I work in a call center for a major bank.

Client: “I want to complain about the automatic answering thing.”

They’re referring to the IVR — integrated voice recognition.

Client: “It doesn’t give the option to press zero to talk to someone.”

Me: “You can say, ‘associate,’ or, ‘customer service,’ and it will connect you.”

Client: “What if someone can’t talk? Even if they are disabled and they can only press buttons with their nose?”

Me: “This is a voice-based call center. People who can’t talk won’t call this number. They would use TTY or a relay service.”

Client: “I still think it’s wrong, and when the higher-ups listen to this call I’m sure they will fix it. It’s just not fair for people who can’t talk!”

I bought a used car from a reputable dealer. Within the first week, it started having trouble getting started and once died at a red light. It had a dealer’s warranty for thirty days and it had the remainder of the manufacturer’s warranty, so not a big deal. Right?

Within a couple of days, the service area stopped answering their phones. I left message after message. After another two days, I called sales, and when I was called back, the sales manager said that service told him they couldn’t replicate the error. I finally just showed up after a week and demanded to speak with someone. The service manager met with me and said sales had misunderstood; in actuality, they couldn’t replicate the error on command, and therefore, they were having great difficulty diagnosing the problem. Should just be a couple more days, though.

No call back. I was calling a couple of times a day, but the phones were still going to voicemail every single time. This car wasn’t just a new car to me. I didn’t have a car, and now I could commute which would allow me to get a better job with more pay. But I couldn’t look for a new job until I got my car back.

I just walked in a second time, a week after my first visit. I went off on the service manager. As part of chewing him out, I mentioned that the lack of a car meant I couldn’t find a new job.

He agreed that yes, this had been a very long time. He agreed to arrange a rental car at no cost to me. Then, he said:

Manager: “You are looking for a job? What type of job are you looking for? I notice that you are paraphrasing to make sure you understand what I am saying and asking solid follow-up questions. I might have a position for you.”

Wait, I yell at him and he then tells me he has a job opening?

Ultimately, I didn’t work for the service department, but I was hired by the sales department. I was called for an interview, and at the interview, I was told I had the job; I simply needed to apply for it. This was by far the strangest way I have ever landed a new job.

I am a mobile order regular at a specific location of a chain coffee shop on my way to work. I get coffee there at least five times a week, and I get the same order of a breakfast item at least three of those times.

My food order is a really easy one to mess up. It’s two orders of the item, and each order contains two pieces, making it four in total. At least once a week, I have to ask for the second part of my order to be made.

As someone who also works with the general public and knows that they’ve had a lot of new people lately, I never make a scene, and I make sure to tell them I understand how the mistake could be made and I don’t mind.

Today, I went in to get my usual breakfast order and found I only had half my order again. An employee, who might have been the manager as he seemed to be training another employee, saw me looking in the bag.

Employee: “Do you have everything?”

Me: “No, I’m actually missing two of the [item]. It’s supposed to be two two-pieces, so four in total.”

I showed him the tag on my bag so he knew I wasn’t scamming.

Employee: “Sorry about that! I’ll take care of it.”

Me: “It’s okay, it’s a common mistake and I totally understand it.”

A few minutes later, the employee working the warmer handed me a bag stuffed with items. I was the only person in there, so it definitely wasn’t someone else’s order.

Me: “Oh, wow, thank you!” 

I was completely surprised since I only really asked for my little breakfast. I was even more surprised when I got to work and checked the bag to find four pieces of my breakfast item (in addition to the two I already had), two little bags of hash brown bits, a bagel, and a breakfast sandwich! I plan on sharing the bounty with my coworkers so it won’t go to waste.

Be nice to employees, people!

There is a restaurant right behind my office. The food is generally good but the service has gotten slower and slower. During the health crisis, when they offered curbside service, I’d order from there about every other week. They have three different chicken salads, one of which I am gaga for.

Once restrictions started to be lifted, my kids swung by my office as I was getting ready to go and suggested we eat out. I suggested the restaurant behind the office so that none of us had to worry about driving or parking.

We got there to find only five tables filled. We were seated and proceeded to order our drinks. Once the drinks got there, we were ready to order, but the waitress almost danced off, saying:

Waitress: “I’ll give you a minute.”

Me: “No, we’re ready.”

Waitress: “Oh, okay. What would you like?”

My son ordered something, I ordered something for my daughter (who doesn’t speak), and then I ordered my favorite chicken salad as a wrap.

