Customer Interaction Thread [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

KuReshtin

2010-03-08, 07:57 PM

I've heard from an IT guy I was acquainted with that there are two kinds of calls. The short kind begin with the guy admitting he knows next to nothing about computers. The long kind begin with the guy launching into any kind of detailed explanations.

That just about sums it up.
Also the customers that call in and say that 'a mate that knows about computers and stuff like that has had a look at it' are a pain as well.

One of the worst customers I ever had, though, was a guy that called in and wanted to log a fault on his daughter's laptop. He called in sometime in early October last year, and at that point, I told him that I needed the invoice for the purchase to update the warranty of the machine. This is because in the EU and Norway, an end user has a 2 year warranty according to the law, even if the manufacturer's base warranty is only one year.
So I asked him to send in the invoice to verify the purchase date and sent him an e-mail with the information, also stating that he needed to send this reply within a week, or we would close down his case. This is standard procedure to prevent people from opening a case and then basically keep it open indefinitely without sending in the invoice.
Well, he never sent the invoice in, and even after having kept the case open for an additional week, there was still no invoice from the customer, so I closed the case.
Almost three months later, just after new years, he called in again, wanting to re-open the case to get the machine fixed. Since the old case was closed down, I opened a new case and again asked for the invoice, which he this time provided.
Problem arose, though, when the purchase date on the invoice was from early December 2007, so this new case had the machine out of warranty by a month and a bit, and I told him this, telling him that because of the machine being out of warranty, he'd have to pay for the repair.
That set him off on a big rant that he should still be entitled for support, because he first called in about the problem before the warranty expired.
I explained to him, in a calm voice that since he'd never sent in the invoice in the first case, and then waited for almost three months before calling back, this would be treated as a new case and we would have to go on the create date of that new case as basis for warranty repair. All according to the rules of entitlement that has been set up by the company.
I also informed him that if he were unhappy with this (which he obviously was) he would have to take that up with another department, dealing with 'warranty exceptions'.
After yelling at me for a while longer, he hung up, and I decided to keep his case open for a while to see if he'd call back to give us more abuse.

About a week later, I was sent an e-mail from the manager of the 'exception desk' where he'd made a comment that read something like this:

'In this case, we will accept warranty exception and repair the machine free of charge for the customer. However, let it be noted that threatening to cancel any further purchases by the customer's employer to get service on his private computer is illegal and could potentially be grounds for disciplinary or legal actions from said employer.'

Turns out that the guy worked for the Norwegian State Police at their internal helpdesk, and had apparently said that if we didn't accept to repair his daughter's private laptop, he would ensure that the Norwegian Police would 'never buy Lenovo machines again'.

ScottishDragon

2010-03-08, 09:04 PM

Don't they like, have ketchup dispensers next to the soda fountains?

Not in any of the ones where i live.

Syka

2010-03-08, 09:16 PM

Memorable one recently.

About a month and a half ago, I was closing. 5 or so til 10 (when we close) a couple brats...er, kids came in looking for a mic to use with an xBox. Not only were they playing with a bunch of other stuff, hopped on his skateboard at one point and it took me FOUR times to get him to get off it for good. I did try helping them up until the following exchange. They ended up being about 10 dollars short.

"No, I can't sell it to you for X, it costs Y."

"Can't you just turn around, I'll put the money on the counter and it'll be OK?"

"No."

"C'mon, he'll do anything for ya." (Points at one of his friends)

"No." Looks at the friend, shudders, "Just no, I can't. I've been bribed by people far craftier, and my job is so not worth it."

"C'mooooon. Make a 9-year-old happy."

"No."

"Fine, we're going to go see if the cool people at Subway will give us some money."

"Fine. Guilt doesn't work on me." *shrug*

I decline to tell them that we're closing in about 5 minutes at this point. I close out my drawer, etc, and 15 minutes later I was up at the front getting my go backs. They're baaaaAAAck! They were asking to be let in. I just shrugged, told them we're closed, and went to do my go backs.

Thankfully, my (tall male) coworker came up right as I was walking away because they started PRYING THE DOOR OPEN. Apparently it hadn't locked properly and they almost got in.

Then we're leaving for the night and they are in the parking lot on their skateboards death glaring us. We just chuckled. :smallamused: (Not too mention, what the hell were 9-year-olds doing out at 10:30/11:00PM on a school night oO)

Jayngfet

2010-03-08, 09:30 PM

*snip*

The only thing worse than a jerk who knows nothing and has entitlement issues is one with power, because then he can continue to be a jerk with entitlement issues and no one can say otherwise.

Krade

2010-03-08, 09:47 PM

I have a theory that I am not, in fact, a patient and understanding person. I have put on this mask so well and for so long that everyone, including myself, have never known me to be otherwise.

The problem is, that about 1 in 1000 (give or take a few) customers can inexplicably see right through it and (without realizing that they are seeing through this oh-so-perfect mask) then proceed to absolutely flip out over something so far beyond trivial you'd have to make a new word for it... Drivial. Things like absent-mindedly forgetting to say "thank you" at the end of the transaction. Or, just today, dropping a basket on the floor and "almost hitting a customer's foot." This wouldn't normally be a ridiculous thing to flip out about, except that the customer who flipped out wasn't the one who's foot almost got hit. She was okay and didn't seem to have a problem (except for her friend embarassing her).

When things like this happen, my perfectly hidden *******-self struggles to break through to the surface and the ensuing mental battle raging in my head renders me literally unable to speak (which, I think, is better than the only things I can ever think of to say). I can't say "I'm sorry" at this point because it wouldn't be genuine and I can't/won't even try to fake it. It would just be to placate the customer and probably wouldn't really work anyway.

Don Julio Anejo

2010-03-08, 10:23 PM

Okay, I've got tons from behind the counter of 1 bar and 3 coffee shops. Let's see..

- A guy who ordered coffee, drank about 2/3 of it and then came back asking for a refund because the coffee wasn't hot enough. Every Saturday, at 5PM sharp.. Eventually I stopped serving him at all, considering he wasn't a paying customer to begin with. I did have a good laugh when he brought in his family once and they _all_ did the same thing.

- A businessman suited up enough to make both Barney Stinson and Neal Caffrey look like bums who pawned off all their clothing for meth and replaced them with newspapers. Who looked and acted as if he was no less than a count in 17th century France. Who nevertheless counted out change penny by penny and threw a fit anytime you accidentally shortchanged him on a $1.65 coffee off of a toonie. As you can guess, he never tipped.

- A bum. A nice guy, really, but when you smell like Bob Marley from a mile away, it tends to shoo away other customers, at least before they get high from second-hand smoke.

