I came to work on a Monday morning to see that my computer had been updated to a new operating system. A lot of my files had somehow been moved and/or deleted in the process, so I emailed IT to ask if this was a common issue or if there was something wrong with my computer.

A week went by with no response. I sent another email the following Monday, this time adding that if they were unsure or they were working on it or whatever the case may be, it was fine, but please let me know.

Again, a week of silence. During that last weekend, I had time to do some research on my own and found that it was a common problem but with a complicated fix. On the third Monday, I sent another email saying I had solved the problem and wouldn’t need their assistance anymore.

The head of human resources then emailed me and CC’ed the IT team.

Head Of HR: “[My Name], we understand that your issue was troublesome, but repeatedly harassing the IT staff will not get it done any faster. The entire team works very hard to satisfy all of the employees at [Company] and, as such, cannot be expected to reply to your inquiry immediately. There are many issues with the new operating system that we are all dealing with, and IT is doing their best. That being said, it’s good that you figured out how to fix the issue, and perhaps doing some research before reaching out will help reduce everyone’s stress should you come up against another concern.”

I stared at the email for a few minutes before replying. I attached screenshots of the emails I had sent, including the date of each one.

Me: “Thank you for reaching out, [Head Of HR]. I apologize for any discomfort I caused the IT team. I did not think that my emails (in the screenshots) were harassment, but I will endeavor to be more independent in the future. Again, my apologies.”

There was no direct response to my email, but a few months after the exchange, IT rolled out a “request page” where people could submit issues and track the status of their request, from “Submitted” to “Closed.”

Back in the early 2000s, I am finishing a long and terrible shift at a huge big box retail store. This story is pieced together from a few memories, but the gist of it remains the same. I’m in the break room at the back, and a coworker has noticed my mood.

Coworker #1: “Rough shift?”

Me: “Some brats were throwing jars of baby food at the wall just to watch them break and splatter. The mom just laughed and told me that it’s my job to clean it up.”

Coworker #1: “Ugh, I got it worse. I got one kid — must have been twelve, so definitely old enough to know better — who decided to pee on the carpet in the clothing department. He was laughing as he did it; that little s*** knew what he was doing.”

Coworker #2: *Joining in* “Wait, was that kid in a white tank top, and the mom had huge blonde hair in a terrible perm?”

Me: “Uh… yeah, I think so, plus a younger brother.”

Coworker #1: “Yeah, that’s mine, too! D***, they were the same family?”

Coworker #2: “Yeah, I could tell. They were also walking around the store eating rotisserie chicken and drinking sodas they hadn’t paid for, and they told me to f*** myself when I told them they had to pay for it.”

Coworker #1: “How have these people not been kicked out? We reported them to our managers, right?”

As we say this, another exhausted-looking coworker comes into the break room.

Coworker #3: “Did you guys not hear the screaming coming from the checkouts a while ago? Some woman was being dragged out by the police while her two sons were watching. Apparently, she was using her kids as distractions while she was stealing some stuff.”

Coworker #2: “Blonde hair, huge perm?”

Coworker #3: “Yeah! How did you know?”

All Of Us: “Just a hunch.”

Related:
The Truly Awful Stand Out

We have a lot of people who come in with tech issues, and I get why they do. We sell phones, and we sell wireless service; hence, if you’re having an issue with your phone or your service, you bring the phone to us so we can troubleshoot.

But then, we have people who come in to ask us for help with their Facebook or WhatsApp. These are the two main apps people come in to ask us for help with, and I use neither of these apps.

A lot of the time, people come in acting like they’re helpless, don’t know how to read, and don’t know how to Google search. A lot of the “troubleshooting” I do is literally just Googling the issue. I will do my best to help so long as the customer is being polite and respectful.

When I moved to my current store from a different location, one of the first interactions I had was with a couple maybe in their mid-fifties who came in with a HUGE SENSE OF URGENCY about the fact that the wife had made two different Facebook profiles.

Wife: “I just can’t figure out how to log into the right account!”

She couldn’t log into the one she actually wanted to be logged into? Simple enough. I logged her out of the first account and then went to log into the other one she wanted.

Wife: “I don’t know the email for that account!”

Me: “The password?”

Wife: “That account has a password?”

Oy vey.

I selected usage of the recovery phone number and showed her the last four digits.

Me: “Recovery instructions will be sent to this number.”

Wife: “But why? Why that number? That number was discontinued a long time ago! I thought you worked in phones?!”

Me: “Then I don’t know what to tell you. Without the email, password, or access to the recovery number, I can’t log you into that Facebook account.”

Of course, she tried to get me to log her back into the account we had just logged her out of, and she knew none of the security details for that one, either.

Wife: *Screaming* “You’ve deleted everything! You’ve ruined everything! Now I have no Facebook, and it’s all your fault!”

