When we hear about a Karen, we all have a specific image that comes to mind. The haircut, the shouting, the astronomical levels of entitlement, and the disregard for the feelings of customer service workers. These Redditors bravely tell the stories of the times they came face-to-face with these sorts of people and survived.
1. It’s Only For A Moment
So, here’s a colorful story from my job at a well-known roadside assistance firm. We had this guy, a member, who rang us up one evening. He told us his pressing issue—his daughter was stuck on the side of the road and he wanted us to help her out. The catch was that the daughter wasn’t a part of his membership and he already had his quota filled up with his wife under the same plan.
To resolve the issue, I casually suggested a quick switcheroo—removing his wife just for the interim and adding his daughter instead, just so she could get the much-needed roadside assistance.
I reassured him that changing them back afterward would be as simple as a stroll in the park. However, it seems I had stepped on a landmine with my suggestion, judging from his reaction.
He seemed utterly flabbergasted and greatly offended as if I had asked him to choose his favorite between his wife and his daughter, a standing no father would ever want to be thrust into. I sighed, anticipating the worst to come.
His discontent had him running straight to my supervisor, complaining I had forced him into an uncomfortable decision-making situation. Who knew that the innocent act of suggesting a temporary solution would cause such a stir?
On a lighter, unrelated note, let's talk about noodles. I mean, who doesn't love a good bowl of those delightful little wriggly strands?
2. I Want To Pay What I Want To Pay
Not long ago, I had a tougher talk than usual. I was dealing with a lady who didn't seem happy no matter what solution I suggested. Even though I try to make these talks easy, I felt a bit spiteful that day. Let's go through the situation more closely. She was at my checkout counter, looking upset and annoyed.
When she told me her problem, she seemed really unhappy. She wasn't happy with the price of an item, saying it was cheaper on the shelf. I tried to tell her that sometimes we make mistakes, but she didn't want to hear it. The more we argued, the more heated the discussion became.
During this argument, I got an idea: I realized I could change the price to the amount she saw on the shelf. I'm not sure if I did this to end the fight or if I just wanted to be spiteful. Looking back, I can see why someone might think I was stirring the pot by suggesting that.
I interrupted our argument to suggest my solution, "I could change the price to the one you saw on the shelf, if that makes you happy". Then, she could decide. One nod and I would change the price. But, surprisingly, she said no to my offer—the same offer that would have made the price what she said it was.
Maybe she was trying to teach me a lesson or maybe, she just wanted me to listen to her. Either way, her no was a surprise. Finally, when she was paying, I felt relieved. She rushed to pull out her card and quickly followed the payment instructions. Once she paid, I could see her wanting to leave this dramatic shopping trip.
The next bit was weird—After packing her purchase, she quickly left. She walked right out the door with her items. The whole thing felt like it lasted forever, but was probably only a few minutes. And then, the lady was gone, leaving behind a strange story and a surprised sales assistant!
Even though I felt spiteful and used that to suggest a solution, I ended up just doing what the customer wanted. Her no to my price change might have been her way of showing she's in control, or maybe it was just part of her unique personality. After all, every day in retail is a lesson in dealing with different people and what they expect.
Sometimes, these lessons come in difficult packages.
3. Go Right Ahead
So, a couple of days later, she called our line and indicated she could source her items from another place. Essentially, she was attempting to score a price cut from us. My boss didn't even flinch: "Sure, we can void your order and you're welcome to get it from them." We knew there was no chance this other company could offer a lower price.
4. Where Is The Holiday Spirit?
The holiday season was in full swing, and I found myself working at a photography studio within a Target store. The increasing flurry of customers had us operating at high-speed, booking back-to-back sessions every ten minutes.
We'd even extended our opening hours, starting our day an hour earlier and wrapping up an hour after our usual closing time. This was the busy period when you had the opportunity to rack up fat paychecks as high as $1,000, even though you were pulling in just $8 per hour. But then, disaster struck.
A FedEx truck, carrying our highly anticipated delivery of Christmas cards, framed pictures, and a multitude of photo orders, fell victim to a horrifying accident—it caught fire. The cargo didn't entirely go up in flames, but everything reeked of smoke.
This unfortunate incident had me grappling with the difficult task of contacting customers to inform them about possible delays in their orders. Not only might they be late, but they also might not be ready in time for Christmas! We tried to lighten the blow by offering some additional items at no cost and did everything in our power to hasten reorders.
Much to everyone's immense relief, the rush orders arrived just in time. They landed in our studio earlier than the originally planned pick-up date. The majority of the customers were understanding and appreciative. They happily accepted their complimentary items, expressed gratitude, and left.
However, there was this one customer who proved to be a nightmare to handle. This man was, without a doubt, the most challenging customer I've ever had to deal with.
There came an outrageous twist, though—he demanded his $300 framed enlargement photo, as well as the entire batch of his cards, absolutely free of cost. He was fuming with rage. Shockingly, he couldn't comprehend why we wouldn't comply with his request to hand over hundreds worth of merchandise for free.
This, despite the fact that we'd done our utmost to tackle the unforeseeable inconvenience, and he ended up receiving his order earlier than expected.
5. That’s Not How That Works
This lady literally thought all of her icons, files, and folders were saved directly to the monitor itself. She wouldn't leave unless I powered it on to show her. I didn't even bother trying to explain it to her; she seemed extremely rude and it wouldn't have even been worth my time. My solution was simple but effective...
I literally plugged it into the wall, didn't connect it to anything, and powered it on. "See, it's completely blank. You’re good to go". She smiled, said thank you, and left.
6. A Dream Of Electric Milk
She appeared puzzled and then she departed. Shortly after, her son stepped into the store and I sensed a confrontation brewing. He began berating me for not assisting her in her quest for the milk. After his verbal assault, I calmly gestured around the store and asked him which aisle he thought might contain groceries.
He took a long pause to think. Then, he started lashing out at me again, accusing me of being uncooperative and demanding to speak with a manager. As a response, I called the store's loss prevention supervisor to the front. The supervisor then politely suggested that the man refrain from visiting the store in the future.
7. Startling Expectations
While a customer was stepping up to my checkout counter, the shop boss walked past. He mentioned I was due to take a pause in a quarter of an hour, to which I replied, "Sure". The customer happened to overhear and surprisingly, this didn't sit well with her.
