Flipping Out On A Rude Customer At Work

[Hawk 34 0]

This happened today. ..

 

My job forces me to deal with numerous companies. Anyways, my company builds conveyors and I often get sent to do assembly work on their sites.

 

I walk into my job @ 6 am and I am promptly (before I even clock in) handed the keys to our company truck and a map and told to go to Kellogs Factory in Cincinnati and re-assemble a job "we" (the company, not me) did five years ago. I pack up with the neccesary materials and drive to the place.

 

After the usual BS security check-in's and having to wear a hair and beard net as well as a plastic coat (I had to talk them out of making me wear plastic gloves, citing it would make my job difficult). The bald arrogant middle aged four-eyed prick leads me to where I was stationed. He points at the conveyor and goes "here, when can you fix the fucking thing?" with a really curt attitude. I chuckle because I know the job would take less then 2 hours but I lie and tell him "Probably the whole day".

 

He goes berzerk and cusses me out and I calmly respond "Sir from what I can tell just by looking at this machine, the fault isn't ours. It's from an inept worker who didn't handle it properly. Who is in charge of this station?" and he looks dead in the eye and goes "Me." and tries to act macho and gets into my face.

 

I brush him off and continue on telling him that I should have it finished by lunch time. I start to work on it but the arrogant prick literally stands on my ass and insists on observing my every move.

 

Look, I don't mind when they do this shit because of union purposes (which is an whole other story) but when he justs wants to flaunt his false sense of power, I resent that shit. So I just grinned and beared it despite him constantly asking "why you do that?" or "what does that do?"

 

It's your fucking job to know what this specific part of the machine does. I didn't even install it 5 years ago and I could tell what it did just by looking at it. I told the guy that I left something in the truck and I was going to get it but he forced a security guard to accompany me to my truck. Yeah, because I stole the recipe to Frosted Mini-Wheats and was going to sell it to the highest bidder. Even the guard commented that it was "bullshit".

 

Anyways, The guy was still there when I returned and he never stopped his questions, rude attitude. He told me I couldn't speak to the other employees, I couldn't use their in-factory restrooms or the cafeteria. (I WAS allowed but he wanted to be a prick). Maybe it's not as funny or downright rude as the others told here but who wants to work when a guy who isn't even a part of your company berates you and questions your every move when you are SAVING his ass.

 

All my money goes to the generic brand now.

[JJMc 0]

I've workes at a Texaco/Shell station for about 3 or 4 years. It's a full service station (for those that don't know what that means, and if the dumbasses I encounter are any indication, there are quite a few...it means that we, the employees of the station, pump the gasoline.). Now, in some places, apparantly, there are no stations of this kind, but where I live, they are fairly common, and there are numerous signs designating my station as "FULL SERVICE ONLY." But apparantly, that isn't enough for most people, who when pulling up, greet me by getting out of their car (as if to start pumping their gas) and say "oh, it's full service?" or "is it self service?" That one REALLY pisses me off. I don't usually get mad at them, but damn, you know? If it WERE self service, what would I come out to your car for? To say hello? Man..

[Masked Man of Mystery 0]

I've workes at a Texaco/Shell station for about 3 or 4 years. It's a full service station (for those that don't know what that means, and if the dumbasses I encounter are any indication, there are quite a few...it means that we, the employees of the station, pump the gasoline.). Now, in some places, apparantly, there are no stations of this kind, but where I live, they are fairly common, and there are numerous signs designating my station as "FULL SERVICE ONLY." But apparantly, that isn't enough for most people, who when pulling up, greet me by getting out of their car (as if to start pumping their gas) and say "oh, it's full service?" or "is it self service?" That one REALLY pisses me off. I don't usually get mad at them, but damn, you know? If it WERE self service, what would I come out to your car for? To say hello? Man..

My dad prefers pumping his own gas, he used to work at a gas station on Saturdays, but most guys are cool with that. He usually just explains he prefers to pump it himself and he pays the money, which I'm guessing is all the station cares about, right? As for customers who don't respond when I try to say hello to them, I've given up on can I help you because immediately customers get defensive and I like to be laid back and cool, so I start with a hello, how are you, and if they don't respond, unless I notice they have a stupid little cell phone headset afterward(I hate those with a passion), I figure they're ignoring me or something and move on, i might try later. I once walked out of the department, though, because a guy told me he doesn't want me near his children(like I was going to molest them or something) just because I tried to give them help with a video game. Hmm....what else...my friend who used to work with me told a couple of good stories about working in Kinkos. One lady took the corpse of her cat that had been run over and plopped it down on the photocopier, and another lady had her son climb up on the desk and pee into the trash can since there wasn't a public bathroom or something. Sorry, those are more funny stories than anything, but ah well.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

Not really a customer per se, but a customer of a customer.

