A customer arrives to pick up a stereo from the repair department. The customer states that the repairs department called earlier to tell him the stereo was ready. However, the stereo cannot be located. After 20 minutes the customer is angry. What should the associate do?

• A. Apologize and offer to locate and deliver the stereo.
• B. Refer the customer to a supervisor.
• C. Tell the customer you are sorry, the call was a mistake.
• D. Sell the customer a new stereo at a reduced price.

Answer: (B)

When a promised pickup item can’t be found and the customer is becoming angry, bringing in a supervisor is the best move because it shows accountability and ensures the issue is handled with the proper authority and process. A supervisor can quickly verify the repair ticket, check with the repair department and inventory, and coordinate a concrete plan for the customer—whether that means locating the stereo, arranging delivery, or offering an approved alternative. This helps restore trust by providing clear next steps and prevents you from making commitments you can’t guarantee. The other options fall short: simply apologizing and promising to locate it may not resolve the problem if the item is truly misplaced; saying the call was a mistake is dishonest and damages credibility; offering a discounted replacement shifts the focus from fixing the current issue to a sale, which isn’t appropriate in this service failure scenario.