She voiced her annoyance, saying that it was improper for the boss to discuss breaks with me then, and it was unprofessional of me to engage in conversation like that as a customer was reaching the counter.
8. An Expert In The Italian Language
I was once an employee at a coffee house that wasn't part of the Starbucks franchise, and it's necessary to point this out for the context of my story. The term 'Frappuccino' is explicitly trademarked by Starbucks, and is used to label their range of blended coffee beverages.
In our shop, whenever customers asked for a Frappuccino, we'd graciously place their order, while gently informing them that we have a different name for that kind of beverage in our store. This helped them to identify their order when the barista announced it.
I can recall an instance where a woman became overly emotional over the term 'Frappuccino'. Her reasoning was quite baffling to me—she was adamant that 'Frappuccino' was the conventional Italian terminology for a blended coffee drink, which isn't accurate.
We sensed that she perceived us to be questioning her intelligence, which was not our intention at all. In an attempt to soothe her, I explained that we simply use a different name for the same beverage, but this only seemed to agitate her further.
I decided not to engage in an argument regarding the other misconceptions she had. She became increasingly angry and decided to contact our company's customer service department right there in the queue. This action held up the line...and it caused a bit of a scene.
Despite all this, the customer service agent confirmed exactly what we had already explained. Unsatisfied, she began to shriek, demanding to speak directly with the president of our company, and started to knock items off of our shop's counter.
At that point, we found it necessary to summon security to kindly escort her out of our coffee house.
9. Pushing The Limit
He came in with his clothes on dry cleaning hangers. When I refused to accept a return or even store credit, he lost his temper, swearing at me while other customers were present. Then, he left a one-star review, criticizing the shop and saying he'd never been treated like this before. I wonder, what exactly was he hoping to achieve?
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10. At Least They Tried
One day, I found myself dealing with a rather peculiar customer who came into our store with a garden table in a dreadful state. It had distorted legs and a massive hole in the middle, making me suspect that perhaps someone intoxicated had taken a leap onto it, thus leaving it in ruins.
Curiously enough, this customer himself seemed somewhat intoxicated—appearing quite disoriented, and wafting a strong smell of alcohol. Now, our store maintains a policy for returns—valid for a duration of thirty days post-purchase, but strictly applicable for non-electrical items only.
Despite our clear policy, this particular table had been purchased five months prior, as per the receipt. Moreover, it was a model we had never stocked in our store, and to add to the mystery, other branches had discontinued its sale years ago. The table he came in with was certainly not the one listed on the receipt.
Consequently, I denied his return request, prompting him to demand to see my supervisor. Consequently, I reached out to my supervisor on a private line and was assured that he would join us promptly.
Upon his arrival, though, my supervisor overlooked my plea to inspect the damaged table. In response to this, I decided to take it a step higher—to the store manager. I called the private line once again and this time the store manager answered. After explaining the entire situation to her, her response left me completely taken aback.
She abruptly told me that I was already trained in handling returns and instructed me to just get on with it. Essentially, she told me to stop complaining and unceremoniously ended the conversation. As directed, I went ahead and accepted the return.
Upon returning for my next shift, I was immediately summoned by my supervisor to explain the incident. With the store manager looming in the background, I recounted everything that had occurred. However, throughout my explanation, the manager kept interjecting with justifications.
Even after hearing everything, she somehow managed to make it seem like it was all my fault. This caused a rift between us and we decided to stop conversing at work henceforth.
All in all, it was quite a day to remember.
11. The Magic Blueberry
For some odd reason, she believed that a bit of black residue from our oven had ended up in the sausage link, even though it was wrapped in a croissant. What got under my skin was her next action—she reported us to the health department and attempted to score $50 worth of complimentary food.
When my boss questioned her, he showed her a sample of the sausage. She instantly quieted down and exited the store. Regrettably, we discontinued that particular sausage flavor to dodge any future problems, a real shame since they were quite tasty.
12. You Have No Power Here
Once upon a time, I was employed at a modest-sized printing business. On a particular Saturday afternoon, I was approached by a client who was experiencing difficulties with our laminating unit. Wanting to help, I strolled over to him to showcase the correct way to operate the device.
However, when I laid eyes on what he intended to laminate, I was in a state of shock. The client had numerous sheets containing explicit adult materials spread all over the counter.
In the most courteous way possible, I informed him that due to our print shop's policies, sadly his content was unsuitable for printing. He needed to take his material out of our establishment. Even though I recommended some home-based laminating kits for his purchase, his reaction was less than favorable; he reacted strongly.
He began to loudly condemn me, arguing that he lives in a "free country" and being a customer, he had every right to do as he pleased with his purchases. Nevertheless, he was out of luck because I happened to be the only person on duty at the time and our management had empowered us with the authority to refuse service in extraordinary cases.
Without further ado, I simply turned off the laminating device and reiterated his own claim—that indeed "it's a free country” and he could choose to vacate our shop immediately with his belongings or wait till the law officials arrived. As predicted, before I could come back from keeping the laminator away, he bolted.
13. Always Use Protection
Her answer kind of freaked me out. She was like, "Yeah, me and my boyfriend, we're always surfing those adult sites". I offered to clean up her system again, no charge. But I warned her that if she went back to those sites, I'd have to charge her next time. She took her computer the same day and, like clockwork, she was back the next.
I questioned if she'd returned to the same sites and, sure enough, she said yes. I just couldn't get her to see why her computer kept having issues, so in the end, I suggested she seek help elsewhere.
14. Not An Information Desk
There was this one time when a lady rang up after finding a wild rabbit, intending to get it checked out with us. I kindly let her know that it's smarter to release the rabbit back into the wild because it might carry several diseases. Moreover, wild animals aren't generally meant to live indoors.
I went on to clarify that we only cater to cats and dogs in our clinic. What she did next really ticked me off. She had the audacity to insist that I look up a vet clinic that accommodates wild animals. I had to be firm with her, saying, "Sorry, madam, but we're swamped right now, and since you're not a registered client, I can't perform this research task for you. Enjoy your day".
What did she do after that? She punished us with a one-star review on Yelp and attempted to report us to the Better Business Bureau.