- Leisure Suit Larrys. These are the most annoying little f...udgers you will ever meet in a bar (even fratboys are better). They will hit on anything that has a pulse and boobs. Then, after getting a high ball all over their clothing, they will make extremely annoying, lecherous, construction-worker-at-lunch sounds. Or try to be suave. Key word - try. The worst part is that they're not even drunk when they do it. Didn't bother me personally, but you often have to decide whether to kick them out and whether it's worth the trouble, seeing as the bar I worked at didn't have a bouncer... And well, I'm 5'8 and don't look or act very threatening.

- A conspiracy theorist. Would come in every few days, have a few beers and then go on to have a literally 40 minute long conversation about I can't even remember what now. Usually revolved around stonemasons (how his buddy was one and the only thing they did was use it as an excuse to get away from wives), new diabetes drugs (that get bought out and squished by pharma companies), how *political figure* was in a secret coalition with another *political figure*. You get the point. For the most part interesting (if taken with a boulder of salt), but he never got the hint if someone is busy and _can't_ or _doesn't want to_ talk to him for 40 minutes so you had to either tell him to shut up or make up excuses to stop talking.

skywalker

2010-03-08, 10:46 PM

Not in any of the ones where i live.

Curious. Very curious.

*snip*

I like to go to the same restaurants a lot. But when someone I used to spend a lot of time with moved away, I stopped hanging out on a particular side of town. Recently, I went back to the restaurant around 8:15, knowing they closed at 9:00. I was halfway through getting my food, when they informed me that they now closed at 8:30. So I bolted down my food and sped towards the door. A couple of days ago, I went back around 8:15 (because my class gets out late, ya?) fully intending to get my food to go. When I informed them that I wanted it to go, the girl behind the counter told me she couldn't let me do that, and that I was going to stay and eat, well past closing. I believe she may consider me "cute."

I always hated people who came in right before close "just to browse."

- Leisure Suit Larrys. These are the most annoying little f...udgers you will ever meet in a bar (even fratboys are better). They will hit on anything that has a pulse and boobs. Then, after getting a high ball all over their clothing, they will make extremely annoying, lecherous, construction-worker-at-lunch sounds. Or try to be suave. Key word - try. The worst part is that they're not even drunk when they do it. Didn't bother me personally, but you often have to decide whether to kick them out and whether it's worth the trouble, seeing as the bar I worked at didn't have a bouncer... And well, I'm 5'8 and don't look or act very threatening.

Tangentially related: I went to another favorite restaurant (an Asian place) to pick up dinner, and on a whim decided to eat at the bar and have a drink. I sat down next to a guy who was failingly trying to chat up a woman who mentioned her husband in every sentence she spoke. He called for one more shot, and the bartender informed him that he had drunk all the Jaeger she had cold. No matter he said, a warm one would be fine. He finished it, and then staggered to the door. When he left, she informed me that he had had 4 shots of Jaeger, no chaser, the last one warm, in 30 minutes, in the bar of a trendy Asian restaurant at 8:00 on a Thursday. Complete fail.

- A conspiracy theorist. Would come in every few days, have a few beers and then go on to have a literally 40 minute long conversation about I can't even remember what now. Usually revolved around stonemasons (how his buddy was one and the only thing they did was use it as an excuse to get away from wives), new diabetes drugs (that get bought out and squished by pharma companies), how *political figure* was in a secret coalition with another *political figure*. You get the point. For the most part interesting (if taken with a boulder of salt), but he never got the hint if someone is busy and _can't_ or _doesn't want to_ talk to him for 40 minutes so you had to either tell him to shut up or make up excuses to stop talking.

My dad once made the mistake of making an offhand political comment (you know, the sort of "throw all the bums out" throwaway comment, just bar talk) in a coffee bar at the beach while we were trying to have a serious conversation. We were thoroughly foiled by the bartender who spent 30 minutes regaling us with all the secrets to be discovered on the American dollar bill.

Extra_Crispy

2010-03-09, 01:47 AM

I used to work some computer tech support (over the phone) jobs and while not all the stories I am about to tell you are from personal experience they all come from friends that worked those jobs at the same time.

My first tech support job was for AOL. I started in the screenname and password department. That is all we did. Guy calls me and after spending 5 mins telling me about how he was a computer engineer and could build a computer from wire and duct tape said he had to change his password because AOL was not letting him in. I asked him the error message and it was "Open failed for com 4 invalid or unsupported ID" he said "See invalid or unsupported ID so I need a new password" I told him it was not his password and he spent the next 10 min explaining again that he was a computer engineer and knew more than me etc. I asked him what com port his modem was on and he said 4, so I had him say the error and finally he realized. So I transfered him to the tech que. The irony: Usually just turning off the computer and then back on fixes that error, I knew that, and there was a 40 min wait in the tech que.

The lady that called and wanted a new email address. I told her to go to keyword screenname and creat a new screenname. She said she did not want a new screen name she wanted a new email address. So I spent the next few min explaining that a email and a screen name were the same. She said she understood. So I proceed to tell her how to make a new screen name. She says..... "but I dont want a new screen name I want a new email address" This time I spent like 5 min explaining and absolutly making sure she understood they were the same. Again she said she understood. I started to explain/walk her through how to make a screen name and what does she do? She says...."But I dont want a new screen name I want a new email address"
That phone call was the straw that finally broke my back and I quite AOL that day.

I used to work for a company that did Microsoft tech support. A friend got a call, and recorded it, that I will never forget. This man screemed at him for 15+ mins because the built in game Hearts "cheats" He was demanding that Bill Gates rewrite the program to stop the cheating and then personally call him with an apology and send him the fix. He would not settle for anything else. He also demanded Bill Gates personal/home number so that he could call Bill and discuss the situation with him. When my friend could not do any of that the man demanded to talk to a higher level person. So after recording alot of the conversations so that the company had proof that the man was unreasonable the guy finally got to a manager in Microsoft. Dont know what happened, but listening to this man scream about how Hearts cheats was very funny.

Have some others but this is a long enough post for now

Pyrian

2010-03-09, 01:52 AM

...I think Hearts does cheat. :smalltongue: Not worth screaming about, though.

Amiel

2010-03-09, 02:04 AM

I don't mind a customer telling me that he/she doesn't know anything about computers. That's why I'm there. The customers who get on my nerves are the ones who try to act like they know what they're doing even if they obviously don't. Those are the people who don't listen to the instructions I try to give them to solve their problem. The customers who jump three, four or five steps ahead in a process they don't know, because they are guessing, which then means that they need to start over again, taking up more of my time, and their own.

"Hello, IT. Have you tried turning it off and on again? ... OK, well, the button on the side. Is it glowing? ... Yeah, you need to turn it on. Err, the button turns it on. Yeah, you do know how a button works, don't you? No, not on clothes."

"No, there you go, I just heard it come on. No, that's the music you hear when it comes on. No, that's the music you hear when... I'm sorry, are you from the past?"

