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Unless you are the kind of person to read through all updated terms and conditions with a fine-tooth comb, the below tweet from the Nintendo Japan's customer support team my have passed you by (don't worry, it did for us too). However, as pointed out by Sora News 24, the latest update actually makes some pretty big, if painfully obvious, changes to better protect its staff from cases of customer harassment.

The changes come following a 2020 investigation into Japanese businesses by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, which highlighted major issues around customer harassment throughout the survey.

The repair service regulations (found in the tweet above) now include a section titled 'About customer harassment', which details the new ways in which the company is moving to tackle the issue through a range of methods from refusing service to contacting the police in more extreme instances.

Sora News 24 provides the following translation to the new guideline additions:

When making inquiries about product repairs, please refrain from engaging in behavior that goes beyond socially accepted norms (including but not limited to those listed below). If we determine that such behavior has taken place, we may refuse to repair or replace your product. Moreover, if we view the behavior as especially malicious we will contact the police and lawyers in order to take the appropriate measures in response to it.

– Threats, intimidation, or menacing behavior
– Insults or degrading remarks
– Infringement on privacy
– Requests for service beyond social norms, such as requesting free repairs beyond what is covered by warranty
– Unreasonable demands for an apology from the company or demands to punish people
– Behavior that prolongs the time spent such as excessively repeating the same request or complaint
– Slander on social media or the Internet

A read through the above list reveals that these changes are not in any way unreasonable. Many customer-facing jobs around the world rely on a similar set of guidelines designed to inform everyone that the workforce is made up of human beings who, you know, deserve to be treated as such.

While it may appear painfully obvious, getting things like this down in writing is always a good idea. It prevents all kinds of 'I was only joking around', 'it wasn't even that aggressive' and 'does it say any of this on your website' which may arise when staff ask to be treated with basic respect. Here's hoping that the reports of customer harassment decrease in line with these changes.

What do you make of Nintendo's new guidelines? Embody the level of kindness that it ask for and let us know in the comments below!

[source soranews24.com, via twitter.com]