Coworker #1: “Hi, this is [Coworker #1]. How can I help?”

Caller: “I need you to send me some stuff.”

Coworker #1: “Absolutely. Can I have your name, please?”

Caller: “[Caller].”

Coworker #1: “Hi, [Caller], and where will we be shipping the order?”

Caller: “I didn’t call you to be asked a million questions.”

Coworker #1: “Well, I will need the address to know where to send—”

Caller: “This is what’s going to happen. I found [item] in your online catalog. They come in packs of a hundred. I don’t need a hundred pieces. I need you to send me ten of them.”

Coworker #1: “I’m sorry, but we can’t break the packs open, and it looks like we only sell these in packages of a hundred.”

Caller: “I don’t care what you sell them in. I don’t need that many. You are going to send me. Just. Ten. Pieces.”

Coworker #1: “I’m sorry, but we don’t have a package of ten available.”

Caller: “You are going to make them available. I refuse to pay your highway robbery prices for crap I don’t need!”

This goes on for quite a while, with the guy getting ruder and more condescending with each exchange. Bear in mind, this is a $10 package. [Coworker #1] is still fairly new to the job and apparently doesn’t feel comfortable hanging up on the guy, which our management is totally cool with when customers are abusive. She eventually gets off the phone by saying she’ll see if there’s any way we can make an exception.

[Coworker #2], who is much more experienced at the job and very used to telling people no, gets the pleasure of calling him back. I don’t get to overhear the conversation, but she leaves notes on his request to this effect.

Notes: “I called [Caller] back thinking this was going to be quick. I ended up being on the phone for almost thirty minutes explaining over and over again that no, we will not break the package for him or go any lower on the price. He said he is determined to find a way to force us to send him only ten each. Rude and condescending the entire time. I gave him a ground shipping estimate of $8, and he called us ‘robbers and thieves.’ I gave him the manufacturer’s information so he can bother them, instead.”

You would think that’s the end of it, but you’re wrong! Around 5:30, [Coworker #3] gets the same guy.

Coworker #3: “Hello, this is [Coworker #3]. Who am I speaking with?”

Caller: “Connect me to someone in the warehouse.”

My coworker thinks he’s speaking to a supplier or delivery driver.

Coworker #3: “Is this about a receiving appointment?”

Caller: “It’s none of your business. Put me through to someone in the warehouse.”

Coworker #3: “Do you have a name or extension that you want to be transferred to?”

Caller: “No. Anyone in the warehouse.”

Coworker #3: “I’m sorry, but I’m not able to do that. Can you let me know what this is about, and I can see if I can connect you to the right person?”

At this point, the caller started swearing at him about how useless everyone who works here was and hung up on him. [Coworker #3] shared the weird encounter over the office chat, and we all put two and two together that this was the same customer. What was his plan? Get a hold of a random person in the warehouse and harass them into breaking open a pack just to send him ten pieces? People are nuts!

I work as a tourism counselor in a small town in Canada situated near a national park. We share a building with Parks Canada so that they can provide information about the park, and we can give information about the town.

National Parks have an admission fee, and if you don’t pay the admission fee, you receive a reminder that you need to pay. If you do not pay, then the reminder turns into a ticket and gets sent off to a collection agency, and you have to pay a larger fine.

I am able to deal with these tickets at my desk, in case of it getting too busy at the Parks desk. This does not mean I have anything to do with these tickets.

It is five minutes before closing and I’m getting ready to shut down when a clearly distraught man comes storming up to the door holding a ticket in his hand. He gets to the door and realizes he does not have a mask (still required in Canada at the time). He goes back to his truck to get a mask and doesn’t even put it on when he enters.

My desk and the Parks Canada desk are situated across the room from each other, and Parks Canada’s desk is closest to the door, so typically, people will go to the Parks desk first, but of course, this gentleman comes storming right up to my desk yelling about his ticket.

When he gets to my desk, he throws his ticket at my face which ends up being a critical hit and leaves me at low Health Points.

Man: “I was going to throw this ticket out, but my girlfriend convinced me to pay the fee.”

This fee is only $10. I ask him the required questions so I can charge him the correct amount and he starts yelling.

Man: “I’ve been coming to this park for fifteen years and I’ve never had to pay an admission fee! This is bulls***! How long have you been charging people to enter national parks?!”