I currently work in hospitality as a kitchen hand, part of the wait staff, also in a managerial role.

We see a lot of rude customers. Even a simple courtesy as a thank you is unheard of, remaining unuttered and unforthcoming from their lips. They would simply ignore you and or would wave their hand dismissively.
How were you (the customer) raised, I wonder? How could you be devoid of simple manners?

Extra_Crispy

2010-03-09, 02:52 AM

I know what you mean. A few friends and I went to dinner for a friends birthday on Sunday. We ordered an appitizer. When the busboy came buy to clean up another table he stopped and asked if he could pick up the plates for the appitizer as we did not need them any more. We said sure and then almost as one we all said thank you in one way or another. The poor guy stood there and looked like us for a few seconds like NO one had ever said that to him before let alone the whole table.

ninjalemur

2010-03-09, 02:52 AM

Working in an ice cream shop, the worst customers are the ones who try eight or nine different flavors then just walk out.

A personal fail of mine was spilling a cup of coffee on then Lieutenant Governor elect, current Governor of Alaska Sean Parnell while working at a coffee shop in Anchorage AK.

Katana_Geldar

2010-03-09, 02:58 AM

Ninja, you just managed to solve one of the mysteries of life: the do sell ice cream to eskimos!

Lioness

2010-03-09, 03:17 AM

Well, I work in the deli department of a grocery store (I sell ham, fish, chicken, salami, salad, etc.)

We close at 9, and we always have customers (usually the same ones) who come in at 7-ish and ask whether the chickens are discounted. When we tell them that they aren't, they grumble.

The rude ones: "I'll have some ham."
Oh, you will? I'm sorry, but a prerequisite for buying ham is having manners

The quiet/generally incomprehensible ones, who then get angry when I can't understand. I'm really sorry, but if you're speaking in a heavy accent so quietly I can't hear you, don't get mad at me because I can't understand.
And the ones who just point. "I want some of that ham." *points*. I'm sorry, but which ham was that? "That ham!" *Stabs glass cabinet with finger*. I'm sorry, but I can't see where you're pointing. What does it say on the front of the ticket?

And then they grumble at me for being incompetent.

We have people who ask us to slice bung fritz (which looks like this (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3026/2676895624_12779fc5c5_o.jpg), but usually much curlier.) We tell them that it doesn't fit in the slicer, and so we can't slice it, and they get mad at us.

And there are people who want each chicken weighed, too see which is biggest. The difference is usually about 20 grams. So not worth weighing a chicken over, but apparently it is.

I try not to be that employee, but if I've had a bad day, and I get a lot of those customers, I lapse.

Whoracle

2010-03-09, 03:45 AM

Not so much that customer, but worth telling nontheless, I think.

I did tech help a few years back. Got called onsite one monday by a lady whose PC didn't work.

(A == Me, B == Her)

A: Ok, what seems to be the problem?
B: I got into office this morning, switched the thing on, and it doesn't work!
A: Did you change anything? Unplug something, install something, drop something?
B: Nope, just shut it down on friday and went home.
(I then checked the cables. All plugged in as they should. I could've switched the thing on on the spot there, but from experience it's better to let the people do exactly what they did beforehand, so...)
A: Would you mind switching it on like you always do?
(She goes to her desk and switches on the screen)
A: ...
A: And?
B: What, "and"? I always do it like this!
( I switch on the actual MACHINE and it works )
...

Turns out she shared her office with a coworker. he gets in 5 minutes before her every morning and switches her PC on, so she only had to switch on the screen. Sadly, the guy was on vacation that week. There went 25 Minutes of my life :smallfrown:

KuReshtin

2010-03-09, 03:48 AM

The first time I saw this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LLTsSnGWMI) I laughed, because it shows so well what it's like on 'our' side of the phone when someone calls in.

And yes, sometimes, the HOLD button is your best friend. Not like what he's doing, but still.

Lioness

2010-03-09, 04:18 AM

Invokes xkcd (http://xkcd.com/627/)

KuReshtin

2010-03-09, 04:56 AM

Invokes xkcd (http://xkcd.com/627/)
I have that at my desk here at work.

I also used to have the UserFriendly "Customer warning table" but i can't seem to find it anymore.

Totally Guy

2010-03-09, 04:57 AM

There was one time i was working in a department store and a customer approached me and asked for the most expensive duvet we had.

I told him to hold on and I asked for the size of bed and whether he wanted a high tog rating for winter or anything like that.

I then led him to the duvet. It was a fine egyptian cotton, box construction, high tog duvet filled with the down of Siberian geese. It was in a gold box and was £590.

When he saw the price his jaw dropped.

He started asking me questions about other duvets that used Siberian down but without the finest cotton. Then he asked about other duvets that used box constuction, but without the finest down. Then he asked about duvets that fit the same heat tog rating but without the box construction.

Eventually he purchased a synthetic duvet for about £50.

Serpentine

2010-03-09, 05:40 AM

Obligatory linky-poos. (http://notalwaysright.com/)

I've talked about this particular guy a few times: He stank. It was foul. Nauseatingly so. When I was shelving DVDs and he came to look for some to borrow, I had to leave back to the desk because otherwise I was going to be sick. When I went back, after he'd gone to the desk to borrow, his smell was lingering there. Ugh... The real problem was, the guy was one of our nicest patrons :smallsigh: (haven't seen him for ages, now)

The vast majority of library customers are really nice. Almost all will at least have a smile and maybe a bit of small talk (getting really tired of "it's busy today!" and variants, though :smallsigh:). The ones I really like are those who can take a joke, and the ones who are actively trying to improve themselves (like the completely techno-naiive old man who's doing a basic computer course and nicely asked me for help from the start). Interestingly, I've found some of the nicest to be the people in rehab. For example, I made up a new account for a woman. I didn't know what "Freeman House" was, so I didn't say anything about it. Then my supervisor/colleague looked over my shoulder and read that and started flustering about. See, normally, people can borrow up to 30 items, and I told this woman so. But for people from Freeman House (the drug rehab centre), the limit is 5 items. So, my supervisor was telling me to go tell her I was wrong, that for her the limit was 5 items, and that if I needed any help cuz the woman was freaking out or whatever to give her a shout for help. So, a touch apprehensive, I told the woman about the limit... and she joked that it was "in case we run off with it, eh?!" Soyeh, pretty coo'.

Then there was the man who yelled at me for something an absent coworker did, and the rude woman who came in to use the computers for 2 hours (the limit's 1 hour, but I screwed up) and didn't even bring a toy for her extremely loud son...

On my end, I try to be always polite and friendly as a customer or an employee. A smile and a brief acknowledgement (if someone's waiting) can go a long way. The main thing I have trouble with is listening, especially to someone with an accent or a non-English primary language. I'm just not very good at it :smallsigh: Fortunately noone's gotten too frustrated with me yet.