 

I had to go into Boston this afternoon to deliver 8 boxes of Cat 6 Plenum White and 12 boxes of Cat 5e Plenum Blue (for the few of you that know what that is, you know how fucking HEAVY Cat 6 boxes, especially from Molex, are), plus some assorted wall-mounts and tie-wraps and other little goodies for cabling purposes. First of all, I get lost trying to get to the address (little hint: Federal Street is off of High Street, so your best bet is 93-N, take Exit 18 towards South Station and onto Atlantic Avenue, and stay in the left-middle lane until the High Street turn around the Big Dig comes up, which is right before the parking garage to the New England Aquarium) and wind up having to circle around Boston via some street I don't even know the name of and then take I-90 West onto 95 South all the way down to the 95/93 split, all in heavy traffic with rain up the ass, so that took about 45 minutes.

So I find the place, start bringing my stuff in...and the security guard stops me just before I walk onto the elevator. He was at the desk for the 2 minutes it took me to open the two front doors and lug the box of Cat 5e in each hand from the doors to the elevators, watching me the whole time, and he chooses to stop me just as I"m about to go to the place I'm delivering to.

 

Security: "Uhhh...where you going with those?"

Me: "[company name]."

Security: "Oh, well that's on the 7th floor. You'll have to sign in, though, and we're not supposed to accept deliveries during business hours. How many more trips do you think it'll take?"

Me: "If they have a dolly or a bucket up there it'll only take another trip or two."

Security: "Okay. 7th floor."

 

You know, guy's just doing his job. No qualms. Wants to make sure nobody that isn't expected or authorized is entering the building to possibly fuck up some company. So I get to the 7th floor and put down the two boxes, find somebody who knows what the fuck they're talking about when it comes to whoever's doing data/voice wiring for them, and he gives me this long spiel about how the company doing the work wasn't starting until TOMORROW around noon or so. I tell him that the man who orders supplies for his company and oftentimes is out in the field doing work told us he needed them this afternoon, and he tells me that the building's security policy is that no deliveries are made during business hours. I find a bucket and go back down the elevator, and the security guard's supervisor is waiting for me after I go out of the building (he was watching me the whole time, including my several failed attempts to push the bucket outside through the small doorways before my success) and put as much as I can into bucket. I hit the button to call the elevator, and he pulls the bucket out of the elevator when I load it halfway in.

 

Supervisor: "Who is this for?"

Me: "[company name] on the 7th floor."

Supervisor: "Because we're not supposed to have any deliveries, ANY, during business hours."

Me: "Yeah, I was told that, but I've just been stuck in traffic for the last hour and a half trying to get here because we were told that this stuff needed to be here this afternoon."

Supervisor: "...ummm...how many more trips do you think it'll be?"

 

By now, had all but, say, 5 boxes of Cat 5e and the box of assorted shit loaded up, making the bucket weigh upwards of 500 pounds I'd say, and I tell him I just need one more trip. He shrugs me off, says "I'll have to talk with [company name]" and walks away.

 

Get back down after unloading all of that, and the security guard at the desk politely says "I'm sorry, but my supervisor wants you to sign in before you go back up."

 

I tell him it's alright because he's just doing his job - which is the truth, he seemed like a nice enough guy - and load up the last of the cable and goodies. Sign in, bring it up, unload, and go back down the elevator after taking the BIGGEST PISS...of that hour. I actually pissed myself a little earlier in the day because of 2 medium iced coffees and a large glass of milk I had with my breakfast, but hey.

 

But it's just fucking absurd that my company's customer would tell us - at the last minute, no less (they were supposed to let us know when they needed it by 9:30 AM...and didn't let us know until about quarter past 1) - to bring it today when the company they're doing work for undoubtedly had to have told them that the building doesn't want any deliveries during business hours.

 

Meh, not too interesting a story, but I was pissed off. Didn't leave work until around 5 (I'm usually out between 3:30 and 4), was fucking BEAT when I got home, and yeah. It's amazing I'm still awake.

 

Toss my salad, ho's~.

[CBright7831 0]

that's what I'm saying...whenever I approach the driveup window or the counter or the register or what-have-you, I always try to express an upbeat attitude...I know how shitty their job is so why be an asshole to them. I'm just saying, I expect to get that same treatment back. At grocery stores, they won't even say one word to you, they'll just start scanning your stuff...I dunno, "courtesy" is one of the main duties of a person in customer service, you know?

