When The Customer Doesn’t Have A Backup, And Management Doesn’t Back You Up

I work in a copy shop. An older lady comes in once or twice a week, usually thirty minutes before close. She repeatedly insults my work and vocally expresses her feelings.

Customer: “I wish the girl who worked here before you was still around. She knew what she was doing!”

Me: “I will try to help as best as I can, ma’am.”

Customer: “I need you to bring out all of my past church flyer designs that the other girl — the one who knew what she was doing — backed up on your computers.”

Me: “Ma’am, backing up your designs is not our responsibility. We offer to back up all the work on a customer’s thumb drive or CD after we make each design. Did my previous coworker offer that to you?”

Customer: “Well, yes, but she always kept them anyway.”

Our computer has recently been reimaged, and we have literally nothing on it other than our software. I tell her this.

Customer: “No! I swear my church flyers are on there somewhere! They always are!”

I do some searches to appease her even though I know it’s gone. I seriously spend a good half-hour showing her it isn’t in ANY folder on the computer.

Customer: *Flipping out* “That other girl must have taken them so that you couldn’t mess them up or steal them!”

It’s past closing, so my manager comes over to see why I am still with a customer. The customer complains to the manager and the manager then turns to me.

Manager: “This is unacceptable, [My Name]. If the customer received a level of service with us before, then she should expect to receive the same level when she comes back.”

Me: “But we’re not responsible for—”

Manager: “Recreate the flyer for the customer so that we can hopefully retain her business.”

Me: “It’s past closing, and that would take an hour if not more. You do it.”

Manager: “Excuse me?”

Me: “I’m going home. Think about how you treat me so that you can hopefully retain my willingness to be employed by you.” 

I went home. I got written up. I quit.