Katana_Geldar

2010-03-09, 05:58 AM

What is it with parents who bring their kids in somewhere and just ignore them, leaving the kids to roam all over the place and bother everyone only to be reprimanded by swearing slap?

Some people just should not have children.

Not to sound old and crusty, but when I was young my parents did tell me how to behave in public as well as say please and thank you.

Jokasti

2010-03-09, 06:15 AM

A personal fail of mine was spilling a cup of coffee on then Lieutenant Governor elect, current Governor of Alaska Sean Parnell while working at a coffee shop in Anchorage AK.

Smooth, man, smooth. I'd watch your back for Swiss Army Knives(Parnell=Night).

Quincunx

2010-03-09, 07:41 AM

An ancient, but still hilarious, email forwarded to me one time.

Caffeine Free Humor

This is a purportedly true exchange that even Monty Python would be proud of.

Here's the background:

Ian works in a coffee, bagels, and sandwiches trailer on the campus of UNH. (The University of New Hampshire, for those not from the East Coast of the U.S.)

Vinnie is his boss and the owner of the truck, and yes, according to Ian, this actually happened.

Ian is telling the story.

Her: Yes, I'd like a milk with some coffee in it.
Me: So, that's just a splash of coffee in a milk?
Her: No, a regular amount of milk, but not coffee.
Me: Is there more milk or coffee?
Her: Oh, definitely more coffee.
Me: So that's a coffee with some extra milk.
Her: Just the usual amount of milk.
Me: A coffee with milk.
Her: Yes.

Me: Anything else?
Her: A little extra milk and do you have coffee with no caffeine?
Me: We do have decaf.
Her: No, I don't want decaf, just some coffee without the caffeine.
Me: Ma'am, that's what decaf means, no caffeine.
Her: Oh, then do you have milk with no caffeine?
Me: Milk doesn't come with caffeine.
Her: Yes it does.
Me: Not that I know of, where do you get your milk?
Her: It doesn't say caffeine free on the milk so it must have caffeine.
Me: Oh, you're right, my mistake, I forgot that we only get the decaf milk. No problem, we have only decaf milk. Anything else?

Her: Do you have any bagels?
Vinnie (who has been listening all along): I'm sorry, ma'am, we're all out of decaf bagels.
Her: Well, what are those? (pointing at sesame bagels)
Vinnie: Those are sesame donuts with extra caffeine added.
Her: I guess I'll just have the coffee.

Her: Do you take credit cards?
Me: No ma'am, cash only.
Her: What about visa?
He: Is that a credit card?
Her: Well, yes.
Vinnie: Is it cash?
Her: No.
Vinnie: Then no, we can't take it.
Her: What about checks?
Me: Cash ma'am, nothing else.
Her: O.K.

Her: How much is that?
Vinnie: Eleven dollars and 45 cents.
Her: Really?
Vinnie: New war in Alaska is ruining the coffee business, plus you wanted the coffee with no caffeine, that's hard to find now, had to grow it myself.
Her: O.K. (proceeds to write a check)

Vinnie: Please leave.
Her: Why?
Vinnie: You're raising my blood pressure, leave now.
Her: But what about my coffee?
Vinnie: Leave and never return.

She leaves, but pays the $11.45 first. Seriously.

KuReshtin

2010-03-09, 09:09 AM

I just remembered an encounter where I short-circuited a Burger king employee's brain.

I ordered something that ended up at a total of £5:65 (or something thereabouts). I first handed over a £10 note, and then added that I'd see if i had the 65p so that I'd not get stuck with a bunch of coins.
Apparently the cashier either didn't hear it, or jusst ignored it, so when i'd checked through my change and found I didn't have 65p in change, but instead had £1.15, I asked if that would help her at all, since i'd then get $5.50 (a £5 note and a 50p coin) back instead of £4.35 (4 £1-coins, a 20p coin, a 10p coin and a 5p coin).
That's when I could actually see the gears in this poor cashier's head grind to a halt, and she just stared at me for a second, and then stared at the extra change I was trying to hand over, and then back at me again.
Then she snapped back to reality, and refused to accept the extra change.

I just took the change back and accepted the handful of change I got from her. No use starting to discussing it further.

Serpentine

2010-03-09, 09:17 AM

I try to do that, on both sides of the counter (like just tonight paying for Chinese food), but it can get annoyingly complicated to work out in your head (I do much better writing these things down. I'm not a quick thinker).

Mercenary Pen

2010-03-09, 09:23 AM

Quincunx

2010-03-09, 09:26 AM

Thursday

2010-03-09, 09:32 AM

Thank all the gods I don't work anywhere near customers anymore, animals are a lot less hassle!

Its just the casual rudeness that gets to you. I used to work in a grocery store (while also a student, to pay bills) about 10 years ago, and actually had a woman say to her husband "I wouldn't listen to him, if he knew anything about anything he wouldn't be working here"
Right in fornt of me. Great.

That was the worst of them, but there were many others. At least the husband had the decency to look slightly embarassed (also she had a really pinched, plummy RP accent (this was in southern England) which I know I shouldn't be prejudiced against but it sounded very OTT in Rural Somerset, and added to the sense of arrogance eminating from the woman.

I still quake with silent rage remembering some of what I got, even a decade on!

Syka

2010-03-09, 10:23 AM

JediSoth

2010-03-09, 10:28 AM

Oh, like the time I was helping my father buy a computer from Best Buy *shudder* and the sales-dude kept suggesting computers other than the one I was looking at based on it having a more powerful video card and processor despite me having explained to him at the beginning that my father intended to use it for e-mail, light word processing and making things in an OLD (Win95 after XP was out) version of Print Shop. He kept going back to how much better the one he wanted me to buy was for gaming.

He was taken aback when I told him (before he asked) that if he offered me an extended service plan, I would walk out without buying anything.

JediSoth

2010-03-09, 10:39 AM

I just remembered a "That Customer" story from when I worked in an office supply retail store (it was eventually purchased by Staples, but at that time, was just a local chain).

A woman called the store, asking for me because I sold her a word processor (not the software, the fancy typewriters with dedicated monitors) that was faulty. Having had some experience with moronic customers, the first thing I asked was "Did you plug it in?" She launched into a tirade of profanity and insisted that I sold her a broken machine. So, I told her to bring it back and we would exchange it for her. I was polite and patient.

About an hour later, she shows up with the word processor and I set it up on the counter, explaining that I have to test it a bit so I can document the problem for the exchange paper work. I plugged the monitor in, hooked it up to the word processor and opened the hatch on the word processor to get its power cord and plugged it in. Everything worked perfectly. She looked at me sheepishly and said, "Oh, you have to plug THAT part in, too?"

