Sometimes it rarely matters how well you explain something when working with customers.

How would you handle clientele not grasping simple instructions? One person recently ranted about this common occurrence on Reddit.

Here’s what they said.

Can read but not comprehend

I got a phone call from a customer yesterday and the following exchange happened.

Me: “[Store name]. How may I help you?”

Polite way to kick things off.

Customer: “I missed the delivery driver. Is my package there? Can I come pick it up?”

Me: “Perhaps. If you enter in the tracking number on the website, you’ll be able to see if your package is here”.

Simple enough system.

If their tracking said the package was here, I would then locate it on the shelf and confirm it’s here.

Customer: “I already did that. It says it’s not there yet”.

Sounds like this person answered their own question.

Me *Taking a second to absorb what they had just said*: “Then it’s not here and you can’t pick it up yet”.

Customer: “Oh okay. Thanks”.

Me: “You’re welcome and have a good day”, *Hangs up*.

Whatever this person is getting paid, it’s not enough. Let’s see if Reddit could empathize.

Fellow retail workers empathized immediately.

Though many other commenters showed more nuance.

One person shared their personal approach to these situations.

Another explained the customer’s potential thought process.

But ultimately, some just felt it is what it is.

Not everyone is cut out for customer service.

If you liked that post, check out this story about a customer who insists that their credit card works, and finds out that isn’t the case.