I worked as a liability claims adjuster some years ago. It was my job to investigate auto accidents, determine who was at fault, and pay the claim if warranted. Our company had a large call center to handle smaller claims, like parking lot accidents, but most were sent out to small field offices, like the one where I worked.

One day, I received a claim for an accident at a four-way stop sign, so I called our insured to get his side of the story.

Me: “Can you tell me what happened?”

Insured: “I stopped at the sign and then proceeded into the intersection, but I didn’t see that the other car was already there until it was too late.”

Me: “Didn’t see him?”

Insured: “Yeah, because of all the trees and shrubs there! It was impossible to see. The other driver should have taken more care due to the poor visibility!”

Me: “I see. I can absolutely see about assigning some fault to the other driver for that reason. Can you tell me where that happened?”

The customer described the location.

Me: “Oh, I know that area!”

Insured: “You do? I thought you were in a call center somewhere.”

Me: “No, I work in [Suburb of a Large Metro Area], not far from that intersection. I’ll swing by and get some photos before I call the other party.”

Insured: *Nervously* “Oh, I… uh… don’t know about that.”

Me: “It’s no trouble; it’s actually on my way home. I’ll check it out tonight and call you back tomorrow.”

Insured: “Um, okay. Sure.”

I did drive by the intersection that evening on the way home and, yeah, there was not a bush or tree in sight. People knew there was no penalty for lying to their insurance company, so everyone tried it. In this case, it didn’t work out so well.

I work for a privately-owned franchise of a global sub sandwich chain. The owner of our restaurant is a woman, but her name is much more commonly used for men than for women. As a proud business owner in a small town, the owner has a sticker on the front door that says, “Proudly Owned and Operated by [Owner’s Full Name]”. She also takes absolutely no nonsense from problem customers, and she always has our backs. In short, she’s a great boss.

I’m helping at the counter one day, mostly running the register but sometimes doing veggies and sauces if things get busy. A man I’ve never seen before walks up to the front door, stands there for a moment clearly reading the owner’s name, and then walks in, gets a sandwich made, and gets to the register.

Me: “Would you like a meal today, sir, or just the sandwich?”

Man: “I’ll get the meal, and I know the owner. He said I could get this for free.”

Me: “I’m sorry, sir, but only the owner can authorize that, and she’s not here today. Would you like a meal or just the sandwich?”

Man: “Listen… This place is owned by [Owner’s Full Name], right? I’m his cousin, so he said I could get lunch on him when I’m in town. Are you going to follow his orders, or should I call him up myself?”

Me: “Sir, you need to listen carefully. Only our owner, [Owner’s Full Name] can authorize that, and she is not here today. Did you hear me that time?”

Man: “I’m going to call him and—”

Me: “No, you’re not going to call him. [Owner] is a woman and always has been. If you knew her at all — and especially if you were her cousin — you would know that. Now, would you like a meal or just the sandwich?”

The man gapes at me in confusion for a few seconds, and then, he finally catches on to what I am saying. He grumpily pays full price and sulks out the door.

When I tell our owner about it the next day, she laughs.

Owner: “Good job not letting him walk over you! The only time you should ever give anyone a ‘friends and family’ discount is when I am standing right there, in person, telling you it’s okay. Otherwise, you have my full permission to shut customers down however you need to. I’ll support you if a customer tries to complain.”

That kind of thing is why I enjoy working here.

I’m an English As A Second Language teacher. I started after college by working in South Korea for one year and Japan for two before returning to New Jersey, pursuing a Master’s Degree in teaching ESL, and becoming a full-time ESL teacher in a public school. I love my work.

This afternoon, I get a text asking if I’d like to work as an online ESL teacher. I need a summer gig, so I say I’m interested.

Scammer: “The job is to teach English online to children between the age of four and twelve years. You can choose your own schedule but would need to commit at least six hours a week. You will be paid about $16 to $26 an hour depending on your experience and qualifications. The company will provide you with the teaching materials required. By the way, do you have a bachelor’s degree?”

Me: “I have a Master’s in teaching ESL, and I am currently a full-time ESL teacher for a public school district.”

Scammer: “Great! What about a teaching certificate like a TEFL, TESOL, or an ESL?”

Me: “I’m certified by the state of New Jersey.”

Scammer: “Actually, TEFL is a major requirement. If you’re interested, I can get you a TEFL certificate from our Academy. It’s completely online, self-paced, smooth job application, multiple ESL jobs positions, globally-recognized certificate (ISO Certified), and it doesn’t cost much, as well.”