15. Don’t Mess With Small Towns
I had a favorite go-to eatery, a snug, family-run, drive-through fast food joint nestled among the buildings of a bustling small town. The townsfolk, a diverse ensemble of hearty farmers, seasoned hunters, skilled welders, blacksmiths, and miners, were universally familiar with this local secret.
It was a close-knit community renowned for their hardworking ethos and uncanny knack for producing quality craftsmanship. Trust me, it's no tall tale. These folks were renowned for their playful sarcasm and good-humored jibes. They could be as warm as apple pie upon first impression...
But cross any line and you'd quickly face their wrath. Nothing seemed to throw this hardy bunch off balance. The fast food joint attracted a motley troupe of travelers heading to distant holiday resorts. I, myself, patronized this beloved joint regularly, relishing their locally-sourced fresh produce that made every meal a succulent delight.
However,taste like that comes at a cost- charges here tend to be a tad higher than usual. One fateful day, a woman created quite the stir. What had got her worked up? The grand sum totalling $10.65 that flashed at her from the bill.
Aghast, she cried foul, even before she paid. As luck would have it, a staff member named Lyra was at the receiving end of her indignation. Lyra, her jaw tightening, muttered through gritted teeth, “The prices...those are the prices. Now pony up or your meal becomes my lunch.”
The woman, taken aback by Lyra’s response, demanded for the manager. Undeterred, Lyra retorted brusquely, “This isn’t a charity—it’s a restaurant." Without missing a beat, she added, "If you're looking for a handout, foot the 150-mile journey back to your city and find refuge in the soup kitchen there.”
16. Blanket Boycott
Once, there was a woman who placed a sandwich order, but decided to cancel it later because she thought it was taking too long to prepare. Surprising as it may seem, another person who happened to be at the same gathering she was hosting gave us a call and put in their order.
We promptly prepared it and ensured that it was delivered without hitches. However, the original lady, the host of the party, called us back—and she was beyond angry. She was actually indignant, and exclaimed how outrageous it was for us to accept an order from one of her guests, given that she had cancelled her own order.
Honestly speaking, whether other attendees at her gathering wanted to order food or not, was not something I could control. Moreover, I wasn't even aware that it was her party. I tried explaining to her calmly that it was not uncommon for multiple deliveries to be made to the same house, particularly during an event.
Why would we refuse to make sandwiches for them, right? Disappointingly, her reaction was rather accusatory. She claimed that I would never succeed in life and even threatened to lodge a formal complaint against me.
I must say, that complaint was rather unusual. Although it happened around a decade ago, it's an experience that still nags at me from time to time.
17. The Erratic Schedule
Once upon a time, there was an individual who worked for a company that traveled across the nation to participate in trade shows in an effort to market their products. Without fail, they sent their products and exhibition materials to our city's well-renowned convention center.
However, an overlooked detail started causing trouble; they had not properly attached the label to their shipment box, and it inadvertently fell off. This led to a call landing on my desk since the unmarked box was found in our warehouse.
I understood the urgency of resolving this issue as these business expo events run on a tight schedule, so I took it upon myself to rectify the situation. The woman from the company was understandably worried, but she was so swamped with work that she preferred we communicate via email, avoiding phone calls completely.
In the midst of this, she mentioned that she was leaving our city and would be reaching a different city the next day. Without hesitation, she asked me to forward her materials to this new destination. I complied promptly, but she reproached me in her response email.
She had only temporarily set her foot down in that city and now she wanted all her merchandise to be sent to her next stop. So there I was, again, contacting the station trying to sort out the mess. Unfortunately, when her belongings finally reached the new location, she had already moved on to yet another city on the faraway coast.
Needless to say, her following string of emails were tough to swallow. That night, my inbox echoed with the ding of five more emails from her. She was accusing me of ignoring her concerns despite me being unambiguously clear about my actions throughout the entire process.
I became the target of her ire in the extensive email thread after she had included her entire team, trying to show me in a negative light. Yet, any careful reader of these emails would notice my genuine efforts to assist her and my constant inquiry into the situation.
With my patience in tow, I managed to sort out the matter once more and get her belongings delivered. Even then, she sought to tarnish my image in front of my superiors, demanding that my manager scrutinize my conduct after labeling it as unprofessional.
However, the very peak of this ordeal was when a Senior Executive chimed in, commending me for my efforts and giving me a pat on my back for trying to assist her diligently.
18. Queen Of Stubbornness
Ever since the outbreak of the global pandemic, I have been designated a new task at work. My new responsibility is to keep a count of customers entering and leaving the store. As I was occupied with this task one day, I noticed something peculiar at the entrance.
A woman was settled down on a chair there, her mask hanging loose and completely exposing her nose and mouth. It's worth mentioning that this chair was located right in the path of everyone exiting the store, and she was essentially blowing her breath on everyone that happened to pass by her.
In the friendliest manner possible, I approached her and asked if she wouldn't mind pulling her mask up since it was draped all the way down, barely covering her chin.
Unfortunately, she flatly declined my request. I tried to politely make her understand the potential risks she was opening herself and others up to, reminding her that we were battling a pandemic. Her reaction to this was far from agreeable, even though the safety rules and regulations had been in place for nearly a year by this point.
I gently repeated my request, asking her to either adjust her mask correctly or move away from the exit area. This suggestion, evidently, was not well-received by her—In fact, according to her reaction, it seemed as though no one had ever uttered anything more offensive to her throughout her life.
She began to create quite a scene, raising her voice not only at me but at other shoppers also, even going as far as screaming at the heavens. Shortly, store security arrived on the scene and informed her in no uncertain terms that she would be barred from the store permanently if she didn't vacate the premises immediately.
This warning seemed to have some effect. The woman left the store, but instead of disappearing, she planted herself firmly in front of the store to continue her tirade.
19. Personal Issues
I kindly inquired, "Will this be together or separate?" The woman shot me a harsh look and retorted, "Why in the world should that matter?" I returned her look with a blank expression and explained, "So I can determine whether to continue tallying your order or finalize this one before moving onto the next."
Considering her quick reaction, I couldn't help but think they might be dealing with some relationship issues.
20. Who Has Time For That?
During my tenure in automobile sales, I often found myself interacting with challenging customers. The most memorable among them was an affluent middle-aged man who owned several quick-service restaurants in the local area.
