Who has the most influence on a company's business results? Of course, the CEO, the board members, the decision makers... it's all true, and a mistake at this level of management can be very costly. But people often underestimate the negative impact that individual frontline workers can have.
Just imagine - a company has a great brand, it provides consumers with an excellent product or service, all business processes are perfectly streamlined... but the dismissive behavior of an ordinary employee towards consumers can completely ruin the brand image, and even scare away loyal customers.
A similar story was recently told by a redditor in the AITA community, and the original post got about 10.9K upvotes and 1.1K different comments. This tale is about how the inappropriate behavior of just one employee cost the company an old client.
More info: Reddit
The Original poster came to a vet clinic with her cat for a regular check-up
Image source: shelbymaryr7
So, the Original Poster had an insurance contract for her cat with a veterinary clinic. The contract also included a regular check-up every 6 months, and everything was fine until the OP with her pet came for another check-up scheduled for 12 p.m.
Image source: aita_banfield
The nurse came out of the office and told the girl at the front desk that all the doctors had gone on their lunch break
In the reception area, besides OP and her cat, there was also another visitor, as well as a girl at the front desk. At one point, a nurse came out of the office and addressed the girl at the front desk: "Hey, just a heads up, everybody went on their lunch break, just so you know..."
Image source: aita_banfield
The OP was concerned about this, but the nurse replied to her rudely saying the conversation did not concern her
The OP approached the nurse, asking if she should come later, to which she coldly replied: "This conversation does not concern you." The OP was surprised and just said she was worried about her cat and wished she didn't have to wait in line like she was promised. The nurse again grumbled that her conversation with the girl at the reception did not concern the OP, and went back to the office.
Image source: aita_banfield
Upon returning to the office, the nurse started trashing the OP in front of other nurses
Before the door closed, the OP recalls she heard the nurse start trashing her in front of her colleagues, laughingly calling her "the crazy lady with the cat at the front." Of course, the OP was indignant and would not want such a person to participate in the check-up of her cat.
Image source: aita_banfield
The OP asked the girl at the front desk for the manager's phone number to file a complaint. The girl reluctantly handed her a business card. The OP dialed the number listed there... and the phone at the front desk rang. The girl put it on hold and looked embarrassed. When the OP asked her directly if it was the number of the manager or the store, she answered that it was the store.
Finally, the girl at the front desk admitted that the OP needed to wait for at least an hour
In the meantime, the OP's cat began howling in her carrier, so the owner simply asked when the doctor could meet them. The girl replied that everyone had left for lunch, so they would have to wait at least an hour. So, as the OP points out, the nurse not only acted rude but also lied.
Image source: shelbymaryr7
In general, the OP was rightly outraged, left the clinic and decided to break the contract with them. When she called her mother for advice, she agreed that it was not worth going back, but stated that her daughter should not have threatened to complain like a Karen.
People in the comments supported the OP and advised her to write a critical review as well
However, commenters unanimously supported the OP, arguing that she did everything right. Moreover, almost all the people in the comments not only supported the idea of a complaint but also advised to write a review so that other current and prospective customers know what kind of clinic it is and what kind of employees work there.
Also, one of the commenters noticed that the business itself as a whole looks shady - after all, 12 pm looks normal for a lunch break, so probably two nurses lied to the OP at once, plus the employee who, when making an appointment, said that it would be just an in-and-out visit. In other words, even if the management of the clinic built all the processes at a high level, the inappropriate behavior of the employees cast a strong shadow on the brand.
By the way, what do you think of this narrative? You may also have experienced inappropriate employee behavior in various companies, so we would be interested to know your own stories.