The Customer is NOT Always Right!

 

From a business management point of view, it’s understandable that the philosophy that “the customer is always right” is valid. You’re in business to make a profit. It’s your livelihood, and if stretching the limits here and there keeps a roof over your head and food in the fridge then of course you’re more than happy to do so. But what happens when the customer who is always right, becomes the customer who also happens to be abusive? In 2010 Steven slater, a JetBlue flight attendant, quite his job in quite a spectacular fashion after getting into a heated quarrel with a passenger on board his flight shortly after it had landed. The flight was taxiing to a stop on the runway, and a passenger had left her seat and began retrieving her baggage from the overhead storage compartment. After being repeatedly instructed to leave her baggage in the overhead compartment and remain seated, she continued to retrieve her baggage and in doing so accidently hit slater over the head with her bags, resulting in a cut on his forehead. When asked for an apology, the passenger replied with profanity which sent the situation spiralling out of control. Slater grabbed the aircraft public-address microphone and announced he had had enough, grabbed a couple beers from the refreshment cart in the galley and then proceeded to deploy the emergency exit chute, he slid down and made his way to his vehicle where he then got inside, and headed home. Many people consider this debacle a spectacular display of intolerance of disrespect, yet others feel its entire purpose was specifically to garner attention. As an employee, if you had been treated in such a disrespectful, and blatantly rude manner would you embrace it, or defend yourself?