He was a regular visitor to our dealership, frequenting at least twice a week for over a year, steadfastly alleging that we were dishonest with our car pricing. His constant accusations were tiresome—e seemed convinced that we were unscrupulous people intentionally overcharging folks for new vehicles.
After a year of this repetitive behavior, he popped in one day claiming he could purchase a 2017 Corolla for a cheaper price than our 2018 Civic Touring. To some degree, he was correct. Since the Corolla was a year older and the specific model he was eyeing was a standard version, opposed to ours which possessed additional features, it could indeed be less expensive.
Even with such an understandable context, his accusations had worn me thin. With a firm resolution, I decided to put an end to the situation. Striding into my manager's cabin, I softly closed the door behind me and requested permission to use my one-off customer veto for the quarter.
My manager simply shrugged and said it was my decision to make. With that, I approached the tenacious man with a clear ultimatum—he could choose to purchase a car from me that day or he was free to exit the premises immediately and never return.
I had reached the end of my patience with the endless complaints, especially when I could have been using that time to engage with bona fide customers which would result in valuable commissions for me. Remarkably, that ultimatum seemed to work. He opted to purchase a car from me that very afternoon.
21. The Price Is Sanity
I started telling her that we could only offer a discount if she had made a previous order. But she abruptly interrupted me, insisting, "I didn't ask for a discount." So I calculated $2.49 times 12, added tax, and shared the final price with her. She gave me a harsh look for a few minutes before requesting to speak to my manager.
When my manager showed up, she completely lost her cool. She spent a full 10 minutes lambasting me. She labeled me as the most unhelpful person she'd ever met, and started grumbling about my supposed bad attitude, castigating my alleged rudeness and tactlessness.
I was juggling a job that was almost full time with attending a school an hour away, four days a week. I was weary and stressed and this woman found the time to make me feel even worse about myself. I was so upset, tears just started flowing.
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22. Wait Your Turn
When I was just 18 years old, I was employed at a neighborhood gas station. It started out as a typical busy day, with customers coming and going in a constant stream. To make matters more challenging, I was the only employee on duty, and there was a sizeable queue of people patiently waiting to be served.
In the midst of this rush, a woman waltzed in. Ignoring the queue entirely, she sauntered up to the counter, practically threw a $20 bill at me, and tersely said, "$5 on pump 2".
Because of her rude behavior, I decided she could wait her turn just like everyone else, and held off on crediting her account until it was proportedly her turn based on the length of the line.
When her would-be turn finally arrived, I dutifully deposited the full $20 onto the pump, as she had not provided any specific instruction to the contrary.
Fast forward five minutes, the same woman marched back into the station, loudly voicing her dissatisfaction that the whole $20 had been debited. I calmly explained to her that it was not my job to monitor her gas and money. After all, I merely put the $20 on the pump to keep clear track of the money she provided me.
If she hadn't stride off from the pump or had she simply waited her turn in line like everyone else, this whole situation could have been conveniently avoided. What she did next was utterly beyond expectation.
To my disbelief, she rang up the police, attempting to press charges because I had respectfully declined to reimburse her. However, when the police officer arrived and familiarized himself with the situation, he simply advised the woman to mature and take personal responsibility for her actions.
23. Creating Problems From Nothing
She stated that our company, a respected charity, was clearly trying to make a quick buck by charging for plastic bags, a policy meant to safeguard the environment by discouraging their use. What's more, she was buying a small purse—something that doesn't even require a plastic bag because it already has handles.
24. Overconfidence
One day, nearing closing time at the shop where I work, the mother of a girl who I recognized from school wandered in at 5:58 PM. Our shop closes at 6 PM sharp. Already, the lights were dimmed to half their usual brightness, the entry door was shut, and the rolling shutter was halfway down.
Regardless, this lady strolled in quite cheerfully, declaring, "Hi! I'm just popping in quickly to grab a few items!" She was halfway through the aisles before I could even object.
My manager, noticing her, approached me and asked, "What's happening here? We should be wrapping up things by six!” With that, he went to find her only to discover that she'd managed to fill a basket with items in record time.
Despite the predicament, my manager, who's genuinely one of the kindest persons I've ever known, agreed to check her out using card payment since we had already secured all the cash into the safety vault for the day. She bluntly responded—and you could've heard a pin drop: "No, that's absurd, I only carry cash.”
She turned around and addressed me next, asking, "Sweetie, can you inform him that I only have cash"? I reiterated to her what we had just explained—that accessing the cash was impossible once it's safely tucked into the vault for the day.
Her comeback was, "Oh. Well, how about you run the transaction on your card and I'll have my daughter give you the money later"? Needless to say, I had to refuse that as well. That's when the storm began.
She launched into a tirade about how we were the epitome of unprofessionalism, lamenting that our store was dreadful because half the merchandise was missing (mind you, WE WERE CLOSED) and threatened with the classic "I'm never returning here again". The whole experience made me feel sympathy for her daughter.
25. Leave Us All Alone
The woman with the truck didn't want to abandon her shopping to relocate her vehicle. I stayed out of it and continued my job, ringing up other customers. Eventually, she moved her truck, allowing the expectant woman to head home.
Later on, as I was checking out the truck woman's items, a surprise came my way—she asked to discuss the matter with my manager. After she left, my boss let me know that she'd lodged a complaint about me. She pointed out a moment when it seemed like I nodded, implying I was clearly favoring the pregnant woman.
My manager said, "I reassured her that I'd discuss this with you, so here I am doing just that", and left the matter there.
26. It Doesn’t Matter Whose Fault It Is
I spoke with our dispatch team and confirmed that the driver we used for her orchid delivery is 83 years old and so, obviously, moving a 300-pound cement cherub was out of the question for him.
After a lengthy chat, we ended up sending out four additional drivers just to move the cherub exactly where she wanted—which was barely a foot away from its original spot. Fast forward to a week later, she's on the phone again. This time, however, she admitted it was her lawn service that had shifted the ornament, not our team.
I had that figured. However, she didn’t call to apologize. Instead, her message was a suggestion—we should be more cautious not to disturb her lawn decorations.
27. Get Dressed, Then Make The Call
He phoned me to voice his dissatisfaction because he had been using the heater in his bathroom post-shower. His idea was to use the heater to air-dry himself after showering, much like the high-end heat lamps you might find at a hotel.
