I am handling a guest’s check-in. Nothing out of the ordinary, but I think he is a bit forceful and intimidating when he speaks to me.

Guest: “I want a late checkout, around 1 PM.”

Me: “We can accommodate that, but as you’ve booked a prepaid non-refundable reservation through a third party, I’ll have to make a new reservation for your late checkout. As per our policy, you’ll have to pay for half a day.”

Third parties suck. I explain why a new reservation would be necessary if he wanted a 1 PM checkout. I also charge half of the third party’s rate; it has to be the hotel’s rate. He is super understanding and polite about it and thanks me for my help.

I note the 1 PM checkout in three different places. I write it in my recap email (which goes to both my managers and the next front desk agent coming in, so we can all stay updated on what’s going on), in the notes within his reservation, and in housekeeping’s notes so they’ll know he’ll be there until 1 PM. 

He asks me for a corkscrew that night. Not a strange request at all. I actually bought a corkscrew for the hotel because they only had a bottle opener, so I give it to him to use. He never returns it.

The next afternoon he storms into the lobby after getting a courtesy call from the front desk around 1:30 PM regarding his late checkout and how payment would be for a full night if he didn’t check out by 2 PM. 

He reeks of alcohol and starts yelling at the front desk assistant.

Guest: “I was told that I could stay until 8 PM for a half day’s price!”

Coworker: “Uh, no, I’m certain we didn’t say that.”

Guest: “The guy who was here last night told me I could stay until 8 PM. And then he said that the manager told him it was okay over the phone.”

My coworker holds steady and doesn’t humor his lies. And when someone won’t believe your lies, what’s left for a grown-a** man to do but start screaming and making threats? So that’s exactly what he does.

He insults my coworker, sits down at the high-top table in the lobby and just stares at her maliciously, and then gets back up to scream some more. He demands to see the manager, so my coworker called her and she said they’ll be here as soon as possible.

More screaming. More insults. More threats.

Coworker: “Sir, you need to leave.”

Guest: “I’ll figure out where you live and what your full name is so I can get back at you! If you try to throw me out of here, I’ll call the cops!”

Coworker: “Good idea, let’s call the cops!”

And she does. My manager arrives and tells this guy he needs to get his stuff and get out. Of course, he refuses and wants a full refund. Nope.

The police get here, and he slips out the side door to try and get in his car. The police stop him and tell him he can’t drive while he is so drunk, and that his wife needs to drive and he would just have to come back and get his car when he is sober. Most importantly, they tell him he’ll be arrested if he comes back inside to start his s*** again.

He finally leaves, but apparently, while he was pouting while we were waiting for the police to get there, he made another prepaid non-refundable reservation through a third party, most likely as an attempt to prevent us from throwing him out.

Well, later that night I got a call from a third-party customer service representative saying that she, “had a client on the phone who says he was forced to leave the hotel for no reason and was denied a refund.” She asked if I could explain, and I did. I told her that he’d been removed by the police after drunkenly threatening the staff.

Third-Party Rep: “Well can you at least cancel and refund his reservation for tonight?”

Me: “Uh, no, I’m not authorized to cancel any prepaid non-refundable reservations.”

What part of “non-refundable” does she not understand?

Third-Party Rep: “So you’re refusing to give my client a refund?”

Me: “No ma’am, I’m saying I can’t cancel third-party reservations.”

Third-Party Rep: “I’ll tell my client that you’re refusing a refund then. Can I have your name for the record?”

Imagine the sheer audacity it takes to, after making threats and being evicted by the police, go crying to the online travel agent and asking for a refund because he was unfairly denied a room!

No, sir, you can’t stay until 8 PM without paying for it. Seems a logical conclusion to make, but with people like them, logic doesn’t enter into the equation.

Many years ago, I worked at a pizza delivery place. Because of recent robberies, we had a panic button in the walk-in refrigerator. The button was clearly labeled, “PANIC BUTTON,” in large letters. Pressing the button would silently summon the police.

One day, we were going about our business when the police showed up. They asked the manager if he had activated the alarm.

Manager: “No?” *Pauses* “Wait a minute!”

The manager turns to [Coworker].

Manager: “[Coworker]! Did you push the button in the walk-in?”

Coworker: “Yes.”

Manager: “Why?!”

Coworker: “I… I thought it would play music.”

The manager stared at him for several seconds before turning to the police and apologizing.

When my kids were pretty young — the oldest was four, the middle three, and the youngest six months — I transferred jobs, and my husband and I purchased a used twenty-four-foot travel trailer to live in until we could financially afford to get into an apartment or house in the town near my work.

