Retail and Customer Service workers, recount your nightmares here

[Lil Missy]

I was a Consumer Affairs Rep for a major hotel chain for some time, and some of the expectations were just ridiculous.

I'll just give one example:

There was a guy that got caught stealing all the condiments in the restaurant, such as the salt and pepper shakers, napkin holder, sugar tray, silverware, ketchup and mustard bottles, jellies, etc.

Security stopped him and made him open his bag and his transgression was noted. He had the nerve to call and request compensation for being embarrassed by security, and insisted that all these thing just accidentally fell into his bag.:eyes:

I refused to compensate him for that. He wasn't even a frequent customer. But he pushed it and my boss refunded his night for him. *groan* Some people have such nerve. I wouldn't steal in the first place, but I would never DREAM of insisting on compensation for being caught!

So tell me about your retail or customer service nightmares?

I'm bored and could use the entertainment tonight.

[harmonicon]

1. ok, mine isn't that bad

I used to work at a video store, and we had this monthly membership plan. A woman came in first thing one morning to rent videos, and I rang her up at the register, when she demanded the videos for free..... I looked at the fancy-schmance computer account and saw that she'd had this monthly membership plan, but it had lapsed. I told her the thing had lapsed, but she could sign up again, or just pay the normal price. She was mad, because she'd been in some time earlier and was told that the subscription thing was monthly.... I told her that, yeah, it was monthly, starting from when someone signs up, not per calendar month, as that wouldn't be fair to people who signed up in the middle of a month. ugh.... so, she said she wouldn't go to the video store again, I said, fine, there's another one down the street. As she stormed out in a huff, she yelled "go to hell, bastard!", so I yelled something back (noone else was in the store, customer or employee) like, "go fuck yourself to hell you stupid fat worthless cow". The next week my boss told me that a complaint had been filed against me with the corporate office and wanted to know the story. I told him the story, and to his credit, he just laughed. Good boss.

In some ways not as bad, but in some ways worse: the video store didn't have a public bathroom, but one for employees that we'd let customers use if they were nice. Regulars knew where this was and would just use it anyway.... not really a problem except for the time when our pipes froze so we didn't have running water and a guy went back there and took a huge crap.

[Darth_Kitten]

2. Just somebody told me to fuck off today.

And I'm so nice (on the phones)

:hug:

Beotch. Not my fault her stupid lawyer didn't do their job. :(

[Lil Missy]

5. Yep, I've had to deal with "fuck off" calls too.

I swear most of the complainers are either psychotics or outright criminals.

[tigereye]

3. the guy stole stuff and had his room fee refunded????

see, that's allowing off the wall behaviors - it reinforces obnoxious people and let's them think they can get away with everything.

that's just crazy.

[Lil Missy]

6. I know. And it irritates the shit out of me too.

And I could recount even worse stories, especially with a few "Diamond" members that called with constant complaints.

One lady, who has OCD and insists her room be scrubbed with Clorox before she gets there, called to complain that the desk, on a very busy Holiday weekend, would not send someone up to hold her hand so she could fall to sleep. Jebus! People are just so unreasonable.

[MrScorpio]

4. I'm convinced that guests can literally get away with anything in hotels

You don't have to try and persuade me

[CreekDog]

19. Remember "Best In Show"

"We had a rock band stay here once...apparently they did not know there was a toilet IN the room..."

[ghostsofgiants]

7. I do over the phone tech support for an ISP/phone service provider.

Yesterday I had a woman freak out and threaten to switch to another company because one of her phones wasn't working. Her other phones were working fine. It was just this one phone. People are ridiculous.

Similar problem happened a few weeks ago with a guy whose ethernet card was busted and he refused to accept that it was a problem with his computer (a Mac, incidentally, which was part of the reason he was so sure it wasn't his computer) and not our service (his modem was online and I was able to ping it without any packet loss) and he claimed that previously we had given him a static IP address (something we don't do) which made his connection work before.

Last week I had a woman go on and on for over an hour about a problem relating to a company that isn't even the company I work for (but is affiliated with the company through promotional offers) as though I could do something to make this other company suck less.

And there was this one lady who demanded a supervisor as soon as I answered the call. I asked why she wanted to speak with a supervisor, as the supervisors prefer to know what the issue is before they take a call, but she refused to tell me and was incredibly rude about it. The supervisor told me after the call htat she wanted to compliment a technician who had been out earlier. Why the hell would you be rude like that when you want to pay someone else a compliment?

[Lil Missy]

8. I hear ya.

Especially about the ones that insist to talk to a supervisor without giving any details. We just usually hand it off to another rep that is not on a call, and it it always settled just fine.