I did my best to explain that this was not the intended purpose of the heater, but he wasn't willing to listen to me. He even held the phone up to the heater so I could hear the weak airflow. In the end, I decided to refund his money.
To this day, it still amuses me when I remember this unexpected problem faced by this elderly gentleman.
28. Beyond Used
One afternoon while I was staffing the counter at a retail store, a woman of middle years came in with the intention of making a return. At a first glance, her request appeared to be completely routine. She announced casually that she was back to return a piece of apparel: a shirt she'd bought.
Entering the process, she handed me the receipt with a cordial smile. I, just as amicably, took the shirt from the bag it was in to look it over, and that's when I was taken aback by the state of the item.
The shirt was, frankly, appalling. Mysteriously dark sweat stains were scattered across the fabric, dotting areas from the armpits, down the torso, and up to the shoulders. It gave off the impression of someone having had a vigorous roll in the dirt after wearing it.
In accordance with store policy, I informed the customer that I was unable to grant her a refund due to the shirt's apparent use. We only accepted returns of unused, untouched items that could be returned to the shelf for a resale.
At this, she exploded in rage. Accusing me of doubting her honesty and arguing noisily, she began to draw unwanted attention. I tried to reason with her by physically pointing out the clearly noticeable stains, but that seemed to fan the flame of her fury further.
With a call to see the store manager, she amplified the spectacle she was making. However, an unexpected revelation for her: I was, in fact, the store manager, and had no intention of shifting my stance.
She finally ended her animated protest after about 20 minutes, declaring as she made her exasperated exit that she intended to take her complaint higher up to corporate. We were left managing the aftermath of her temper tantrum until a few days later, when another customer waltzed onto the scene.
Upon entering, this gentleman sought out the first store employee he saw and promptly requested to see me personally. On the inside, I braced myself for whatever was to come next, but outwardly, I greeted him cordially when my colleague brought him over to where I was stationed. I couldn't believe what unfolded.
Instead of an argument, this man proceeded to spend the next 10 minutes genuinely apologizing for the unwarranted verbal attack I had fended off just days before. As it turns out, this man was the woman's husband.
He'd worn the shirt for an intense beach-side CrossFit workout session right in the middle of sandy terrain, and his wife had witnessed the occurrence. However, afterward, for reasons unknown, he decided he didn't care for the shirt after all.
His wife, apparently thinking she could hoodwink us into issuing a refund by stirring up enough drama, had attempted to return it.
29. Operating On A Whole Other Frequency
I spent a couple of years working at the customer service desk of a Best Buy store situated in a college town. It was an interesting mix of customers, with tech-savvy students on one hand and folks from the nearby rural communities, who were not so tech-savvy, on the other.
An instance that comes to mind involved a customer who wanted to return two HDMI cables he had bought, both with male ends. One was a 3-foot cable while the other was a 6-foot cable. The customer's explanation of his problem had me shaking my head in disbelief.
This gentleman was frustrated because he had bought these cables which he found to be unusable and intended to get a refund or an exchange. He reported that the cables were faulty with his baseless claim that the frequencies must be mismatched.
He further elaborated by referring to the product packaging, which stated that the 3-foot cable operated at a 1M frequency and the 6-foot cable at a 2M frequency.
In the customer's belief, the cables couldn't coordinate because they were incompatible. Even though I didn't agree, I chose to remain silent and promptly processed his return. I suggested that the associates in the home theater department might be able to offer him assistance.
As I think back on it now, it would've been useful to give him a lesson on what a meter actually represents, or that you simply can't link male-male plugs together. However, his determination to stick with his own faulty logic was so overwhelming, it stunned me into silence.
30. It Kind Of Does
Throughout my high school years, I worked as an attendant at a local gas station. I must admit, the job offered me a fascinating insight into people's abilities to handle mundane tasks. The simplicity of pumping gas seemed to baffle some, leading me to wonder how they would cope with more complex jobs.
One incident, in particular, sticks out, involving the procedure we had to follow when the fuel delivery truck arrived. In our work routine, we used to temporarily place pylons around one of the pumps whenever our fuel supplies were running low. This was to allow the fuel truck to make a smooth and unobstructed delivery.
Unfortunately, some motorists would still venture through our provisional barrier, proving to be a significant hindrance to the delivery man. One fine day, an inquisitive lady approached me, asking about the purpose of the blocked off pump. I explained the situation to her truthfully.
However, her response was completely unexpected and immensely frustrating. She stormed out of her car and headed straight towards the innocent fuel delivery guy. With a voice full of indignation, she began to berate him, accusing him of acting as though 'the world revolved around him'.
On the contrary, in that particular situation, it was his pivotal role that kept the gas station running. If he failed to deliver the fuel, none of the customers, including this cantankerous lady, would have been able to fill their tanks. To be honest, in a roundabout way, our world at the gas station did revolve around him.
31. The Unwilling Accomplice
My dad has a knack for making a fuss out of absurd little things, especially when we're at eateries. He recently sent me a text message about needing transportation to go to IKEA and confront the customer service department.
Apparently, he was disgruntled about the length of his customer loyalty number, claiming that it was far too lengthy and complicated for him to memorize.
For some incomprehensible reason, he was puffing his chest out of pride about standing his ground, but honestly, all I could think about was how much of a massive waste of time this was over such a trivial matter.
We get to the IKEA store and the moment we step up to the customer service counter, his absurd tirade starts up. Seeing him kick up a fuss made me instantly regret tagging along.
With a serious look on his face, he said, "Hi there, I bought quite a bit of kitchen ware recently and thought I should become an IKEA Family member first. However, the membership number you issued is a whopping 19 numbers long! Allow me to point out that the world's population is roughly 7.8 billion. Breaking it down, that's only 10 numbers long."
Not pausing for breath, he went on, "So, why in the world is there a need to create a membership number that can potentially accommodate eight hundred and two million, five hundred and seventy-six thousand, five hundred and seventy-six more people than the entire global population?" The service representative’s mouth dropped in shock.
Calmly, the gobsmacked customer service representative, who had only been working for four months on minimum-wage, explained she had no control or influence over the IKEA loyalty program policies. Sensing that my dad was about to launch into an even lengthier rant, I had no choice but to excuse myself and retreat.
