Dealing with an Angry Customer? NEVER Say These 22 Lines!

It’s almost impossible as a business owner to not have heard the saying ‘Customer is King’. Now, when the king is angry, what does that mean? War. Drama. Fire and brimstone. The ground, shaking. People, running helter-skelter.

All that doom and gloom version for small businesses can be things like customers leaving a bad review, or taking it upon themselves to make a thread to 'call you out', and even worse, with screenshots of all your responses to their queries. Next thing, you’re on Instablog or some other blog, and people are coming to leave bad comments in your IG comment section.

All of that can be avoided if you know how to diffuse a bad situation with an angry customer. Don’t ever think it can’t be you!

When Dealing with an Upset or Angry Customer, Never Say These!

Why's this important? Because you will only be making the situation worse, and run the risk of losing that customer.

1. ‘There’s nothing we can do’.

What does this even mean? It is just a statement designed to upset your customer. Never say it.

2. 'We’re sorry'.

Let me explain. An apology is great, if it is followed by how you’ll fix the issue. Never tell a customer sorry and then just leave it there.

3. 'It’s not our fault’.

Okay, so whose fault is it? The customer doesn’t want to know even if it’s their fault.

4. ‘Please calm down’.

Lol you're looking for trouble, because that line does the exact opposite of what it means.

5. ‘I don’t know’.

What do you mean by you don’t know? It is your business to know!

6. ‘Call the delivery man yourself'.

Sending the delivery man's phone number and saying this line is a big no. Except a customer explicitly asks for a delivery man’s number to do the follow-up, you should do it yourself and then give the customer updates.

7. ‘We don’t do refunds please’.

The ‘please’ is even more annoying. Always make sure the customer understands this beforehand, so that you do not have to get to the point where they'll have to request for it even when they're upset.

8. 'It was clearly stated in our bio…'.

Please always assume the customer did not read anything in your bio.

9. 'That product you paid for is sold out, please pick another one'.

After they have paid? Hmm. Anyway, you can simply avoid the sure drama that will come with the Bumpa Pro Plan, where you get a feature that helps you track your inventory properly.

10. 'Just be patient please'.

This sounds condescending, and the wrongest time to say it is when the customer is already frustrated in the first place. Don't say it at all.

11. 'That’s just the price'.

Yes, we know that it is the price but if a customer expresses shock at your price, do not get defensive or upset. As a matter of fact, create a bond by empathising with them.

12. 'We’re looking into it'.

Never say this more than once. And never just end it there. Look into it, find whatever it is and report to the customer before they even come back again.

13. 'We will refund you'.

Never say this in the middle of a rant. Sometimes a customer just wants to be heard and have their problem acknowledged. Saying that line sounds very dismissive. Let me ask for the refund themselves.

14. 'There is nothing wrong with it'.

If a customer is complaining about your service or product, don’t shut them off by being defensive.

15. ‘What do you want us to do?'

That question implies that the customer should have a solution to the problem that your business has caused them. Of course, it’s annoying.

16. ‘You’re the first person to ever complain about this.'

That’s all well and good but again, it’s not the customer’s problem.

17. 'It wasn’t me you spoke to before'.

Well, the customer spoke to someone on your team before. That’s all that matters to them, and it shows a lack of professionalism that you can’t track everything properly.

18. ‘We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused you’.

Nooo. Just stop. It sounds very insincere, and like the inconvenience is due to the customer.

19. 'I didn’t reply on time because we’re very busy with customers'.

Every customer deserves to feel like their request is being handled as the highest priority for the business at that time. Moreso, keeping an angry customer waiting in the DMs is just asking for it. Reply, and reply fast. Thankfully, the Bumpa app can help consolidate all your DMs in one place, and you never miss any one again.

20. 'That’s not my job’.

From the point when a customer places an order and gets it delivered safely and in time, everything is your job.

21. 'Are you sure?'.

Even if they’re saying rubbish, you shouldn’t point it out. Also, that question sounds condescending especially if they turn out to be right and you’re wrong.

22. ‘I’ll get back to you soon'.

Soon? No, not good enough. Give a time and date, down to the second if you must. An upset customer will only be left more upset if they have to wonder when your ‘soon’ is.

And there you have it! We’re sure there are more, but it very important to know not to worsen a situation with any of these statements. Instead, here are some things you can say to angry customer to make them less upset.

Subscribe to our Blog

If you love tips & content like this that will help with your small business marketing and growth, then you’ll be excited to know we have more! We could always send you notifications when they are published if you share your email with us. We promise to not be a bother, and you can always unsubscribe anytime!

Subscribe Now

Want to Learn More about Bumpa & How to Grow your Business with it?

You can sign up to Bumpa in 5 seconds as a small business owner and let us begin the journey of growing your business with you!

Sign Up Now