Rude these days to mention money?

[BeethovenRocks]

With folks in customer service these days encouraged to be uber polite, I'm just wondering if I'm nit-picking with this one...

I got a new supply of contacts today and when it came time to pay the bill the chipper, young, smiling thing at the checkout said: '...that's a "balance" of 30.00' I've NEVER paid for anything in instalments there so why didn't she just say:

'...that will be 30.00 please' or
'...the total comes to 30.00'

That was the first time I'd heard the word "balance" used for a regular, one-off, retail transaction. Is this the new PC way of asking for cash instead of '...now pay us our damn money!!'

 

[chefkate]

she was probably just trying to be "cute"

 

[melimcn]

I can certainly understand why you might be a little more sensitive with $$ these days - we all are.
But I think you might be over-reacting on this one a bit.
Maybe she was just trying to sound fancy or something. I'm not sure that I'd make the leap that she was trying to imply something.

Just my thoughts. I mean no offense!

 

[morningstar]

Ummm, yep, "nit-picking" I think would describe that!

 

[Gayle]

Since you were buying contacts, I'm assuming you were at an optometrist office or some other place that sells eyeglasses and such. In my experience, I think the term "balance" is used a lot in health type environments (my vet's office, eye doctor,chiro, GP, dentist). These places have a lot of transactions that are handled by multiple payers (insurance, etc.) so when finally it gets down to the patient, then yes, it's a "balance".

The fact that she was smiley and chipper makes her sound like a peach. I'd hire her.

 

[Shadowpup]

Have to agree with Gayle - and think of the alternative. If she used "balance" with people who tend to pay on installments, and a different phrase for people who didn't, how embarassing to customers! And what if she made a mistake and used the wrong word???

Balance is also what banks say about credit cards, where there is an option to carry over to the next month although one does not have to do so.

I bet this office greatly values your willingness/ability to pay as you go, btw

 

[janie1234]

Since you were buying contacts, I'm assuming you were at an optometrist office or some other place that sells eyeglasses and such. In my experience, I think the term "balance" is used a lot in health type environments (my vet's office, eye doctor,chiro, GP, dentist). These places have a lot of transactions that are handled by multiple payers (insurance, etc.) so when finally it gets down to the patient, then yes, it's a "balance".

The fact that she was smiley and chipper makes her sound like a peach. I'd hire her.

Yup in the dental office I work for we use the word balance.

 

[BeethovenRocks]

Points taken, thanks. I've made tons of visits to opticians' offices - in several countries - for most of my life now (been wearing glasses since 1st grade and contacts for the past 13 years)--and have never once had 'balance' mentioned to me, in that context. Guess that's why it sorta struck me as odd in the first place...

 

[CollinsMom]

At my office we say, "You have a balance of $XYZ. Will you be paying by cash or check?" (we don't accept debit/credit... but that's a whole other issue entirely)