(My boyfriend and I regularly go to the gym; I’m on the elliptical while he finishes his run on the treadmill.)
Boyfriend: “Three more minutes to go!”
Me: “Okay.”
Boyfriend: “Encourage me!”
Me: “…Don’t be a wuss!”
(I am clearly the best girlfriend ever.)
(I work in a climbing hall which contains a large boulder area where are three levels of difficulty marked with the letters S, M, L. This means ‘Schwer’, the highest difficulty, ‘Mittel’ which is a medium route to climb and ‘Leicht’ for the easiest options. There is a sign next to the entrance explaining the rating system and the whole word the letters stand for is written in small text under the difficulty-signs. A female customer approaches me.)
Customer: “Hi there, I have a question about the boulder difficulties written on the signs.”
Me: “Sure, go ahead.”
Customer: “First, why are the boulders rated with clothing sizes? And why are the ‘S’ routes so insane difficult? I didn’t even manage to do one of them?”
Me: “Miss, you realize the letters do not stand for small, medium, and large? In fact, there’s a sign two meters from you explaining the difficulties and it’s also written beneath every sign here. ‘S’ therefore is the most difficult thing you can do here.”
Customer: “I don’t care about your god-d*** f****** signs explaining s***! S,M,L are definite clothing sizes as they have always been! Now move you lazy a** and reassign those f****** signs so I can climb my ‘S’ routes as I want!”
Me: “I’m sorry, madam, that the standard system of rating boulders does not fit your expectations. Nevertheless, I cannot and will not change the standardised system as it would confuse every other customer. Also I have to ask you to watch your language as there are children close by.”
(By saying that I can see the customer is not going to accept the answer and indeed she goes off, shouting me names and threatening to push the stones into my butt if I won’t serve her the way she wants.)
Me: “Madam, please try to calm down and please stop swearing; it disturbs our other customers, especially the children!”
(The customer by now ignores me and is shouting in full voice about the system. The manager comes over and gets the customer escorted out by two coworkers.)
Manager: “So, let me guess. That lady could not get over the shock of hearing that S,M,L are not always clothing sizes, too?”
Me: “‘too’? You mean this was not the first time that happened?”
Manager: “Well, let’s say some women are a bit special about stuff concerning their clothes…”
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(I work at a gym daycare. We have a very strict policy that we cannot watch a child for more than three hours per day. Also, parents MUST be in the building while we are watching their children. A man (who was wearing no workout clothing) walks in with his two daughters.)
Customer: “Hi, this is my first time dropping my kids off here. Do I need to sign anything?”
Me: “Yes, sir, just sign here!”
(I hand him a “first time” liability waiver and he glances over it.)
Customer: “Three hours? That’s it?”
Me: “Uh, yes, sir… we aren’t allowed to watch children for more than three hours per day.”
Customer: “Well, all right, I guess.” *signs waiver*
Me: “Okay, you’re all set; have a good workout, sir!”
(He walks out. Our gym is quite large so I assumed he brought workout clothes and planned on changing. Three hours go by and he’s yet to pick up his daughters. After multiple announcements over the PA system I decide to investigate. Turns out he’s nowhere to be found in the entire gym. The gym manager pulls up his contact information and calls him.)
Customer: “Hello?”
Manager: “Hi, is this Mr. [Customer]?”
Customer: “Yes.”
Manager: “This is [Gym] and we have your daughters… It’s been well over three hours and you aren’t allowed to leave the building if your children are in daycare.”
Customer: “But… I’m at work right now. I don’t get off for another five hours. You’re going to have to watch them until I’m off work.”
Manager: “Sir, we are not a daycare. We are a fitness club. We can only watch your children if you’re in the building working out.”
Customer: “Then why do you call it a daycare?! I can’t just leave work right now!”
Manager: “Sir, if you don’t come get your children we will have no choice but to call the police.”
Customer: “What? You can’t do that! I signed a form saying I could keep my children there!”
Manager: “That’s correct; the form you signed specifically mentions that guardians are not allowed to leave the building or keep their children here for more than three hours.”
Customer: “All right, fine!”
(He hung up. Twenty minutes later he came and picked up his daughters. My manager informed him that he was no longer allowed to keep his children in our care, and he subsequently cancelled his gym membership.)
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(I want to cancel my gym membership. I’m on the phone with the manager.)
Me: “How do I go about canceling my membership.”
Manager: “…You just tell me.”
Me: “Okay. So that’s all?”
Manager: “Yes.”
(I thank him and hang up. I don’t think anything suspicious because I’ve cancelled memberships on the phone before. When I look at my credit card statement, I see that money is STILL being taken out. I call them again and explain.)
Me: “Hello, I have already cancelled my membership, and money is still being taken out.”
Manager: “You have to do that in person.”
Me: “But the manager who I spoke with said it was done!”
Manager: “I didn’t talk to you. His name?”
Me: “He didn’t give his name. He just said that he was the manager.”
Manager: “Well, I didn’t talk to you. I NEED a name, so I can fire him!”
(He refused to refund my money, but did cancel my membership. I called my credit card company to report it. They were helpful in getting my refund. I now belong to a different gym that doesn’t play games!)
(I work at a place with an indoor kid’s gym. One of the things I have to do to close includes picking up the foam balls in the area, which takes a while. I start about a half-hour before closing, even though there’s still a family inside. The oldest daughter, who looks about seven, comes over.)
Girl: “Hey, what are you doing?”
Me: “Oh, I’m starting to clean up. We have to round up all the balls and put them in a bag.”
Girl: “Oh, can I help?”
Me: “Uhm, sure!”
(She helped with almost half of the balls, before she had to leave. I kept smiling, even after she left.)
