It’s barely 7:15 in the morning and most days I’ve usually had several cranky callers by this point, but this particular morning has actually been pretty pleasant. Until this guy:

Caller: *Cuts me off before I can even start my usual greeting.* “Let me talk to service.”

I roll my eyes but stay polite and professional, starting with the usual questions to get the guy where he needs to go. It basically boils down to whether he needs semi-truck, equipment, or generator repair and if he needs us to make a service call or if he’s coming to us. All of two, maybe three questions unless the caller is being particularly difficult.

Me: “Sure thing. To make sure I get the right guys, what do you need serviced?”

Caller: “Honey, just let me talk to service.”

Me: “I’ll be happy to get you to our service guys if you’ll let me know what we’re working on. We have multiple service departments.”

Caller: “Give me the service manager.”

Me: “What are you needing worked on so I can call that service manager for you? Each service team has their own manager.”

The caller starts talking to me slowly as though I’m an idiot and should just know what he wants.

Caller: “Sweetie, I don’t need anything serviced. I just want to talk to a service manager.”

Me: “What is this regarding, then, so I can get the proper manager for you?”

Now I’m convinced this guy is probably a telemarketer; he’s too evasive and pushy, but I have to do my due diligence and make sure he’s not just wanting parts or something and thinks he needs to talk to service for that. That’s happened plenty with new customers who don’t know we have other dedicated departments outside of service.

Caller: *Irritated sigh.* “I just want to talk to your truck shop manager about becoming a mechanic.”

Me: “Ah, okay! Our service managers don’t actually handle recruitment until later in the process, but I can get you over to a technician recruiter.”

This is our process since our managers are so busy; the recruiters can answer most of the questions applicants have, and they can weed out people who don’t qualify.

Caller: “No, sweetheart, you’re going to let me talk to your service manager.”

I’m now absolutely done with this guy. He’s been nothing but condescending and difficult and I’m sick to death of being called pet names by a total stranger—I deal with this kind of behavior constantly but I usually can’t do anything about it because they’re customers.

Me: “Alright, one moment.”

Instead of sending him to a recruiter—none of whom are in that early, so he would just call right back—I call our truck service manager, who is a busy guy, and no-nonsense, but he’s always nice. I know he’ll take a few minutes to deal with the caller and set him straight.

Truck Service Manager: “Please tell me you have something more fun than the last few ‘I need my truck fixed yesterday’ calls you’ve sent.”

Me: “Oh, I do! This guy is demanding to talk to you about a mechanic position, refused to talk to a recruiter, talked down to me and didn’t want to answer my questions, and kept calling me sweetie and crap like that. I’m sure you would love to have such a peach on your team!”

Truck Service Manager: “Oh, really?” *He sounds maybe a little TOO delighted.* “Well thank you for the nice distraction. I’ll get this guy’s information and make sure he doesn’t have a chance, and knows it. If he’s gonna talk to you nice ladies like that when he’s looking for a job, how’s he gonna talk to customers? We don’t need that around here. Hand him over!”

The caller got what he demanded, but it did not work out in his favor. Rule of thumb, y’all: be nice to the people who answer the phones, especially if you’re looking for a job! We will absolutely pass on notes about your behavior, especially if you behave like this guy did. Being rude, demanding, or condescending does you no favors.

I work in a car dealership, in the offices. Employee parking is way in the back behind the service garages, but there is a walkway from that lot to the showroom. It’s the Friday before Independence Day weekend. This morning, it’s already eighty degrees (F) by 8:30 am, so I opt to cut through the main garage and service lane (where customers first pull in and sign in for appointments) to get to the showroom and my desk.

Crossing the service lane, I get waved down by a customer. Thinking nothing of it, I stop and ask her what she needs. Boy, am I in for a shock.

Customer: “Get my car! You’re already making me late!”

Me: “Excuse me?”

Customer: “GET. MY. CAR.”

She stomps her foot for emphasis with each syllable and then continues.

Customer: “I still have to go home and pack! You people are going to make us miss check-in time!”

Me: “Ma’am, I don’t—”

Customer: “Oh, yes, you do work here! I just saw you walk in from the garage!”

I’m getting irritated. At least let me finish a sentence before cutting me off. I reply as politely and firmly as possible.

Me: “Ma’am, I do not work in this department, but if you hold on for just a moment, I can get the lane coordinator to help you.”

Customer: “No! Stop being lazy and do it yourself! I’m tired of waiting.”

At this point, she is within six feet of me and jabbing her finger at me. I don’t know the service procedures for [the global health crisis], nor would I know who to ask about her vehicle status. Thankfully, the lane coordinator is coming back in from valeting another vehicle and heads over to us.

Lane Coordinator: “Is everything all right over here?”

Customer: “No, this employee is refusing to help me. One of you lazy b****es, go get my car right now! We’re going to be late because of you.”

Lane Coordinator: “Ma’am, she doesn’t work in this department. She wouldn’t know who to ask about your vehicle status. Come with me and we’ll ask your service advisor.”

The customer followed her with a sneer as I rushed to the office to finally clock in. I let my manager know what happened just in case there was a complaint from service. We laughed about it and I got to work.

Later this morning, we found out that the woman walked in at 8:00 am without an appointment demanding an oil change before leaving for a trip downstate. She was squeezed in due to an earlier cancellation but was warned that it could take longer than normal.

