Customer service/retail workers: Post your favorite angry customer stories!

[bgeno]

I know there must be plenty of us in customer service and retail who have had the pleasure of dealing with an angry (whether reasonable or unreasonable) customer before. I had a good one last night at work:


I'm an assistant manager at a convenience store and I was finishing up some outside work last night when I noticed a red gasoline can sitting next to our kerosene pump. I've always been taught that kerosene MUST be pumped into a blue can (at my old store, we actually had to verify each and every can before we activated the pump) unless there is a state of emergency declared. So, upon seeing the can, I picked it up and moved it near our dumpster. If the wrong people see us allowing this, we could get in trouble, so I wasn't going to leave it there and chance it.

I set the can aside, came back inside, and began ringing up a customer. A lady walked in and demanded she get her money back for the kerosene she pre-paid for because someone "done stole her gas can." I said "Was it a red gasoline can next to the kerosene pump? OK, I set it aside, but I'll go get it for you as soon as I'm done with this customer." She demanded I retrieve her can right then and there because she needed to pump her kerosene. I replied "Actually, ma'am, we require kerosene to be pumped into a blue can, so I can't let you pump the kerosene. I will gladly refund your money though."

She was irate.

She accused me of "coming in and changing the rules" and even STEALING her gas can. She said she's been filling up kerosene in that can for a year, to which I replied "I'm sorry, but someone has been letting you do something that is against the rules."

So, I finished with my customer and went and retrieved her red gasoline can, obviously not quick enough for her though. I came back inside and told her I would get her refund and she said "Oh no, you don't need to be dealing with me!" She had already received her refund and demanded the number to our corporate office (which another employee got for her), saying that I "humilified" her. I guess she meant humiliated. Any way, she walked out of the store saying that we would be hearing from her.


It was one of the most interesting customer interactions I had ever experienced.


Do any fellow OS'ers have any good customer-related stories?

[BestServedCold]

Wow I hate people

[Matt10]

This should be a great thread, I'll have to dig up my thoughts on past experiences - lol there are a lot.

[oneamongthefence]

I worked at Booksamillion in mississippi and a kid wanted to buy some playboy cards. I declined to sell him the cards because he was 10.

Well you think you know where this is going. Well you don't cause this is in Mississippi and this is the Bible belt.

So after a few minutes and thinking I've done a great service, the boys mother comes in a demands that I tell her why her sons money is not good enough to buy a pack of playboy cards. These cards did not have fully nude women however, me, in the south, thought if I did sell them to this kid I would have nan angry mother wanting to know why I sold this kid playboy cards, no I get the one who actually sends her kid in to buy playboy cards.

She said she was gonna call the district office and make a complaint of which she never did. Moral of the story. Throw your morals out the door in customer service.

[CMH]

Most customer complaints come from employees allowing customers to break the rules. So when you try to follow the rules, you've got a problem. At least that was my experience at Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

I remember this experience I had with a customer. Rules to rent a car stipulate that the driver must provide a credit card matching their name (this was in 2005 so things might have changed).

However, when this group of older men walked in, I did not expect they'd challenge this rule on the basis of income.

The man providing the credit card for the driver was just informed by yours truly that I needed the card to match the renter's name. We have the following conversation.

Older Man: "I'm giving you a credit card. I'm paying for it."
CMH: "I understand that, however, the card must come from the driver. The rules are written here for you to read. I'm sorry. Does he have a credit card, perhaps you can pay him back?"
OM: "Do you know how much money I make? I could buy every single car in this lot right now!"
CMH: Sir, if you wanted to buy a car, I could direct you to the dealership. We actually work closely with a few. But I thought you were here to rent a car?"
OM: "I am here to rent a car!"
CMH: "Then I ask you respect our rules in order to do that."

He left and never came back. I tried to be nice early in the convo before he raised his voice and proceeded to tell me he was worth a billion dollars.


Sent from my mobile device.

[LivingLegend]

LOL how about a funny one?

I was working at the Sears Credit Card call center and I was on the number one sales team with my best friend and we worked the 5 am shift. So it was pretty laid back and we sat right next to each other.

Well, one day he gets this call and I wasn't in que so I didn't have anyone to talk to. Get this, this lady claimed she was entitled to have her debt cleared because she

"lived in a third world country, had three kids one on each boob, and didn't have a hand to hold the other one." Those were her words verbatim. I started to chuckle when I heard that and he asked her where she lived she says "Atlanta, Georgia, didn't you know its a third world country? Clear my debt now please."

My friends transfers her to a higher up manager, not 30 seconds later I kid you not my phone rings and I get the lady and we listen to her bs all over again before I have to transer her to a higher up for a second time. By this time she was angry that

"we weren't honoring the fact that she lived in a third world country and can't get her bills paid on time." Again, those are her words.

I lost a little faith in mankind that day.

[CMH]

People are amazing. Atlanta a third world country.

Another one from ERAC fame. This happened to my coworker but I was standing to the side just listening.

A little background. At ERAC, you need a college degree to get a job. A lot of people don't know this because you don't at Budget or Hertz (actually, I think Hertz might now have changed this). So we always had customers that treated us like crap expecting we were uneducated losers (no disrespect to those without college degrees. This is from the customer's point of view).


Renter: "Why is the car taking so long?"
Employee: "We are washing it right now. It'll be right out."
R: "I've been waiting here for thirty minutes."
E: "It hasn't been thirty minutes. I just started taking care of you."
R: "I was in here for thirty minutes waiting for my turn."
E: "I try to give every customer their own time. Would you like it if I started to ignore you to help someone else?"
R: "I should have known better. What else could I expect from a place like this. This isn't a way to treat an educated person."
E: "I'm educated too."
R: "Yeah? I have a college degree. I have a good job."
E: "I have a college degree too. We all do."
R: "I make over 30,000 a year."
E: "Hmm. I make more than that."
R: "...Where's my car?"


I love people.

[AUChase]

I'll have to rack my brain a little and post a few...

I've had my fair share of true retail moments..