Bad Customers!

[ms.marymac]

OMG! Why in the world do they need a picture? I've seen people get pics of themselves with MAs, or of their makeover and all, but this is just strange...like a mugshot or something!

I have seen people freak out when there's nobody at the counter. If a MA goes to the restroom by the time she/he comes back, the people at the next counter has stories of people foaming at the mouth b/c nobody was there. Never mind they were told what the situation was. Would they rather the MA pee or poop their pants so they can get their one lipgloss RIGHT THEN? Lord help a pregnant MA with folks like that!

 

[Deirdre]

I think too many people (as in customer people), forget that people who work in stores are actually human beings. I see many examples of impatient customers who have a dehumanized view of those who must serve us. It's disgusting, and shameful.

When I notice a salesperson is having a bad day, I always ask how they are doing, and let them know how much I appreciate their professionalism. They remember me, and I have a good relationship with them ever after. I used to work in the service industry, and remember how much I appreciated people who acted with respect.

 

[maxcat]

I can take vague, I can take cheap.
I can take a gal thinking pink and going for brown. Or red and going for cyber.
I can take pretty much everything except lunatics who start laying into me for no reason other than they've had a bad day, have a crap self image and want someone to take it out on.
You would not believe what people think it's acceptable to do you an MA.
Once I even got slapped.

I think a lot of specktraettes would be stunned as to how much general abuse MA's get... and it happens to me at least once a week. But then I get an absolute doll for a customer - and it all makes up for it.

 

[lah_knee]

no no i completely disagee macnatic...

ITS WHAT PEOPLE ARE COMFORTABLE WEARING. even if it looks like crap on their skin, if they like it, they should buy it. our trainers and managers have told us time and time again that we are there to ASSIST not to INSIST. what i think might look good on someone, they might think is hideous and wont buy it. that goes back to the whole thing we artists are pointing out about the customers. tell us what you dont like. tell us what colors you already have and which types of colors you want to try out. the most common question i get asked is "what colors are gonna compliment or make my green/blue/brown eyes stand out?" we are trained to answer such questions, but if they dont like those colors or arent comfortable wearing anything like that im not gonna INSIST they try it or buy it. im just gonna move along and show them other colors.

were not saying customers burden us. were venting just like all of you vent about our customer service. we dont encounter one type of customer every day. we have soooo many different types and we are actually trained in our basic training on how to deal with different types of customers... and believe me, where you live, what age group you're in, and who you shop with ALL have a lot to do with how you will behave when shopping and we have to take that into account

we get a lot of boyfriends and husbands that are like right in our face about what their girl can or cant wear (ANNOYING) and we get a lot of moms and their crazy kids who run around and touch everything while the mom is too busy to care, and we get what we like to call the "frienemies" (friend AND enemy) who come with their friend and tell them what they should and shouldnt buy and if they should listen to us or not lol these things can all make the whole experience difficult. we just want people to understand that we are people too

 

[aeni]

I can't believe MAC has a no refunds policy. When I worked retail, I got a lot of shit from people who would bring their makeup back either b/c they didn't like it or they just wanted their money back. I got a lot of crap from customers for the policy, but it was just a health issue that we didn't want to get sued for in the end. The only exception of course was through the manager and if the makeup wasn't opened or in the condition it left in (imprints, etc). No cremes b/c people can take a hairdryer to any creme and make it smooth and pretty again.

 

[ms.marymac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by maxcat I can take vague, I can take cheap. I can take a gal thinking pink and going for brown. Or red and going for cyber. I can take pretty much everything except lunatics who start laying into me for no reason other than they've had a bad day, have a crap self image and want someone to take it out on. You would not believe what people think it's acceptable to do you an MA. Once I even got slapped. I think a lot of specktraettes would be stunned as to how much general abuse MA's get... and it happens to me at least once a week. But then I get an absolute doll for a customer - and it all makes up for it.