Me: “No, thank you. I have ten years of experience in TESL, a Master’s degree in TESL, and certification to be a classroom teacher by a state regulatory agency. If these qualifications are not sufficient for your client, as opposed to an online course, I’m not interested.”

Funnily enough, I haven’t heard back since.

I work at a small independent car dealership that does both sales and service and specializes in cars that are interesting and fun to drive. We mostly do Porsches, and we curate our inventory carefully.

A guy had an ad up for a Porsche 928 S located just a bit north of us. The ad hit all the right notes: it was enthusiast-owned, it had immaculate care with extensive records, it looked beautiful in the pictures except for some clear coat peeling on the bumpers (which affects basically 100% of these cars so it’s not a dealbreaker), and it had terrific options. If the car was the car it seemed like it could be, with some work, it could be a great inventory piece. Our sales manager asked the owner to come on by so we could check it out.

The car that pulled in was NOT the car in the ad. This wasn’t like when someone uses a ten-year-old picture on a dating app; it was LITERALLY not the same car. It didn’t have the same options and it wasn’t even an S. Also, it was a TOTAL basket case. There were whole swathes of paint missing, and when our lead tech (also a co-owner of the service center) said something about it, the guy answered:

Guy: “You just need to polish it to bring the color out!”

My dude, no amount of polishing will magically invent color where none exists — and if you think it can, how much do you really know about cars? For obvious reasons, after laying eyes on it, we had absolutely no interest in his car — so little, in fact, that we didn’t even bother taking it into the shop for an inspection.

The guy was aghast that we weren’t even remotely interested. He BEGGED our sales manager to make him an offer. He claimed he had other interested parties and we couldn’t miss out! The sales manager told him to sell it to one of them. When he finally accepted that it wasn’t going to happen, he got in the car to leave, cranked the engine… cranked the engine… and cranked the engine.

You guessed it: the car would not start. When this sank in for him, too, he got REALLY spicy. He started blaming our employees, claiming they broke his car! Nobody but him had touched it, but we MUST have done something. But he also kept insisting that we HAD to give him gas. Hum. Okay. First, what? Second, why on EARTH would we do ANYTHING for him that could actually give him grounds to say we tampered with his car when he was already accusing us?

A lot of yelling later, the sales manager kept him distracted while the lead tech called 911. 

Guy: “GOOD! Call the cops! I’ll tell them you broke my car! They’ll arrest you guys! I’ll call my lawyer and sue and put you out of business! You guys need to give me gas for my car that you broke!”

The lead tech finally asked him point-blank:

Lead Tech: “If it’s out of gas, how did I break it?”

Guy: “Well, if you can’t figure that out, you must not be a good Porsche tech!”

The cops came. Mysteriously, the guy calmed down significantly. After a medium-length conversation in which I could overhear one of the officers clearly getting exasperated with his lack of logic, they finally made him a deal: they’d give him some gas, and if his car still didn’t start, it could stay parked here while he waited for a tow truck, but the guy himself would have to wait OFF our property.

He agreed. They gave him some gas and the car started right up.

WHAT A COINCIDENCE!

We weren’t the only ones who noticed this totally predictable turn of events. One of the officers couldn’t resist saying:

Officer: “Oh, look, it started. I guess they DIDN’T BREAK YOUR CAR.”

Somehow, I don’t really think we’ll be hearing from his lawyer.

I am at the cash register one day when a lady approaches me with a few items.

Customer: “I would like to pay for these with a check. I’m going to write it for twenty over.”

I ring her up and start processing her check.

Customer: “I don’t have my ID on me; is that going to be a problem?”

Me: “As long as you’re in our system, it shouldn’t be.”

I process her check and it asks for ID.

Me: “Ma’am, I’m sorry, but it’s asking for ID. Without one, I can’t finish the order; our system doesn’t let us override the ID requirement.”

Customer: *Concerned* “I only have my checkbook on me. Could a supervisor help?”

Me: “I think I have a better idea.”

I decide to pay for her order since it’s not too expensive, and she seems grateful and walks off with her items. Not long after, I am sent on break.

When I return, one of my coworkers seems furious, so I ask her what’s wrong.

Coworker: “Some lady came in saying she asked for cashback on her order and you didn’t give it to her. I told her you paid for her order and that’s why she didn’t get any, but she kept arguing with me about it and basically accused you of ripping her off. I’m surprised she left without asking for the manager.”

Hearing that basically ruined the rest of my shift. Now that I’ve been working here for a while, I realize the lady was probably a scammer hoping we could override the ID requirement on checks. I only wish I had known that when I served her.

Thankfully, she never returned. I’m afraid that if she had, I might have demanded my money back!