(My mom gets a coupon for a restaurant that states if you buy one entree you get the other free. It’s Wednesday, and my mom and I decide to use the coupon. As we walk in, we see several signs stating that they offer one free slice of pie to all customers on Wednesdays. We show our coupon to the waitress and order our meals. When we are both almost done with our entrees, the waitress comes back.)

Waitress: *without any explanation* “What slices of pie did you two want?”

Me: “We’ll just share a slice of the French silk pie.”

(My mother and I don’t like pie that much, but hey, it’s free. She brings it out, and after she walks away I notice there is some hard crusty food stuck to my fork. We use my mom’s fork, instead, and each take a bite and decide we don’t like it. The waitress comes back with the bill ,and we notice that one of the entrees wasn’t taken off.)

Mom: “Excuse me? One of the entrees should be free; we have a coupon.”

Waitress: “I can only apply one discount. You chose the free pie discount, instead.”

Mom: “What? You didn’t explain to us that if we ordered the pies we couldn’t use the discount. We thought that was something separate.”

Waitress: “Well, I’m sorry but you got the pie; there’s nothing I can do for you.”

Mom: “We wouldn’t have ordered the pie if we had known we couldn’t get the free entree. We both only took a bite!”

Waitress: “You’ll have to go up front and speak to the manager if you want to dispute your bill.”

(We go and explain the situation.)

Manager: “I’m sorry, but it says in the fine print of the coupon that it can not be used with any other discounts.”

Me: “We didn’t know the free pie was a discount; we thought it was just a weekly special.”

Mom: “We didn’t even like the pie. Can you please just comp us?”

Manager: “I’m sorry, but—”:

Me: “Look. The fork I was given had food on it. It wasn’t even clean. I didn’t want to make a fuss, but this is ridiculous. Can you please just take the pie off the bill and let us use the coupon?”

Manager: “All right, I’ll take it off the bill. Ma’am, I’m sorry you didn’t read the fine print, but I will not tolerate you making up lies about my staff to get what you want.”

Me: *speechless*

Mom: “Just let me pay for my entree. We won’t be coming back.”

(The manager silently fixed the bill, and my mom and I paid and left without another word. Now when my mom gets coupons for that restaurant in the mail they go straight in the garbage.)

(I work at a clothing store where we have a strict coupon policy. I get a customer, 15 minutes before we close, with a coupon and a couple of items.)

Me: “Hello! Did you find everything okay?”

Customer: *sighs* “Yeah, I guess.”

Me: “Are you a part of our rewards program?”

Customer: “Yes.”

(I look up her points and everything is fine and dandy.)

Customer: “I have a coupon.”

Me: “Sure! Can I see it?”

Customer: *shows me coupon*

Me: “Okay! So, you have to have [certain amount] before taxes, and two of your items are clearance, so they are not eligible for the coupon.”

Customer: “What? I have used coupons on clearance items before. Why can’t I use them now?”

Me: “I’m sorry, ma’am, but I’m not allowed to take these coupons on clearance items; it’s store policy. It says so in the fine print at the bottom of the coupon.”

Customer: “That’s really stupid. I’m telling you I did it the other day and all of my stuff was clearance. Whatever. I’m going to bring all that s*** back.”

Me: “Okay, ma’am, I’m going to have to charge you for the clearance items separately.”

Customer: “Fine, whatever.”

(I go through the second transaction, and she starts complaining.)

Customer: “Why do you have to charge me separately? You just want me to pay double the taxes! This is the stupidest s*** I have ever heard! Can I speak to your manager?”

Me: *calls manager*

Manager: “Is there a problem?”

Customer: “Yes! She told me I couldn’t use my coupons on the clearance, so she charged me separately so I had to pay double the taxes!”

Manager: “I’m sorry, ma’am, but it’s just a precaution we take so clearance items don’t get validated with coupons; it’s store policy.”

Customer: “That’s stupid!” *storms off*

Me: “Does she not know how taxes work?”

(I have been working at this supermarket for years and have encountered this woman on a weekly basis. As a store, we have a policy: hot chickens are available from four pm to seven pm, guaranteed. If we don’t have one available, you get a free coupon for your next chicken. This woman arrives at my counter at 3:30, prior to me placing out the hot chickens.)

Customer: “So, are your hot chickens out yet?”

Me: “Not yet, ma’am, about another ten minutes and they’ll be done.”

Customer: “But your guarantee is four to seven.”

Me: “Yes, ma’am, they’ll be done by then.”

(She leaves shortly before I place the chickens out, hot and ready for four pm. She doesn’t buy one. Hours go by. Now it’s around 6:30. I spot the woman waiting behind one of the counters, watching me cook. I still have about six chickens, but only of one kind as the other flavors have been purchased. She comes over.)