32. It’s A Basic Concept
I've had my fair share of experiences working in different call centers. Once, at one of these jobs, I had access to customer feedback. There was this one incident with a lady that I won't easily forget—she was attempting to use a coupon but was having a bit of difficulty.
The situation was downright perplexing. To apply her coupon, her cart needed to contain a minimum purchase of $20. However, she stubbornly refused to meet this condition and wanted to use the coupon without first reaching the $20 spend requirement.
From the get-go, she was rather difficult, but I kept my composure. Then, she misheard what I expressed, so I politely requested, "Could you please repeat that?" In response, she criticized me, accusing me of the inability to speak English.
This was particularly surprising since I was born and bred in central Florida and English is my first language. In an attempt to diffuse the tension and lightly joke, I suggested switching our conversation to Spanish if she would feel more comfortable.
Eventually, the situation escalated—it came to a point where my supervisor had to intervene. He managed to placate her and end the call. Later on, her feedback read, “Representatives don’t speak English! Disgusting!!!!!”.
What stung the most was that this aggressive and unwarranted review still impacted me negatively—even though it was blatantly false. Unfortunately, due to her relentless hostility, she managed to get what she wanted.
33. A Little Common Sense Goes A Long Way
Taking the freeway at 3 am isn't faster because there's no rush hour and the straightforward route has uncluttered roads and green-lit intersections. Granted, you can speed up on the freeway, but you'll end up traveling 120% farther and racking up a higher bill. However, the customer knows best...
34. That’s Not How Any Of This Works
The following day, her daughter contacted us to report that they had purchased the 'WiFi' device and installed it on their computer. However, despite this, they still couldn't connect to the internet. I asked them a few troubleshooting questions and found out that what they had purchased was a PCI Wireless card.
This is something you put into older computers to connect them to WiFi. But what blew my mind was this—they had attached it to the computer casing, without even mounting it onto the actual PCI slot. And the icing on the cake, they believed it should automatically work simply because it was labelled "wireless".
35. He Made His Bed
I work at a company that sells car part products. One day, a guy from AutoZone called asking about when a part he'd ordered was going to arrive. Unfortunately, there was a small delay in sending out the part, but it was actually going to get there the very next day.
Funnily enough, this was faster than the original delivery time we had given when he first placed his order. It's important to note that this guy works in customer service for AutoZone. After hearing about the new delivery time, he was upset—he said it wasn't good enough.
This surprised me because the part was actually getting there earlier than we first thought. I was so confused that I asked him if he was joking, but he just got angry. In the end, I suggested contacting our customer directly—something I had offered before but was rarely taken up on. That's when I got a surprise.
On the call, the customer said the AutoZone guy had promised him the part would arrive a week ago. I was shocked by the lie and tried to explain that I don't know why he was given false information, as that was never the case.
Normally, I try to keep a good working relationship with our customers and not get them angry at us instead of AutoZone, where they actually bought the parts from. But seeing as the AutoZone guy kept blaming us and also was rude to me, I didn't really feel like helping out.
Overall, this crazy experience dealing with an AutoZone guy is something that I remember as an "Eric moment".
36. We All Need To Follow The Rules
In the past, I worked the night shift at a public service facility, serving in a role similar to that of the ER ward, only it was meant specifically for non-emergencies. Our aim was to alleviate the strain on hospitals by attending to the "white code" situations, such as fevers, sore throats, and drafting prescriptions necessary for urgent symptoms or treatments.
In fact, it was commonplace for individuals to show up even in the dead of night, like one lady who arrived at 3 in the morning seeking a prescription for her high blood pressure medication.
Here's the thing—according to protocols, we are limited to writing prescriptions for potentially life-threatening conditions, and the prescription duration should be valid for a maximum of 72 hours (for example if you were prescribed to take a single pill per day, you would get a single pack of pills).
As I was in the process of completing her prescription, the woman nonchalantly shared some information which gave me pause. She was cleaning her medicine storage one day, she explained, and noticed that she still had an entire pack left of her current prescription.
I paused mid-sentence, my pen hovering over the prescription paper, and asked her to clarify her statement. "You still have a full pack?" I questioned. When she confirmed, I promptly took the half-completed prescription, tore it into two and discarded it in the waste bin while explaining our regulations to her.
In response, she blew up in anger—she started shouting and threatening to involve the law enforcement. "Go right ahead," I told her, unphased. And that's exactly what she did. Upon the authorities' arrival, she proclaimed loudly that I was denying her necessary treatment.
After explaining the situation to them, they turned to the lady to confirm if she did indeed still have a full pack of her existing prescription. Apparently unable to veer from her narrative, she confidently confirmed she did, much to the quiet disbelief of the officers present.
After establishing that I was in fact acting according to policy, the officers kindly requested that the lady vacate the premises. The lady left, her fury palpable. The following day, my boss called me, laughing. It seems our enraged visitor had come in during the day staffing hours hoping to speak with "the manager."
My boss had ended up repeating what I had told the lady the night before. Strangely enough, I never saw her at our facility again.
37. They Weren’t Cold When She Got Them
Once there was a woman who was dissatisfied with the temperature of her pancakes. She had a point given that pancakes are traditionally served hot, but she consumed them at the very end and then voiced her displeasure with a rather sour attitude towards the waitress.
Her dissatisfaction escalated to the level where she insisted on discussing the issue with the manager. Much to her chagrin, her waitress turned out to be the person in charge that particular evening. This revelation was absolutely unacceptable for her.
We, as a restaurant team, regularly prepare pancakes from scratch and are always ready to re-make them if needed. Despite this, the woman saw fit to make a spectacle out of the situation. In a dramatic fashion, she strode up to the host stand with her pancakes in hand, drawing the attention of everyone around.
She then loudly declared, "THESE ARE COLD!" In a surprising turn of events, she lobbed the pancake into the air, leading to a messy pancake explosion that covered her and her group of five companions in pancake debris.
Besmirched and outraged, she stormed out of the establishment without settling the bill. The audacity and unpredictability of some people never fail to astound me.
38. Respectfully Disagree
I'm employed by a firm that trades in mobile accessories, items such as portable power banks and cordless earbuds. One particular incident involved a customer who was dissatisfied because she found her earbuds problematic. According to her, she could hear herself chewing when she used the earbuds.