WTH is wrong with some people! People like this need to be on a leash! I hope the woman who slapped you is banned from the counter...what a nutcase! It's just makeup! *end rant*

LOL @ frienemies & the bully husbands...oh, man. I just ignore them and ask the customer what THEY want. It's bad when they look helpless at the bully, though. You just want to say, "Just tell him/her to STHU!"

 

[SMMY]

Quote:

Originally Posted by maxcat I can take vague, I can take cheap. I can take a gal thinking pink and going for brown. Or red and going for cyber. I can take pretty much everything except lunatics who start laying into me for no reason other than they've had a bad day, have a crap self image and want someone to take it out on. You would not believe what people think it's acceptable to do you an MA. Once I even got slapped. I think a lot of specktraettes would be stunned as to how much general abuse MA's get... and it happens to me at least once a week. But then I get an absolute doll for a customer - and it all makes up for it.

Actually in situation like that, assault charges would be in order. Seriously, someone ever gets physical with you (slap, push or in any way touch you in an aggressive manner) that's when you should call the police or at the very least, the store security to deal with them. When I worked in retail many years ago, we had something similar to this happen once and the police were called immediately and a restraining order filed against this customer who was (past tense) a regular customer. No one should ever, ever have to put up with that. So sorry to hear that this happened to you.

 

[maxcat]

WTH is wrong with some people! People like this need to be on a leash! I hope the woman who slapped you is banned from the counter...what a nutcase! It's just makeup! *end rant*

You should have seen her face when security frogmarched her out the front door... yep, she's banned alright... she's an extreme example, but yeah. We're dealing with people's self image and psychological issues. It's like road rage.

As for returns, I wish MAC would put limits on it. I think a month is more than long enough to figure out if the product works for you or not. A lot of people have just started flat out abusing it - had a customer return 700 dollars worth that she bought for her wedding, used it once, brought allll back (including all the brushes) four months later because she needed the money.

 

[eponine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by professionaltart I freaking hate that like, "Im looking for a red" Im like okay what kind of red? "Like a bright red." Like RUby Woo? Russian Red? NO like Cyber. Hi...Cyber isnt red.

hehe, i totally had a customer like that once... she was like, "i normally wear bombshell and want a pink a little lighter than that one."
she left with morange.

 

[calbear]

I think my worse had to be when a young woman came in and needed a return but had no receipt. I advised her very nicely that we could not return or even exchange it without a receipt (and maybe if she could find it at home) but before I could finish trying to help the girl, her boyfriend decided to loose his mind and start calling me all kinds of b*tches and c*nts in the middle of my store. After my manager came over said sorry no return and walked off, the two walked out of the store and he stood in front threatening me and telling me to come outside so he could kick my a$$. Now as I am from a small town called *I don't take sh*t from nobody* it took all I had not to take off my MAC pin and join him outside and show him how much of a B I coulda been - but no I just smiled.

 

[ms.marymac]

Maybe they should add psychiatric/self defense classes to Basic.

 

[i_bleed_life]

Quote:

Originally Posted by onnachan Ok. I've been reading lots about poor service people have had MAC. I'm a MAC MA and I am happy to help people and I have a lot of fun hanging out and helping people understand makeup/colour theory/applicaion and I know customers have a lot of fun shopping with me. (Customers write in to head office all the time and say that they've have a great experience with me/with my co-workers/at my counter). For the record, MAC MA's have to put up with a LOT of crap from customers. It's retail, it's part of the job. Sometimes you feel like there's a sign up in front that says "Crazy People, Come On In!!" I just wanted to start a thread so MA's can have a place to vent, too. Here's a pet peeves of mine 1. At my counter there's a comitment to purchase of $40 for a makeup application. I HATE when customers come, have they're makeup done for a wedding, grad, etc. and then bring it all back for a refund the next day. We have to throw the product in the garbage! What a waste of make-up and what a waste of the MA's time that went into doing the customers makeup!

