Most reputable online business owners bend over backwards to make sure their customers are satisfied. We spend a lot of time and effort building our reputations by supplying good customer service. There may be something that you haven’t considered. Business owners build reputations as customers. Have you given any thought to what your reputation is as a customer? Here is why, as a customer, you should check your attitude at the customer service door.
When I first started working in customer service, the people I worked for didn’t want the support team to use names. When we replied to a support ticket, our id numbers were just added at the bottom of the reply.
My first months were tough. I had quite a few people send through demanding and even haughty customer service tickets. They more or less had the attitude of, “Do you know who I am?” and “I’m too important to be polite or considerate.” I fixed the problems and answered the tickets. I was nice, polite, and helpful. I did my best to keep the customer happy but I never forgot the names of those rude people.
Time passed, I resigned from the customer service job, and I started a Parenting site. Lo and behold, I was contacted by one of these “customers” and was invited to do a joint venture with them. At the time, I had just agreed to work on a project with someone else so I politely refused the offer.
What that person didn’t realize was that their reputation as a customer reflected on their reputation as a business owner. By my way of thinking, a rude inconsiderate customer would also be a rude inconsiderate business partner.
So there you have it. While you are building your reputation with your own customer service, don’t forget that business owners build reputations as customers too. Before you contact customer service, check any unprofessional attitude at the door. If you don’t, it will still build your reputation but not in the way you’d like. 
Feedback:
What would you do if you were offered a JV opportunity under these circumstances? How does your customer service team handle “difficult” customers?
So true! I handle my own (and my client’s) customer service so I see more than my share of rude customers. I often wonder if they feel better after being rude and nasty.
The way I handle it is to work through all of the good email/tickets first and deal with the bad ones last. This gives me time to take my feelings out of the situation because typically they don’t mean it as a personal attack and I need to not react as if it were one.
In the case of the JV offer, I would decline it simply because I would not want to be connected with someone who treated people like that.
Melody