*Le Sigh*

KuReshtin

2010-03-09, 11:04 AM

I've had those brain-freeze moments when someone hands me change after I've already put in the first amount they gave me. I'm usually really good with mental math, but when you don't want to mess it up and have to figure out correct change- it sucks.

I am fully aware that messing about with extra change after they've started putting the original note into the register can mess things up, which is why I told her that i'd check to see if I had change for the extra pennies as soon as I handed over the note, so that she wouldn't start punching that into the register before I had a chance to check for the change.

And this wasn't a brain freeze. This was a complete brain melt-down. I literally saw her eyes glaze over and, like I said, I could almost hear the gears grind to a halt as she just totally shut down in incomprehension.

That's why I never pressed the issue when she didn't accept the extra change.
Then again, I'd been in there before, and to be totally honest, this girl had stood out before as having problems when a customer came up to the counter after having queued for a few minutes and already knew what they wanted and answering her questions of "do you want to go large with that?" and "What drink do you want?" before she had a chance to ask them.

Customer: "i'd like a Chicken Royale meal, regular size, coke to drink and an extra chocolate shake, please."
Cashier: *blank stare* *blink* *blink* What drink do you want with that?
Customer: "..."

Mercenary Pen

2010-03-09, 11:13 AM

I am fully aware that messing about with extra change after they've started putting the original note into the register can mess things up, which is why I told her that i'd check to see if I had change for the extra pennies as soon as I handed over the note, so that she wouldn't start punching that into the register before I had a chance to check for the change.

And this wasn't a brain freeze. This was a complete brain melt-down. I literally saw her eyes glaze over and, like I said, I could almost hear the gears grind to a halt as she just totally shut down in incomprehension.

That's why I never pressed the issue when she didn't accept the extra change.
Then again, I'd been in there before, and to be totally honest, this girl had stood out before as having problems when a customer came up to the counter after having queued for a few minutes and already knew what they wanted and answering her questions of "do you want to go large with that?" and "What drink do you want?" before she had a chance to ask them.

Customer: "i'd like a Chicken Royale meal, regular size, coke to drink and an extra chocolate shake, please."
Cashier: *blank stare* *blink* *blink* What drink do you want with that?
Customer: "..."

Yup, that's a classic case of having to rely on the proverbial auto-pilot to do your job- I've seen it plenty of times, and on the really bad days, I've done it because sometimes habit just takes over, especially when you're half asleep or you've got so much to get on with that you don't leave yourself the time to think.

The number of times I've ended up saying goodbye after running through a staff purchase for a colleague, it just doesn't bear thinking about. Luckily, however, I've trained my own autopilot to handle the more sophisticated stuff (like ID checks for age restricted products) fairly well, because otherwise I'd probably have been fired from my job ages ago.

valadil

2010-03-09, 11:31 AM

I've heard from an IT guy I was acquainted with that there are two kinds of calls. The short kind begin with the guy admitting he knows next to nothing about computers. The long kind begin with the guy launching into any kind of detailed explanations.

That's often true, but not often enough for a generalization. I worked helpdesk in college. Long winded explanations were awesome when they provided information. When their sole purpose was to impress the helpdesk technician, that's where the longer calls started. I had one guy who claimed that his floppy disk wasn't broken. It just had a screwed up cipher and that if I gave him the cipher he'd be happy to decode it himself.

When I call up tech support I do give long winded explanations. I'm not trying to make myself sound impressive - I'm trying to give all the information I have. Most of the time the techie's response is one or two sentences long. Often it's of the form "you've tried everything tier 1 support would do for you so I'm going to forward you to my manager." It's rather efficient.

skywalker

2010-03-09, 11:45 AM

I've had those brain-freeze moments when someone hands me change after I've already put in the first amount they gave me. I'm usually really good with mental math, but when you don't want to mess it up and have to figure out correct change- it sucks. Not too mention I've had some people pull some reallllly convoluted changes on me. Like one guy gave me a hundred or something and then 30$ and then wanted this much change back like this, and that much change back like that. It was so confusing. A coworker was also getting confused trying to keep track and later told me when dealing with large bills, if it gets confusing- just give them the original change and tell them you can't do it.

Yeah you gotta remember with these situations (and these kinds of jobs) it's often the cashier's job on the line if they mess it up (or they've been led to believe it's their job on the line). So, despite the fact that customer service is paramount, it is in their best interest to tell you flat out "no" rather than trust your and/or their mental math and fire themselves.

Oh my God, I know the feeling! I had some older customers step off to the side to check their bill and make sure all was right. I hear the lady go "Oh look, she already messed it up.", referring to me. :smallannoyed: They then brought the receipt over and said they should have gotten X object for Y price. Because of a coupon. In our ad. That I didn't know.

Apparently, I should know every single coupon that is in our ad without a customer letting me know that it should be at a discount. :smallmad: It was over like 30C or something.

I mean, I go back and will ask for them to put the coupon in, if I've forgotten to give it/remind them (ie, I told them at the beginning but forgot to make sure they did it) for that much. But I'd never assume it was their fault when THE CUSTOMER NEVER EVEN MENTIONED any coupons.

I think this is a thing with older people. Older cashiers tend to mention coupons a lot more (and give me the discount), and older customers seem to expect them. I think it has something to do with how stores used to be more local (so it was easier for a manager or whoever to explain and layout the coupons), and the younger generation tends not to use the newspaper. Altho personally, if it were my business, you would need the coupon. Like you can't get the discount without having the coupon in hand. Otherwise, how do I know that you didn't merely see the coupon in your friend's newspaper? It's like saying "Well, if I had done the survey, I would've had a coupon for 10% off." Well, you didn't do the survey, so no 10% off. It's that simple. Trying to use a coupon you don't actually possess is foreign to me.

EDIT:
When I call up tech support I do give long winded explanations. I'm not trying to make myself sound impressive - I'm trying to give all the information I have. Most of the time the techie's response is one or two sentences long. Often it's of the form "you've tried everything tier 1 support would do for you so I'm going to forward you to my manager." It's rather efficient.

Yeah, I saw the same statement earlier in the thread but let it go. You have said what I would have far better than me. This is exactly why I explain things in as much detail as possible to Tech Support as well.

Solaris

2010-03-09, 11:56 AM

Ninja, you just managed to solve one of the mysteries of life: the do sell ice cream to eskimos!

Inuits. And yeah, I heard somewhere that Alaska actually buys more ice cream than any other state in the union.
It's 'cause Alaskans are crazy. I won't buy ice cream during the summer, but when it's thirty below? Heck yeah!

What is it with parents who bring their kids in somewhere and just ignore them, leaving the kids to roam all over the place and bother everyone only to be reprimanded by swearing slap?

Some people just should not have children.

Not to sound old and crusty, but when I was young my parents did tell me how to behave in public as well as say please and thank you.

Darn tootin'. I misbehaved in public once. Once. There wasn't a second time.

