in the retail industry directly? Customer are almost always stupid.

Another example is someone who contacted us today for the first time to say that their order hasn't arrived yet so they want to cancel the order. I know this is within their rights, but it despatched right on target within the estimate we gave them and we emailed them the link to the courier's tracking details within an hour of it leaving the door. It's on it's way to Ireland!


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## mullum (Sep 16, 2011)

It's not just customers, it's a huge swath of the planets population :lol:


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## Spandex (Feb 20, 2009)

Pugwash69 said:


> Another example is someone who contacted us today for the first time to say that their order hasn't arrived yet so they want to cancel the order. I know this is within their rights, but it despatched right on target within the estimate we gave them and we emailed them the link to the courier's tracking details within an hour of it leaving the door. It's on it's way to Ireland!


Again, this is only stupid if you make a load of assumptions about their motives and thought processes.


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## Pugwash69 (Jun 12, 2012)

Didn't read his emails, doesn't know the difference between elapsed days and working days, is Irish?


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## A3DFU (May 7, 2002)

Pugwash69 said:


> Maybe you don't work in the retail industry directly? Customer are almost always stupid.


Funny you should think that! 
I see clients on a daily basis but at no time did I ever think that any of them was stupid. They simply know different things to what I know. That gives life diversity.

However, as far as retail is concerned, that is only sometimes part of my job. I'm normally dealing with people directly and my NLP Master training certainly makes dealing with people a breeze.


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## Spandex (Feb 20, 2009)

Pugwash69 said:


> Didn't read his emails, doesn't know the difference between elapsed days and working days, is Irish?


Decided he didn't want it, didn't need it, could get it cheaper/quicker elsewhere? Maybe something changed and he could no longer justify buying it.

Who knows. The point is, you don't.


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## John-H (Jul 13, 2005)

Pugwash69 said:


> Maybe you don't work in the retail industry directly? Customer are almost always stupid. ....


Most of us buy things on a retail basis including your good self and we all are not stupid most of the time. I presume you agree this is normal. Therefore I think you mean that some customers are stupid and have driven you to have a rant about this minority. Fair enough. Unless all the stupid ones make a bee line towards your business which seems a tad unlikely. Sorry to be boring and realistic. A rant can be more entertaining :wink:


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## JNmercury00 (May 22, 2007)

Gone are the days on this forum where you can just have a rant :roll:


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## aznxliddonikki (Jun 28, 2014)

FRIGGIN A


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