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how to deal with threatening customer
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how to deal with threatening customer

Many times, we face customers who threaten this and that even when they are doing mistakes.how do you deal with them ?

Comments

  • @ftpit,

    We don't. We move on and find new customers.

  • How about threats like 'I will post let or wht, or do this for me'

  • ftpit said: How about threats like 'I will post let or wht, or do this for me'

    As long as you can show they're lying does it matter? I know it's not fun to do but it's not like you have a bad reputation here or at WHT is it?

  • LeeLee Veteran

    You have to decide when a line is crossed and when that happens what you do.

    If someone makes threats, however much in the "heat of the moment" you stick to a agreed policy and show them the door, without refund. Zero tolerance applies in every aspect of life when dealing with abusive people.

    The issue comes from when you ignore the threats too often, accept that particular customer is "just like that" and never really address it.

  • Most of time, we cannot show because of privacy policy even what is true

  • ftpit said: Most of time, we cannot show because of privacy policy even what is true

    Depends what their claims are. If it's slow IO or bad network, you can disprove them/explain that there was an issue and why you handled it. You can also explain that you can't post the tickets for privacy reasons and ask the person to either post the tickets or give consent for the tickets to be posted?

    Like I said, I know it's not fun... most of the time they probably won't even follow through anyway.

  • AnthonySmithAnthonySmith Member, Patron Provider

    @ftpit use fraud record it has a section for staff abuse.

  • Pretend they are your grandma who is useless at computers, and help them through their mistakes and mishaps.

  • LeeLee Veteran

    You need to have confidence in your own ability and service. Are you going to crumble every time someone threatens to make a post? If they are right then perhaps you should be.

    However if you can demonstrate your service delivers what it promises to and have reasonably assisted the client in resolving any issues they have then you have no issue.

    9/10 clients are just piss and wind with their threats. But for those that do go public with threads they often get their asses handed to them. Unless of course they have a valid case, only you can that.

    Thanked by 1support123
  • @W1V_Lee agreed

  • ftpit said: How about threats like 'I will post let or wht, or do this for me'

    Refund them, terminate their services, and remove them from your client area.

  • rskrsk Member, Patron Provider

    AnthonySmith said: @ftpit use fraud record it has a section for staff abuse.

    Fraudrecord is simply amazing.

  • Jeffrey said: Refund them, terminate their services, and remove them from your client area.

    I don't agree with the last bit. Say they do post a thread on WHT you don't want them to say 'oh I can't post the tickets, they deleted my account.'

  • AThomasHowe said: I don't agree with the last bit. Say they do post a thread on WHT you don't want them to say 'oh I can't post the tickets, they deleted my account.'

    Maybe not delete them from your client area, but refunding them would be the best bet. If you cannot afford to refund a small $7/Month VPS Server, then you cannot stay in this business. Refunding solves everything. If they post on public forums about your host, then comment back, with PROOF, against with what they are saying.

  • PwnerPwner Member

    @Jeffrey said:

    Refunding does not solve everything. Especially when the client is a resource hog that abused his VPS and got terminated because of it. Let's say he sent a DDoS attack. Why should you go and refund him so he doesn't post on LET? I'd say go ahead and post. Then I'll just reply to his thread and blow his cover as an abuser. Not only will he not get the refund, he will also have a tarnished reputation in the community, then he will have trouble finding a host that is willing to take a risk with him.

  • Pwner said: Especially when the client is a resource hog that abused his VPS and got terminated because of it. Let's say he sent a DDoS attack.

    Correct, refunding an abuser would be out of the question. But refunding someone, who complains about downtime, support ticket response times, and other things, without abusing your service, would be exceptional to refund.

  • @ftpit said:
    Most of time, we cannot show because of privacy policy even what is true

    Change your privacy policy so that you can publicly show all the tickets/conversations had with client X if he defames your company in any way.

  • @luissousa said:

    Then you guys complain, been there; done that :P.

    Thanked by 1support123
  • PwnerPwner Member

    @Jeffrey said:
    Correct, refunding an abuser would be out of the question. But refunding someone, who complains about downtime, support ticket response times, and other things, without abusing your service, would be exceptional to refund.

    In cases like that, I'm sure that they would have posted to LET first before asking for a refund. Odds are they would have posted to see if others are getting the same issues as themselves. Then the provider would find the post and the firefight would ensue.

    Thanked by 1Jeffrey
  • GoodHosting said: Then you guys complain, been there; done that :P.

    Truth,I was about to say the same

  • Mark_RMark_R Member

    @ftpit said:
    Truth,I was about to say the same

    You could perhaps word it in the privacy policy like that you can make certain information public upon a given permission from the customer? if you had something like that in place and the customer starts bashing you in the public then you could ask publicly if you can have his permission to post the "whole story". If he would deny that request then I think everyone knows that he is not being completely honest.

  • @GoodHosting said:
    Then you guys complain, been there; done that :P.

    I wouldn't, but if anyone did, then they should've read the TOS.
    You would only need to announce the changes with one month of advance and provide refunds to anyone who does not agree with the new TOS and wants to leave the company.

  • @luissousa said:
    You would only need to announce the changes with one month of advance and provide refunds to anyone who does not agree with the new TOS and wants to leave the company.

    No, I mean LET readers complained about the article in question and made a giant fuss about me ever having it in there, saying it was unprofessional to have to have such a term in the Terms of Service; etc etc.

    Thanked by 1support123
  • @GoodHosting said:
    No, I mean LET readers complained about the article in question and made a giant fuss about me ever having it in there, saying it was unprofessional to have to have such a term in the Terms of Service; etc etc.

    They are free to make those judgements as you are free to have that term. If they don't agree with your TOS, they shouldn't buy, because they will be agreeing with it.
    Knowing the LowEndMarket and how LowEndCustomers react, it seems completely understandable to have such a term. You are not unveiling any personal data; you are just showing the facts of how your company handled the situation.

    I understand, though, that it is very easy to change the printscreens, the database, or even the loaded webpage and produce fake proof; but that is as easy to you as it is to your clients.

    The best approach is to refund the client and "kick his ass" out of your service.

  • ReeRee Member

    Even if consent is given to post tickets (either by accepting the privacy policy on the site, or by saying "go ahead, post my tickets"), I would put that provider on my list of "do not use" hosts if they did so.

    It's usually pretty obvious when someone is making false accusations, or even just bending the truth, and it looks really bad on the provider when they try to "win" by proving them wrong.

    "Facts not as stated, refund given, no further comment" or "Facts not as stated, serial abuse not tolerated, no further comment" are basically all I want to see from a provider.

  • @luissousa

    See the above comment.

  • jarjar Patron Provider, Top Host, Veteran

    At all times you speak to the client with respect and you also speak to them clearly with statements that explain the problem in detail and the resolutions available. When they make a threat, encourage them to post the ticket on a forum to shame you. It'll backfire.

  • If the relationship with your customer has deteriorated to that point then its probably best all round to just end it there, you go your way, they go theirs. There is no point where one side is just blackmailing the other.

  • FrankZFrankZ Veteran
    edited June 2014

    I agree with what MarkTurner said above.

    Based on my experience with FTPit, You run a very good service. So I would think many here would come to your defense if a bash FTPit thread was started after a partial refund.

    Be the low drama provider....

    Thanked by 1support123
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