Don't hand over the big bills first. If nothing else, the cashier locks into dealing with amount A and does not want to suddenly deal with juggling amount B while the register is still going to tally A at the end of the shift, even if the cashier's mental math is capable of juggling coins.

Yeah, the same thing happened to me before, too. I'm not exactly Wile E. Coyote, Supra-Genius, but I can add up sums. The problem is that while I was working the register, I was also keeping track of the fries and everything else in the fryer.
This chick sounded like a definite space case, though. Her auto-pilot needs overhaul.

I have to doff my hat to Solaris' mother for walking the walk after talking the talk. Would've loved to be a fly on the wall while the manager was calling his supervisor over to the store to explain that one.

Yeah, as I recall it was actually pretty funny. My mother was real nice about the whole thing, too, at least once she figured out that the manager was a complete tyro at the job and honestly didn't know how to run the store right. That's unusual for her, as she can very often be that customer if they're that employee.

That's often true, but not often enough for a generalization. I worked helpdesk in college. Long winded explanations were awesome when they provided information. When their sole purpose was to impress the helpdesk technician, that's where the longer calls started. I had one guy who claimed that his floppy disk wasn't broken. It just had a screwed up cipher and that if I gave him the cipher he'd be happy to decode it himself.

When I call up tech support I do give long winded explanations. I'm not trying to make myself sound impressive - I'm trying to give all the information I have. Most of the time the techie's response is one or two sentences long. Often it's of the form "you've tried everything tier 1 support would do for you so I'm going to forward you to my manager." It's rather efficient.

True, but when dealing with the general public (as opposed to a college help-desk, where they're somewhat more edumacated), what's the proportion of people who know what they're doing as compared to the people who think they know what they're doing? I honestly don't know, having only heard about IT culture secondhand.

Pyrian

2010-03-09, 11:58 AM

Michael. It's one of the most common names in America. I go to Jamba Juice almost every day, and they always put your name on your order. They also run blenders, frequently at the same time...

Cashier: Can I have your name please?
Me: Michael.
Cashier: Wackel?
Me: Yeah, Michael.
Cashier: Really? Wackel?
Me: That's right, Michael.
Cashier: Okaaay...

Then, they wouldn't give me my order, because the other workers knew I was Michael, not Wackel. :smalltongue:

Mostly, they just know my name, because I'm there so often. But asking is a habit, so I'm frequently asked anyway. One time in particular, though, I was asked:

Cashier: Can I have your name, please, Michael?
Me: Umm... Bob.

And don't get me started on cashiers who cannot spell Michael. I've had michelle, mitchell, and my favorite, "My Coal" - even the person reading off the order was like :smallconfused: and then I walked up and they were like, "oooh, I get it..."

Syka

2010-03-09, 12:09 PM

That's the thing...All coupons I know of, I'll give people- regardless of if they mention it or not. I try to know the coupons. But with everything else in my life, I can't remember the dozens of coupons in our weekly ad plus the monthly coupon book. I just can't. I try but it's impossible. Hell, most of the time I'll tell people "Hey, this is a BOGO, go grab another one :smallsmile:". My managers hate it, but I do it because I know I'd want someone to do it for me.

But seriously...acting like I'm an idiot for not giving them a coupon they didn't even mention? Riiiight.

Krrth

2010-03-09, 12:11 PM

Yeah you gotta remember with these situations (and these kinds of jobs) it's often the cashier's job on the line if they mess it up (or they've been led to believe it's their job on the line). So, despite the fact that customer service is paramount, it is in their best interest to tell you flat out "no" rather than trust your and/or their mental math and fire themselves.

If it helps, back when I worked at Wally-World we specifically trained the cashiers not to play the change game. If the customer wanted to give the change up front that was fine, but once the drawer opens they cannot get "change", nor may they give you more or less to even out the price.

Scam artists love finding someone who's willing to try.

On a related note, one of the more depressing moments in my life was when I saw the training program for new cashiers.

It had a half hour long video and computer practice session on how to make change.

Not: If a customer owes $1.87 and gives you $2, how much do you owe them (which is bad enough), but the register says you owe the customer 13 cents. Please indicate how many quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies you would need to give them...

valadil

2010-03-09, 12:21 PM

True, but when dealing with the general public (as opposed to a college help-desk, where they're somewhat more edumacated), what's the proportion of people who know what they're doing as compared to the people who think they know what they're doing? I honestly don't know, having only heard about IT culture secondhand.

General public is probably worse, but you'd be amazed at how little computer knowledge you actually need to get by at a top level university. I think the college helpdesk experience is also a little difference because everyone knows a computer guy on their hall and those people get to service a lot of the little problems so they never reach the helpdesk.

Lioness

2010-03-09, 04:38 PM

RandomNPC

2010-03-09, 05:52 PM

I worked in a produce department at a chain store, customers are great, aren't they?

my boss was always that worker but we had a few of those cutomers to rival working for her.
One guy would use the produce bag people usually put apples or tomatoes in to bag bananas. Not unheard of, but a small minority of people do it, i mean only two or three people who shop at that store, seriously not many at all. Turns out he read all our name tags and would tell the casheir that so-and-so said the bananas were reduced in price to a quarter. it gues like this:
Casheir: calls manager over
Customer: Guy#1 said this is a quater
Manager: calls me up (being guy#1)
me: No, those just came on the truck ten minuets ago, no discount
Customer: Guy#2 said so!
Manager: calls up guy#2
Guy#2: no discount for you!
Customer: Boss lady said so!
Manager: calls boss lady
Boss Lady: No, and hey manager? kick him out.
Manager: hey customer? please leave.
he came back every week, got away with it quite often too.

We had a number of people pick up things that just came in the days shipment and demand more fresh foods, guy#2 from above would just take the one they picked up and another off the sales floor into the back and come back with the same two. He'd hold the complained about one closer to them and they'd 9 times out of 10 accept it as "much better"

People would ask where the restrooms are, i'd tell them to follow the wall the produce department was on all the way to the other end of the store and it was inside the warehouse door on the right. Most of them would walk half the wall and come back complaining they can't find it. After a while i'd just duck in the back after giving directions, if I say all the way down and you go about half and come back to complain, I don't want to hear about it.

I've got lots more, i'll post later.

SoD

2010-03-09, 07:15 PM

Me and my mate at the drivethrough at McDonlads.

Speaker; "And what can I get you today?"
Me; "A small triple cheeseburger meal."
Speaker; "And what do you want to drink?"
Me; "Coke, no ice, thanks."
Speaker; "And is that all for today?"
Me; "No, uh, what do you want?"
Friend; "A large zinger meal."
Speaker; "What did you say?"
Friend; "A large zinger meal."
Speaker; "What?"
Friend; "A large quarter pounder meal."
Speaker; "That's what I thought you said."

