I used to work for an office supply store a few years ago. This has always been one of the most amusing and confusing things that happened to me there.

I was working the register when a man came in with his young daughter. He was carrying a decently large box full of printer ink and wanted to return it all. Now, printer ink is expensive enough that we are extra cautious with returns — it can’t be open, etc. — but for any kind of returns at this store, we need a receipt. I asked him for one and he said he didn’t have one.

After some back and forth and attempting to explain that I couldn’t make the return without a receipt, I expected the next step to be him angrily demanding to see my manager, who also would have refused to return multiple hundreds of dollars’ worth of ink with no proof of purchase. Instead, he picked up the box and told his daughter they were leaving. 

Over his shoulder, as he went out the door, he told me, “If you won’t let me return this here, I’ll just go return it to [Competitor Store]!”

I’m still confused as to why he thought that was a good final word to have in this.

Me: “Thank you for calling [Business]; this is [My Name].”

Customer: “Hi! I was calling about your return policy. I bought this [Designer] dress and was wondering how to return it since I only needed it for a friend’s wedding.”

Me: *since we have an open return policy* “Oh, okay! No problem. All you would need to return it is your proof of purchase. It could be your online order number or a receipt and you could return it through mail or in one of our stores.”

Customer: “Oh, well, I don’t have any of those.”

Me: “I could certainly help you look it up.”

Customer: “Well, actually, I bought it at a second-hand bridal store and just wanted to return it to your store since you carry the line. The bridal store won’t accept a return.”

Me: “So, you want me to give you a refund for a dress that we may not carry — since you said we only carry the designer — that you never even purchased with us?”

Customer: “Exactly!”

Me: “No.”

(I later informed my manager of this and he joked that I am just a horrible person for not giving her a refund for the dress.)

(I’m the supervisor in a retail copy center. I am notified that someone has filed a complaint.)

Me: “Hello, ma’am. I’m sorry to hear you were dissatisfied with our services. Can I ask what happened?”

Customer: “Well, I asked for your clerk to cut my wedding invitations, and she cut them all wrong! We had to fix everything ourselves!”

Me: “My apologies! When was this order placed?”

Customer: “Oh, a couple of weeks ago.”

Me: “We would have been happy to fix the cuts for you free of charge, ma’am. Did you inspect the invitations before you paid for them?”

Customer: “No.”

Me: “Did you contact the store once you got home and realized you didn’t like the way they were cut?”

Customer: “No.”

Me: “Unfortunately, I don’t have any record of this order. Do you know which associate it was that completed your order for you?”

Customer: “No.”

Me: “Do you still have the invitations?”

Customer: “No, we sent them out already! After we had to spend hours fixing them! I want to know how you’re going to make this right!”

Me: “Well, I can offer a refund. Do you have your receipt so I can refund your purchase total?”

Customer: “No.”

Me: “Well, ma’am, I’m afraid there’s not much I can do without any of those things.”

Customer: “This is ridiculous! I want to talk to your manager!”

(I was only too happy to oblige!)

Related:
Refunder Blunder, Part 43
Refunder Blunder, Part 42
Refunder Blunder, Part 41

(I am fifteen years old and I work at an ice cream shop. I’m the only person working the opening shift and when I come in, I realize that we are all out of waffle cones. All of our ice cream and waffle cones are made right in the store, and the night staff didn’t make any more waffle cones the night before. Waffle cones only take thirty seconds or so to make, but they are hot when they come out of the iron and would melt the ice cream if used right away. I’m in the middle of making more cones when an elderly customer comes over. She asks for her ice cream in a paper bowl, and I finish up her order, as she requested, in no time at all.)

Customer: “Excuse me, I changed my mind. Could I actually have this in a waffle cone, instead?”

Me: “Oh, I’m sorry, ma’am! We’re actually all out of waffle cones at the moment. I’m making some more right now!”

Customer: “But I see some right beside you!”

Me: “These ones just came out of the iron and they’re still very hot. They would melt your ice cream if I tried to use them.”

(The woman starts screaming at me and demanding a waffle cone or her money back. My supervisor comes over.)

Supervisor: “What’s going on here?!”

Customer: “This little brat doesn’t know how to make good food! If I don’t get some decent customer service, then I want a refund!”

(My supervisor is a mother herself, and her daughter and I are about the same age, so she is always pretty protective of me.)

Supervisor: “Look, these kids work too d*** hard to have to put up with the likes of you! There aren’t any waffle cones ready for you, so take your ice cream in a paper bowl and stop insulting my staff!”

Customer: “Give me my money back!”

(The customer slams her ice cream against the desk and holds out her hand, expecting cash. The supervisor gives her the refund, if only to get her to leave. The customer storms off and we’re left in an empty store. There are still no customers.)

Supervisor: *to me* “Sweetie, take that order and put it in the freezer. You can have it on your break, all right? My treat!”

Me: “Are you sure? Won’t you get in trouble—”

Supervisor: “After what that b**** put you through, you deserve it. Enjoy, kiddo!”

(I get called to our front counter by a fellow supervisor to help her with a refund. We were both employed at the same time and have been in with the company for about three years but for some reason, she’s never familiarised herself with the products we sell.)

Supervisor: “I’m trying to put a return through for this lady but the items won’t scan.” 

(I’ve not yet seen the items.)

Me: “Okay, where’s the receipt?”

Supervisor: “She doesn’t have one.”

Me: “We can’t do a return without a receipt.”

Supervisor: “I know that. I’m just going to give her store credit.”

(We aren’t supposed to but can do it to keep customers happy.)

Me: “Okay, then where are the items?”

Customer: “Here they are; I bought them from here.”

Me: *glancing quickly at the items* “These aren’t our items; you didn’t buy these here.”  

Customer: “Yes, they are. I bought them here.”

Supervisor: “How can you tell? You barely even looked at them.”

Me: “They are both brands we’ve never sold.”

Supervisor: “You can remember all the brands we sell?”

Me: “Not all of them, but this one is [Competitor]’s own brand and this one—” *flips package over to show a distinctive red and white logo* “—is from [Store].”  

Customer: “Oh, I could have sworn I bought them here, but I am certain I got that one here. I never go to [Competitor]. How do you know it’s their own brand?”

Me: “I worked there for five years, and if you read the package it will say that it’s exclusive to [Competitor].”

Customer: “BUT I BOUGHT IT HERE!”

(I wordlessly flip the package over and point to the fine print, which is too small for me to read.)

Customer: “Oh, it does say [Competitor], but I hardly ever go there.”

(She apologises and leaves.)

Supervisor: “I don’t know how you can remember what stock we sell.”

(I don’t know how she can’t, seeing that we only carry our own brands.)