So there's this jerk that comes in all the time, the hard part is that he acts like a total sweet heart. He is super nice and polite and he always smiles at me. The problem is that every single fuking time I am on bar, he returns his drink. I have heard he occasionally does it once to other people, but I swear he does it to me every single time. He says it's not sweet enough, but I know he is lying because last time I put 10 pumps of white mocha and he brought it back and had me remake it anyway. He even had the nerve to say that when "the other girl" (no idea who he is talking about because almost all the baristas at my store are female) makes his white mocha, she only puts 6 pumps in there and it's always sweet enough, so how come I can't make it sweet enough? Well I made it sweet enough for that a-hole alright, put only one shot in it, a decaf one at that, and he said, "much better!" How do I deal with this guy???
I need a little help with a difficult customer... Ideas?
(17 posts) (10 voices)-
Posted 2 years ago #
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Just ask him straight, what the problem is?? Maybe he want to get contact with you or something,tell you manager or supervisor, god I hate customers like that, I'm a customer and I would never had the nerve to say that my drink is wrong, beacuse I'm to shy and will not make the barista's hate me.
Posted 2 years ago # -
We simply have custumers that are like that. I have a customer that orders a pepermint mocha, no foam, no whip, extra hot, to the rim, with a stopper and she will sip before she leaves the hand off area to check. She will make you remake her drink, drives me nuts but over all she's an ok lady. Anyways, I've learned to add an extra pump of peppermint or else she wont like it. Really try and figure out what the issue is. it toke me about 8 tries to figure out it was a simple stupid one pump of peppermint that was driving me nuts! Not because i truly care but because i simply don't want to hear a complaint. If he said the decaf with 10 pumps is good, DO IT EVERYTIME. doesn't matter if the code says different, he's a regular and you'll pick up on the cup and alter it. That's what I do now. GOOD LUCK
Posted 2 years ago # -
You more or less have to break it down plainly. Because physically, there's nothing literally you can do to make it sweeter, and if that's what solved it, then let him know what you did to certify **** like that doesn't happen again.
Also, it's possible he was being rude without realizing it. That maybe he is actually nice, just doesn't know he was being a jerk at the moment. This happens with customers pretty often.
Posted 2 years ago # -
The thing is that he returns it no matter what I do to it, and he takes it the second or third time no matter if I made it the same way or modified it. I doubt he is doing that without realizing it. I have even asked him to try it when I hand it to him to make sure it's right and he always tells me he's sure it is, but comes through the door five minutes later to have me remake it. It's not even like he drinks half and comes back, it's usually only a couple of sips down, so it's not even like he's trying to scam us. I really feel like it's personal. Should I refuse to make his drink? I can pull his own trick on him and do it really sweetly with a smile and and use the excuse that I can't seem to make it right and I just want him to have a pleasant experience. He can't say that I am giving bad customer service than, right?
Posted 2 years ago # -
thats hard when you think its personal. maybe it is and maybe it isnt. maybe next time see if someone else can make his drink and just watch and see if he returns it? watch and see how many pumps of whatever they put in it. what i dont get is how someone else can make it better than another person when we are all supposed to be making them the same way. its one recipe and we all follow it (not including the dead decaf shot rude people get).
hopefully you find out what exactly he has a problem with and that you are able to fix it :)
Posted 2 years ago # -
@GaveYouDecaf - next time when he comes in, let him watch you making his drink, ask him, how many pumps he wants, if it's not sweet enough for him, just pump some more, actually I don't think you need to remake, or just do as @belloxox said.
If you try to ask you out, give him your number as 911
Posted 2 years ago # -
if he*
Posted 2 years ago # -
I tried doing the add pumps, but I got to 12 and it wasn't happening, so I offered to remake it. And I do make it like everyone else. If anything I get a lot of compliments on my drinks because I stir the cups as the shots are pulling in so that the syrup is well mixed (not everyone does this). I tried mixing and not mixing his drink, adding and subtracting pumps, and finally I asked my other co-workers. After examining the matter we all seem to agree it's personal.
Posted 2 years ago # -
@GaveYouDecaf
What sort of wonderful store do you work at that you have time to stir while you're pulling shots and aren't busy doing 2 or 3 other things?
And are you accepting transfers?Posted 2 years ago # -
I was just going to suggest swirling the cup so the syrup isn't a cold gelatinous sludge at the bottom of the cup (as it is when I have ordered drinks at other stores... yuck) but you already covered that!
@teobandit, I work at a pretty busy store and I usually try to just give mochas and white mochas a short 2-second swirl in the middle of the shot. You don't have to swirl for the entire 20 seconds or whatever, but it's easier to do it before the whole shot is in the cup, as I have learned from countless drinks I have overzealously swirled and spilled everywhere.
@gaveyoudecaf, he probably just yearns to be around you and is trying to find a way to stretch your time together as long as possible. You can't fault him--he's caught the love bug!
:P God, I hope that's not true.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I would totally just have Dolly remake my drink several times so I could spend just a .. FEW MINUTES ON FRIDAY with her.
hooray bright eyes references! Springtime is for <3ache.
otherwise uh I think everyone has this covered yeh, I just .. wanted to chime in..
Posted 2 years ago # -
Teobandit, my store is FAR from wonderful! And does it have to be that I have time to do this? It can't possibly be that I am just that fast? Lol, like Dolly said, i give it a couple of swirls so that all the syrups aren't just sitting at the bottom. Dolly, that thought had not occurred to me at all. This whole time I keep thinking that he hates me and that's why he comes back. I guess because if that's what's going on the logic is totally screwed up. You don't get on a girl's good side by telling her she does a crappy job and just about everyone else does it better than her. Meh.
Senor, as smooth a move as that sounds, driving girls crazy can be a risky romancing strategy...
Posted 2 years ago # -
He probably learned all his romancing tips and tricks from 1st grade. At least he's not trying to look up your skirt at the playground or shoot milk out his nose at you.
Oh, senor drives me crazy, alright. ;D
I wish we could work together. I would do nothing but make lecherous jokes and wink creepily all day long. Oh wait, I already do that....
Posted 2 years ago # -
I know this sounds crazy:
Ask him what his name is. Call him by it, and ask him how his day is going while you make his drink. When you hand it off to him, joke that you hope you made it right...then as he walks away call after him "have a nice day (insert name here)".
Most people will like this 'personal touch' and (in my experience) complain less.
If he does come back for a remake, work in his name again when asking specific questions about what's wrong with his drink.
After a few times, either he'll calm down or find another Starbucks :)
Posted 2 years ago # -
I've had something similar happen; customer insists drink is wrong, you know it's right but you remake it anyway, exactly like it was before.
Here's what I did. If the drink is a tall WM simply make two. Give the **** one, then when he asks for another just hand him the already prepared drink. If this doesn't work, make 3 drinks, and so on.
Let him know you're in control, and he's a ****.Posted 2 years ago # -
Good idea orange blossom. If he's truly not liking his drink maybe the personal touch will help to get him to lighten up. If he is truly being an a-hole i can always try thanks-a-latte's approach and make him 3 drinks, then shove them all to him and being like, here you go, take the one you like!
Posted 2 years ago #
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