Content Warning: Gross
I used to work at a mini golf course. It had little houses with doors that opened and closed that people would hit their balls into.
Someone took a gallon-sized bag full of diarrhea, opened it up, and threw it inside there. People started coming up to the counter with golf balls covered in diarrhea.
I work for a national car repair and tire company. I am the manager and am a nice guy, but that doesn’t mean you can be mean.
Today, we had a twenty-year-old European car come in.
Customer: “My brakes are squeaking, and I want an air conditioning recharge.”
Me: “Would you like an air conditioning inspection?”
Customer: “No, I just want it evacuated and recharged.”
His air conditioning didn’t get substantially cold but did run. Our procedure, as I explained, means we put a dye in the air conditioning refrigerant and inspect it a few days later for evidence of the dye (only seen with a clock light and special glasses).
His brakes were brand-new from some other company and shop. He got the brakes over a year ago but drove the car less than 1,000 miles and very rarely, and it sat most of the time.
Me: “You need to return to the original shop and request a different quality brake pad and have them replace the rotors. If you get it done here, I’ll have to eat the cost and replace them under warranty.”
He called about thirty minutes after his wife picked up the car and complained.
Customer: “The air conditioning is not cold!”
It was only 60F/16C here today, so I don’t know how that could be.
Customer: “And the brakes still squeak!”
I tried to, yet again, explain the process, and I tried to tell him that his brakes were safe, brand-new, and needed a higher quality pad to remove the squeak. While I was trying to explain, he cut me off.
Customer: “Don’t interrupt me! My kids do that!”
He started berating me. I hung up on him. He called back and half-heartedly apologized and started in again with the yelling. I hung up on him again. He called a third time.
Me: “I will refund your service as I am no longer able to service your vehicle.”
I will lose your business rather than have you insult me or my techs.
I am chronically ill and have been issued a parking permit by the Department of Motor Vehicles that allows me to park in disabled spots. However, many people tell me I do not look disabled. I don’t have any visible aids besides my glasses, and I guess being tall and thin causes people to assume I must be completely as mobile as a healthy person.
My boyfriend and I have decided to go to a shopping mall, and we park in the disabled parking nearest the entrance. We make sure to hang my permit where it is fully visible.
About an hour or so later, we come out and find that another car has parked perpendicular to us, blocking us in. The owners are nowhere to be seen. There is no parking permit or special license plate that would entitle this person to the space we are parked in.
At this point, my legs are seriously hurting me, and I have to sit down in the car. I also feel a sugar low coming on, and I know I need to get some “real food” to eat.
My boyfriend leaves me in the car to go and get mall security to see if they can do something about our blocked-in car.
I’m scrolling on my phone when someone comes up and knocks on my window. It’s not my boyfriend or security, so I ignore them. They knock again, more insistently. I ignore them again. They now begin to pound. I’m freaking out; I don’t want to open a door or window. I frantically call my boyfriend.
He and security show up about five minutes later, at which point I am practically in tears. They get the people away from my car and begin talking to them. My boyfriend opens the door to see if I’m okay, and I can hear the people yelling at security.
Person #1: “Well, where was I supposed to park?! None of the close spots are open.”
Security Guard #1: “You cannot block the disabled spaces. Please move your car immediately.”
Person #1: “But I’m disabled. Are you saying I should have to walk?”
Security Guard #1: “Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the availability of any particular space. We do have wheelchairs available at all of the entrances that can be taken out to cars if necessary.”
Person #1: “Do I f****** look like I can’t walk? I don’t f****** need a wheelchair.”
Security Guard #1: “The service desk can assist you with accommodations for any other disability. I can escort you there after you move your car.”
At this point, the sugar low has hit. I’m shaking badly. Somehow, I have forgotten my emergency power bars, so I have zero food. My boyfriend sees this and realizes we need to get something NOW, but he doesn’t want to leave me behind. He gets the attention of [Security Guard #2] and explains the situation. [Security Guard #2] lets us know that there’s a place in the mall upstairs and about 200 feet from the elevator where I can get a sandwich and drink.
My boyfriend helps me out of the car, and we begin to walk toward the entrance. Behind us, I hear:
Person #1: “SHE CAN WALK! SHE CAN F****** WALK! WHY THE F*** DOES SHE NEED THAT SPOT?!”
We make it to the entrance, and I get a wheelchair. My boyfriend pushes me upstairs to the shop, where I thankfully can get a BLT. We’re there for maybe five minutes because I can eat in the car, and security may need us for a report or something.
When we come back down, security is still there. They’re still talking to the people whose car is blocking ours. [Person #1] is still screaming like crazy.
Person #1: “I WILL F****** SUE YOU! THIS IS DISCRIMINATION! THIS IS BULLS***! THIS IS F****** BULLS***!”
At this point, [Person #2] steps in. As someone with pretty serious anxiety, I recognize the signs in them, and I believe they were trying very hard to say something all along but were only able to now. As happens to a lot of people with anxiety, all the words just spill out in a rush.
