How Many Children Have To Be Hospitalized Before You Refund?

I work in a call center and I answer a call.

Me: “How can I help you?”

Customer: “This is for order [number], the excursion going to [Location].”

Me: *Pulls it up* “Okay… did you have any questions?”

Customer: “[Competitor] sells it for [price].”

Me: “Okay.”

Customer: “…”

Me: “Yes?”

Customer: “Well, match the price, you idiot! Do I gotta spell everything out for you?”

Me: “We’re not obligated to match prices. We are as transparent as possible on our website about our prices without any hidden costs or obligations. It’s the responsibility of the customer to research which merchant would be a better option.”

Customer: “Then give me my money back!”

Me: “It’s non-refundable. We made that clear on our website before you finalized the purchase.”

Customer: *Click*

Two minutes later, the phone rings again and I answer with my greeting.

Customer: *Click*

My coworker’s phone rings. They answer.

Coworker: “Okay… Well, normally, we are not allowed to refund these types of tickets for any reason, but if you can verify that all three of your children are in the hospital, I can see if I can try to make a special exception.”

When a customer makes a purchase on our site, we in essence buy the ticket for them from a partnering vendor and make the reservation. Any refunds come out of OUR company’s pockets, and we’d better have a darn good reason for authorizing it, especially for amounts well over $1,000, like this person’s purchase was.

I looked over at my coworker’s screen to see the customer ticket pulled up. I wrote on a sticky note, “He’s lying. Do NOT authorize the refund,” and gave it to my coworker.

Coworker: *Reading the note* “Sir, I’m afraid I can’t assist you. You’re going to need to contact the corporate office for a final decision. Their information is— Yeah, hang up on me.”

The phone rings again and I answer.

Customer: “Oh. You again. Look, why can’t you just match the price?”

Me: “We are under no obligation to do that. We state our prices clearly. And the tickets are non-refundable, as is stated clearly.”

Customer: “Look, I at least need the extra money if you can’t do the refund. Our electricity and water are about to be turned off, my two-year-old child barely—”

Me: “Sir, you’re going to need to contact the corporate office. Have a nice day.” *Hangs up*

He finally accepted his purchase and didn’t contact us further.