Why are people so rude?

[boomhauer]

Seriously, every now and then you encounter someone and you just can't fathom what their malfunction is.

I'm at work, and I get a call from this customer looking to order an item. He asks for the price (which is set), I give it to him, and he asks me for a better price. I tell him, that's up to his sales consultant to OK that. His response:

"Do you know who I am? I happen to be one of your biggest customers."

OK - Does that mean you HAVE to be rude?

Then, after that, he tells me he can get the item someplace else for less. We match prices. He knows that. All he had to do was say so. But instead, he had to be a big shot and try to make me feel bad.

I can't imagine calling Pizza Hut, ordering a pizza and saying, "Can you do any better on that? Do you know who I am? I'm one of your biggest customers."

 

[LMC]

Well first of all if Mr Joe Blow, your biggest customer, gets a better price, then he should have identified himself so you could pull up his account information and give him his designated discount percentage or transfer the call to his sales consultant.

Business customers that get discounts on a routine basis know the procedure to get those discounts. I am surprised he didn't call his sales person directly anyway.

 

[boomhauer]

Well first of all if Mr Joe Blow, your biggest customer, gets a better price, then he should have identified himself so you could pull up his account information and give him his designated discount percentage or transfer the call to his sales consultant.

Business customers that get discounts on a routine basis know the procedure to get those discounts. I am surprised he didn't call his sales person directly anyway.

He did give me his account information. His price that came up was already discounted. It's automatically in our system. He just wanted a better price. That's fine - Can't blame a person for that. But there's a way to go about it without being a jerk. Some people just don't care.

Like I said to him: "Well, thank you sir, I appreciate your business, but I still just can't lower the price for you. I don't have the authority."

 

[WIcruizer]

It's called self loathing. I am falling short somehow in want I want from life...so I take it out on you.

 

[RadioNate]

I think some of it stems from past experiences with poor customer service. I know when I have to call and deal with something I'm already worked up because I'm expecting it to be a hassle. Then you are put on hold or the person on the other end of the phone isn't as helpful as you'd like them to be, etc etc.

I know that I'm working very hard to be pleasant when dealing with 'business' over the phone.

That said. I do that think it is rude to ask for a better price and get all huffy about it when you aren't even dealing with the correct person. This guys sounds like he had quite the ego.

 

[NMAmy]

It's like the people that feel the need to hassle their poor servers at a restaurant. For some reason, being rude to people who can't really fight back makes some folks feel more important.

Actually, nothing makes me look down my nose at a person more than this kind of behavior. If it's someone I know, I lose all respect for them.

 

[Pete's Mom]

I get this a lot from some customers. Trust me, if they could get it cheaper from someone else, they wouldn't be bothering you. I usually call their bluff and 9 times out of 10, I still get the order. If you don't, then they will continue to go back and forth between vendors and all that does is drive the market down.

My favorite line is, "You can get them for how much? Well hell, buy ME a truckload of them, would ya'?"

 

[Tigger_Magic]

I think some people were just born to be rude -- there's something in their genes that triggers the rude response center of their brain to be overly developed and overly stimulated. It sounds like you handled the situation as best as you could. Every business has customers like this one; they come with the territory. I'm glad I'm not in a job that has to stroke their overly inflated egos.

 

[LisaNJ25]

People can be idiots. I am a flower vendor at a wholesale club. Last Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving I was mobbed. I had this lady say very loudly infront of a large crowd "Do you sell any roses that dont droop over right away?"

I was like, Well I hope so.

She went one and on saying everytime she buys roses the die and its not just her but all of her friends also. She said she even cuts them on angle.. my brother in law who was helping out tried to get her to lighted up and said,, maybe thats the problem, cut the straight next time . She was just grumpy.

 

[WIcruizer]

"Do you sell any roses that dont droop over right away?"

I woud be so tempted to say..."Ohhhhh you wanted the NON drooping roses"

 

[boomhauer]

It's like the people that feel the need to hassle their poor servers at a restaurant. For some reason, being rude to people who can't really fight back makes some folks feel more important.

I HATE when people do that. I could have the worst service imaginable, and I would never talk down to someone. My MIL does that sometimes. I call her on it, and she's like "I wasn't being rude at all."

Some people are just clueless.

 

[Tigger_Magic]

I HATE when people do that. I could have the worst service imaginable, and I would never talk down to someone. My MIL does that sometimes. I call her on it, and she's like "I wasn't being rude at all."

Some people are just clueless.

Ditto here. My MIL won't say thank you or even make eye contact with the server. I've asked her many times if she thinks the server is "beneath her" and she says no. She doesn't think her behavior is rude at all either. I shudder to think of what happens when she dines alone or with other people.

 

[boomhauer]

Ditto here. My MIL won't say thank you or even make eye contact with the server. I've asked her many times if she thinks the server is "beneath her" and she says no. She doesn't think her behavior is rude at all either. I shudder to think of what happens when she dines alone or with other people.

Those MIL's, huh?

Sounds like yours and mine should get together and go out for dinner.

 

[Tigger_Magic]

Those MIL's, huh?

Sounds like yours and mine should get together and go out for dinner.

Just let me warn (and pre-tip) the server ahead of time, please! (My MIL also doesn't "believe" in gratuities, but that's a whole 'nother thread!)

 

[moniot]

Sometimes I think people are all geared up ready for a fight when they call. It is still no excuse to be rude. I get it all the time. The people that really annoy me are the sales people that call and hang up on me when I tell them the owner is not available. Why hang up?

 

[Mysteria]

I hear ya Boom. I used to do take inbound customer service calls for a cell phone company. There were days I left feeling like I had been in a physical fight. It was brutal at times. I can't even say here many of the names I was called on a daily basis.

Myst

 

[Disney Doll]

I remember taking care of a patient once, a very lovely woman, with a very big blowhard of a husband. She was admitted to a 2 bed room, and wanted a private room. I called our Admitting department, and they had a private room that had just come available on the other end of the hall, but Housekeeping needed to clean it. Mind you, the 2 bed room the patient was in had no other patient in it at the time, so she id have it all to herself. In any event, I said to the woman "There is a private room being cleaned down the hall. It will take a few minutes, and then I will move you there. Meanwhile, make yourself comfortable in this room while you wait". The husband looks ta me and says "If I call Mr.Vice-President, who I know personally, would that make that room get cleaned any quicker?" I looked at him and said "only if you think Mr.VP would come down here and help the housekeeper clean it".

The wife was mortified, the guy knew when to shut up, and she was happily ensconced in her new private room within a half hour or so. I wanted to say to him "Why do you feel the need to come in here & throw your weight around?" but I didn't.