Much fun was had.

ninjalemur

2010-03-09, 07:32 PM

Ninja, you just managed to solve one of the mysteries of life: the do sell ice cream to eskimos!
AK actually has the highest consumption rate of ice cream per capita of any state in the US. The natives actually tend to get banana splits. Don't know why.

Shas aia Toriia

2010-03-09, 07:37 PM

This one isn't too bad, but. . .

Shas: Hi, can I help you?
Customer: Yeah, can I get a large coffee, black, with 2 sugars and a milk?
Shas:. . .
Shas: Uh. . .
Shas: You do know that if there's milk in it, its not black anymore?
Customer: Yeah.
Shas: . . .

Deth Muncher

2010-03-09, 07:56 PM

I had a semi-fail while working at Subway a few years back. Every few months, the Navy would come take over a hotel nearby while they were on leave or something, so they'd all rush Subway at lunch. All went well until we got to the vegetables.

Me: Okay, what vegetables would you like?
Navy Guy: I'd like lettuce, onions, pickles and *garblegarble*.
Me: Pardon, what was that last one?
NG: Pepp*garblegarble*.
Me: -shakes head- I'm sorry sir, once more.
NG: Pepproncini.
Me: -quizzical look- Pepper cheese?
NG: -slightly annoyed, but keeping his calm pretty well- Those peppers there, what do you call them?
Me: Oh, banana peppers sir.
NG: I'll have some banana peppers.
Me: Yes sir.

Apparently, up Nawth they call banana peppers pepproncini. I'm from the South. Stupid regional names for food. :smallredface:

Solaris

2010-03-09, 07:59 PM

AK actually has the highest consumption rate of ice cream per capita of any state in the US. The natives actually tend to get banana splits. Don't know why.

I have no idea, but I do know I celebrate the first snowfall by going out and getting a gallon of ice cream.

SensFan

2010-03-09, 08:25 PM

This past summer, my iPod stopped working all of a sudden. It was still under the extended warrenty I got from FutureShop when I bought it, so I brought it back in. I signed the form the attendant filled in saying the damage on the iPod was minor scratches on the screen.
Two weeks later, I get a call from the company that handles their repairs, and tells me that there was significant physical damage to the iPod in the form of a large dent on the back that ruined the harddrive, and it was not covered under the warranty. They tell me they'll send the iPod back to the store, and the store will call me when it gets in.
Two weeks later, I still haven't heard from the store, so I go in. The attendant (I generally don't judge people by looks, but this girl was about 19 or 20, and looked like a complete and total snob who is used to getting her way) tells me that if I haven't received a call, they didn't receive my iPod. I tell her that there's no way it's taking over two weeks for it to be shipped from a city about 5 hours away. She gets very rude with me, and finally only grudgingly agrees to check the computer to see where my iPod is "if it'll get your fat ass out of my face."
Surprise. The iPod has been at the store for a week and a half. So she goes and gets it, reads the slip with it, and tells me they won't cover the product because it sustained physical damage. I point out that I did not in fact cause any such damage to the iPod, showing her the form I filled out and signed that the only damage on it when I brought it in was minor scratches. She points to the dent on the back of it, and says "Sir, that's a dent, not a scratch." We have another long conversation where I politely explain that yes, I know there is a dent, but that as the form says, it wasn't there when I brought it in, and she is once again rude to me and 'explains' that they don't damage the iPods people bring in, and that "the dent was probably caused if you sat on the iPod." At this point I ask to speak to the manager, and am told he will be in the next day. So I leave.
I go in the next day, speak to the manager, and explain that I want to speak to him about why the store isn't covering the repairs. "Ah, yes, Rebecca (the attendant) did tell me about your situation. She says you dropped your iPod, causing physical damage to it, and still expect us to fix it." :smallfurious:

Don Julio Anejo

2010-03-09, 08:50 PM

*snip* iPod *snip* Future Shop *snip*
Which is why I never buy anything at Future Shop anymore. The warranty exists to screw you out of your money, but good luck trying to get anything fixed on it. Also, the salespeople are pushy jackasses who will only help you if you show interest in something that's $500ish or more. Anything cheap, like a cable, and they casually point you in a random direction and snub you off.

skywalker

2010-03-09, 09:09 PM

If it helps, back when I worked at Wally-World we specifically trained the cashiers not to play the change game. If the customer wanted to give the change up front that was fine, but once the drawer opens they cannot get "change", nor may they give you more or less to even out the price.

Scam artists love finding someone who's willing to try.

On a related note, one of the more depressing moments in my life was when I saw the training program for new cashiers.

It had a half hour long video and computer practice session on how to make change.

Not: If a customer owes $1.87 and gives you $2, how much do you owe them (which is bad enough), but the register says you owe the customer 13 cents. Please indicate how many quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies you would need to give them...

Don't worry, I'm designing a solution to this problem.

...

No, I can't tell you about it, then you might steal it!

I have no idea, but I do know I celebrate the first snowfall by going out and getting a gallon of ice cream.

I like eating ice cream in September too! :smallwink:

Serpentine

2010-03-09, 10:12 PM

Autopilot is fun...

My routine generally goes, "Hi, how can I help you?" then "And was there anything else today?" "Have a nice day/good night"

The number of times I've either:
a) Walked up to a new customer, "Was there anything else with that?"
Cue double take on both our parts
b) Walked up to an old customer (One I've already been serving) "Hi, how can I help you."
c) Walked through the cash register to buy my stuff, "Anything else with that?"At work, I always answer the phone with "Hi, Armidale Library, [name] speaking, how can I help you?" (smiling, always smile - they can tell if you don't!). Then at home, I find myself answering the phone with "Hi, Armidale Lib- I mean, [name] speaking". Then after I'm away for a while, I start skipping the "Armidale Library" part at work :smallsigh:

Michael. It's one of the most common names in America. I go to Jamba Juice almost every day, and they always put your name on your order. They also run blenders, frequently at the same time...

Cashier: Can I have your name please?
Me: Michael.
Cashier: Wackel?
Me: Yeah, Michael.
Cashier: Really? Wackel?
Me: That's right, Michael.
Cashier: Okaaay...
...
And don't get me started on cashiers who cannot spell Michael. I've had michelle, mitchell, and my favorite, "My Coal" - even the person reading off the order was like :smallconfused: and then I walked up and they were like, "oooh, I get it..."I know I've mentioned this before, but I'm doing it again :smalltongue: My name is Jessie. Just Jessie. It is not, never has been and never will be Jessica. Yet so often, I have this conversation with whoever I have to call on the phone:
Me: Hi, I need some help with [x].
Them: Okay, what's your name?
Me: Jessie [name].
Them: Okay then Jessica, we just have to...
Me: ARGH! :smallfurious:
If my name was Jessica, I would have said Jessica! Even if it was Jessica, if I introduced myself as Jessie what right do you have to "correct" the name I obviously prefer to go by?!
Conversely, my mother, Roslyn, keeps getting her name shortened to Ros without asking, which annoys the bajeebus out of her.

skywalker

2010-03-09, 10:21 PM

Serpentine

2010-03-09, 10:37 PM

Yes, although it's still rude to contract my name if I've introduced myself with my full name. At least if you're a stranger, especially if you're serving me sorta thing, anyway.

