Buzz Lightyear’s Courier Of Choice

(We have a small [Shipping Company] Counter in our store known for office supplies. We are not an official [Shipping Company] Store — those stores are stand-alone [Shipping Company] locations. We simply contract with [Shipping Company] and have simple services we provide through them. I hear a customer raising his voice over at the [Shipping Company] shipping counter, yelling at my very competent, nice associate. I go over to see if I can help this upset man.)

Me: “What seems to be the issue, sir?”

Customer: “You gave my wife incorrect information about shipping when she called!”

Me: “Oh, well, what was it you needed as far as shipping goes?”

Customer: “My wife asked if you ship and the [Store] person said they would take care of it!”

Me: “Well, that is true; we ship [Shipping Company]. You can either bring your package in with a prepaid label or you can pay us to package it with a label and ship it.”

Customer: “That’s what I want! I want to ship this, and you guys said you would take care of it!” *points to a bag of stuff on the counter*

Me: “Great! We will just put the information into the computer and get a label made.”

Customer: “But I want to ship to infinity, and you guys said you would take care of it!”

Me: *thinking that he is talking about shipping it to a town or business named “Infinity”* “Uh, yes, well, as long as it is in the continental US, we can send it there.”

Customer: “Fine! That’s what my wife was told! You said you would take care of it!”

Me: *to the other associate* “Do you want me to help or take over for you?”

Other Associate: “Erm, well…” *looks at the customer* “Do you have the address you need to send it to, sir?”

Customer: *turning red* “No, godd*** it! I need to ship it to infinity! I don’t have an address!”

(It finally dawns on me that when this guy says, “infinity,” he is saying he doesn’t know where he needs to send it! I also realize that when his wife was told that we “take care of shipping,” they assumed they could bring in their stuff with no information and expect us to magically know where they need it sent!) 

Me: “Uh, okay, sir, just to clarify, you want us to ship this, but you don’t know the address or location you need to ship to?”

Customer: “That’s right!”

Me: “Ah, I see. Well, unfortunately, we do not know, either. Unless customers provide us with valid shipping information we cannot send anything.”

Customer: “But on the phone, you said you take care of it!”

Me: *really can’t believe what I’m hearing* “Sir, if someone calls and asks if we ship, or provide shipping, packaging services, etc., of course, we say that we can take care of your shipping needs, but it is common knowledge that when you send a package you have to know where you want it to go. There is no way for any of us here to know that if you don’t know yourself.”

Customer: “Well, I get that now! But you should tell people that! I drove 25 miles to get here! You should compensate me!”

Me: “I can’t do that, sir, but perhaps you can call your wife and she might have the address?”

Customer: *spits and glares* “She doesn’t know it, either!”

Me: “Well, sorry about that… Feel free to come back when you find the address.”

(Honestly, are people really that thick? Did he think that we could ship to the billion addresses that are “infinity”?)