bitter lemons... and petty women...

On Monday I had dealings with one of the most horrible women I have ever met.

I couldn't believe how petty a human being could be over 75 pence!

Here's how it happened.

She came in and was horrible and nasty to the poor counter staff-- who having been to the customer care courses know that the next step is to bring me into it... giving the woman a few seconds to calm down after her rant.

So they brought her round to the Enquiry desk.

She sat down and proceeded to dump all over me on how the book we'd obtained for her via a reservation wasn't fit for the bin in her house! I just let her rant (I didn't think the book was THAT bad, all it needed was a new cover!!). The book was more than 50 years old (and if you're not aware of it, most books that are made these days fall apart and look manky after 10 years, much less 50!!).

So she was one unhappy bunny.

All she kept saying was "I want my money back. I want my 75p."

Herein lies my predicament: CCC policy is that we don't issue refunds-- we obtain like for like (and there was a 2000 edition reprint of the exact book) or we put a credit on the borrower's ticket for a future reservation choice or money off a multimedia loan. Some libraries don't even do the second part-- they just say "tough luck" and that's that.

So I calmly search the catalogue and explain that we have newer copies of the book in the county and that I can do a reservation for one of them but she cuts me off and says "I don't WANT another copy of the book, I WANT my MONEY back -- so I can go buy my own copy!"

So I take a deep breath and calmly explain that we don't issue refunds that I can only offer her another reservation instead for any book.

She then rants on about how she never ever does reservations and how she doesn't want another reservation-- she wants her 75p -- why is it so difficult for me to understand she says....

Meanwhile I'm thinking-- YOU DOZY COW-- YOU'RE THE ONE WHO AIN'T UNDERSTANDING HERE!!!!!

So I realise she's just going to sit there and cause a scene, and so I go into the workroom to bring out the Group Librarian (my boss's boss). I give her a brief explanation of the scenario in the workroom and she follows me out.

She sits down and puts her best "calm the customer down" voice on, and starts "First of all, let me just explain to you why this book is in the condition it's in..." at which point the cow jumps in and rants that she doesn't care how it got that way, it isn't fit for the bin, the county council should have thrown it away long ago etc. etc. etc. (her face was going really red by this point, so I was keeping near the phone in case I had to call 999)

Group Librarian then tries to explain that we don't give refunds. Cow rants "of course you can give me a refund, don't be stupid. I want my 75p!"

Group Librarian then tries to explain that we can only reserve a different copy of the book; Cow interrupts and says she doesn't want this and that she's very careful how and where she spends her money and she never ever does reservations etc. so this is no use to her.

GL then tries (and I do mean tries-- she only managed to get a few words out each time before Cow started on another tirade) to explain that she can put the money on cow's "account" on her ticket. Cow then snorts and says "I don't have an account here-- you aren't a bank, I don't want you to have my money, I want my money! I want my 75p back!"

Finally GL realises that Cow is just going to be a cow until she gets her money back and so makes Cow promise she won't ever do it again saying that she's basically breaking CC policy to do this and gets Cow her 75p.

At this point I am just gobsmacked-- Cow has been in the library arguing (for 75p!!!!) for about half an hour!

Most hilarious and ironic thing about this whole scenario: The title of the book in question was Bitter Lemons.

Posted by kristen at October 13, 2004 7:00 AM