How many ASSHATS do you deal with?

In a year and a half of selling, I've had perhaps five people on that level. And no matter what, if you are a normal person, we have this sort of "OMG! What did I do?" feeling quickly replaced by the aforementioned mudpuddle.

But everyone is right. You're better than that, kill with kindness. Give them the same service you'd give anyone else. Say, "I'm sorry", even though it isn't your fault. Anyone like that is unhappy already, there is nothing you can do that will make them feel bad. But there's an off chance that you might make someone miserable realize that they are being bellicose where there is no need to be. And out of the five mean messages I've gotten, I did have one profusely apologize afterwards.

Either way, move on and think of all the terrific people you meet here.

Yes, Virrginia, thats how i felt! shocked and kind of errr..wtf did i do! Anyway..yes, I did the right thing, but it still makes me smile to think of the mud puddle..of course Im going to draw more bees with honey, and I will always remain pleasant, muwahahah.

When someone really ticks me off and they're not worth holding a grudge against, I get my kicks by writing them into a story and killing them in horrible and undignified ways. It's fun, and you can do it over and over again.

Don't you think that being good to this rude person only encourages more rude behaviour toward other shop keepers? You say you wish you could push them in a mud puddle or think of some other hypothetical punishment but what better punishment than to deprive them of their lindens? In this particular case helping out the rude person requires an investment in time and energy. Simply doing nothing for the customer is the comeuppance. What can be more effortless?

I hear from a customer once every several months.

It's a bit un-nerving.

Personally I would have sent her a plate of liver with her order. I have had to im Yummy and found her nothing but kind and considerate....sends Yummy a tp to my farm and the swine mud puddle.

Um... because that would be stealing?

On the list of asshattery, which do you think ranks higher: outright theft, or being rude to a shop owner?

Yep, I've had this happen on a few occasions. Usually happens while I'm asleep, and I wake up to a series of increasingly agitated, accusing offline messages. I don't tend to check my offlines while I'm sleeping, for shame.

My favourite series of offlines from a customer who didnt receive their purchase (bear in mind of course that they would have received a message saying I was offline):

[17:53] Customer: hello stephanie i bying naw skin i dant fand in my inventory
[17:53] Customer: i dant know what i do
[17:54] Customer: answer my plss
[17:56] Customer: i bye it skin
[17:56] Customer: but i dant fand skin
[17:57] Customer: whay???
[18:09] Customer: its to mach for you
[18:09] Customer: i knowwww you want for ather relation

Ended up getting it sorted politely, and she buys another skin from me a couple of days later; again, I am offline:

[10:55] Customer: hello stefanie i want to buy skni
[10:55] Customer: but i dant fand it
[11:09] Customer: ok thank you
[11:10] Customer: i fand here in my inentory

I do hope she now knows that purchased items end up in your inventory, and its a good place to start looking if you want to find something!

Another good one was the customer who sent me abusive offlines and several notecards about their missing purchase..... which they had bought from somebody else's store. How they got my little skin store confused with one of the largest clothing stores in SL I shall never know.

Outright theft? Outright theft indeed. I condone it. It is the best thing to do here. This is not a good person being robbed by a bad person. Or is that how you see it? Poor Yummy a thief?

I have wondered why something has not been delivered before only to find out later that i didnt purchase it!

Yummi has always been helpful to me though but then my approach is polite.

On the other hand, despite repeated notecards over weeks, those who have ignored me include sinewave and MAD tiki/beach stuff

Mmmn, fried up? Tasty. Wanna share? Add some katnip sauce?

So theft is ok as long as the person being robbed is a "bad" person? Good to know.

I never implied the OP was a thief. She did the right thing by delivering the item. Returning their money and telling them off would have been my choice, so she's a better person than I.

I would have sent them back their money and told them to kiss my ass. But that's just me...

In world? Thankfully no

Sometimes in the forums yes, the attacked feeling hits me, and I just don;t get why sometimes

and yeah definitely get that feeling of pushing them in a mud puddle (doesn't have to be bloody LOL)

when ppl piss me off I try to turn the other cheek, but sometimes it is hard, as I want to tell them where to go.... very very hard

yep, yummy is def kind and considerate, and anyone that can stand to listen to me and my stepson on voice has the patience of a saint LOL

(poor yummy, I noticed you been avoiding me since that incident)

hahah, no never! i enjoyed it..and well just been busy.!!! haha rha..you're a gem!

thats too much!!! rofl..mmm liver and mud puddles..yummy!!! thanks for the invite!!!

as are you my dear, just teasing you

yeah I benn busy too

honestly, it makes me feel better to know im not the only one that gets these unbelievable customers..i mean..FFS..what gives someone the right to treat someone else this way! yes, i was nice..yes..i sent her what she bought..but man..i had to bite my knuckles the whole time..cuz i really wanted to spooky dust her arse! oh sure, i'll get over it and move on with a smile..but man..i cant help but wonder what would make someone act this way, unless its paris hilton.

hehe yea..well rl gets in the way sometimes..just had to pick all my zucchini and cook it all up..wowzers..what a job!..lol

omg that stuff will take over your garden

zucchini bread yummy!! (no pun intended... ok so it was intended!)

anywhos I am off to bed
we should meet up sometime chat a little, relax some

I do so agree, Rha, its been forever..well SL time anyhoo..and mmmmm zuc bread...me drools and heads off to bed...maybe in the morning i will have a nice new shiny mud puddle in my yard!!!

It's just people! Sometimes when feeling a little generous I might give a newbie some money or a dress. Most appreciate it, some say nothing and teleport away. Only thing to do is shrug my shoulders and wish them a nice life!

It's the same attitude that lets people think that because it's a virtual world they can do anything.

Oh I get a lot of these... Most of the time because they actually Muted me in the first place (don't ask me why). SL delivery failures happen a lot too, but that doesn't make you a thief in any way.

But keep in mind that :

- Delivery is almost always instantaneous (should be always), therefore when an item doesn't arrive the customer wonders what's happening.
- The customer has no proof whatsoever they will get anything in return for their paid money, but 99.9999% of the purchases end up with an item delivered.
- The customer does not always speak English fluently.
- The customer may be in a state of mind that is very far from your own at that time. Maybe a RP has been broken, maybe the money was not theirs, maybe they are drunk, or overly tired, who knows. Or this is the Nth time SL has been acting up on them, and you're the one to pay.
- The customer is very unlikely trying to leech a free item from you.
- You can redeliver an item, you won't lose anything and you will most of the time ensure that the customer is happy. And a happy customer is a returning one.
- And yes, some customers are total asshats. Most don't even realize it until you point their own stupidity out. There little you can do, except not being an asshat yourself (not refunding/sending the item is being an asshat, with all due respect).

But, nothing is better than have them apologize. I personally make a point in having every single asshat apologize to me before doing any business with them. Sometimes after. All except one, who has been muted anyway (he was the single absolute ultimatest asshat I've ever encountered. Hehe)

So don't feel bad Yummy, refunding or delivering manually is the single right thing to do

Very true. But it does buy them the right to receive the purchased product. Not blaming Yummy here in any way, as we all know the issues with asset transfers. It's inconvenient for all involved, and it is really a shame that some people feel the need to be jerks about it.