It was about a week before December, we had been living in the trailer since the beginning of October, and we had already found an apartment to move to but were waiting for December 1st to move in.

My sister (who I always thought had similar views on children and what they should and shouldn’t watch as I did) had allowed my kids to watch the movie “Tremors” while they were at her house, and my kids loved the movie. It made them afraid to go to sleep at night, but that is a different issue we had to work through.

On this particular day, the children couldn’t really play outside much since it was snowing for the first time that season and it had been very cold recently. To entertain themselves, my two oldest children were playing inside on the bed. Their favorite game at the time was one they called “dirt monsters”, which was their phrase for the creatures from the “Tremors” movies. The game consisted of one of the kids being on the bed and the other falling off it and clinging to the side calling the other for help to save them from the dirt monster. The child on the bed would then pull them to safety. Sometimes imaginary guns were involved to shoot the dirt monsters.

After they had played this for quite a while, we ate dinner and then got them ready for bed. We used to sing songs with the kids at bedtime. One song the kids always loved was “Jingle Bells”, but for my sanity, my rule was that we would only sing “Jingle Bells” when there was snow on the ground; otherwise, we would be singing it in the summertime, and that was always kind of weird. So, since there was snow that particular day, we sang a very, very rousing rendition of “Jingle Bells”, practically shouting the last part.

As we sang the very last bit there was a knock on our door. I thought perhaps we were bothering the neighbors with our singing and someone was there to complain. But it was much different. When we opened the door, there were two police officers standing outside. I then thought that we must have really annoyed our neighbors for them to call the police on us with a noise complaint, even though it wasn’t that late — only about 8:00 pm.

The officer was very polite but what he said kind of shocked us. Our neighbors in the RV park had called them, yes, not to report noise, but to report possible child endangerment.

One of our neighbors — we never knew who — heard our children playing dirt monsters and calling for help so they called and informed the police that they heard a child calling for help and that they sounded distressed.

We explained the kids’ game to the officers. I can’t remember all the questions they asked as this was about seventeen years ago now, but I remember that we explained to them that our living situation was temporary and that we were moving in around a week. The kids, who were thrilled that uniformed police officers were there, were crowded around them asking them questions and very much not looking like abused children. The officers then said that they didn’t see any problems and eventually left.

I don’t blame the neighbors that called, especially if they really thought that one of our kids was in danger, but I was confused about how they could hear the kids’ cries for help but not hear their laughter or excited squeals when they were playing. Mainly, I was just so embarrassed because we had five people at the time living in a twenty-four-foot trailer, so it was crowded, cluttered, and chaotic, not to mention that we had just eaten dinner so there were dishes still on the counter. Also, I knew the town newspaper had a police blotter section where they listed all the police calls of the week. It was a small town, and I wasn’t quite sure how extensively they reported the calls and whether our names would be mentioned. (They weren’t.)

It definitely made for a story we had to tell for years about when we got the police called on us. Thankfully, they didn’t decide we were unfit due to the clutter and mess.

I am a manager working the front desk at a hotel that is currently hosting a large wedding. I see a woman in a red dress being escorted out of the reception space, along with some of the groomsmen. A groomsman and a member of security approach me.

Groomsman: “This woman is not a guest of the wedding and is not to be allowed in the ballroom.”

Woman: “This is a public space! I’m allowed to be here!”

Me: “Ma’am, this is a hotel, not a public space. The ballroom is hired for a private event, so if you’re not a guest, you’re not allowed in there.”

Woman: “I have every right to be there! That b**** stole my man, and I have every right to fight to get him back!”

It is now obvious this woman has been drinking.

Groomsman: “For God’s sake, [Woman], you broke up seven years ago!”

Woman: “He was supposed to come back to me!”

Groomsman: “You dumped him!“

Woman: “To teach him a lesson!”

Groomsman: “He learned it! Stay away from red flags!”

Security: *To the groomsman* “We’ll take it from here, sir. Please go back inside and enjoy the party.”

The groomsman heads back inside, and the security guard tries to direct the woman toward the exit.

Woman: “Wait! You said I’m not allowed in the ballroom, but I can get a drink in the lobby bar, right?”

Me: “Ma’am, I can think of no other reason you would want to do that except to try to sneak back into the ballroom or try to ambush the wedding guests when they leave. I would recommend you leave the hotel for this evening.”

Woman: “But what if I was a guest?! Then you wouldn’t be able to kick me out!”

Me: “Ma’am, even if we weren’t fully booked tonight, which we are, we also have the discretion to refuse service to those who have caused or might cause a disturbance. I’m afraid you currently fall under the former and present a risk of falling under the latter. Now, we do have a responsibility, still, and based on my experience, you appear to have been drinking. I am happy to call a cab for you to take you home.”