 

If someone is an asshole to you right from the start, yeah I don't expect someone to be Guy Smiley and take it...however, don't risk your job trying to be funny, just get the manager and let him/her deal with the problem, that's what they get paid to do...ultimately, the owner, district manager, general manager whatever of the business will fire you and whatever manager dealt with the problem before they piss off a customer any further. Let the manager in charge at the time take the heat and keep it off your back.

To be quite frank, the guy who called me didn't even know if he had the right person or not. This is how the convo went:

 

*phone rings*

*I answer*

Me: Thank you for calling [name of store], this is [name], how I may I help you.

Customer: Yeah, were you the one who gave me a [name of store] card earlier tonight?

Me: Hmmmm. I'm not sure, I've given out a few of those tonight.

Customer: Well, if it was you, next time you need to smile, buddy.

*Customer hangs up before I can get a word in*

 

The funny thing is I don't recall being an asshole to anyone that night. I will admit, I was having a hard time over a personal issue, and I was trying hard to not let it bother me, but in no way was I an asshole to anyone.

 

Oh well.

[dubq 0]

I worked in tech support once and one guy threatened to come over and smash my keyboard over my head. He never showed.

 

The funniest one I have is actually from my GF. She was working in a music store in a mall and would get all kinds of complaining fuckwads coming in. One guy would try to return cd's, all scratched up, over a year after he bought them. Another one was this woman, trying to return a CD for a refund. This store only offered exchanges. So she's freaking out and berating the staff for a decision that's not theirs. We're talking above and beyond with the disrespect. Suddenly the owner comes storming out from the back with a $20 in his hand. He proceeds to throw it right in her face, "Take your $20 and get the fuck out of my store!" The look on the woman's face was priceless. I;m just glad I was there picking up my GF to see all of this. It was great.

[Darthtiki 0]

Yeah the real hell started once my parents got one of those UPS tracking systems, where you could manually track where their shipment was if it was being sent across the country or overseas. They would be getting calls the entire day from customers wanting to know precisely where their package was, and they always thought they were more important then the line of people waiting patiently.

 

Where I worked, we were smart we gave the customers the tracking number on their reciept and on the carbon of their shipping form.

[RepoMan 0]

that's what I'm saying...whenever I approach the driveup window or the counter or the register or what-have-you, I always try to express an upbeat attitude...I know how shitty their job is so why be an asshole to them. I'm just saying, I expect to get that same treatment back. At grocery stores, they won't even say one word to you, they'll just start scanning your stuff...I dunno, "courtesy" is one of the main duties of a person in customer service, you know?

 

If someone is an asshole to you right from the start, yeah I don't expect someone to be Guy Smiley and take it...however, don't risk your job trying to be funny, just get the manager and let him/her deal with the problem, that's what they get paid to do...ultimately, the owner, district manager, general manager whatever of the business will fire you and whatever manager dealt with the problem before they piss off a customer any further. Let the manager in charge at the time take the heat and keep it off your back.

To be quite frank, the guy who called me didn't even know if he had the right person or not. This is how the convo went:

 

*phone rings*

*I answer*

Me: Thank you for calling [name of store][i/], this is [name], how I may I help you.

Customer: Yeah, were you the one who gave me a [name of store] card earlier tonight?

Me: Hmmmm. I'm not sure, I've given out a few of those tonight.

Customer: Well, if it was you, next time you need to smile, buddy.

*Customer hangs up before I can get a word in*

 

The funny thing is I don't recall being an asshole to anyone that night. I will admit, I was having a hard time over a personal issue, and I was trying hard to not let it bother me, but in no way was I an asshole to anyone.

 

Oh well.

 

I really don't know why customer/employers really care if you smile. I worked at as a ride operator at a Six Flags and got a lot of complaints from customers and supervisors that I didn't smile. I was always polite and did my job. I wasn't being pissy, I'm just a gloomy person in general I guess. I wasn't like I looked pissed off or anything. I don't see why they have a right to manage my mood. I did like the one guy who asked " why aren't you smiling? Don't pay you enough for that I suppose."

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Not smiling? And people bothered to to tell mangers about that? Christ almighty. Strap me in, keep the line moving and I'll be happy. (Well that sound just a bit gay.)

 

Have you ever dealt with an asshole customer over their kid not being big enough to ride a roller coaster?

[sfaJack 0]

I never worked there, but I did see some fat bitch get all angry about being denied a ride on one of the old rollercoasters at the now-defunct Astroworld. The seatbelt didn't fit around her gigantic waist so she started screaming at the poor kid that wouldn't allow her on the ride, as if it was somehow his fault. It went on for a few minutes until she started crying because her little kid was upset because big momma wasn't being allowed on the ride. Good times, but that bitch did hold up the line I'd already been waiting in for half an hour.

