You Said …

I should know by now how to use the right words when asking or answering a question or some people might misunderstand what was communicated. For example, a customer wanted to know the price for a certain service, and she was quoted $225 plus tax.

When the tow operator got to the scene, the customer handed him $3.00 and he looked at her, puzzled, and asked, “What’s this for?”  The customer replied, I was quoted $2.25 plus tax. Because of the ridiculousness of the situation, my tow operator burst out in laughter. I know, not very professional, but could you blame him? Another  person who was with the customer also couldn’t believe what the customer was thinking and informed her exactly what they thought of her reasoning behind mistaking a price of $225.00 for $2.25.  That helped to ease the situation a bit.

Another example is when I ask where a vehicle is located and the customer answers: “In the garage.” Again, I should have known better and worded the question more specifically.

Selective hearing or misunderstanding? Call it lessons learned … and sometimes, you just have to laugh.