Waitress: “Is that on the back of the menu?”

Me: “No, it is right here.”

I pointed to the center of the inside page showing this chicken salad wrap with one side.

Waitress: “Oh, okay.”

She started to walk off.

Me: “I’d like the fries for the side.”

Waitress: “The side?”

Me: *Pointing again* “Yes, it says it comes with one side.”

Waitress: “Oh, okay.”

She took the menus and left. My son and I chatted. My daughter and I went to the restroom. We returned and chatted some more. And some more.

After fifty minutes, my son’s meal was brought out (soup and salad). After another five minutes, my daughter’s was served (mac and cheese). A few minutes after that, the waitress came and put a plate before me.

Waitress: “Is this what you wanted?”

But she left before I could even turn the plate around to see what was inside the wrap. It was NOT what I wanted. It was not chicken salad at all. It was a breaded piece of chicken, wrapped in a tortilla. There was nothing in the tortilla but this chicken puck.

I was hungry and am not a picky eater so I figured it would just have to do. I took a bite, though, and realized it would NOT do. It was hard, cold, and dry. It was disgusting. I put it down and nibbled the fries and drank the soda.  

When my daughter’s soda went empty (long after mine did), the waitress returned.

Waitress: “How is everything?”

Me: “This isn’t what I ordered and not even edible. Please remove it from the bill.”

Waitress: “Oh, I’m sorry. I can bring you something else.”

Me: “No, thank you. Just remove it from the bill.”

Waitress: “I can get you something else.”

I just pointed at my watch and again said, “No, thank you.” She disappeared for about fifteen minutes and finally came back with the bill.

Shortly after, the chef came out.

Chef: “You wanted the chicken salad wrap, didn’t you?”

Me: “Yes. This wasn’t that.”

Chef: “But that’s what you wanted?”

Me: “Yes, but I don’t want it now.”

By now, it was almost eight and I just wanted to go home and make myself dinner

Chef: “Okay.”

I looked at the bill. It clearly said, “[Menu Name for the chicken salad wrap],” and showed that I was being charged the $15-ish for the meal.

I looked for the waitress and didn’t see her. I put my credit card away, pulled out cash, and laid down only exactly enough for my son’s meal, my daughter’s meal, our drinks, and a side of fries, right down to the penny, and left.

It’s been months and I haven’t been back or ordered to-go since.

I worked as a manager in a busy Boston shopping and tourist spot in the mid-1990s. The shop was three floors: two above ground, open to the public, and a floor below ground for employees accessible through two locked doors and a narrow spiral staircase. Outside of the door on the top level were public restrooms.

It was a very busy summer afternoon with at least 100 people in the store. A little boy standing in line with his family told his dad he had to pee. Dad ignored him. The boy told him several times, and still, Dad didn’t react. He got to the register where I was helping to expedite the checkout process.

Dad: “Do you have a bathroom?”

Me: “There is a public restroom in the hallway upstairs, just outside of the store exit.”

Dad: “No. He needs your bathroom. He can’t wait.”

Me: “I’m sorry, sir, but our employee bathrooms are not accessible on this floor, and for safety reasons, I cannot bring you below. The public restrooms are just upstairs, though.”

Dad: “Are you telling me you are ignoring the needs of a little boy due to ‘safety’?”

He did finger quotes as he said this.

Me: “Yes, sir, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”

It went on for a few more seconds until the dad grabbed the kid who desperately needed to pee at this point and left to use the restroom. I checked out the rest of his family, who were embarrassed by the confrontation, and I was in the middle of checking out the next person in line when Dad came back into the store, dragging his child, who was crying and in wet pants. The father started screaming at me.

Dad: “He pissed himself! Are you happy, you dumb b****? This is all your fault! He pissed himself like a f****** baby!”

At this point, the customer who I was checking out spoke up.

Customer: “Are you joking? Your child told you he had to pee while we were still standing back there—” *gestures to where the line is stretched back at least ten people away* “—and you did nothing. You tried to bully this poor woman into breaking rules instead of just saying thank you and taking your kid to the bathroom. And now you’re humiliating him at the same time as trying to blame her? Your bathroom emergency was not her fault!”

It was a great moment made better when the dad started arguing with the customer. He started threatening violence, so one of my employees grabbed an officer patrolling outside to intervene. The officer told the angry dad:

Officer: “Your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency for anyone else.”