Woman: “I’m not leaving, and you can’t make me!”

Me: “Then your cab will have some flashing lights on the top, ma’am.”

She sits on the floor cross-legged, like a toddler being stubborn. The security guard just looks at me.

Me: “It’s okay; I’ll handle it.”

I call the police and then get a clerk to put out some “hazard” signs that we usually put on the floor when there is a spill. The woman looks ridiculous but remains in place.

The police eventually show, and the woman gets an eye-widening “Oh, s***!” look on her face as she realizes she has taken this too far. The police talk to me, and I confirm what has happened. As the woman is escorted from the lobby, I can hear a shrill, “But he was supposed to choose meeeeeeee!” slowly fade away.

The groomsman later comes out and gives the security guy and me a tip for our troubles, and he gives us some context.

Groomsman: “Yeah, that’s the crazy ex. She came here to cause trouble when she realized he was really going through with it.”

Me: “That’s dramatic! I’m glad we were able to help, though. I hope the bride and groom are having a great time.”

Groomsman: “It’s a groom and groom, actually.”

I can’t help but show a quick look of confusion before the groomsman helps me out.

Groomsman: “Yeah, she was so crazy that she ‘red-flagged’ him into coming out!”

This story is part of our Editors’-Favorite-Stories-Of-2023-(so far!) roundup!

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Throughout high school and for my first summer back from college, I worked for a retail store that was well-known for coupons. They were in mailers, in emails, in the paper — there was a coupon available pretty much every day. As associates, we were told that we could use coupons with our employee discount. The other part of the policy for associates purchasing items with our employee discount was that a different associate had to check us out, and before we left the store with our purchase, a manager had to look at the receipt and make a note in a folder that they had approved the transaction, with the transaction number noted.

One afternoon, my store manager pulls me off the floor and brings me back to her office where there’s a man I’ve never seen before. He introduces himself as the district Loss Prevention Manager.

Loss Prevention: “Do you know why I’m here?”

Me: “No, I don’t.”

He pulls out a list of transactions associated with my employee discount number.

Loss Prevention: “Did you make these purchases?”

I look over the list.

Me: “Yes, I did.”

Loss Prevention: “Are you aware that you can’t use coupons with your employee discount and that you’re stealing from the company?”

I look at my store manager, who is refusing to look at me. I attempt to explain what I was told, but he keeps cutting me off, threatening to have me fired, and telling me it’s against policy. At no point does my store manager, who not only told me I could use the coupons but has signed off on my purchases, stand up for me or even say a word.

I’m under so much emotional distress at this point that I don’t remember much from the conversation besides [Loss Prevention] pushing a piece of paper at me and telling me that if I admit that I used coupons incorrectly, “we can put this whole thing behind us”. Like a stupid nineteen-year-old, I sign, thinking that it means I get to keep my job.

No surprise, the second I sign it, I’m told I’m fired. My manager escorts me to the parking lot and gives me a hug.

Manager: “You’re like a daughter to me, [My Name]. But I’m afraid you’re banned from [Store]. Never contact us again.”

I went home crying and obviously upset, but as I’d be leaving for college (four hours away) in two weeks, I attempted to move past it and thought that was it.

Nope.

Three months later, I got a call from an unknown number. It was the police department from my hometown letting me know that my former employer was charging me with theft from using the coupons and that I would be hearing from a detective soon. As soon as I hung up, my mom called me to let me know that a police officer had shown up at their house to inform me of the charges.

The next four months were an absolute blur as I tried to manage this from four hours away. As my parents are not at all wealthy, my uncle hired a lawyer for me. Thankfully, the lawyer got them to settle and drop the charges. His main argument was that all of the transactions that the company was calling “theft by deception” had been signed off on by my store manager and assistant manager. Why were these “against policy” purchases not addressed by management when they saw them? There were also other employees and managers who had management approve their purchases that used coupons with their employee discount, so why weren’t they fired? And he had proof of this from when I told him about the transaction book that the managers kept.

After that, the company agreed to drop the charges if I paid them back the total amount of discounts I received by using the coupons from the three years I worked there. The total? $100. A MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR COMPANY wanted their $100 back.

My parents wrote them the check to be done with everything. They thought about countersuing, but my state is an at-will state, so nothing could be done. I have a lot of PTSD from the whole situation that I’m still working through, but I have taken a LOT of pleasure in seeing the company file bankruptcy several times and close a lot of stores — including the one I was fired from.

I do still wish I know what I did wrong that led to them going after me like that.