Rant VIII: The Reckoning
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GasBandit
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Or rather, "If I can do it, I should be doing it, and if I shouldn't be doing it, there should be someone whose job it is to stop me, or it's ok, and sometimes even then it is ok if we lawyer it enough."
And to throw another wrench in the works, there is a growing body of research showing that people's thinking changes as they gain power, status, and money...on average towards more self-interested and narcissistic. When the situation of being in power fundamentally changes one's moral and ethical thinking, intervention becomes complicated.
GasBandit
Staff member
Or to put it another way, "Slaves would be Tyrants were the chance theirs." - Victor Hugo
While I'd like to think that it wouldn't happen to me, I totally recognize that when I was making 'internet money' my thinking was a lot more douchebag. I like to think the 3 years of joblessness I had after the fact was the universe putting me back into my place and reminding me not to be such an asshat.
It is hard to predict who it will affect, because it isn't a universal law of human nature. But an average is still telling.
Yeah, I know. I've read a LOT of SF&F.
"After all, why not? Why shouldn't I keep it?"
--Patrick
This is all I ask.
Just had a customer accuse us of discrimination based on his disabilities.
The context? For whatever reason, the company stopped taking payments from customers at our stores. This was back at the start of Covid restrictions and I think they did it to reduce traffic in the stores. But god knows if that's the only reason because I've mentioned before how they love pushing customers to use online accounts.
Anyway, we have like half a dozen alternate ways of paying your bill. Directly through the online account, online banking, credit card over the phone, even go to your bank and pay with your account number.
But apparently all those options were no good for him. He even said, "If I use the bank, will Eastlink cover my bank fees?" Dude, no. Fuck off.
But most grating is he kept making the accusation that we were discriminating against him because he couldn't pay at the store anymore. And if we still took payments at all, that MIGHT hold water. But it's literally EVERYONE - with or without disabilities - that can't make payments at the store anymore.
I finally told him that if he pushed that accusation, I would end the call. And he did, so I ended the call.
The context? For whatever reason, the company stopped taking payments from customers at our stores. This was back at the start of Covid restrictions and I think they did it to reduce traffic in the stores. But god knows if that's the only reason because I've mentioned before how they love pushing customers to use online accounts.
Anyway, we have like half a dozen alternate ways of paying your bill. Directly through the online account, online banking, credit card over the phone, even go to your bank and pay with your account number.
But apparently all those options were no good for him. He even said, "If I use the bank, will Eastlink cover my bank fees?" Dude, no. Fuck off.
But most grating is he kept making the accusation that we were discriminating against him because he couldn't pay at the store anymore. And if we still took payments at all, that MIGHT hold water. But it's literally EVERYONE - with or without disabilities - that can't make payments at the store anymore.
I finally told him that if he pushed that accusation, I would end the call. And he did, so I ended the call.
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Oh, he kept going on about how, because I'm the one he's speaking to, that I am legally binding speaking on behalf of the company or some bullshit. He tried implying that I was directly discriminating against him, which I shot the fuck down right away.
I mean, I don't know the intricacy of his disability, but if a bank removed the wheelchair ramp and said "its not discriminating against people with disabilities. everyone has to use the stairs now, not just people with disabilities" that'd be obvious bullshit.
(Han Solo voice) "That's not how the law works!"
Not really a fair comparison since this isn't removing anything related to disabilities like an accessible ramp.
I can't recall what he said his disabilities were now (it was a long, almost 40-minute call because he just kept ranting), but I think he said something about a head injury and I think Parkinson's, maybe? Something neurological, I think.
Like, I empathize with it and it is frustrating to tell people that they can't do this thing, but there are many alternatives. I even suggested he could have a friend pay for his services or something with one of the other methods and he could pay them back.
Also, can we maybe NOT do the pedantic, nitpicking argument for once?
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Even if it were discriminatory, which I agree it’s not, it wasn’t a call you personally made. You did the right thing by ending the conversation.
Particularly as soon as he started claiming discrimination. Every message I had received while working anywhere forward-facing was that as soon as someone started talking about suing or the like, that was immediate grounds to end the conversation with "I'm sorry you feel that way, as you've suggested this is to become a legal matter, I can no longer continue this conversation. Any further communication must be made directly with legal."
