Psychotically abusive customers -What to do?

I had a really bad day yesterday. This lady calls in, I let her know I was occupied with a client and would call her back as soon as I was done with my current client.. About 45min go by I finish up and promptly call her back. She screams on the phone "what took you so long!". I proceed to ask standard fact finding questions to to provide her with the right product. She yells at me: "I just want the basic product! " (which there is no such thing). I ask her a few more questions and she's curt and rude, condescending in her replies, not providing any concrete answers so I can help her. Then she screams: "You're stupid! I want to report you to your supervisor! "

Yes out of the blue like that! It floored me. I thought to myself, report me for what? doing my job? it's uncalled for as I'm a highly skilled, intelligent and educated and successful employee.

I wanted to hang up so bad, but I politely said ... " ma'am how can I help you?"... She condescendingly snaps back.. " It's not ma'am it's ms. Smith to you. You address me as ms. Smith!" Her rants and screams continue and I tell her I'd get back to her with a price quote before end of day, and the call ends.

Afterward I was so frazzled and depressed all I want to do is just go home. I don't get paid enough to take that kind of abuse.

I'm sorry folks for saying this but she is just a psychotic witch (-W+B)! Of course I didn't say that to her or ever lose my composure or tone but I sure felt like it.

Why are there so many disturbed people in this world? And why are they intently focused on abusing other people?

Hello Rojola: Some people must eat lemons for breakfast! What is the point of a person acting like this? I don't know. Sometimes I think the world is simply getting to be too full of people! Sorry you had to endure this. Yu can at least feel proud that you maintained your composure & dealt professionally with Ms. Witch...

What else is new some people never get the help they need. Think how horrible her personal life must be.

Rojola, I understand where you are coming from. I've worked with the public many times in my life and some people are just plain mean! It's like they go after folks just to draw blood. I think they know they have a captive audience of sorts and just close in for the kill. In the customer service position you refrain from bucking up when you're attacked because you try to represent your company (and you) in the absolute best and most professional way possible.

I don't know exactly why some people pull that garbage but I like to think that it doesn't have anything to do with me personally. I imagine that something has them off kilter at that moment or they are miserable rotten human beings out for their brand of fun. I try to remember that I am the one who is in control, certainly not them. I mentally duck so their yucky, vile words don't touch me. If that means I put them on hold, that's what I do and sometimes I transfer them to my boss to take care of. They don't pay me enough to be manhandled like that. I hope you don't have to deal with many like that.

What is the ratio of kind customers vs. horrific customers you deal with? The truth is that you are going to deal with terrible people, but it's you're perspective that truly matters. I am sure you also get to work with some wonderful clients as well. Think about the most positive feedback you've gotten, and hold onto that and don't let some psycho bring you down. Few people follow through with reporting people to their supervisors, and the types that do usually end up sounding just as irrational and crazy to the supervisor as they did to to you.

Sucks to deal with these people. I find these abusive customers will use anything to get an employee fired all because "the customer is always right" bs and think they have a right to be abusive. You have a right to be upset over policies or whatever even if the customer doesn't agree with it the problem is they are taking out their anger on the wrong person all the time.

I work in a college I get talked to like I am stupid by students it happens every semester that one student ****s it up all the time. Don't like how the school operates and does things etc not my prob I don't run the school.

Is this a double post? I swear you wrote about this the other day, and I had responded to it.

yeah, I don't know what happened. I hit the back button and enter twice and I think it posted it twice. Sorry for the confusion.

Yeah, crap happens. Do not worry about it.