Customer Service Mock Interview
Master 25 Customer Service interview questions covering conflict resolution, empathy, and problem-solving under pressure.
Question 16 of 25
How would you react if a customer was lying to you to gain a refund or free product?
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Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
If you are in the customer service realm, you have likely heard it all! Although most people are lovely, you will come across the odd customer who seems to want to make your life miserable or take advantage of you and the company for which you work. Without turning the conversation to a negative, hypothetically discuss what you would do if a customer were lying.
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"I believe that people are innately good and most customers would not lie to gain something for free. With that said, if I did catch a customer lying to me, I would ask questions in a way that let on I was aware of their strategy, without telling them outright that I was aware of the lie."
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"It is important to me that I have a good working relationship with my customers. If they were lying to me, I would bring it up in a tactful way. I would let them know that a good working relationship is important and valuable."
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"I have been through it all with my customers over the years and have learned that it's important to let things go unless they are going to hurt your company, reputation, or the client. If a customer will lie to me to get a discount, or if they found a loophole, I would work around that specific situation with them but would also try not to give the situation more energy than it was worth."
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"For a project to run smoothly, it's important that we are always clear and transparent with our clients. I ask them the same of my clients in return. If they are lying to me, I do let them know that it will not do us any favors when it comes to the end product."
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"I have been raised to believe that honesty is the most important virtue one can have. For that reason, I would hope that my customers would be as honest with me as I am with them. But, you cannot control how other people behave. If the situation were serious, I would bring it up with my manager and allow them to take action if required."
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"Customers will often inflate numbers or other facts to get what they want. In sales, you see a lot of odd behavior. I do not let it bother me unless they are trying to run a detrimental scam, for instance. Otherwise, I am sure to take notes in our CRM, so my team is aware of the customers' past behavior."
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Anonymous Answer
I would be reading body language. I would ask leading questions to answer my suspicions. I would never accuse a customer of lying and if I wasn't able to resolve the situation I would pull my manager aside, tell them my suspicions, and have the manager continue to address the situation.
Kevin's Feedback
Ok, great. This is a nuanced answer that gives more than is asked for, so great job. I've elaborated on some of your points to drive home the nuance of your answer.
That’s a tricky situation. I think it is important to go into these situations with an open mind, and to a certain degree, you need to trust the intentions of your loyal customer base. So this question poses the question, how do you know if your customer is lying to you to get a refund or a free product? One should always be paying attention to a person’s body language, ask leading questions, pay attention to their choice of words, and take note of anything that raises a red flag. But still, if all you have to go off of is suspicion, you should never insinuate or accuse a customer of lying or trying to take advantage. That person is still a potential customer who, at face value, is loyal to our brand. So, if I had my suspicions, and all I had to go off of was suspicion, I’d pull my manager aside, tell them my suspicions, and ask them how they’d address the situation, and if they wanted me to continue handling it. Especially in such sensitive situations, it’s always important to respect the chain of command.
Anonymous Answer
I would listen to the customer and then explain the company policy and procedures for refunds and free products.
Amanda's Feedback
Great start! Active listening is a vital skill. Consider also sharing how you would handle it if the customer became angry or asked to speak to a supervisor to showcase your conflict resolution and customer service skills in a difficult situation.
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