phone etiquette

i hung up on some douchebag on the phone the other day. he ended up complaining to the non-profit org that owns my bike shop. i didn't get reprimanded per se, but it was definitely a hot topic. i've been instructed to transfer all douchebags immediately over to my more mild-mannered boss. ha.

douche: "yeah. hi. i need to make an appointment to bring my bike in for a tune up."

ken: "well, we need to have a look at your bike to figure out how much work it needs so we can give you an estimate, and how long it will take."

douche: (already pissed) "I WAS JUST IN THERE THE OTHER DAY AND THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T DO A TUNE UP WITHOUT AN APPOINTMENT! I'M NOT GOING TO DRIVE 40 MIN JUST TO GET AN APPOINTMENT FOR ANOTHER DATE!!!!"

this is where i started explaining how it works, he interrupted me, yelling, and i hung up.

(he called back, naturally)

douche: "YEAH, ITS ME AGAIN."

ken: "how may i be of assistance to you today, sir? (sarcasm, its hard to convey via internet)

douche: "I SPENT $800 DOLLARS THERE AND THIS IS HOW I'M TREATED?!"

ken: "i tried to explain something to you, but you weren't listening to me. you were yelling instead. when i realized that the conversation was going nowhere since you weren't listening, i hung up."

douche: "ok fine i'm listening now. . ."

ken: "weekends are our busiest days. if you bring in your bike on a weekend, which you probably did the first time, we can't tune up your bike on the spot. we also can't make appointments over the phone without looking at your bike, nor can we reserve a slot without a deposit. you need to bring it in and allow time for us to make an estimate, then book you a date for a tune up. the fact that you live 40 min away and have to drive here does not give you any special privileges. there's nothing we can do to help you there. thats your choice for going to a bike shop thats 40 min away."

douche: "ARE YOU FINISHED?"

ken: "yes."

douche: "its 40 min round trip- i live in the marina (not surprising- its doucheville over there)! I USED TO KNOW THE PERSON THAT RAN THE OLD NON PROFIT THAT OWNED THE PLACE! THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE! UHHH. . . FUCK YOU, LATER!"

ken: "bye!"



yes, he said, "fuck you later." ha.