The Caller Is An A**Hole, No Maybes

(I am a pet groomer, and we are usually trained to speak in “maybes” so as to avoid legal issues. For example, instead of saying, “Your dog has mange,” we have to say, “I think your dog has mange,” as we are not medically licensed. This has lead to a surprising amount of trouble outside of the pet care world.)

Me: “Thank you for calling [Business]. How can I help you?”

Customer: *pleasantly* “Hi. I’m just calling to make sure you guys are open your normal hours today.”

(I am unaware that it is a holiday, and I am also distracted ringing up another customer’s purchase while on the phone.)

Me: “Yes, I think we are. Um, wait. Yes, we are open until nine.”

Customer: “You are, or you think you are?”

Me: “We are.”

Customer: *suddenly nasty* “Well, you don’t say you think, you say you know. What kind of business is this? You obviously don’t know your job!”

Me: “Uh, okay.”

Customer: “If you knew you were open until nine, why didn’t you say so?!”

Me: “I was distracted, ma’am, and I also corrected myself immediately, so…”

Customer: “Well, it’s just very unprofessional of you!”

Me: “All right. Have a great day, ma’am.”

(I hung up without waiting, and she didn’t call back or show up at all that evening, at least not to my knowledge. This has happened on several other occasions, as well, but I think I’m not going to stop.)