Today I had to get a refund at a mall.
Firstly I hate malls, secondly its my day off, Thirdly when I get to the store at 12:15 theres a note on the stating that they will be back at 14:00. Fun!
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I also had to renew my car licence as well as my drivers. I turn into the traffic department..
There is no parking! To top it there was a traffic officer outside making it rain with fines, because people are now parking in undesignated areas as they have no other choice.
I decide to leave, as neither of my renewals are worthy of receiving a fine.
I think to myself, well hey , the day is wasted.. lets go back to the mall and just sort it out..
I return, to be told that there is not enough cash in the till to do a refund. (what you guys might not know was that I was at this mall the day before for the same reason and being told the same excuse).
At this point, Im screaming in my mind, but with a smile on my face, and I take a deep breath, I look at the guy behind the counter, seeing him start to brace himself of a yelling. I felt bad for him.
I asked him, if there was a way to resolve this, which did not include me returning to the store, as this was my third visit in two days.
He looked relieved that I wasnt causing a scene, He explained that they can do a manual transfer into my account, and apologized for the lack of available funds, as items start in the thousands , most people pay via card.
This I could understand, as I had paid via card too.
I could have given them a piece of my mind, but the consultant did not deserve it. It wasnt his fault.
The manager arrived as well,which to my luck was also the owner , and asked if he could assist, and I told him that that issue was resolved,However that business needs to have contingency for such situations.
I was treated with the best customer service the consultant could offer, and was still not entirely pleased.
After explaining that its an issue with the businesses return policy process and the lack of customer consideration in it, the owner ended up thanking me, for my feedback, I suspected that his staff did not share such concerns with the owner before, even though it clearly seemed like a common thing because the consultant had braced himself.
I found it really sad that feedback is not requested from staff, and that that some people in the customer service environment get treated poorly because the business is not aligned to customers.
Im sure that some people are in customer service due to lack of options rather than choice.
Even though I had been really frustrated, I would like to think that how I choose to deal with it, was a health alternative, as no one else deserves being put in a bad mood, just because I was.
I feel I was really lucky to rise above in that moment, Im sure had this happened to me last week, or tomorrow, I wouldve exploded. Im not always so aware of situations as they unfold.
But I definitely want to learn from today.
Until next time ...
@bearone