It’s only my first week of working in customer service, around 2013, and reading this website made me skeptical that people really were as stupid as they are in some of the stories. I’ve just started my shift, and I take my first call.

Me: “Good evening, [Company], [My Name] speaking; how can I help you?”

Customer: “Hi there. I’m looking for an iPod Touch Fourth Generation for my daughter’s birthday. Could I place an order with you?”

Me: “Absolutely, sir. Do you have the catalogue number for that item?”

Customer: *Shouting* “No! But it only took me two minutes to find it, so it shouldn’t take you thirty seconds!”

It takes me about fifteen minutes of in-depth searching, through all available methods, before I figure out the item’s actually discontinued, and he’s looking in a physical catalogue from a year ago.

Me: “I’m sorry, sir, but the fourth generation of iPods have now been discontinued. We aren’t going to receive any further stock of this item.”

Customer: *Suddenly calm again* “Oh, okay, sorry for bothering you. Bye!”

I then continue taking calls. After about thirty minutes, I overhear a coworker’s call…

Coworker: “I apologise, sir, but I can’t find any iPod Touch Fourth generations on my system.”

Glancing over, I notice it’s the same customer I had earlier. My coworker manages to come to the same conclusion as I did, and the customer seems satisfied that it’s truly discontinued. Fast forward to ten minutes before I finish.

Me: “Good evening, [Company], [My Name] speaking; how can I help you?”

Customer: “Yes, hi. I’m looking for an iPod Touch Fourth Generation for my daughter’s birthday tomorrow.”

The small supermarket I work at used to have these weekend deals from Friday to Sunday and would usually involve two or three items. These deals were really popular and really good value. Quite sometime after we stopped doing these weekend deals, I get tannoyed to the till.

Coworker: “Hey, [My Name], can you do a shelf-price check on this?”

I get handed a jar of coffee.

Coworker: “The gentleman here claims it is only £1.99.”

I am initially puzzled as that particular coffee is very well known and very expensive, brand. I check the shelf and find that the man is mistaken.

Me: “It says £6.99 on the shelf.”

Customer: “But last time I bought it, it was £1.99. It was some kind of weekend offer.”

Then, it clicks. That coffee was on a weekend deal at £1.99 at one point. I put the sign out myself. But that was months ago.

Me: “Sir, the weekend deals changed every week. And we don’t do weekend deals anymore.”

Customer: “Oh.”

He looks slightly crestfallen at the news. As he leaves the shop, my coworker and I can’t help but giggle.

Coworker: “But today is Wednesday.”

Related:
Sales End, But Bad Customers Are Forever

I work as a porter at a large branch of a national supermarket chain, dealing with the trolleys and baskets. The front of the store features a large metal A-frame that kids love to climb on but it isn’t safe at all, so we tell them to get down before they hurt themselves. About ten minutes after telling a little girl that it isn’t a climbing frame and asking her to get down, I’m approached by a woman, the girl from before in tow. 

Woman: “Don’t tell her not to climb on there; it’s none of your business!”

I try and explain that it is my business because it’s part of my job but the woman cuts me off, repeating:

Woman: “It’s none of your business!”

She stormed off to her car. I wonder if she’d feel the same way if her daughter had fallen and injured herself?

It is the mid-1980s and my mum is pregnant with me. She is about to take her driving test for the second time. Dad has brought her to the test centre and they are waiting for the examiner to arrive.

Eventually, he comes over with some paperwork and practically throws it at Mum.

“And do you have any other disabilities besides being pregnant?” he asks.

Mum is upset; Dad is furious. Not surprisingly, Mum fails her driving test, and she and Dad make an official complaint to the Driving Test Centre about the examiner’s attitude. Dad conveniently mentions that he is a serving police officer and that police driving instructors would never talk to anyone like that, so civilian instructors definitely should not. All the examiners have to undertake retraining following the incident and the rude examiner is moved to another location.

Mum passed her test on her next attempt.

A customer has been trying to return a blouse she bought nearly three years ago. Our return policy is one month and the blouse isn’t even on our system anymore. I’ve spent several minutes going around in circles with her before she asks for a manager. I turn around to beep for one and quietly let out my frustrations to the colleague stood next to me.

“God, I wish this b**** would f*** off! It’s thirty days, not thirty months! Learn to read!”

My colleague gives me a funny look but I don’t fully register why. I turn back around and the customer is bright red in the face and the entire checkout is staring at me, wide-eyed. The customer grabs her blouse and runs out.

It turns out my colleague had just switched on the tannoy when I started my rant, and the entire store heard me.

I was written up for it and agreed not to be on the checkouts for a while. The store manager found it hilarious, though, and said it wouldn’t go on my quarterly review as it was my first mistake and in his words, “People do make them, just not as spectacularly.”