I lean over so I can see the person at the Parks desk, who should be dealing with this lunatic, and ask her how long.

Parks Desk Employee: “Since 1984.”

This nice gentleman decided that the woman working at the Parks desk and I were lying about this and got fed up. After yelling at me a little while longer about how stupid I was and how I shouldn’t be working this job, he threw a $10 bill at my face, draining the last bit of Health Points I had, and stormed off.

The woman working at the Parks desk proceeded to thank me profusely for dealing with him as she should have been the one dealing with him.

We won a raffle prize through my work (hosted by a third party). We won a medium hamper, full of posh preserves and things. It’s not something we will make use of, but we can regift it or sell it on and buy something we do want.

It is months before the prizes can be claimed, and after several attempts at calling the claim line, I finally get through.

Me: “Hi. I won a prize in [raffle] some months ago. I was told to call to claim.”

Woman: “Okay, what is your unique prize number?”

Me: “[Number]; it should be a hamper.”

Woman: “Hmm, okay. Has anyone contacted you about this yet?”

Me: “No, just this letter on how to claim.”

Woman: “Well, some of the prizes have changed. We no longer have the hampers available. We are offering a holiday in its place. How does that sound?”

Me: “Not great, to be honest. A holiday isn’t the same as a hamper. Are there any other options?”

Woman: *Shocked* “Oh, well, no, I don’t think so. Don’t you want to hear the details of the holiday?”

Me: “No, not really. Is there a cash alternative?”

Woman: “I don’t think so. Could you hold, please?”

We already have our holidays planned for the year. I don’t have much more time off I can take or spare cash to pay for the inevitable extra costs these holidays will bring.

Woman: “I’m sorry. I have asked and we do state that there are no cash alternatives.”

Me: “And where do you state that you can change the prizes as you please without notifying people?”

Woman: “Could you hold, please?”

We went through rounds of holding and escalations. They keep telling me that they could only offer variations of a (cheap, two-person, two-day, self-catering) holiday. But I maintained that this wasn’t a suitable alternative and wasn’t advertised when I bought the ticket or won the prize.

It went back and forth until they gave me an ultimatum: take the holiday or a refund on the raffle ticket (£5). So, I was being offered a holiday I couldn’t use… or £5. I thanked them and refused both.

Luckily, my work has free legal coverage, and a quick letter from them to the company was all it took to get a cash alternative of the hamper, plus a little more. I wonder how many people got scammed as they didn’t want to go through the hassle.

I’m doing some window shopping on a busy high street. A woman walking ahead of me drops something off the massive pile of boxes she is carrying. I chase after her.

Me: “Excuse me?”

Woman: *Exasperated* “What?”

Me: “You dropped this.”

Woman: “Oh, thank you! I thought you were— It doesn’t matter what I thought. Can you put it back on the pile?”

Me: “Sure.”

I carefully balance the box on top like a Jenga tower. I’ve barely stepped away when an old woman interjects.

Old Woman: “How could you let her struggle like that? A real man would offer help!”

Me: “Excuse me?”

Old Woman: “Look at that massive pile you are making her carry.”

Me: “I’m not making her carry anything!”

Woman: “Excuse me, I never asked for help. I don’t even know this man.”

Old Woman: “Doesn’t matter. He should still help.”

Me: “I don’t have time for this. I’m sorry, I would help, but I do have other things to do.”

Woman: “No, really, thank you. You have done more than enough.” *To the old woman* “But you, you… You need to mind your own business.”

Old Woman: “Well, I never! In my day—”

Woman: “This isn’t your day. Men aren’t honour-bound to rescue women, nor are they any less of a man…”

I lost the conversation as I had to get back to shopping. But it sounded like a great lesson in minding your own business!

It’s my first week working in a bistro with a salad bar. It’s lunchtime and lots of people want food at the same time. I haven’t found my groove yet and I’m struggling to keep up. I’m preparing a salad for a customer.

Customer: “Are you having a bad day? You’re not looking very happy.”

I think, “How nice of her to check in!”

Me: “No, just a bit stressed.”

Suddenly, she starts berating me for preparing her food stressed. Apparently, she thinks that will contaminate the food and “infect” her with my stress or something. I have really bad news for this lady about all the food that’s prepared in every single restaurant ever.

Customer: “I demand that you have another worker make me a new salad calmly!”

We did.