A customer came up to my counter the other day.
Customer: “My PO box key isn’t working as well as it used to.”
I checked, and sure enough, it was a little hard to get the key out of the box once the box was locked.
Me: “It will be $17 for a new key.”
Customer: *Scoffing* “Forget it!”
And she walked out.
A few days later, guess who came walking back in like she owned the place? She slammed the key onto the counter.
Customer: *Loudly* “All right, here’s the deal. I want a new key but I’m not gonna pay for it. What do we do?”
Me: “Well, you can pay for a new key.”
Customer: *Angry* “No, you’re not hearing me! I want a new key, but I’m not going to pay for one!”
Me: “My hearing is just fine. Keys are $17, though. I can’t just give one away.”
Customer: “Where’s your manager?! I want to speak with him!”
I got my boss and told him the situation before heading up to the counter.
Boss: “Ma’am, I understand that you’re having issues with your key, but we can’t just give away keys like they’re candy at the parade. You have to pay for a new one.”
Customer: *Furious* “NO! YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND! I PAID FOR THIS KEY! I GOT IT FROM YOU GUYS! THEREFORE, THE KEY SHOULD OPEN MY BOX WITHOUT ANY ISSUES, AND IF IT DOESN’T THEN I SHOULD GET A FREE REPLACEMENT BECAUSE IT’S YOUR PRODUCT AND IT FAILED!”
I swear, her yelling echoed through the town.
My boss took a closer look at the key and realized it was a little bent, so he got a pair of pliers and bent the key back into shape. He gave it back to the customer, she tested it out, and it worked perfectly.
But we now knew why the key was so bent; rather than waiting until the key was fully out of the box, she started to walk away with the key in the box and pulled on it very hard. We told her not to do this as that could not only damage the lock but also BEND THE FRICKING KEY!
Customer: “Well, I always do this and never have had a problem before!”
And she stormed out. My boss and I just looked at each other and then got back to work.