[SuperJerk 0]

Have I ever told the story about how I got fired from Hy-Vee for telling off the welfare mom?

[the max 0]

What's a Hy-Vee?

[Slayer 0]

Midwest grocery chain

[CBright7831 0]

Have I ever told the story about how I got fired from Hy-Vee for telling off the welfare mom?

Well, don't keep us waiting.

 

Please tell us.

[Chazz 0]

I second that.

[RepoMan 0]

Not smiling? And people bothered to to tell mangers about that? Christ almighty. Strap me in, keep the line moving and I'll be happy. (Well that sound just a bit gay.)

 

Have you ever dealt with an asshole customer over their kid not being big enough to ride a roller coaster?

Pepole didn't bother to go and complain, but we would get "audited" by managers and they'd tell me I need to look happier.

 

I worked on the "Grizzly Run," one of things were you get in a big round boat and just get watter dumped on you for the most part. The probleme was everyone tried is that it had the regular ride rules, so pepole had to wear shoes and short/paints, couldn't wear bathing suits. Even though we constantly broadcast the rules in the line, pepole would still wait (up to an hour on bussy weekends) and expect to get on the ride.

 

Another probleme was their needed to be between 6-9 pepole on every boat no matter their size. I got a boat of 5 fat fucks who complained when I put a group of two little kids with them.

[The Amazing Rando 0]

Man, Grizzly Run blew when I went on that thing...mainly because none of the waterfalls were functioning so we barely got wet above our ankles. I'm sure including the waterfalls would have made it at least a little bit better.

 

 

Edit: And i was usually the one that flipped out on other employees and management rather than customers, to the point where I had violence threatened against me by my bosses.

[Maztinho 0]

I've never flipped out, but I've given more than a few customers something to think about with sarcastic remarks.

 

I work produce at a grocery store and we had corn on 20 for $1, so I hauled out an empty watermelon bin, dummied it up with boxes about 3/4 and began filling said bin full of corn. I wasn't just dumping it in, I was building a structure so awesome that the Deli girl called her husband to come in and take a picture of it. I built the Tower of Corn. It was 6 feet high, and 4 feet wide. It was over 1,000 ears of corn. Right in the center entranceway to the store. The produce is back a bit from the main entrance, and people would walk up to me. "Excuse me? Where's the corn that's on sale?"

 

"It's that tower over there."

 

"Oh I didn't see it when I came in."

 

IT'S SIX FEET HIGH!!!

 

Okay, that's just stupid people. My favorite was a phone call I got.

 

It was the Thursday after the Superbowl, over SB weekend we had Pistachios 1.66 per pound which is killer since they are usually 4-5.99 per pound, it's store policy that if a sign is marked you get the product for that price. I get a call, "Produce Line 1" I answer it.

 

Me: Hello, this is Drew in produce how can I help you?

 

Lady: Aren't pistachios 1.66 a pound?

 

Me: Well, they where over the weekend, but right now they are 4.99. The 1.66 price ended Sunday at midnight.

 

Lady: I was in there Monday morning and the sign said 1.66.

 

Me: What time was that?

 

Lady: 5 am or so.

 

Me: Oh, well, the manager hadn't gotten in yet to take the sign down so you can come back in and get the difference.

 

Lady: I didn't buy them right then. I sent my son in later that afternoon.

 

Me: Well, I'm sorry, the price had been changed then.

 

Lady: Can I bring them back in and get my money back?

 

Me: I believe we can refund what you haven't eaten.

 

Lady: But we've eaten most of them!

 

Me: I don't think we can refund for things you've already eaten. But you certainly can come in and talk to a manager about it.

 

Lady: You mean I'm going to have to spend 8 dollars on Pistachios?

 

Me: I don't know what you want me to do over the phone, ma'am. Especially when you bought the stuff three days ago. (It was now Thursday remember.)

 

Lady: We'll just eat your damned pistachios, and we are never shopping there again.

 

Me: Okay, have a nice day ma'am.

 

**SLAM!!**

 

Other good times are when people complain that they can get produce cheaper at Wal-Mart. Even better is when Wal-Mart employees come in, wearing their vests, and complain that they can get it cheaper at Wal-Mart.

 

Me: Then why are you here complaining to me?

 

Wal-Mart Person: Your stuff tastes better.

 

Me: Which is why it costs more.

 

I can get away with some stuff since I'm usually the only one working at night, and the night manager up front is a total dopehead.

