I work for an accounting firm. I do bookkeeping for clients who have outsourced to us. I work remotely 95% of the time, barring a few client meetings here and there and a couple of mandatory in-person staff meetings. My normal availability is 8:30 am to 5:30 pm, Monday to Friday, Miami time. I am not paid to be on call and, unless it is a massive emergency where my boss calls me directly, I do not log in or check messages on weekends. Work-life balance, for the win!

Recently, one of my clients lodged a complaint to my boss. This is pretty rare for me, except in a handful of instances with shadier clients who have asked me to do things that were illegal. Obviously, my boss has no issue with me refusing to break the law just because a client thinks we should.

This complaint was different. This was a newer client who complained that I was ignoring all of her communications and that I was unresponsive and unhelpful. The client threatened bad reviews and that she was going to call several other clients to warn them — these were clients who had recommended us to her, and specifically to me, since I also work on their books.

I found out about it on Monday morning, when I got a call at 8:30 am, the exact time I log in from my home office. My boss gave me the customer’s complaint and forwarded the email from the client specifying that I had not responded to at least six emails and several phone calls asking for assistance.

I started pulling up my email and VOIP (through my PC) phone history and asked my boss to hop into a meeting where I could share my screen with her to show her the client’s communications.

The first email came in at 7:24 pm on Friday evening, nearly two hours after I had logged off for the weekend. There were five more increasingly rude and disparaging emails, demanding an immediate response, which came in that evening until 10:20 pm my time. I also had a series of voicemails that paired up with the emails in timing and tone, with the last one demanding an immediate call back “or else!”

My boss asked me to forward all those communications to her, along with screenshots showing the original receipt times, so she could call the client.

When my boss called me back, she told me why the client felt I was ignoring her during business hours: the client is currently vacationing in Hawaii and was assuming my availability would remain the same based on the time where she was located and not where I actually live and work.

My boss issued the client a “final warning” about treating our staff with respect, or we would stop her services with no further notice, and she reminded the client that even if it was a normal business day, it is possible I had the day off or was meeting with another client and may not be able to respond in a given three-hour window, which is why our contract specifies one full business day response time.

So, even if it was during normal hours, her behavior was still inappropriate and unprofessional. Nice to have a boss who understands contracts and has our backs!

This story is part of our ‘Clients From Hell’ roundup!

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My wife and I are searching for a new house to live in. We are determined to get something more or less new, as we have been living in a rather old building up to now and have learned that this usually means poor insulation, leaky pipework, and shoddy electrical wiring. So, while browsing offers online, I find one that seems reasonable.

Me: “Hey, that looks nice, and it’s not too old!”

Wife: “It says here that it was built in 1982.”

Me: “Yeah, so it’s pretty new, right?”

Wife: “You know, that’s literally as old as you are! So, it’s old!”

I silently closed the browser tab.

I work in a restaurant. It’s 9:45. We close at 10:00 pm. This table of three walks in and they’re sat in my section. I greet them and things start as usual. I’m upset that they came in so late, but whatever. One customer ends up wanting a Tour of Italy, which comes with fettucine alfredo, lasagna, and chicken parmigiana.

Me: “We’ve been out of lasagna since 8:00. Do you want to substitute it for something?”

She mumbles that she should get it for free since we are out, but she subs it for something.

The woman also buys the soup/salad bundle, and she wants to try all four of our soups. We are completely out of the last soup she tries. I tell her and she gets very upset.

By the time they reach the end of the meal, it’s forty minutes past closing.

Woman: “Can I get some extra alfredo sauce to take home?”

Me: “We don’t have any more alfredo.”

She freaks out.

Woman: “I want to talk to your manager!”

I get him, laughing with him about her behavior, and he goes to talk to her. She keeps flipping out.

Woman: “You shouldn’t be open this late if you can’t offer full service!”

Excuse me? We AREN’T OPEN. We closed FORTY minutes ago.

Woman: “My meal should be free because you’re out of everything! You handed me a full menu, but you don’t have it all!”

My manager doesn’t give her a single free thing from her ticket because he realizes how entitled she is sounding. When I walk over at the end to hand her change back, I hear her mumbling.

Woman: “This is such s***ty service. I guess we shouldn’t come here again before closing.”

Good. Please don’t ever come back.

Did I mention that this inconsiderate person didn’t tip? Yeah. They made me stay an hour past close for nothing.

I work as a vet, and I happened to overhear the receptionist dealing with what sounded like a brief but exasperating phone call. She recounted part of it to me afterward. It took place just before 9:00 am.

Client: “I’d like to book [Dog] in for vaccination today, please.”

Receptionist: “We’re nearly fully booked today; the only appointments I have available are 10:00 am and 4:30 pm. Do either of those work for you?”

Client: “Yes, I’ll take the 10:00 am appointment. But I need to do my grocery shopping first, so I won’t get there until closer to 10:30. That’ll be okay, right?”

Receptionist: “Uh, no. If you have a 10:00 am appointment, you need to be here at 10:00 am. The vet has other patients to see after that, and we will reschedule your appointment if you’re more than five minutes late. So you can either be here at 10:00, take the 4:30 pm appointment, or we get [Dog] booked in on another day. Which would you like?”

Client: “Oh… right. I’ll be there at 10:00.”

And she was. She did apologise after the receptionist gently explained that one client being late can often make the day go wrong in a bad way, and nothing further was said.

This story was told to me by the assistant store manager of my place of work. I work at a thrift store that closes at 7:00 pm every day (except Sundays at 5:00). The store hours are posted on the door. Starting thirty minutes before we close, we make announcements saying we are closing in [number] minutes and will reopen the next morning.

A woman enters the shop about ten minutes before we close. She hears the announcements we make, yet still browses. There is a long line, so as long as there is a line, we don’t say anything to customers browsing after closing. Twenty-five minutes after we close, the line is gone but she is still browsing. A team member reminds her that we are closed and she says she will head up to the cashier right now. The staff are doing their closing assignments at this time.

Five minutes later, one of the production team members walks out and mentions to the assistant store manager that there is a lady still shopping. Different team members have been reminding her every five minutes that the store is closed and she keeps saying she will be right up. The manager walks up to the woman to see what is going on. Now it’s forty minutes after closing.

Manager: “Ma’am, we are closed.” 

Woman: “Okay, I’ll be right up, promise. I just have to use the bathroom first.”

The manager goes to the registers to wait for her to walk her out so he can lock the doors behind her.

Five minutes later:

Manager: *To a female associate* “Can you go see where that woman is? Check the bathroom, too.”

The associate walks away to check. Five minutes later, the associate comes back and says the woman is by the floral department — at the opposite side of the store from the bathrooms.

The manager goes over to the woman.

Manager: “Ma’am, we are closed. You need to head to the checkouts now as we are about to close down the last cashier.”

Woman: “But I’m not done shopping!”

Manager: “No, you are done. It is fifty minutes after we are supposed to be closed. Take your items to the cashier now and pay.”

The woman and the manager walked up to the cashier and she paid for her items while asking for the corporate number. The manager gave her one of the customer service business cards, and as she was leaving, she screeches that “this is horrible customer service” and that “[we] will be fired by tomorrow morning”.

The manager smiled and waved as he locked the doors behind her.

It’s been three months and nothing has happened.

Related:
Not Very Closed-Minded, Part 49
Not Very Closed Minded, Part 47
Not Very Closed Minded, Part 47
Not Very Closed Minded, Part 46
Not Very Closed Minded, Part 45