Only if you're "lucky enough" where you're in a job where you're allowed to hang up. I've been in positions where we HAD to stay on the line as long as the customer doesn't disconnect.
Mind you, I just learned to put those customers in an infinite on hold loop, because screw that noise.
Mind you, I just learned to put those customers in an infinite on hold loop, because screw that noise.
I'll just say that's bullshit. You'd think the company would recognize that past a certain point, there's no profit to be made in continuing to engage with such a "customer." And that expecting such behavior out of an employee reduces their effectiveness (and potential profit) for the next caller or callers.
You might think that and I agree but the people who make these rules never had to talk with costumers.
This just reminds me about the whole shit I had to deal with as a call center agent in customer support of a big telecommunication company. I started in tech support but we also had to help with contract shit later. And yes, it was shit. One guy called in and complained, telling me he refuse to pay his bill. He claimed we broke the contract and he don't need to pay a cent. Becaused something we changed without informing him beforehand, so that he can veto. His problem? The design of the bill was changed. The layout was a bit different but all informations remained. He demanded we change it back or we won't see a cent.
Or the people who didn't undertood how paper work. Yes, mutiple people. It usually went like this:
Customer: Something's wrong with my bill. I can't see the total sum. I don't know what to pay!
Me: you get your bill online or in the mail?
Customer: Mail. The bill is all messed up. The tax and the total sum is missing. This is all your fault I can't pay.
Me (looking up the folder with the bills we sended per postal service): I see the bill and can tell you the full sum. But it looks alright to me. Was only your address printed and nothing else?
Customer: No, there is stuff printed but I don't know how much I have to pay.
Me: I see the the sum on the second page.
Customer : There is no second page. There was only one in the envelope. I demand a new correct bill. And I will not pay for it!
Me: Have you turned the page and looked at the backside?
Customer: .... oh. (click)
Apparently the bills they got before fit on the first page but they called mobil numbers creating new positons on the new bill shifting the end on the next page. Some waited more than 20 minutes in our line only to get told they are too dumb to turn a page. And these were not old people.
Or the people who didn't undertood how paper work. Yes, mutiple people. It usually went like this:
Customer: Something's wrong with my bill. I can't see the total sum. I don't know what to pay!
Me: you get your bill online or in the mail?
Customer: Mail. The bill is all messed up. The tax and the total sum is missing. This is all your fault I can't pay.
Me (looking up the folder with the bills we sended per postal service): I see the bill and can tell you the full sum. But it looks alright to me. Was only your address printed and nothing else?
Customer: No, there is stuff printed but I don't know how much I have to pay.
Me: I see the the sum on the second page.
Customer : There is no second page. There was only one in the envelope. I demand a new correct bill. And I will not pay for it!
Me: Have you turned the page and looked at the backside?
Customer: .... oh. (click)
Apparently the bills they got before fit on the first page but they called mobil numbers creating new positons on the new bill shifting the end on the next page. Some waited more than 20 minutes in our line only to get told they are too dumb to turn a page. And these were not old people.
I am amazed and appaled on a near-daily basis by how people can operate.
Of course, once you're in a "corporate" world, people have different expectations. WHiel I'm sure there's some of them who would really call Facebook to reset their password for them, the vast majority of people don't. For our site? Not so much.
Really, I can actually recall AT LEAST three different situations where I had a customer who wanted a new password, but wouldn't click the "forgot password" link because s/he hadn't forgoten, it just didn't work anymore. YYYyyyeeeaah, even if true, just press the damn button already and get a new password.
Of course, once you're in a "corporate" world, people have different expectations. WHiel I'm sure there's some of them who would really call Facebook to reset their password for them, the vast majority of people don't. For our site? Not so much.
Really, I can actually recall AT LEAST three different situations where I had a customer who wanted a new password, but wouldn't click the "forgot password" link because s/he hadn't forgoten, it just didn't work anymore. YYYyyyeeeaah, even if true, just press the damn button already and get a new password.
