Devoted to the call center industry, the agents on the phones, and their managers

One kind of call center escalation, perhaps more difficult than ones involving obvious customer issues, happens when the customer was treated appropriately and didn't like it. When the customer is legally responsible for the charges on their bill, they might call back for a supervisor, hoping that if they raise enough of a fuss, they might get more credit than they deserved.
 
In a case such as that, where the issue was already settled, some experienced reps stage a fake escalation. They say, "May I put you on hold while I talk with my supervisor?" Then they talk about sports (or the stupid/unreasonable/greedy customer) for a few seconds with the person in the next cubicle, then they return to the phone. "I'm sorry, sir, but my supervisor said the same thing. No credit is available."

I've never done that myself. Sometimes abusive customers need to be heard out. Sometimes important customers need to be coddled, as Jalynn did in a recent neverending call. Sometimes misguided customers need to be guided, but I don't think they don't need to be lied to. Fear that the agent wasn't being honest with them is one reason why they call back again and again.