I needed to get my car inspected for registration, so I went into one tyre store that does rego inspections. I was told the minor things that needed to be fixed — e.g., the number plate light — and that I’d also need new tyres.

Since they were a tyre store, I said that they could replace them.

Later that day, I got a call from one of the workers saying that a wheel stud had been sheared.

“Okay, how long until you get the replacement?” I asked.

“We’ve got some in stock; it’s going to cost you [price],” the worker said.

“Excuse me?” I said incredulously. “You broke the wheel stud; you have to replace it.”

This went back and forth for a while. Eventually, I got the manager to call me back.

This call did not go well.

“We take great care with all of our customers’ cars,” he claimed. Meanwhile, I could hear a rattle gun in the background definitely over-tightening a wheel nut.

The manager ended up yelling at me and hanging up. I came and got my car, and it took a call to the regional manager to get my replacement stud.

I found that they had sheared another stud and stripped one more when I got home.

After having to pay for two more studs, I took my car to the place I normally get my tyres and they replaced the tyres without incident, and for less money.

Last year, I had a mild concern about some creaking from the back end of my car. I went to the dealership, and they said they’d look at my suspension, but my tires had wear that was a sign of poor alignment and I agreed to let them align them.

The report came back reporting that all four tires were vastly out of camber, which they felt would explain any creaking noises. The service associate said this was beyond their ability to deal with and recommended that I talk to my insurance company and take it to a body shop, because that kind of camber misalignment probably means a bent frame on my one-year-old car that’s never had a wreck or any incident worse than low-speed tire damage.

Later in the process, I realized that they believed I’d had a wreck and wasn’t telling them about it, trying to scam them into taking the blame for frame damage. This is absurd; a wreck bad enough to bend the frame would cause massive body-panel damage or crack a wheel, but why let that get in the way of avoiding responsibility?

What I should have done is immediately take it to an unaffiliated shop to get the alignment checked and make sure it was as bad as they said. Silly me, I believed the dealership and called my insurance, which started six months of arguments over whose problem it was to repair the problem while I drove around in a car with serious alignment problems. The body shop didn’t want to touch it with no visible damage; the insurance company agreed and — after a lot of dead air from their side — said they weren’t going to cover something that didn’t come from a wreck I had, and it was the dealer’s problem to fix.

And so, I end up back at the dealership, insisting that they either fix the problem or make it right. They agree to look at it and figure out what it is going to take, and we’ll talk more at that point. Eight hours later, I am getting a little antsy to either get my car back or get a rental so I can go to work the next day.

Me: “Hey, it’s [My Name]; I’m just calling to find out what’s going on with my car.”

Service Advisor: “Oh, we haven’t started on it yet. You’re next in line; we should have it in the garage in about forty-five minutes.”

Me: “You haven’t even started yet? Look, I have to go get a rental if I’m not going to get my car back today, and they close in an hour. When do you close?”

Service Advisor: “We’re open until 7:00 pm, but the mechanic goes home at 5:00.”

Me: “He goes home in thirty minutes?! How is he going to get my car in the garage in forty-five?”

Service Advisor: “Is it that late? Oh. Well… let me call you back in twenty minutes.”

I put on my coat and start walking towards the nearest car rental, which is about a half-hour walk. I barely get down the block when my phone rings again.

Service Advisor: “Hey, your car is ready for pickup. We put it on the alignment machine and it looks perfect.”

Me: *Pause* “What?”

Service Advisor: “Yep, no problems at all; it’s in the green on all four wheels.”

Me: “Do you have the alignment report from my last visit there on the computer?”

Service Advisor: “Er… yes.”

Me: “How can it go from red on all four tires to green on all four without any repairs?”

Service Advisor: “I don’t really know, but it’s fine, so you don’t need any repairs.”

Me: *Pause* “I’ll be there in twenty minutes to pick it up.”

Thankfully, they didn’t charge me, but I got in my car and went directly to an unaffiliated shop nearby that mostly does custom lift kits and such and had them check my alignment. The results were perfect on all four tires.

So, that’s six months of heartburn I didn’t need to have, and the only thing I can think is that they had some kid doing the alignment check the first time, and he screwed it up somehow!

I am the bad worker in this case. I work at a bank call center and have recently put in my notice to work elsewhere. My supervisor is also a friend, so she understands my decision.

It is my last day and I receive a call from a very unhappy customer regarding one overdraft fee he received after visiting an ATM and withdrawing money that he did not have. After a while:

Customer: “You know, this level of service you guys have provided is just terrible. I have half a mind to leave this bank.”

Me: “I’m sorry you feel that way, sir, and if you do wish to close your account, I can help you do that.”