In a separate incident, a gentleman came to us with a power bank he purchased. He believed it was defective and was not able to fully recharge. I agreed to examine the power bank and assured him that if it was indeed defective, we would replace it.
After inspecting the power bank, I was actually able to recharge it to its full capacity. I took the time to explain to the customer the potential issues that might have led to the problem he was experiencing. I also offered to keep the power bank for a few more days to run additional tests.
However, I made it clear that if no fault was found, we would not be able to replace it. This clarification did not sit well with him. He became irate, launched into a verbal assault, and asserted that we had guaranteed him a brand new replacement when he initially reported the problem.
He took it a step further by involving law enforcement, which escalated the situation significantly. When the officers arrived, they took the time to hear both his grievance and our side of the story. Afterwards, they firmly rebuked him. Despite the altercation, we decided to keep the power bank for further examination to dispel any doubts.
When all tests showed no defects with the power bank, I had the pleasure of providing the client with the news. The power bank was then sent back to him and we were able to finally put this stressful and convoluted event behind us.
39. Just Trying To Be Difficult
Back in the early 2000s, I was employed at a General Motors dealership. We had a peculiar client who we fondly nicknamed "Sweater Guy" due to his stylish proclivity for donning sweaters all-year-round.
He'd drop in every once in a while but always clung to a certain paranoia—he consistently refused to provide us with his car's Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), fearing we might somehow steal his identity through it.
Yes, it was as baffling as it sounds. The last time he graced us with his unusual requests pushed everything to a new level of peculiarity. As per his habit, he refused to disclose the vital details about his vehicle, but he held unrealistic expectations of us pinpointing the correct parts required for his Pontiac Bonneville.
He expected precision in our selections, oblivious to the fact that there were multiple versions of his model car. If only he would inform us, it would definitely streamline the process and ensure he got exactly what he needed.
After spending about 10 minutes going back and forth with him, we wriggled out the necessary details, and finally, we furnished him with the parts he needed. Solidifying the awkwardness in the air, he just lingered silently, eyes fixated on us.
Our parts manager, noticing his perplexed gaze, tentatively enquired, “Is there something amiss, sir”? Sweater Guy responded promptly, sounding totally displeased, “I demanded the freshest parts on the shelf. These are absolutely dusty and have clearly been lying here for ages.”
Struggling to conceal his surprise, the parts manager explained that car parts don’t actually expire, and the vintage dust on the boxes just indicated a slightly dusty storage area.
His rational explanation, however, didn't seem to sit well with Sweater Guy and sent him into a flushed fit of annoyance. Insisting on receiving 'new' parts, he threatened to escalate the matter to the business manager.
In response, the parts manager didn't hesitate to dial up the general manager himself, who consequently entered the scenario fully knowing the kind of eccentric character he was dealing with.
Unfortunate for him though, his attempt at soothing Sweater Guy's unreasonable demands was met with a similar irrational attitude. After a few minutes of absence, he reappeared with a formal document in hand, which he presented to Sweater Guy.
The general manager instructed firmly, “Please read and sign this. It indicates that due to persistently harassing behavior towards our staff, you are banned from these premises. In case of non-compliance and any subsequent entry, the legal authorities will be contacted and you will be escorted away. Clear enough?"
40. Well, That Backfired
Once, a woman queried about the living arrangements for staff during sea journeys. I made a joke in response, but it kind of backfired—I told her that workers are airlifted daily to the nearest island. Upon her departure, she requested a price reduction, claiming the supposed helicopter noise disrupted her sleep.
41. Insta Embarrassment
I did a quick search on the store app for what he asked for, but only the Instant Pot was appearing, so I showed him the results. His frustration was understandably growing. He puffed up and retorted, "Well, I know my stuff. If you don't have what I want, I'll find it somewhere else". Best of luck to you, my friend.
42. Would Love To, But Can’t
He questioned, "So, when can I expect it to be ready?" He was hoping I'd say anytime from 'immediately' to 'before 8 pm tonight'. When I explained that it wasn't as simple as that, he raised his voice at me, an employee at a call center, demanding a website update. He told me, "Just write some HTML and add it there."
With that, he ended the call.
43. Keeping Up Appearances
Throughout my career as a claims adjuster, I’ve encountered my fair share of individuals with a high sense of entitlement. A memorable experience occurred when I was handed the case of a wealthy policyholder who needed to make a claim, which was somewhat unusual since affluent customers generally have a personal adjuster assigned.
This particular occasion was quite memorable as it revolved around the client's holiday mishaps. The most notable aspect of such cases is their simplicity, likely attributed to the adjuster’s job to typically approve requests and handle paperwork later. To illustrate, our insured had gotten into an accident involving another lady's pricey Ferrari.
To compound matters, the owner of the Ferrari, whom I've affectionately dubbed Mrs. Ferrari Lady, had requested to take her damaged vehicle to the dealership for repairs. Naturally, I had no objections. Moreover, she insisted on having a rental vehicle, to which I also agreed.
In light of this, I then instructed her to drop off her Ferrari at the dealership, promising that we'd arrange for another Ferrari to be delivered to her promptly. I followed up by calling the dealership, gently laying out the process for them:
"Ensure that she is connected with a rental car, keep the process as comfortable for her as possible. Just forward us the bill and we’ll take care of it". Essentially, my message to them was to go ahead with the repairs, without worrying about any costs.
It was crucial for me to prevent any complications arising from this case. Our policyholders do pay a significant premium for this upgraded service, which is also extended to claimants. The gentleman from the dealership who took my call assured me he would make sure everything went smoothly.
Essentially, I had provided him with an open chequebook to ensure the policyholder’s satisfaction. Still, merely two hours later, I’m greeted with an irate call from the lady. I assumed there was probably a mix-up at the dealership. Unfortunately, I wasn't that lucky.
She was too agitated to have a reasonable conversation with, so I was directed to talk to a relatively calm representative. He shared that Mrs. Ferrari Lady was refusing to accept the rental car. On querying why, I discovered she was adamant about having a replacement car identical to hers in terms of year, color, and model.