That's a huge pet peeve of mine too, so now we write "makeup application exchange only" on the reciept, so at least we still get to keep our $40.00

 

[sexypuma]

so now i am confused about mac return policy. do they trash everything, even the products that you returned and you never used?

 

[onnachan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sexypuma so now i am confused about mac return policy. do they trash everything, even the products that you returned and you never used?

YES! WE THROW IT ALL INTO THE MAKEUP GRAVEYARD! We can't resell anything a customer returns to us, even if it obviously hasn't been used. The only time I've ever seen an item put back on the shelf is when a cutomer buys something and then returns it and hasn't physically left the store (This happens people!)... seriously like 30secs after they buy... "actually, I've changed my mind..can I exchange it/return it"

 

[onnachan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by i_bleed_life That's a huge pet peeve of mine too, so now we write "makeup application exchange only" on the reciept, so at least we still get to keep our $40.00

We totally aren't allowed to do this. If youre a MAC MA and have a PKM in the IMAC service section it says that we are to graciously accept a returned item for any or no reason... in accordance with the store's return policy, of course. So basically all these "bad customers" know this and take advantage.

 

[giz2000]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lara Just remember the mantra: "It's a make-up brush, not a magic wand."

I need to remember this one!!!

 

[giz2000]

Quote:

Originally Posted by onnachan YES! WE THROW IT ALL INTO THE MAKEUP GRAVEYARD! We can't resell anything a customer returns to us, even if it obviously hasn't been used. The only time I've ever seen an item put back on the shelf is when a cutomer buys something and then returns it and hasn't physically left the store (This happens people!)... seriously like 30secs after they buy... "actually, I've changed my mind..can I exchange it/return it"

At the Nordstrom I worked at, we weren't allowed to do that either...if it was purchased and returned, even if it was 1 minute later....into the return bin it went...

 

[Kim.]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sexypuma so now i am confused about mac return policy. do they trash everything, even the products that you returned and you never used?

Since they have testers I thought they could use them for that after they sanitized or did whatever to the returned product.

The other day I went into the Bay to take a look at the MAC counter and I went there and didn't really see what I was looking for and I was just looking at all the stuff so overwhelmed and then there was this lady and her friend or mom (I'm not sure) who was getting her makeup done and the lady not doing anything was freaking out because the mall was testing the fire bells or something and they kept going on and off (it was pretty loud). The MUA who was doing the ladies makeup had to stop and try and calm the other lady down and they were asking her if she wanted a coffee and to make small talk with her but this lady would not shut up she just kept freaking out over how loud the bells were. I walked away and went to look at other stuff but I felt so bad for the MUA because she was trying and the lady was being ridiculous.

 

[onnachan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kim. Since they have testers I thought they could use them for that after they sanitized or did whatever to the returned product.

Nope. Just incase the product has been tampered with - according to the MAC PKM.

 

[devin]

girl that's when i would have had to have made a call to my people to come on and handle my lightweight!

you know if he acted a fool like that with you over something that small, he talks to his girlfriend like that and beats her a**! People are a real trip. I had a husband try to get with me last night, but I quickly put him in check. I don't know what made him think that his wife was soooo much more important that she had to skip ahead of everybody else. I make it a habit to address everybody and make sure that no one gets ignored, b/c i know how much I would hate it for someone to do me like that, and I have been done like that. But we have an extremely busy counter, and sometimes people can just get really impatient.


Quote:

Originally Posted by calbear I think my worse had to be when a young woman came in and needed a return but had no receipt. I advised her very nicely that we could not return or even exchange it without a receipt (and maybe if she could find it at home) but before I could finish trying to help the girl, her boyfriend decided to loose his mind and start calling me all kinds of b*tches and c*nts in the middle of my store. After my manager came over said sorry no return and walked off, the two walked out of the store and he stood in front threatening me and telling me to come outside so he could kick my a$$. Now as I am from a small town called *I don't take sh*t from nobody* it took all I had not to take off my MAC pin and join him outside and show him how much of a B I coulda been - but no I just smiled.