Customer: “I want a seasoned chicken; where are they?”

Me: “Ma’am, I’m sorry, but we’ve run out. I still have originals, though!”

(I show her the six we have on hand.)

Customer: “But I wanted seasoned. They are guaranteed. Can I get a free coupon?”

Me: “No, ma’am, the guarantee is under the assumption we don’t have any left at all. If we still have chickens in the case, it’s not valid.”

(She storms off and doesn’t buy a chicken. I don’t see this woman again for a couple of weeks. While working and having a rather busy day, I note that we thankfully only have two chickens available at close to seven pm. We usually have too many and have to chill them overnight for people to buy cold for a discount the next day. I am preparing my cases to break down and clean when the woman arrives.)

Customer: “Are these the only two chickens left?”

Me: “Yes, ma’am! They’re our new flavor, too. If you’d like, I can put a dollar-off sticker on them for it being so late.”

Customer: “But I wanted three chickens. You guarantee chickens until seven pm. I needed three and you only have two. I’d like a free chicken coupon.”

Me: “No, ma’am, I can’t give you one. If I had no chickens available for you, then you could have one, but I have two here. As long as you’re able to get a chicken, it doesn’t count.”

(She called a manager on me, but it didn’t work and she left. Apparently, up front she’s notorious for returning the chickens or other products as defective and getting the “double your money back” policy. She still shows up every now and again to harass my new employees.)

(A woman pulls up to the drive-thru window, and as I hand the woman her food and drinks, she mumbles something barely audible to me.)

Customer: “…orange juice.”

Me: “Pardon, ma’am?”

(The woman suddenly shoots a death glare, so I ask her what it is she said, as I wasn’t able to hear her. She replies with some more quiet mumbling.)

Me: *again* “Pardon, ma’am, I can’t quite understand what you’re saying. Can you please speak up a little? It’s a little loud back here.”

Customer: *finally speaking up with a harsh tone* “OH, NEVER MIND. I’M ONLY SPEAKING SIMPLE ENGLISH, WHICH APPARENTLY IS TOO DIFFICULT FOR YOU TO UNDERSTAND!” *drives off aggressively*

(Turns out she was pissed that the coupons she had for a two-can-dine came with small coffees and juice — morning menu — and she wanted a medium latte, and was livid it would cost extra. When she paid, my coworker said she could keep the coupon, but the woman yelled at her that’d she’d never be back to our store again. That’s fine. Who would like someone so disrespectful to return, anyway? RUDE.)

(I work in a popular toy store chain, and some of our most popular items are big-ticket items such as bikes, motorized vehicles for younger kids, etc. This particular man wants a Hummer for his son. He calls our store and says that our website is offering it for a lower price, so we tell him that we can price-match it when he comes in to purchase it with no problem. He finally shows up about half an hour before we’re supposed to close. He and his wife approach my register with a jug of bubble bath and the ticket for the Hummer. I ring both up, and the Hummer scans as $449.99 automatically, which is what the online price was.)

Me: “Oh, it looks like it’s actually on sale for that price! We won’t have to price-match it after all.”

Customer: “Oh, great! Also, we have this 20% off coupon.”

Me: “Okay, sure. That makes your total out to be [total]. They’ll be right around with the Hummer.”

Customer: “Thanks! Wait. Did it take the 20% off?”

Me: “It said it went through. Can I see your receipt?”

(It has taken the 20% off of the bubble bath.)

Customer: “Well, that’s stupid. Why didn’t it take it off the Hummer? 20% off $449 would be much better.”

Me: “I agree, sir, but unfortunately the Hummer is on sale, so the 20% off doesn’t apply.”

Customer: “The coupon said 20% off regular-priced and sale items!”

(I take the coupon back out of my drawer and examine it with them. I’m right.)

Customer: “Oh, well…”

Me: “The only thing I could try would be to ring the Hummer up separately, and see if it pushes through.”

Customer: “Okay, try that.”

(I do.)

Me: “Oh. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like that’s going to work. At least it was on sale, right?”

Customer: “It wasn’t on sale. You said you price-matched it.”

Me: “Yeah, that’s what we thought we’d have to do. But it’s actually on sale in-store right now. That’s why the coupon didn’t work.”

Customer: “The 20% off would be a better sale than $50 off.”

Me: “I agree, sir, but I’m afraid I can’t change that right now. You could wait until it goes off sale and try again then.”

Customer: “Can you just take it off sale right now?”

(My manager ended up coming up to see what was taking me so long with this customer’s transaction, so he explained his side to her, and she ended up telling him the same things I told him. And no, I’m afraid I cannot just take things “off sale.”)

Related:
Sail Fail, Part 2
Sale Fail