Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi all,
My name is Kate and I own my own business. I wonder if anyone else has experienced anything similar. One of my customers has befriended me. I sell crystals and crystal jewellery etc so I tend to get lots of messages with people telling me their issues in life. That can be fine unless it gets too much and too often. So because me and this customer have struggled both with similar health issues she has clung to me and messages me everyday. This is too much and I don't even message life long friends daily. If I do not reply straight away she messages me on my personal profile and then comments on my business posts on FB. It is message after message and I feel bombarded. If I reply saying that I am busy and will get back to her as soon as possible I either get a passive aggressive " jokey " reply for example
" ooo you're too busy for me, haha joking " or a really over the top " Oh I am so so so sorry, please forgive me "
Today I have had the same issue that keeps arising.
I post regular sales on my FB page. She will always message and tell me that I should be sending her pictures of all the sale items first and " No posting sale items without showing me " Which can take up to an hour and I really do not have time to do that and I cannot favour her over other customers that would like me to do the same. (my items can sell rather quickly) and I would not have any items to post haha. I replied to let her know that I would be too busy to send her all the items first and I got a passive aggressive reply saying " how rude " and how she was joking.
I really do not know if I am wrong by feeling this way but I do feel like she is very passive aggressive towards me. It is becoming very overwhelming and now I am sat here struggle to get on with my work because her message has wound me up. I want to stay professional and the thought of telling her how she is making me feel, makes me feel sick. She is a nice lady but at the same time I feel like she is hinting for me to send her freebies as I have done in the past and has seemed to hint at me rigging raffles so that she would win.
Any advice would be really appreciated. Am I being over the top by feeling this way?
I have had lots of people treat me this way and take advantage of me in the past, so I feel very angry and upset at the moment.
that sounds like a difficult situation, you don't want to upset or loose a customer but you also need to keep your boundaries. From what you say it sounds like she might have some issues of her own. I hope you manage to navigate the situation
Setting clear boundaries is key here. You could politely let her know that while you appreciate her support, you're unable to respond to messages immediately and that all customers have equal access to your sales.It might also be helpful to direct her to your business policies or FAQ section, where you can outline how you handle sales and customer interactions. This way, you're not singling her out, but rather referring her to your standard procedures.But don't feel guilty for setting boundaries to protect yourself and your business.You might also want to look into a system like [link removed by moderator] to help streamline your business processes and make things easier for you. It could help with managing customer interactions more efficiently.