Title: “Demanding my rights”.
Author: Clara Pérez
4 characters:
- Employee: In charge of collection and information.
- Client 1: Calm, submissive and quiet.
- Customer 2: Violent and haughty.
- Client 3: Assertive and capable of demanding what she deserves.
SINGLE ACT
Setting: Collection and claims office.
Introduction: 3 clients wait in an office to make a complaint about bad service and the employee responds to each one according to his or her behavior.
Customer 1 (timidly approaching the employee): Good morning, Miss, our Internet service has not been working for more than a month, I am very sorry to bother you, but I would like to know what happened and when are you going to solve it?
Employee (answering rudely): This is the fourth time I repeat the same thing; I don’t know sir, there are problems and the technicians are working on it, you have to wait, we can’t solve it today, and them coming here all the time is a hindrance, it doesn’t help.
Customer 2 (being as haughty as the employee): And you have to shout to say that? We are the ones who pay here, so you keep your voice down, if you know how to shout, I know how to shout too. Explain to me what is going on with the service, that’s what they pay you for, not for you to scream people for coming to ask questions.
Employee: Lower your voice ma’am, I can’t serve you like this, I’m not here to listen to screams and moans, so get out, I already told you that I can’t help you.
Customer 2: I’m not going to leave here until you give me a solution, and I yell whatever I want, they pay you to attend me, they don’t pay me to put up with you, so get a position.
Employee: Well, nobody is going to yell at me, I can’t attend to anyone else thanks to the haughty lady, there is no more information. Whoever is going to cancel should do it and the claims for another day.
Customer 3 (speaking seriously, but without shouting): Do me a favor, this is a claims office and your duty is to give the information…..
Employee (shouting): Ma’am, I already said…
Customer 3: Lower your voice, I can hear you without shouting. Let’s get the education out of the way, shall we? I understand, if you are not qualified to give the information, it is difficult for you to solve it, so there must be someone more qualified I guess. Please call your superior to explain the service problem and tell us why they put an employee who doesn’t know how to solve it.
Employee (lowering her tone): Yes, I am qualified to solve the problem, ma’am, we don’t need to call a superior.
Customer 3: Good, then, if you are qualified, you fulfill your duty to inform and I fulfill my right to be informed, so we lighten and the line does not get longer, you leave the three of us satisfied and we do not have to go to higher instances, is it possible?
Employee (embarrassed and speaking more politely, although forced): We are presenting problems with the wiring, they are working on that, for now we will not be able to tell you exactly how long that will take.
Customer 3: Okay, and since you are not providing the service, should we continue paying?
Employee: If you fill out the claim form, your payment will be suspended until the service is restored.
Customer 3: and you couldn’t say that? you were going to charge the month knowing that it is not due, can you give us the forms to avoid payment in the legal way please?
Employee (extending the form to each of the clients): Yes ma’am.
The clients fill out the form and hand it in.
Client 3: You see it is not so difficult to do your duty? Customers have rights and there are those who know how to demand them, thank you for your attention.
The employee remains unresponsive as she watches client 3 leave the office.
THE END