I learned that the representative spent half an hour reaching out to every dealer in the city, knowing full well that we would cover any extra costs if they had to rent the car from a rival dealership. Unfortunately, there were no Ferraris available for hire that matched her specific requirements, not just around the city but in its surrounding cities.
My attempts to arrange for one to be shipped were flatly denied by my manager. Her reaction to the news was explosive. I barely got any words in before the call was redirected to the dealership's service manager's office. Even though he questioned her unwillingness to accept the rental, she was unflenting.
Her response baffled both of us, "I need an identical Ferrari as mine because I’m headed to the country club this Saturday and I don't want anyone to know I had an accident."
I was astounded and rendered speechless. The sheer magnitude of her sense of entitlement was so immense that I had trouble comprehending it.
44. Proof Of Idiocy
He totally lost his cool and started shouting at me. I had my boss nearby, on the counter opposite me, but this guy refused to speak to him. His next move made me raise my eyebrows—he kept on hollering at me, and even feigned a slip and fall, threatening to take me to court unless I handed over some cash.
I pointed to the security cameras and, before long, he left. People can be so puzzling at times.
45. Signs, Signs, Everywhere There Are Signs
I've had a previous role conducting recovery drills for corporations, wherein their employees would be dispatched to our facility for a day or two of training. Our facility was tagged with signs everywhere informing of its high-security status, indicating that people should wait to be escorted.
Right at the entrance of the building was a sign advising individuals to hold-on there. Just adjacent to it was a lengthy corridor leading to an elevator, which stayed locked.
One day, a bunch of folks marched into the building, paid no heed to the signage, and strolled down the corridor. They noticed the locked elevator but instead of retracing their steps and waiting at the entrance as instructed, they started pacing up and down the hallway. It was quite the spectacle until I finally made my way down.
Their back-and-forth marathon in the corridor stopped when the elevator doors flung open, leaving me simply puzzled. But, this wasn't even the tip of the iceberg.
They lodged complaints, expressing that our building layout was extremely perplexing and recommended the addition of more signs. I found it baffling that they managed to lose their bearings in a simple, straight corridor and were vocal with their dissatisfaction.
The corridor only allowed for two movements: either pivot to return to the entrance or backpedal on the same path. Their inability to navigate such simplicity left me completely at a loss for understanding.
46. It’s A Store, Not A Library
He said he didn't want to actually purchase it, just enjoyed browsing through it occasionally. I tried to kindly explain to him that we're a shop that sells goods, and we can't afford to house pricey books if they're not being bought.
Upset with my explanation, he decided to air his grievances higher up—he penned a letter to the bosses, complaining about my behavior.
47. A Lot Of Effort For A Small Reward
In the beautiful country of Ireland, there's a government-imposed levy of 22 cents on plastic bags. This particular fee doesn't apply only to specific stores, but it is uniformly applied across the country, at least in the Republic of Ireland.
I'm not entirely certain about the situation in Northern Ireland. But let me share this interesting story that happened at the shop where I worked.
You see, there was a close-knit group of seven of us, all college students and locals of the town where the shop resided. Being from the local community, we had our own set of informal rules.
One of our unspoken policies was imposing the 22-cent bag fee only on those customers who were troublesome, annoying, or had a track record of being impolite.
One day, a particularly irksome customer created quite a ruckus when informed about the 22-cent charge for a bag, especially after spending the entirety of his visit treating the staff with utter disrespect. Nonetheless, he paid for his purchase, the 22-cent bag included, and left the premises.
We assumed that was the end of that... until we were taken by surprise just 30 minutes later. Bursting back into the shop, red-faced and visibly upset, he stormed in with the empty plastic bag in his hand. He demanded a refund for the bag. Astonishingly, after finishing his shopping, he had made the effort to return home and unload his groceries.
Then he journeyed back to the shop, all to reclaim his mere 22 cents. As one might expect, instead of getting his 22 cents back, he was met with a chorus of laughter ushering him out the door. Such a small refund was definitely not worth all the trouble he went through!
48. Why Not Order Two?
My friend told me that at our other spot, one slice could easily last her three meals. But at this place, she could just about stretch it to one-and-a-half meals. She absolutely lost her temper—when I told it's just a regular slice of lasagna, she loudly declared she'd never return to this place. And I've decided I'm never dining out with her again.
49. A Startling Lack Of Human Emotion
Our main company has shared that part of every transaction you make contributes to a charitable foundation called 'So The World May Hear', which provides hearing aids to disadvantaged children. One client, however, made a rather extraordinary demand - he wanted this portion of his purchase to be returned to him.
I explained to him that our main company was fully entitled to decide how to use the profits from each sale. I also elaborated on the work of the charity and pointed out that a lot of our customers appreciate knowing that a section of their payment isn't all just profit, but instead goes toward a good cause.
Sadly, he remained indifferent and even seemed upset that his money was being used to help children he didn't personally know.
50. There Is No Such Person
In my days as a team leader at the Cost Plus World Market, I had an incident with a customer that was quite memorable. Imagine this: a woman strolling into our establishment, a shopping cart brimming with noticeably well-used throw pillows.
She approached the counter with a determination to return them. An easy task, one might think, but in this case, the lady didn't have a receipt to accompany her return request. Instead of producing a receipt, her plan was to have us search for her transaction history in our system.
However, there was a hurdle: she stubbornly refused to provide us with any personal information. This was somewhat of a predicament since we needed her details to find her in our database.
Things took a twisted turn when she got agitated and started yelling at my cashier. It was at this point that I knew I had to intervene. With a lot of patience, and as politely as possible, I explained to her that without a receipt, we would either need her name or her phone number to process the return.
That only seemed to add fuel to her fire; she started screaming even louder, accusing us of being horrible to her, and threatening to get us fired. She demanded to speak with the "president". I'm pretty sure she intended to mean the president of World Market, but swept away in her outrage she stuttered "...the president of the world."
It was a challenge not to burst out laughing at her outrageous demand. Keeping a calm demeanor, I handed her the number for corporate feedback. However, she didn't take it and stormed out of the store, still accompanied by her explosive temper.
What happened next was surprising. Roughly 20 minutes later, she came back to the store. This time, though, her demeanor was noticeably more subdued. She quietly apologized for her behavior, took her rejected throw pillows, and left the store. From that day forward, we never had any more encounters with her.
ShutterstockSources: Reddit,