Person #2: “Oh, please don’t. Please don’t. This is my fault. I forgot my mom’s parking pass. We usually use my mom’s parking pass. [Person #1] is autistic, and they were upset I forgot because we always park there, and this is just a meltdown. Please don’t arrest them. Please don’t arrest them. It’s not their fault. I’ll move the car. Please don’t arrest them.”
I seriously feel sympathy for [Person #2] because it seems like they’re about to have an anxiety attack, and they did nothing wrong here. I honestly think they froze when [Person #1] started screaming.
Person #1: “DON’T YOU F****** DARE!”
Security asks [Person #2] to move the car. They get in and carefully move the car enough for us to back up out of the space. It looks like they’re going to take our space to appease [Person #1], but security steps in.
Security Guard #2: “It looks like there’s a space down there.”
The gesture to a space about seven cars away. [Person #2] waits for a moment and then drives down there. [Person #1] realizes that [Person #2] has given up and starts screaming after them.
Security Guard #1: *To [Person #1]* “You need to leave the mall. Otherwise, I’m going to have to call the police.”
Person #1: “I F****** DARE YOU!”
Security Guard #2: *To me* “How’re you doing?”
I give a thumbs-up.
Security Guard #2: “I bet you folks want to get out of here. If you want to drive around to the security station, I’ll let them know you’re coming. You can fill out an incident report and go.”
We took that opportunity and got the h*** out of dodge. I don’t know if police were called or what ended up happening. The mall never contacted us about the report, so I assume, whatever happened, it was all sorted out somehow.
On the plus side, though, I haven’t forgotten my emergency power bars since.
I work for a well-known national bank in the fraud protection department. One day, I receive a call from a very angry customer. After my opening script and verification process:
Me: “…so, what seems to be the problem today, ma’am?”
Customer: “YOU HAVE BLOCKED MY CARDS! YOU HAVE BLOCKED THEM BECAUSE YOU THINK I’M TOO F****** POOR TO GO ON A VACATION! F*** YOU! F*** YOU! OPEN THEM RIGHT NOW!”
I begin my “Customer Complaint” logging process and go through the charges on her card to see what might have triggered the block. She is screaming the entire time.
Me: “Okay, ma’am, I think I see the issue here. You’re from New York, correct? And now you’re currently in Vegas. There’s not a notice of travel placed for this specific card, so it was blocked as standard procedure. If you’ll verify a couple of charges with me, we can get this opened again.”
Customer: “This is ridiculous! I shouldn’t have to ask you for permission to go on a vacation! Can I buy some gum with my card?! Is that okay with you?! What about when my rent comes up? Am I allowed to pay my rent so I won’t be homeless?!”
I kind of ignore this rant and ask her about a couple of charges to the card, which she verifies as having been her in the same manner that she’s been screaming at me.
Me: “Okay, ma’am, please try your card one more time for me and let’s make sure it’s opened.”
She manages to withdraw $500 at a third-party ATM.
Me: “Excellent! Now, if you’d like to place a notice of travel, this will prevent the system from flagging any future standard transactions as potential fraud. It will expire on the date you select, so there will be no interruption of service when you return home.”
Customer: “F*** you! You don’t need to know s*** about what I’m doing! This is an invasion of my privacy, and I’m going to change banks as soon as I’m home! You just lost a customer!”
She hangs up on me. I message my supervisor.
Me: “The customer on this account is traveling from New York state to Vegas and is refusing to place a travel flag on the account. What do I do?”
Supervisor: “Notate that customer refuses to place a flag in the system or allow one to be placed and hope you’re not the next person on the phone with her.”
I work at a family-owned business. It’s based heavily on new construction for the supplies we sell. I’m covering the showroom one day as [Coworker] who normally does is out on vacation.
The day progresses normally; it’s a busy morning with lots of people buying supplies. The day usually slows down to a crawl until lunch hour when people are coming through on their lunch breaks to buy things, and then it slows down again after that until we close at 4:00 pm.
It’s late in the afternoon and in walks a customer. I’ve seen him a few times before, but I haven’t helped him until today.
Customer: “Hey… umm… Where’s [Coworker] that works the counter?”
Me: “He’s on vacation.”
Customer: “Oh. Okay.”
Me: “What can I help you with today?”
The customer gives me a few items he needs. I ring him up and give him his cost, which is clearly not what he was expecting based on the face he makes.
Customer: “[Coworker] gives me the last price break on items. You’re charging me too much.”
Me: “I’m sorry, do you have a charge account with us?”
Some customers have charge accounts, and based on how much business they do with us, they can get price breaks on items they buy.
Customer: “No, but [Coworker] always gives me the last price break.”
Me: “I’m not [Coworker], and [Coworker] shouldn’t be giving you price breaks. If he continues to do that, he’ll be fired. So, do you still want these items or not?”
Looking defeated, the customer agrees to the slightly higher price than what he normally gets.
Customer: “That’s fine.”
The customer paid and left.
I went to my supervisor.
Me: “[Coworker] is back to giving out price breaks to customers who aren’t entitled to them again. You’d better have a talk with him before the owners find out and fire him.”
