Just Phoning This Return In

(I work for a major cell phone company. One of our customers comes in having bought a phone from our store several months earlier.)

Customer: “I need help with understanding this phone; it won’t work at all for me!”

Me: “Sure, let me take a look for you.”

(The customer has a flip phone box. I open the box, only to see that the actual phone that’s in the box is a much older phone from another cell phone company. I check the SIM card and the SIM is also from another cell phone company.)

Me: “Sir, this isn’t our phone. This belongs to [Cell Phone Provider]; it isn’t compatible with our network. Do you have the phone that actually came in this box?”

Customer: “No, you guys sold me this phone!”

Me: “Sir, I can’t do anything; this isn’t our phone.”

Customer: *getting very angry* “THIS IS BULLS***! I BOUGHT THIS PHONE FROM YOU GUYS! IT CAME FROM YOUR STORE!”

(My manager comes over.)

Manager: “Sir, this is not the phone that came in the box. There’s nothing we can do about this phone.

Customer: “YOU MEAN TO TELL ME I GOT SCAMMED BY YOU GUYS FOR SELLING ME A PHONE THAT DOESN’T WORK AND ISN’T FROM YOUR NETWORK?! I WANT ALL YOUR NAMES RIGHT NOW!”

(While my manager is trying to calm the man down, I decide to take a look at the flip phone and I notice that it was last used back in late 2016. We also take a look into his account and notice that the actual correct flip phone that was sold to him was showing usage very recently, as well.)

Me: “Sir, this phone that you have right now was last used in 2016 it looks like. Here, it even shows the call logs.”

(The customer looks through the phone and his eyes start to widen.)

Me: “Also, it shows that the actual device that we sold to you has been used pretty recently. Are you sure you didn’t just misplace it?”

Customer: *gives us an awkward look with his eyes still very wide* “O-oh… Oh, my God… I must have grabbed the wrong phone at my house… I have to eat my own words…” *walks out of the store with all of his stuff very awkwardly, not giving us any apology*

(My manager, my coworkers, and I all burst out laughing in disbelief after he left.)