Checking reviews online, whether you’re buying something or thinking about booking an appointment, is common nowadays. But does it always reflect reality? And can we still say that the customer is really always right? Throughout time, “review culture” has changed. The internet has given us a great power to connect and communicate with each other, and leaving a review has become a two-way street. Now brands and businesses are able to react to what is said about them and resolve some issues that angry customers have. But no matter how comforting it all sounds, it’s not as easy as it may sound.
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Nowadays customers are very vocal about the experience they had with certain businesses
Image credits: Archangel 1608 Tattoo Studio
No specialist in the world wants someone incompetent to tell them how to do their job. And no specialist in the world wants to receive threats from these incompetent people. These things still happen; however, there’s always a way to resolve this kind of situation.
Bored Panda already covered a story about Archangel 1608 Tattoo Studio and their encounter with a ‘Male Karen.’ The story went viral as the owner of the studio, David McKinlay, shared his conversation with an angry customer where the whole situation was cleared up and the disrespectful customer was put back in his place.
Archangel 1608 Tattoo Studio shared their conversation with a customer who tried to threaten them with leaving a bad review
Image credits: Archangel 1608 Tattoo Studio
Now that a lot of businesses are up and running and waiting for their clients, it’s only a matter of time until another ‘Karen’ comes walking through the door. This already happened to this tattoo studio that received a message from their client who recently got a tattoo. The man wrote about his tattoo not healing up right. The tattoo artist asked some questions about the healing process, whether he was doing everything according to the requirements, and made sure that everything should be fine.
However, the customer insisted on getting an appointment, because according to his dad, the healing process was not right. This is where the situation really escalated. Even though the tattoo artist provided the guy with professional assistance, he kept referring to his dad and how he would be leaving a bad review on the studio’s page.
It all started after the customer got his tattoo but had some problems with the healing
Image credits: Archangel 1608 Tattoo Studio
The tattooist did not lose it and straight away told the guy where he was wrong and made it clear that his dad should not be giving advice when clearly he is not a specialist and having a tattoo of his own does not make him one. The artist finished his message by pointing out that he also has the right to review the customer too, breaking the stereotype of “customer is always right.”
Bored Panda contacted the owner of the studio and asked him a few questions about the situation. Knowing that this was the second time that it had happened, we were curious to know whether it really occurs that often that businesses have to encounter clients like these. He stated that “99% of people getting in touch are great” and there is no problem communicating with them; however, that 1% are “very rude, abrupt, and entitled.” And this requires them to react respectively to the situation.
Image credits: Archangel 1608 Tattoo Studio
How did other people find this situation? Both, in the comments and in their review section, it seems that people are very positive about the studio, its work, and how they handle situations like this. When asked, David revealed that this “case” brought a lot of good to the business: people are interested in their work, they get a lot of support, engagement, and 5-star ratings.
The pandemic had an impact on our lives and has changed our behavior and habits. We asked the tattoo artist whether he also noticed these changes in their customers. “Since the pandemic, some people are more understanding, but unfortunately, some are more entitled and demanding, as if they’re the only ones that have been affected over the last 18 months. I know that other businesses that deal with the public are finding the same thing.”
The tattoo artist explained the whole situation and was curious if the customer was taking care of the tattoo right
The tattoo artist lost it after the customer kept referring to his dad and what he had to say about it
Image credits: Archangel 1608 Tattoo Studio
One of the most important things for businesses to consider is not losing their clients. And usually, this means that you have to think twice before saying something that would make them not want to come back or start spreading the wrong word. We asked David whether other businesses should be more vocal about customers who like to threaten and demand things. He was glad that he can be honest and push away such people.
“The worst myth in the service industry if that the customer is always right. Unless they have a working knowledge of your particular service, how can they be right?” the artist wonders. “I believe that energy should be matched—if someone comes to you with positive vibes, excitement, and joy, that’s the best thing, and we’ll get on board with that and work hard for them. If they come with a bad attitude, then that’s not someone we want to spend time with, and we’ll usually politely decline the tattoo.”
Image credits: Archangel 1608 Tattoo Studio
What do you think about this situation? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments down below!
People online had a good laugh after they read the conversation between the tattoo artist and the guy
After all, the customer isn't always right
