(I am in college and working full-time as the receptionist for a car repair shop to pay my way. Because I don’t always have customers calling or coming in, the management allows me to bring my homework with me, provided I can put it down immediately when someone phones or comes in. I am 21 and look very young for my age. One older customer walks in and looks down at the book on the desk while I’m pulling her file.)

Customer: “Does your teacher know you’re skipping class?”

Me: “Well… this is just my homework. Now, about your car—”

Customer: “What? High schools don’t have class at night. Is it even legal for you to be here?”

Me: “Actually, I’m in college. I’m 21; I just look a lot younger than I am.”

Customer: “Do not lie to me, young lady. You should be ashamed of yourself. Skipping class and lying. Does your manager know this?”

Me: “Ma’am, I’m sorry, but I’m not in high school. And I’m working on my schoolwork here, so I’m obviously not trying to ditch schoolwork. Now, if I can get you to sign these papers here, we’ll get the estimator to come and—”

Customer: “Nonsense! You’re just trying to get out of responsibility, and now that I’ve caught you, you’re trying to distract me by talking about my car! You young people dropping out of school is what is causing the economy issues we’re having!”

(I quietly flip over the book to show her the cover, which lists the state university name, as well as a college-level class name.)

Customer: “What forms did you need me to fill out?”

(It’s Easter Sunday, and we are open until six pm. All morning we have had people calling to make sure we are open. It’s mildly annoying, but I understand why they are calling, so I decide to have a bit of fun with it.)

Me: “Thank you for calling [Company]. How may I help you?”

Customer: “Just calling to see if you’re open.”

Me: “No, sir, I am a pre-recorded message.”

(I hear the guy laughing until he hangs up. I get another phone call.)

Me: “No, ma’am, but you can leave a message after the beep. Beep.” *customer starts laughing*

Coworker: “Did you really just answer the phone like that?”

Me: “Yes, and will continue to do so.”

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(Although we are not supposed to lock the doors until exactly 9:00 pm, it had been a long, busy day and the manager and I were both tired, so I locked the doors at 8:58 pm. We closed down the last register and were both in the back office counting the till. At 9:05 pm we hear someone banging incessantly at the door, which is not unusual. Almost every night, we have customers banging on the door after close, hoping we’ll let them in. If it’s an emergency, and going to guarantee a large sale like a new car battery, we’ll let them in and help them. So, I go to the door to investigate.)

Me: “Sorry! We’re closed! We closed at 9:00 pm.”

Customer: “You locked the door before 9:00! I was here and I watched you!”

Me: “If you were here before 9:00, why didn’t you come in?”

Customer: “I was finishing my cigarette! I want to buy an air freshener!”

(A man walks up to the service counter on a Thursday morning. He wants to make an appointment so he can bring his car in for an oil change.)

Me: “The next available appointment for oil changes is Monday at 10:30.”

Customer: “Do you have anything available this afternoon?”

Me: “No, I’m sorry. We don’t. The next available appointment is Monday at 10:30 in the morning.”

Customer: “How about tomorrow?”

Me: “We don’t have any appointments available until Monday next week.”

Customer: “Do you have openings this Saturday?”

(My car is making a terrible grinding noise when I turn. I take it in to a national car repair chain to have it looked at. I am female and 19 at the time. My father is visiting from 600 miles away.)

Me: “Hey there. My car is making this weird grinding, popping noise when I turn. I was hoping you guys could take a look at it?”

Employee: “No problem! We’ll have it looked at shortly.”

(Over two hours pass, the employee approaches me.)

Employee: “We found the problem. Your brakes need to be replaced: pads, rotors, drums… We can get you in today and it will be [outrageous price].”

Me: “Um… okay. But I’d like to hold off on that. I need to get my father’s permission before I authorize that charge. I’ll be back in tomorrow, though!”

(The employee tries to argue how important it is to get my brakes replaced, to the point he prints out a recommended repairs list and hands it to me. Little did he know I’d had the brakes done less than four months prior at a different location. The next day, my father brings the car in to the same store. The same employee is there.)

Father: “I need this car looked at. It’s making a terrible noise when I turn.”

Employee: “Okay! We’ll have it looked at shortly. Have a seat while you wait.”

(Less than an hour later:)

Employee: “We can’t seem to pinpoint the exact cause of the noise, I am sorry to say. Everything looks good. It could just be something rolling around in the trunk.”

Father: “Even the brakes?”

Employee: “The brakes on the car are fine. They look like they were replaced recently.”

Father: “Really, now?”

Employee: “Yeah, they’re fine.”

My Father: “Funny, because I have a work order from you, dated yesterday, that says they need to be replaced when my daughter brought the car in for this same issue.” *shows the work order*

(The employee visibly sputters. There are at least six other customers in the store and my father spoke loud enough for them to hear.)

Employee: “Uh— Oh! I remember her! Yeah, she just needed a new rotor on the car. I don’t know why the guy put down all that other stuff.”

Father: “I’m sure. Now, you listen. My daughter is 19, and I live 600 miles away. I told her to come here because I have [Company credit card] and can pay for the repairs while she’s in school. She is going to call me every time there is an issue, and if it feels like you are trying to rip her off again, I will drive the 600 miles it takes to come down here and deal with the problem myself. Do we have an understanding?”

(I didn’t have a problem at the location after that. The employee in question recognized me whenever I brought the car back in, and made sure to call my father to approve any repairs that were needed. Now that I’m out of college I occasionally go back for minor maintenance. He still recognizes me.)