I benefited from an entitled customer at a cafeteria-style restaurant. I reached the entree section where two employees were working.

Me: “May I have a grilled chicken breast?”

Employee #1: “The only chicken we have left is a half chicken.”

I started viewing the other meat selections when the customer behind me ordered.

Customer: “I’d like a grilled chicken breast.”

Employee #1: “We only have half chickens available.”

Customer: “Then cut one in half.”

Employee #1: “No, we’re selling them as-is.”

Customer: “Another employee the other day allowed the chicken pieces to be cut.”

Employee #2: “Yes, I allowed them to have the white meat cut from the half chicken.”

When [Employee #1] found out, not only did the customer behind me get what he wanted, but [Employee #1] said I may as well also. The third customer in line joined in and asked for just the white meat.

When [Employee #2] saw there were now three chopped-up pieces of meat, she realized what she had done by allowing the adjustment.

So, while I did benefit and got just the part I wanted, I hope it showed [Employee #2] that this is why you don’t give in to demands.

After arriving in my hometown by plane, I went to the transportation area to catch the train that departs from the airport and makes stops along the line. Since I am a senior citizen (not disabled), I sat in the designated area. There were five other open senior/disabled seats.

A few stops later, another passenger entered and stood in front of me. 

Passenger: “This is senior seating.”

Me: “Yes, it is.”

Passenger: “It’s for seniors.”

Me: “Oh, are you not sure if you are a senior? I can help you determine your age.”

Passenger: “You need to be a senior citizen to sit here.”

Me: “I know, because I know how to determine senior citizen status. Again, I can help you figure out if you are a senior if you want to sit here.”

At this point, the other passenger gave up and sat in one of the other available seats.

CONTENT WARNING: Dental Work, Needles

When I was thirteen or fourteen, I went to the dentist and ended up needing a cavity filled. I am NOT good with needles, so when he gave me the shot to numb me, I was struggling to stay calm. I also have an extremely small mouth, so some dentists get very frustrated.

When the first shot was in, I kind of went numb, but when he started drilling, I could feel everything. I was making noise to get him to stop, and he decided to do another shot to numb it more. Nope, I could still feel everything, even though my tongue and lips were numb.

Both shots hurt like crazy, so when he tried to go in with a third shot, I couldn’t stand it. I started yelling no and yelling not to touch me. I was in a full-on panic attack, hyperventilating and crying.

The dentist went and got my mom, and she couldn’t calm me down, either. So, what did she do?

She slapped me!

It shocked the h*** out of me, but it surprised me so much that it broke me out of the panic attack. The cavity did get filled with the help of some gas.

When we were leaving, I looked at my mom.

Me: “I can believe you slapped me!”

Mom: “Well, it works in the movies!”

I just laughed at the absurdity of it, but it worked!

I am currently at a huge science fiction convention that draws around 80,000 attendees annually. It covers five hotels and a conference center with another dozen satellite hotels to house all the people who come to town. A large part of the draw is the costumes; there are lots of people in every geeky costume imaginable, ranging from cheap cardboard to movie-grade costing hundreds or thousands of dollars.

In the middle of all this, I happen to be near a businessman in a nice suit in one of the hotel lobbies. He is on his phone, apparently giving directions to someone.

Businessman: “You’ll see a bunch of those [Convention] people in weird costumes. Keep going, and I’m just past them.”

Sir, “people in weird costumes” covers a solid five blocks in every direction. Your colleague is going to be SO LOST!

I didn’t tell him.

I work at an independent insurance agency. One thing we are not allowed to do, by law, is telling people what to do. We can advise, but we cannot say, “Yes, file a claim,” or, “Make your coverage [amount].”

The phone rings.

Me: “Thank you for calling [Agency]. This is [My Name]; how can I help you?”

Client: “Hello, I need help with a claim.”

We don’t handle claims; that is handled directly with the carrier. But if the client has trouble getting a response or is confused about the process, we can reach out to the carrier ourselves and get them to call the client directly to explain or have the claim escalated.

Me: “We don’t actually handle claims here, but what do you need help with? I can get you to the right place.”

Client: “I had a tree fall and damage my gutters, but I don’t know if I should make a claim or not.”

Me: “Okay, what is your name and address? Let me take a look at your policy.”

The client provides his information and I pull his policy up.

Me: “Okay, I see here that you have a $5,000 deductible on your policy. What we recommend is getting an estimate done to see how much damage there is. Based on the estimate, you will be able to determine if you want to make a claim.”

Client: “What do you mean? Do I make a claim or not?”

Me: “Your deductible is $5,000, so you would be responsible for the first $5,000 of the claim. Once you know how much the repair will cost, you’ll be able to determine if it’s worth making a claim.”

Client: “So, if the estimate is $5,000 or more, I should make a claim?”

Me: “Not necessarily. You need to take into account that a claim is on your record for five years and it will impact your premium until it ages off.”

Client: “JUST TELL ME IF I SHOULD MAKE A CLAIM OR NOT!”

Me: “Please do not yell at me. Legally, we are not allowed to tell you what to do. The decision has to be yours.”

Client: “THEN WHAT GOOD ARE YOU? F****** USELESS, AREN’T YOU? JUST TELL ME WHAT THE F*** I SHOULD DO!”

Me: “I am disconnecting the call. Your agent will be in touch.”

I sent the recording to the agent and noted everything in the client’s file. The agent filled me in after he talked to the client. Apparently, the client was super friendly to the agent. The agent explained exactly what I did, in the exact same way.

The client tried to say I didn’t explain it to him. When the agent informed the client that he had listened to the call — the WHOLE call — the client went quiet. The agent let him know he was on notice; if there were any further issues, we would be firing him as a client.

I love being able to hang up on abusive clients and knowing that the agents and the owner have our backs.

This story is part of our ‘Clients From Hell’ roundup!

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