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We had an "indie hacker" using our product who would write in a really abusive manner over and over. I could never figure out why he didn't just go with another

We had an "indie hacker" using our product who would write in a really abusive manner over and over. I could never figure out why he didn't just go with another company. Incidentally, I remembered his name recently and looked him up. I found an interview where he sold his company for "8 figures" and talked about the joy of "nurturing a team." Not sure the lesson there, but I found it funny.

sbarre 3y ago
Back in the 90s I managed a dial-up ISP and I had a policy that if a customer calling support was overly rude to my agents, we would just tell them "I guess we're not the company for you, let's start the cancellation process". We were the best deal in town (lowest price and user:line ratio for an unlimited service), so they would usually change their tune, but we had a 2-strike policy, so call and be rude again, and you're out for good. We didn't end up having to do this that many times, but when we did, it was worth it. Often your most difficult and abusive customers end up being your least profitable.
- blantonl 3y ago
  I have zero tolerance at my organization for customers that are rude and nasty. If you send us a support request that is filled with profanities and demands out of the gate, I'll gladly refund your money and terminate your account immediately. There's a saying I like to use: I'll bend over backwards to help you, but I won't bend over forwards.
  - arp242 3y ago
    I find that if you reply factually and ignore the abuse that people will often come back with "sorry for my rudeness earlier, I had a bad day" or some variant thereof, completely unprompted. Even without apology I think the rare rudeness is fine, even though I really dislike it. No one is perfect and we got to accept that. The real problem is usually the small group of customers who are consistently abusive and excessively demanding and will fly off the handle every other week over some small thing.
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
    - frereubu 3y ago
      And often the people who end up apologising become loyal, long-term customers with no further issues, if anything more polite than the average.
      - blantonl 3y ago
        Interestingly enough, something I learned early in my career during sales training is that if you are able to convert your biggest haters, they can become one of your most ardent supporters. Problem is I have a short fuse for disrespect, I just don't have the time to tolerate it.

sbarre 3y ago

Back in the 90s I managed a dial-up ISP and I had a policy that if a customer calling support was overly rude to my agents, we would just tell them "I guess we're not the company for you, let's start the cancellation process". We were the best deal in town (lowest price and user:line ratio for an unlimited service), so they would usually change their tune, but we had a 2-strike policy, so call and be rude again, and you're out for good. We didn't end up having to do this that many times, but when we did, it was worth it. Often your most difficult and abusive customers end up being your least profitable.

blantonl 3y ago
I have zero tolerance at my organization for customers that are rude and nasty. If you send us a support request that is filled with profanities and demands out of the gate, I'll gladly refund your money and terminate your account immediately. There's a saying I like to use: I'll bend over backwards to help you, but I won't bend over forwards.
- arp242 3y ago
  I find that if you reply factually and ignore the abuse that people will often come back with "sorry for my rudeness earlier, I had a bad day" or some variant thereof, completely unprompted. Even without apology I think the rare rudeness is fine, even though I really dislike it. No one is perfect and we got to accept that. The real problem is usually the small group of customers who are consistently abusive and excessively demanding and will fly off the handle every other week over some small thing.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
  - frereubu 3y ago
    And often the people who end up apologising become loyal, long-term customers with no further issues, if anything more polite than the average.
    - blantonl 3y ago
      Interestingly enough, something I learned early in my career during sales training is that if you are able to convert your biggest haters, they can become one of your most ardent supporters. Problem is I have a short fuse for disrespect, I just don't have the time to tolerate it.