On 20/6/06 13:45, in article , "K"
wrote:

Mike Lyle writes

Janet Baraclough wrote:

If the customer was rational, that would be the simplest solution.
Unfortunately, their behaviour so far suggests they are not rational. In
which case, it could be a very bad idea to appease the manipulative
delusional behaviour .
[...]

Hmm. Agreed on the mental-health principles. But I'm not sure that it's
good business practice to assume a customer is pathologically
delusional before all other possibilties have ben excluded. The rose
does, after all, objectively show a touch of yellowishness, as
mentioned in its description. What Charlie's told us is equally
consistent with obstinate stupidity or gross mick-taking -- both of
which are more common than loopiness. I'd set the boundaries exactly as
you describe, but send back the fiver at the same time "as a goodwill
gesture", and all bases would then be covered. I know the scale is
different, but I imagine that's what Marks and Spencer would do.


I'd be very worried indeed about any goodwill gesture being interpreted
as an 'admission of guilt'. There is some accepted way of wording it so
that the refund is a goodwill gesture 'without prejudice' - if you go
the refund route, take some advice about how to word it.


Ray once had some clot who wrote from miles away complaining bitterly that a
£5 plant had died after a year. Ray wrote back a letter in which he used
the words death, dead or died a couple of dozen times; said it always
distressed him terribly to hear of the DEATH of one of his 'babies' and sent
them a £20 note suggesting they buy a few other things to try not to KILL,
too. He said that his only worry was that they were so thick they probably
wouldn't realise their leg was being thoroughly pulled!
I think people are becoming more rude and more obnoxious. Yesterday, a very
rude woman (described as such by other customers) shouted at one of the tea
room staff because the knob had fallen off the loo door bolt and threatened
to make an 'official report'. I really cannot wait to see that one or which
department it ends up in! And I had a brief but unpleasant interlude with a
fool who wanted to bring his dog in (we only allow guide dogs) on the
grounds that she was 'sweating in the car' - hardly our fault or problem -
and when I said 'no', asked why our dogs were there. I explained that they
live here and this is their home, to which he said "well, why won't you
allow my dog in if yours are here?" Duh? He stomped off in a huff saying
he would 'go elsewhere', so out of curiosity we rang a couple of garden
centres and asked them if they allow dogs in. No, they don't. Neither do
Tesco, Morrisons or Sainsburys! But because we open our garden, people like
him think we'll go round shovelling their dogs' dirt from it. One Sunday
some years ago we had 12 dogs here and they were all over the flower beds
and the 'dung' mountain..........well! So that was the end of extending
that courtesy to our customers. And then there was the man who let his
large Golden Retriever swim in the ornamental fish pond. Tcha!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(email address on website)

"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
oups.com...

Janet Baraclough wrote:
The message .com
from "Mike Lyle" contains these words:


michael adams wrote:
[...]

"Seriously deranged", or as Sasha suggests "on a wind-up", are the
phrases I'm struggling with at this point.

Ditto. I suppose there's just about room for a genuine difference in
colour perception, or a gardening version of that Cezanne trick where
surrounding objects or flowers alter the apparent colour; but it seems
unlikely.

It goes against the grain, as you've been perfectly professional, and
your prices are competitive (Austin charges double for the same rose):
but perhaps it may be best to cut your losses and just send the silly
buggers their money back. [...]


If the customer was rational, that would be the simplest solution.
Unfortunately, their behaviour so far suggests they are not rational. In
which case, it could be a very bad idea to appease the manipulative
delusional behaviour .
[...]

Hmm. Agreed on the mental-health principles. But I'm not sure that it's
good business practice to assume a customer is pathologically
delusional before all other possibilties have ben excluded. The rose
does, after all, objectively show a touch of yellowishness, as
mentioned in its description. What Charlie's told us is equally
consistent with obstinate stupidity or gross mick-taking -- both of
which are more common than loopiness. I'd set the boundaries exactly as
you describe, but send back the fiver at the same time "as a goodwill
gesture", and all bases would then be covered. I know the scale is
different, but I imagine that's what Marks and Spencer would do.

Charlie, I don't want to teach Grandma; but you may judge it wise not
to comment on our remarks in any but the most general terms, if at all,
in this newsgroup: one never knows.

--
Mike.

I think I may have already said far too much! but you will all no doubt be
pleased to hear peace has it seems broken out after my last attempt at
placation was intecepted by the other half of the couple who indicated they
liked the rose! and was surprised any fuss had been made.
I understand it had been planted near a bright yellow wall and since moving
it (against my advice it had been planted in a pot) whilst still muttering
the words very yellow it has now been conceded that probably the world will
not end this Friday because of it.

--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collection of Clematis viticella (cvs)