[baldguy]

9. Cleaning the bathrooms Sunday morning at Bennigan's in Boulder CO.

[MissMillie]

10. I don't work in retail

but someone told the students here that they're customers.... it drives me insane.

It makes them sound like they're buying an education, instead of earning one.

[madinmaryland]

12. Hey! We're paying big money to get this education!

You professors better deliver!

:rofl:

[AllegroRondo]

11. One my sister likes to tell

she used to work in a department store. One day while working the return counter, a man brought in a pair of obviously worn jeans. The store policy was not to allow returns of clothing with obvious wear.

Sis "Have these been worn?"

Man "No."

Sis "So that means this isnt your wallet in the back pocket, right?"

[tigereye]

14. I knew someone who used to return used stuff or stuff she had just bought

all the time!!!

I think some folks don't want to take the time to actually try stuff on....


I have exchanged stuff, but I rarely take stuff back unless it's unruly software (which they won't take back anyway!)

[LynneSin]

13. I worked for Victoria Secret - it's not all fun and games

Nothing like a customer fondling your boobs because he doesn't know what size his girlfriend's breasts are so he uses yours for comparison

[LeftyMom]

15. That was so funny when you and Bridezilla #2 and Republican Chick were demoing that on each other.

I should have got a picture of that.

I did get several of you and bridezilla #1 arguing about tolls. :d

[Lil Missy]

20. You're kidding. I wold have belted him.

[datasuspect]

16. i never understood people who get worked up about shopping and plot all these dramas between

themselves and cashiers and raise a big stink.

i've never had to ask for a manager.

i've always been offered free stuff (free drinks, "hey try this" kinda shit). but i'm a good tipper and regularly frequent many of the same bars and restaurants.

[seemunkee]

17. I worked for an outfitters for several years

The store had their first sale in 6 years and the place was mobbed at 9:45 Saturday night(we close at 9 but the line was so long at the register we still hadn't booted people out) some guy was desperate to get a bargain. He was picking up random stuff and asking if it was on sale.
"Is this on sale?"
"No"
"Is this on sale?"
"No"
"Is this on sale?"
"No"
"Is this on sale?"
"No"
Finally he came to our bargain barrel. Literally a barrel of things that we sell dirt cheap before deciding they were trash. He picks something up and asks
"Is this on sale?"
"Yes"
"How much?"
"50 cents" We could make up prices for stuff in the barrel
"I'll take it. What is it?"
"Its a rack for holding climging gear. Do you climb?"
"No"
He bought it anyway and went away happy.

[formerrepuke]

18. Refund scammers...I swear some people do that for a living.. going from

store to store (within one chain) trying to get cash refunds for stuff for which they have no receipts -because its stolen. Always high-dollar items which are also conveniently small enough to shove down one's pants or in the lining of a coat. No matter how many security devices are in place, thieves always find a way.

[jmowreader]

21. I love these threads...

Today's candidates for retail immortality:

Candidate One presented with the desire to purchase a 16x32 deck. That's no problem, except that most people don't wait until 15 minutes before the store closes to ask to have a deck designed.

Then he made changes to the design.

Then he wanted to add a SECOND 16x32 deck that steps down two feet, and benches around the perimeter (these require massive amounts of hand calculation because our design program won't do them), and a curve...

By the time we were done we were up to $8200. Decent sale. "I'll take it. I want to take it all home tonight."

Now understand: By the time we got to staging the thing for register it was 11:30pm and we close at 10. About two-thirds of the lumber he needed wasn't at the store yet--I'd have it the next day because a lumber truck was due to arrive at 2am, so I could just give the night guy a list of what to leave behind the store. Or, better, we could have had it delivered to his house for $59 extra and not have to unload anything.

"Fuck you guys. If I can't take it home with me right now, I don't want any of it."

And he stormed out the door, got in his half-ton pickup with no trailer (weight of truck: approximately one-third the weight of the order) and roared into the street just as fast as he could...which caused a cop driving by to have to lock up his brakes to avoid hitting him. Oops.

Candidate Two was actually one my wife dealt with (we work at the same store). She was cutting some wire for him. The wire cutter is this little guillotine thing. You put the wire in it, grab the handle and pull just as hard as you can on it, and it chops the wire. This fucking asshole grabbed the wire just as she started to chop and pulled it as hard as HE could to try to tension the wire...pulling her hand into the path of the blade and causing her to chop off a big hunk of the meat over her thumb joint. And then he had the balls to call Customer Care and complain that one of our associates called him a motherfucker. (She has recovered, and Customer Care agreed with my wife's assessment of him.)