[FroGG_NeaL 0]

When I worked at Corey Brothers Loading Docks on The EastEnd of South Charleston in WV,

I got in a fist fight with a big, burly ass bear of a mofuckin' truck driver.

 

He was way too high to drive, (drunk, pills, coke, crank...)And We were trying to talk him down, sober him up, we didn't wanna let dude drive off and kill somebody. But he was fucking fucked, yo.

 

Dude was geekin' hard.

 

So I just slammed him hard from the inside of the warehouse, about 15 feet off the ground, and he fuckin' missed hitting his head on a sharp part of the dumpster by like, that much, man. Ya know?

 

I thought I killed the old bastard at first.

 

I went and hid out in the boiler room for a long minute.

Then My Brother and his Mom's Boyfirend, who's also our boss, and on parole, so he didn't call the cops.

They made sure dude was okay and somebody drove him somewhere he needed to go.

 

 

As far as jumping the counter at Taco Bell, or Taking somebody out in Fazoli's parking lot, or whatever, If people were fucking with me, I was gonna fuck back, but a fuck of a lot harder.

 

 

I've been in many fights in parking lots of places with people, and niether of us work there.

 

That's all of my Work Related Fights, that I can think of.

[The Amazing Rando 0]

"It's that tower over there."

 

"Oh I didn't see it when I came in."

 

IT'S SIX FEET HIGH!!!

 

 

 

Camelot is a silly place.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Me: Then why are you here complaining to me?

 

Wal-Mart Person: Your stuff tastes better.

 

Only thing better than Wal-Mart customers are Wal-Mart employees. Great stories, Massito.

[haws bah gawd 0]

Someone tell me if I went a little too far in this situation:

 

Today was my last day working at a Cingular store. Around 9:30 this morning, I was setting up a new account for a customer, nothing out of the ordinary, when this Middle-Eastern fellow walks in. I promply tell him that I will be with him as soon as I finish with my current customer. Well, he apparently doesnt have the time, and immediately wants to buy a replacement for his broken Treo650 because hes leaving the country on Friday. So, I tell him I have none in stock at the moment, but I can call the store owner as soon as I finish with my current customer, and see if he can have one overnight-shipped to the store. So, he says how about I just come back in a little while? I tell him that is fine.

 

Anyways, around 12, he comes back to the store and is ready to go ahead and pay for the phone. So, I proceed like usual. I give a call to the store owner and tell him I need the phone overnighted to the store. He tells me to tell the customer that the warehouse might be out of stock, so he recommends checking the other Cingular stores in the area to see if they have one before he pays for the phone, just in case we cant get the phone delivered on time.

 

Well, this guy just didnt want to hear that. He then starts yelling at me about how that is bullshit, and he just wasted his 'entire day' for nothing. Keep in mind, its been 2 and a half hours. Then he asks for my name, the store owner's name, and the owner's number because he wants to tell him how badly I fucked him over. So, again, I told him it was the store owner, and not me, that gave him the recommendation to check the other stores in the area. Well, he still didnt want to hear that, and again demanded the information.

 

So, I had heard enough of this and told the guy my first name. He asked for my lst, but I told him he wasnt getting it. He then asked for the owner's name and phone number. I told him that was priviledged information and I wasnt just going to give out the owner's personal number. So then he yelled again that he demanded to know the information because 'something had to be done about the way I treated him'. So, at this point I had had enough, so I told him today was my last day with the company, and to be honest I could care less what he thinks of me, and as far as I'm concerned, he had about 2 seconds to leave the store before I showed him out myself. He finally left after I stared him down for what seemed like eternity. Fucking aggrivating.

[Chazz 0]

Considering it was your last day, I think you handled the situation really well. I know people who would've done much, much worse to that douche.

[FroGG_NeaL 0]

Yeah, see my post earlier in the thread.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

That was nothing. No "terrorist" crack, no swearing, nothing.

 

And I hate those customers who barge into an ongoing customer transaction. One of the few exceptions to this rule is fast-food when an order is wrong and the customer wants it corrected.

[Maztinho 0]

One of the few exceptions to this rule is fast-food when an order is wrong and the customer wants it corrected.

 

Indeed, and the person in line is usually twice as likely to check their order before leaving.

[The Metal Maniac 0]

Man, you should've told him to fuck off as soon as he interrupted a transaction because he was in such a damned hurry.

 

If you're in such a hurry to get your friggin' phone, show up before the doors open and be the first in line. Problem solved.

 

Also, I work at Wal-Mart. I *hate* when people are like "I was over at Zellers and this was cheaper." I always wanna ask them "Then why the fuck didn't you buy it there, dummy?" but I'd get fired awful quick.