I work in a hardware store well known for “excellent customer service”. With that title come the most entitled customers.

I am typically a floor associate for my place of work but was hired as a cashier and have a lot of knowledge of the registers. I was working a cashier shift when the absurd incident in question happened.

For context, we can replace and repair window and door screens, and we can sell either premade retail packs we get in from a company, or we can sell some of our raw materials unpackaged under a general SKU. The premade packs come in shrink wrap with a slip inside with the product information, logos, and a barcode to scan.

Me: “Hello, how are you?”

Customer: “I have this to return, and this to buy.”

He gestures vaguely at the counter. I look down and see a premade package of screen repair material and a pile of loose supplies.

Me: “Okay, sir, let me go ahead and take your receipt.”

I scan the premade package, and then the receipt to prompt the return. I get a message telling me that it isn’t working and isn’t found on the receipt. I call a manager over, and the only one available to help me just so happens to be the assistant store manager.

I show her what’s happening, and she tells me that I can override it if I need to. This whole time the customer is watching but remaining silent.

She leaves before I turn and ask him how much of each raw material he got, so I can ring it up.

Customer: “I’m buying that one. This right here is my return.”

I stare at the counter.

Me: “Oh, I see what happened. Sorry, I misunderstood. In that case, could I have the packaging to return it with?”

Customer: “I don’t have the packaging. That’s what the receipt is for.”

Me: “I need the packaging for any item to be returned, so we can confirm it was the item on the receipt, sir.”

Customer: “The plastic? I threw that s*** away. I have the receipt.”

Me: “It should have had a slip with the barcode on it, not attached to the plastic.”

Customer: “I have the receipt.”

In this time, he had crossed his arms and was staring me down. In any situation, I’m a very small woman who is a bit made of fire and fuelled by wrath. In unrelated news, I am also Italian and Scottish. I realized that he was going to continue to be unreasonable and attempt to intimidate me unsuccessfully into doing the return regardless. I called the assistant store manager back again.

She came over and I explained the situation to her, and she reiterated what I had already told him. He began to get heated and said again, he had the receipt. And it was our fault for not having signs telling him he needed to have packaging to return the item. Me and my manager just kind of looked at each other.

Manager: “I’m sorry, sir, but that’s our policy. This time I’ll go ahead and refund y—”

Customer: *Raising his voice.* “—It’s not my fault you guys aren’t clear about your return policy!”

Manager: “Do not raise your voice at me. I was in the process of telling you that I was going to do it anyway. Do not talk to me like that.”

They proceeded to go back and forth before she told me to just return it and mark it as a defect. I asked her what on earth to put for the defect reason.

Manager: “Unruly customer.”

Proud to admit that I didn’t laugh at that in front of the guy. After she left, he tried to argue with me about the cost. It was an even exchange, and I told him a bit more than firmly that that was that. He then asked for my store manager’s number.

Me: *Fully knowing that my store manager is worse than I am and would actually probably start laughing at him on the phone.* “Call the store number and ask to speak to [Store Manager’s Name].”

Customer: *Angry and triumphant.* “Okay!”

I work construction but when work is slow, I deliver pizzas.

I have one very annoying team lead from the construction job. He was the kind of guy that would watch you make a mistake, then berate you and call you an idiot for that mistake. Not a nice guy by any right. He was also prone to using misogynistic, racist and homophobic language, as well as looking down on anyone who earned less than him. 

Another thing he loved to do was brag about how doting his wife was and how she was a homemaker. Nothing wrong with that, but he also bragged about how hot his girlfriend was, and how much they did it when his wife thought he was working overtime. 

I got a delivery with a familiar name. I arrived at the house, knocked, and he opened the door. He looked quite surprised.

Team Lead: “Hey, I didn’t know you delivered pizzas!”

Me: “Yeah, when work gets slow. Anyway, that’ll be $15.”

Team Lead: “Here you go, don’t spend it all at once!”

He hands me $15.05 and looks super smug about it.

I take the cash, am about to turn around and say just loud enough that anyone inside might hear:

Me: “Hey [Team Lead], is this your girlfriend’s house, or you and your wife’s place?”

The color drained from his face, and he handed me an extra $20.

This happened about twenty years ago. Every night, about one hour prior to closing (about 1 AM), the milkshake machine would be taken apart and cleaned and the remaining liquid would be heated to guarantee there were no germs developing in the sealed container.

In comes a regular customer of ours who always finds something to complain about.

Regular: “Hi there, can I get a strawberry shake?”

Me: “Unfortunately, the machine has entered the cleaning cycle. Shakes will be available in about three hours’ time from the drive-thru.”

Keep in mind, the machine is in full view, and he can see that it’s taken apart.

Regular: “You are just lazy and don’t want to do your job, get your manager!”

What follows is a rant to my awesome manager. By the time he is done, we have about fifteen minutes until closing.

Since the customer is hell bound on having his shake, my manager complies. He assembles the parts of the machine needed (takes about five minutes) and takes a step back before he pulls the lever to dispense the oh-so-precious milkshake. A huge cloud of steam and boiling liquid comes out.

After about a minute, my manager comes back with thick oven gloves, puts a lid on the boiling hot cup and hands it over to the customer.

Manager: “Free of charge, enjoy!”

That customer’s face was worth the additional cleaning; never saw him again.