Customer: “I mean, how do you live with yourself, charging all those fees to innocent people?”

Me: “You know what? You’re right. I can’t live like this anymore. I quit.”

Customer: “I’m sorry, what?”

Me: “I quit. After I hang up with you, I’m going to my supervisor’s office and telling her that I quit, that I can’t live with myself.”

Customer: *Quietly* “Bulls***.”

Me: “No. I quit. I’m done. I quit. Do you want me to transfer you to a current employee?” 

Customer: “I mean… you’re quitting?”

Me: “Yes, Mr. [Last Name].You’ve shown me the light. I hope you have a really nice life.”

Customer: “Um, okay… well… bye, I guess.”

After I told my supervisor to listen to the recorded call, she laughed so hard she cried. She later told me that the same customer called back to ask for me the next day. When he was told that I quit, he told my former coworker, “Wow. I really did that.”

Coworker: “Every day, I worry that the German bologna will invade the Polish ham.”

When a customer orders groceries online at my store, they have the option to get their prescriptions filled provided it isn’t a controlled substance. Extra steps are taken to make sure we don’t violate HIPAA laws. However, we partner with a popular online grocery company to offer delivery. Prescriptions are not available through delivery for a variety of reasons.

One of my customers has asked to have his prescription filled on a delivery order. I call him to explain his options.

Me: “Unfortunately, we cannot give you your prescription through delivery.”

Customer: “Why not? We get all our other meds delivered through a service.”

Me: “It’s because it would violate all sorts of HIPAA laws. The [Online Grocery Company] drivers aren’t certified and can’t sign for it. If you want, I can get everything prepared for you, and you could come in and get it from the pharmacy.”

Customer: “I guess we’ll have to, but can I pick it up tomorrow, instead? Will it be ready then?”

Me: “Yes. I’ll have the pharmacy get it ready, and I can add it to your order today so it’s already paid for, so all you have to do tomorrow is come by and pick it up.”

Customer: “Could I come through the curbside pickup lane and get it? We’re in the age group that’s not supposed to be going outside right now, so we’d rather not come inside.”

Me: “Yes, that’s fine.”

I end the call and think nothing of it. A few hours later, the customer calls again. No one has come by to pick up his groceries and he’s wondering what’s going on.

Me: “We actually have nothing to do with the delivery part. We partner with [Online Grocery Company]. I can give you their customer service number to call. I find issues are resolved faster when they talk to the actual customer instead of us.”

Customer: “Have you had other problems with delivery orders today?”

This is in the middle of the current health crisis thing, and so many people are trying to get groceries delivered that it’s causing backup both on our system and with the online grocery company.

Me: “Yes, we’ve been having some problems all weekend. I think the main problem is that they don’t have enough drivers right now. But like I said, if you call them, they should get someone out here to pick your order up. The number is [number].”

Customer: “I hope my perishables aren’t going bad.”

Me: “Oh, no. We have coolers and freezers for the cold stuff, so nothing will be spoiled.”

Customer: “Thank you for your help.”

I hang up, and he calls again five minutes later.

Customer: “So, they aren’t taking calls from customers right now. Could you please call them? Maybe they’ll listen to you.”

Me: “I can try, but we have to call the exact same number, so I’m not sure if I’ll get any further.”

Customer: “If you can’t, that’s fine. We can come to pick it up tomorrow if we don’t get the groceries delivered today.”

I hang up and check our dashboard for delivery orders. The dashboard lets us see if someone has claimed an order, or delete a delivery if we need to, but nothing else. I see his order is still open and call the online grocery company. I am on hold for a good fifteen minutes listening to the most upbeat hold music I’ve ever heard, when the customer calls me back again.

Customer: “So, my wife doesn’t want to wait, and she wants her prescription today. Could we just pick it up today? Is the prescription ready?”

Me: “Yes, the prescription is ready. You are welcome to come to pick your order up at your convenience. I’m sorry about this.”

Customer: “It’s not your fault. It’s [Online Grocery Company]. You guys are doing your best. I’m sure you’re swamped right now, and half the shelves are empty right now. My wife just doesn’t want to wait anymore. She’s on her way now.”

I cancelled the delivery online. Not even five minutes later, his wife showed up for the groceries. 

This isn’t the first time we’ve had people not get their groceries within their delivery time slot, but this whole outbreak situation certainly has multiplied the number of people left waiting for their groceries.

At least this customer was understanding about everything. Too many people have yelled at us for deliveries being late and the store being out of everything, fights have broken out in the store, etc. We even had a customer steal a roll of paper towels that a coworker was using to clean the shelves. We really appreciate the understanding people right now.