[KaySquirrel]

Re: Death threats -- yes, police were informed, recordings of the call (with threats) provided, accounts of abusive customers cancelled. That sort of thing did indeed happen.

My point was more that I've seen the threats and abuse start for no good reason and not ALWAYS because the company/previous CSR had done anything wrong. THAT is the sort of thing I find unacceptable.

I can understand wanting a manager after you've not been helped/fobbed off the first couple of times, definitely. (Personally, I ask nicely twice/give 2 chances to get things right -- and THEN I get upset and ask to be escalated, etc.) It's the first-time callers who feel more important than all the other customers and entitled to a senior tech/manager/someone higher up than the person who answers the phone the very first time around that puzzle me.

I think the reason that some people are irate (before even been given a REASON to be angry) is because when you deal with certain companies, you really DO have to kick up a fuss to be helped (or even listened to.) It's shameful that some places only give attention to the abusive customers, because the polite ones don't get taken serously. It ruins things for the call centres that value their customers.

Some companies only seem to reward negative behaviour (yell loud enough and you get a discount so they can get you off the line!) Then, when these people call companies where the CSRs/techs really DO care and want to do the best they can, the client is already acting abusive from the start, because in their experience, it's the only way they've been able to get help from other companies.

Dealing with idiots/angry clients/complaints is part of the job, yes. Being a verbal punching bag for a dissatisfied customer who doesn't know how to deal with another human being in a socially acceptable manner is NOT part of the job, as far as I am concerned. EVEN if he's been given a hard time by the company/previous CSR, I don't consider that a valid reason to act like a psychotic.