Abusive Tactics: The intentional infliction of physical or emotional pain on another person for the purposes of satisfying the needs of ones ego, ambition, or income. Abusive tactics likely are more prevalent in a small business than a larger corporation because of a lack of oversight by management. Many people have a political, social, economic or religious agenda that they foster on the public when there is little chance they will be caught abusing customers. One must not forget the same is true of abusive clients.
Unintentional abuse comes from an exaggerated focus on profits over consideration for people. The push for profits leads to abuse while satisfying ones self-image and ego.
Another variant on abuse in business is a businessperson whose mind is distracted pursuing the “good life.” Here, they are not paying attention to the management of the business. A contractor might have a foreman who runs the business day-to-day. But with the frequent absence of the boss the foreman is faced with a multitude of decisions. Some of the decisions he makes are not good ones. When the businessman discovers the foreman has made errors due to the owner’s absence, he explodes in a rage cursing out the foreman and workers. On the one hand the owner wants tight control of the company, and on the other hand he wants to be out having fun. It is an impossible situation. The owner’s ability to retain good employees is hampered by his abusive tactics. Bad management such as this impacts the profit margin driving the businessman towards committing marginal acts of trade in the name of his need to survive.
Another variant of this of this might be seen in the owner who manipulates peoples, playing the role of a drama queen. Here the tactic is to appear to be hot and then cold to the employees and clients, to striking fear in the thinking of employees.
Abuse is often evident where there is criminal activity. The object of a criminal enterprise is to work the customer over in such a way that they do not know up from down. Doubt is cast on the client at every turn as the business owner plausibly denies everything that seems wrong.
Jilting & Jerking
To some business is a game, but, if it is a game at some point it can become a predatory game in which the game and not moral and ethical consideration guides business decisions. More often than not jilting and being jerk satisfies the “emotional moment” in an otherwise dull job. For example, a restaurant might jilt clients with unexpectedly high bills by giving the customer very small portions of food. A jerk running a business can drive profits into the ground with his or her egotistical pursuit of emotionally weak clients. A business that is poorly managed can manifest a climate of abuse, games and jilting simply because certain aging employees are above reproach in the eyes of manage who confuse professional competence with emotional immaturity. See “personal power.” Here there is a discussion of how people act and react when they come to posses a degree of personal, financial or social power.
Flaying
Here, the business works over a customer emotionally for the visceral satisfaction that comes from seeing another person helpless to do anything about their circumstance. Here, “personal power” is at work for the shear exercise of power.
Put-Down
Treating the customer as an inferior being. Sometimes, the put-down leads to an attitude of “but I can help you out here” Here the abuser suddenly gets close, going in for the kill as their intention is to inflate the cost of a product or service.
Dismissive
Tactically ignoring the client's complaints and sensitivities. Here, domination is sometimes an active component in abuse. Sometimes, stressing the client out provides important informational feedback regarding how a client will react when given an absurdly high bill.
The Rip-Off
A blatent overpricing of merchandise. A scamming of the client in a way that can be subtle or direct.
Catch Me If You Can
Playing an endless mind game with the customer in order to fatigue the customer into compliance with ones demands.
Criminal Games
The presence of abuse in a transaction is many times an indication of a crime game. Criminals want more than money they sometimes want the satisfaction of exercising power over other people. Many times there is an accompanying game with fraud as the truth is being concealed: Fraud "A knowing misrepresentation of truth or concealment of a material fact to induce another to act to act to his or her detriment." Black's Law Dictionary
Client abuses include:
Using the small business owner for personal gain. Pretending to buy when there are other reasons they are wasting the proprietor's time. Returning defective merchandise they broke. Returning other store's merchandise. Returning products because they found a less expensive one. Using their perceived status to put down a proprietor. Emotionally toying with a store owner, extorting and blackmailing them and ruining their reputation if they do no comply with their demands. Client abuse takes an extreme form in the case of the small neighborhood grocery store. Here tough customers imply violence and destruction of the store (usually breaking an expensive window) if the owner does not soften their treatment of the thug. Spoiled children who do not get their way are sometimes confronted by threatening parents.
9/22/2011
|