My manager came over to try to de-escalate the situation, and in doing so, he began to secretly record the interaction in case it got too out of hand. This lady was so rude, and she was whining like her not being able to log into Facebook was literally the end of the world.

My manager was able to solve the issue somehow. (Miracle Man, I tell you what.)

The couple left, and I didn’t see them again for months until the other day. As soon as I saw them, I was like, “F***…” I had to at least see what they needed; it may have been an actual issue that I’m expected to solve per my job description.

Welp, guess what they came in for?

FACEBOOK SUPPORT, AGAIN!

Wife: “I made too many Facebook accounts! I don’t know how to log out and delete the extra ones!”

Yup. Again.

I took her phone, and I Googled “How to delete a Facebook account.” A ton of articles popped up. I put her phone back in front of her, and she glanced down at it and sighed.

Wife: “I don’t know what to do!”

Me: “There’s an entire list of articles explaining how to delete Facebook accounts on your phone.”

Wife: “I need you to do it.”

I very calmly folded my hands and put them on the counter in front of me.

Me: “I can’t help you with that. The last time you were in here, you yelled at me for ‘deleting’ your account and ‘ruining everything,’ so I’m not going to mess with this.”

She just looked at me dumbfounded.

Wife: “I never said that. Sorry, no, I never said that.”

As my manager had made a recording of the incident, and I had it saved on my phone (for those “you won’t believe what happened to me at work” conversations), I was able to quickly pull the video up and show her saying exactly that.

Her husband, realizing that his wife was not the kind of person who would de-escalate this situation, jumped in quickly.

Husband: “Well, what are we supposed to do?”

Me: “You can try the [Electronics Chain Support Team]. They know how to troubleshoot apps. We are here to help with your service or technical issues with your phone. We are not obligated to provide service for apps.”

They ended up leaving. Somehow, the lady didn’t scream at me or anything — I think she was shocked that we had evidence to shut her down so totally — but they were clearly frustrated that I refused to help them.

An older gentleman comes into the store with his digital camera.

Customer: “It’s broken; it’s not powering up. Can you repair it for me?” 

Me: “Let me have a look.”

It seems like it’s out of power, so for troubleshooting, I replace the batteries, and it seems to work just fine.

Customer: “Oh! What did you do?”

Me: “It just needed new batteries.”

I play around with it a little and test a few functions.

Me: “I think you’re all set.”

Customer: “Thank you! I was worried because I thought it was broken. How much do I owe you?”

Me: “Nothing, you’re all set. There’s no repair job to pay for.”

He hands me a twenty.

Customer: “Here. Take this, then.” 

Me: “Seriously, no charge.”

Customer: “Son, let me tell you: I am paying you for your expertise. It might have been a simple fix to a young man like you, but to me, that is knowledge that I am willing to pay for. Never undervalue yourself and your knowledge in this world, ya hear me?”

Me: “I hear you, sir.”

Customer: “Good. And if you really need more justification, I’m paying for those nice new batteries you put in my camera!”

And with that, he was gone. My all-time favorite customer.

My son and his wife go to a beach on the North Carolina coast for several days of vacation. This particular beach has lifeguards, and the guard chairs are tall and spaced along the beach. There are signs at all entrances to the beach telling people not to set up umbrellas or shade canopies in front of the guard stands. The reason is that the guards cannot adequately scan the ocean for people in trouble if their vision is blocked. There is actually a local ordinance stating this, and people can be fined.

[Son] and his wife get set up with a small beach shade thingy. It is like a half-tent that you set your chair in. It’s low to the ground, blocks the wind, and provides some shade.

Nearby, a family arrives and proceeds to set up one of those big shade canopies — think something used for craft shows or festivals. It is set up close to the ocean and between two guard stands. In fact, [Son] remarks that he can’t see the second stand because of the canopy and the chairs, etc.

Soon enough, one of the guards approaches the group.

Lifeguard: “You need to move your canopy back behind the guard stands. It’s too tall and blocks the line of sight for us to watch the ocean for people in trouble.”

They seem to agree, and the guard leaves.

When the guard leaves, the group stops looking like they are going to move. They actually get out food and drinks and sit in their chairs. [Son] remarks to his wife that the group is asking to be evicted from the beach.

About twenty or thirty minutes go by, and the guard comes back.

Lifeguard: “You need to move your canopy behind the guard stands for safety reasons.”

This time, a woman in the group decides to argue.

Woman: “We’re not moving! There are other people out here with shade canopies and stuff!”

She points out [Son] and his wife and then another group with a small beach umbrella.

Lifeguard: “Both of those groups meet the safety requirements.”

Woman: “Call the police if you have to, but my family and I aren’t moving!”

About fifteen minutes later, the police arrived on the scene. The woman and her entitled group got a ticket and were told that they needed to move their canopy or they would be told to leave.

The police left, and the woman and her family picked all their stuff up and moved back behind the guard stand — like they were told to the first time.