I work in a contact center as an email agent for a print-on-demand online business. This story is at the beginning of the worldwide health situation, so this business has started to sell masks. As they ship worldwide and the product is a success, the volume of orders is quite high.

Unfortunately, this causes several issues as one of the third-party printers involved in the manufacturing and printing of the masks did not expect this high volume of orders. This is a recipe for disaster as this printer is the one in charge of producing all the masks for the biggest market of the company: the USA.

They end up with crooked prints, broken strings, printing errors, incomplete orders, discoloration, or altogether different masks — you name it. We have our queues overflowing with emails complaining about these issues.

This story takes the cake.

I get one email from a customer that got the wrong mask print and wants a refund. In this case, we need to ask the customer to send us a picture of the mask they received because, due to the health hazard nature of the product, we cannot ask them to send it back to us.

When I read the body of the email and see the picture, I cannot believe my eyes.

Customer: “I just got my package and the mask is completely wrong. I need you to resend the correct mask ASAP, and I don’t know if this mask is some kind of joke but I don’t find it funny as I am a public servant.”

I do not remember what the original mask she ordered was about, but when I opened up the picture, I almost fell off my chair laughing.

The joke? The mask she received said, “This mask is as useless as the government.”

I work in a store in a mall that opens later than the rest of the mall. This happens far more often than I’d like. A potential customer shouts through the front gate.

Potential Customer: “What time do you open?”

Us: “Noon.”

Potential Customer: “What?”

Us: “NOON.”

Potential Customer: “What?”

Us: “WE OPEN AT NOON.”

Potential Customer: “What?”

Us: “TWELVE. NOON. WE OPEN AT NOON.”

Potential Customer: “…eleven-thirty?”

Us: “WE. OPEN. AT. NOON.”

Potential Customer: “Oh! Okay.”

The potential customer walks off, never to be seen again.

Some years ago, my dad hurt his leg and had to walk with a cane while it was healing. Around that time, a friend of our family, who has been blind from birth, came to visit. My dad and the friend went to church one Sunday, and the Bible reading happened to be about the people who will be invited to the wedding feast in Heaven.

Priest: *Reading* “’Go out into the highways and byways and seek out the poor, the lonely, the blind, and the lame.’”

My dad leaned over to his friend and said:

Dad: “We’re in!”

I am the idiot in this story. I’ve gone to a fast food restaurant late in the evening, well after the dinner rush. The place seems deserted except for the employees. I order a grilled chicken sandwich with no mayo and stand aside to wait for it. When a grilled chicken sandwich is placed on the counter, I spy some suspicious oily glops on the box. I open it and take the sandwich apart, and not gingerly. I really manhandle it. I pipe up.

Me: “Um… I ordered this with no mayo.”

Employee: “That’s not yours. That’s hers.”

He pointed behind me where, unbeknownst to me, a little old lady had silently crept up. I apologized and offered to pay. The employee said, “Nah,” but I felt like a huge idiot.

CONTENT WARNING: This story contains content of a medical nature. It is not intended as medical advice.

I get a job at the front desk of my college residence hall during my freshman year. Most phone calls are pretty basic; people want to know when the desk closes or when they can collect their packages.

But this one still boggles my mind.

Me: “[School] housing and dining, my name is [My Name]. How can I help you?”

Resident: “Hi, do we have an on-call nurse?”

Me: ”No, we don’t. Is this an emergency scenario?”

Resident: “No, my roommate lost vision in her left eye for like six minutes.”

I am absolutely speechless. I would think most people would go to an emergency room or at least schedule a doctor’s appointment when something of that severity happened. My first plan of action would definitely not be to call the front desk.

Me: “Does she still not have vision?”

Resident: “No, she can see now.”

Me: “Then maybe schedule a doctor visit or go to the ER if it happens again?”

Resident: “I think that’s a good idea, but she says she doesn’t want to. Thanks, anyway.”

I didn’t know what to say. I left my shift that day very confused about that phone call.