Sometimes people are so rude, you sort of don’t know what to make of it.
Today, someone bought one of our Timesaver Templates. We’ve sold tons of these over the last several years. Each one is a simple Word template without any graphics. You get a document framework with styles set up, so you can put in your own text. The pages in the shopping cart explain exactly what files you receive. The description even says, “Although the template includes styles and the overall framework, it does not include graphics. You need to provide your own photos and logos.” There is not much question what you do and do not get.
If you are a Word expert, the templates probably aren’t what you need. Even if you are, getting a template set up with the necessary margins, columns or tables, and styles still saves you time.
Realistically I use them when I don’t want to start from scratch. If you bill $150 an hour (or even $40 or $50 an hour) and you save a half an hour by buying a $12 template, you’re still way, way ahead of the game.
So today, instead of just emailing us and saying, “gee this template isn’t what I wanted or expected” someone decided to call her bank instead.
We almost never are asked for refunds, but I have given them in the past and it’s really not a big deal. For example, sometimes a Mac user will buy IdeaWeaver (obviously without taking advantage of the free trial first). Since IdeaWeaver doesn’t run on a Macintosh, we cheerfully give a refund. Sometimes people don’t read the instructions. We all make mistakes.
In fact, yesterday I got a cartridge from Staples for my color printer. Unfortunately, they put the wrong one in the box. An HP cartridge isn’t going to work in my Minolta printer. I called Staples and they were really nice about getting the right one sent out to me today.
Today’s experience was different. I answered the phone and after some confusion (since apparently the bank’s tech support is located in India), I discover that I’m on a 3-way call with someone who purchased our template and a representative from her credit card bank. The female purchaser gets on the phone and starts yelling at me that I have a whole lot of nerve selling a template that’s just a framework. On and on…she really wants to tell me what a horrible person I am for doing such a thing!
I have to say, it was bizarre. Sure, dealing with customers one of the costs of doing business, but really I almost never run into such angry people. Talk about overkill. I mean who calls their bank to contest a charge before contacting the vendor first?
The thing is that with an online store, it’s easy to void out a charge if it hasn’t been captured yet. Obviously, I did that. I told her I wasn’t going to charge her and it wasn’t a problem. Yet still she yelled on. The poor tech support person from the bank seemed a little disturbed getting caught in the middle, particularly since I was completely accommodating from the moment we got on the phone.
Clearly some people are having a bad, bad day out there. It’s kind of sad really. This person spent a whole lot of mental anguish about something that really wasn’t a big deal.
In the great scheme of things, getting worked up about a $12 template is just bad for you. And yelling at people is bad karma. Even if you have had a bad day, consider the Golden Rule. After all, you might be on the other end of that phone call someday.