Krade

2010-03-10, 12:07 AM

Apparently, up Nawth they call banana peppers pepproncini. I'm from the South. Stupid regional names for food. :smallredface:

I feel it is important to note here that pepperoncini (yay spellcheck:smallwink:) and banana peppers are NOT the same thing. Something I have found is that a disproportionately large amount of the population for some reason thinks that they are.

I don't know how many of you are familiar with Papa John's pizza, but all of their pizzas come with pepperoncinis on the side and they offer banana peppers as a topping. This would not make sense if they were actually the same pepper.

Pepperoncini
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/40/Pepperoncini.jpg/200px-Pepperoncini.jpg
Banana Pepper
http://scottarbor.com/shoponline/images/banana_pepper_organic_vegetables_austin_seguin.JPG

I also just noticed that Windows IE will correctly spellcheck 'pepproncini' and then turn around and say you spelled 'pepperoni' wrong:smallsigh:

Fiery Diamond

2010-03-10, 12:34 AM

At work, I always answer the phone with "Hi, Armidale Library, [name] speaking, how can I help you?" (smiling, always smile - they can tell if you don't!). Then at home, I find myself answering the phone with "Hi, Armidale Lib- I mean, [name] speaking". Then after I'm away for a while, I start skipping the "Armidale Library" part at work :smallsigh:
I know I've mentioned this before, but I'm doing it again :smalltongue: My name is Jessie. Just Jessie. It is not, never has been and never will be Jessica. Yet so often, I have this conversation with whoever I have to call on the phone:
Me: Hi, I need some help with [x].
Them: Okay, what's your name?
Me: Jessie [name].
Them: Okay then Jessica, we just have to...
Me: ARGH! :smallfurious:
If my name was Jessica, I would have said Jessica! Even if it was Jessica, if I introduced myself as Jessie what right do you have to "correct" the name I obviously prefer to go by?!
Conversely, my mother, Roslyn, keeps getting her name shortened to Ros without asking, which annoys the bajeebus out of her.

Oh yeah. My mom sometimes has problems with people trying to change her name, too. Her name is Vickie. Not Victoria. Not Vicki. Not Vicky. And most definitely not Victoria. It. Is. Vickie.

I can't count the number of times I've seen people address things to my mom or write letters to my mom misspelling her name as Vicki or Vicky. And when my mom was in high school, once when she had to fill out a form requiring her legal name and she wrote "Vickie" they called her down to the office to reprimand her, thinking that her name was really Victoria. *headsmack*

Yes, although it's still rude to contract my name if I've introduced myself with my full name. At least if you're a stranger, especially if you're serving me sorta thing, anyway.

It's also rude to address people by their first names if they introduce themselves by their last names with/without a title. And if you are the one calling them (sales people, take note), I don't care what your company policy is, you address them as "Mr./Mrs./Miss/Ms. (Last Name)," unless they request otherwise.

Telemarketer (to my dad, whose name is David): Hello, David, *blah blah blah*
Or even worse (despite the fact that he does usually go by Dave): Hello, Dave, *blah blah blah*
This is very rude to do

Deth Muncher

2010-03-10, 12:57 AM

I feel it is important to note here that pepperoncini (yay spellcheck:smallwink:) and banana peppers are NOT the same thing. Something I have found is that a disproportionately large amount of the population for some reason thinks that they are.

Grazi! [/Brad Pitt]

Anyway, yeah. I didn't think they were, but who was I to mess with a Navy officer at the age of...oh, probably 16?

Escef

2010-03-10, 01:15 AM

One of my personal misfavorites was back when I worked at a convenience store. This happened several times with several different people. Young looking person comes in and asks for cigarettes. They look young, so of course I card them. They claim to not have ID (more likely they're underage). I tell them I can't sell to them. Do they plead? Do they cajole? Do they beg? Do they offer me a bribe? No, they start swearing at me and threatening me. Yessir, that certainly will make me cooperative. :smallannoyed:

Brainstomper

2010-03-10, 01:17 AM

Back in the 1990's my friend worked for OfficeMax. He was getting a boxed desk for the third tier of the selves. He should have had help and used the lift. However he was doing it on his own. When he fell and the desk (100 lbs) fell on top of him knocking him out for 20 seconds or so and breaking 3 ribs the guest asked him while he was still pinned under the desk "Can we get a different one? It sounded like this one broke."

Brainstomper

2010-03-10, 01:18 AM

Oh yeah there was the underage gang bangers that used to send winos into the sporting goods store I worked at in High School to buy ammmo.

Quincunx

2010-03-10, 05:11 AM

Husband's co-worker just related a story from Tesco last night:
"Do you want a bag for life?"
"**** no, I can't commit to that"
You'll have to supply the heavy Irish accent adding the cream atop that exchange. . .

@inaccurate name badges: I like it! . . .Why didn't I think of that?

Lioness

2010-03-10, 05:30 AM

What's really creepy is when a customer addresses you by name, and you forget you're wearing a badge. It creates a 'Hang on? Why do you know my na- Oh right. Badge."
I generally don't like being addressed by my name by customers, because, while I'm friendly and all that, I'm not on first name terms with anyone. They are sir and ma'am (and the number of times I've overheard my ESL co-workers call a woman 'sir' ^_^). A couple of the higher up powers have discovered a solution to that. A guy called Matt has a badge that proclaims him as William. A guy called Robert is apparently a Stephanie.

Hey, company policy states that we wear a badge to show our name, not that it's accurate. It's really just there for customer complaints, which we don't get a whole lot of (that we're told about, at least)

Serpentine

2010-03-10, 05:49 AM

My sister had an exchange with a friend of mine, whom she'd met once but quite a long time before and had forgotten.

Sister: Hello... >looks at badge< Grace.
Grace (working at chemist): >forgets badge< Oh... Uh... (tries desperately to remember how she knows her) Oh! You're [Serpentine's] sister, aren't you?
Sister: Uh... >pretends she totally just recognised her and remembered her name< Yeah! How're you?

Amiel

2010-03-10, 06:02 AM

Autopilot is fun[...]The number of times I've either:
a) Walked up to a new customer, "Was there anything else with that?"[...]
c) Walked through the cash register to buy my stuff, "Anything else with that?"

-.-

"Would you like fries with that?"

Michael. It's one of the most common names in America[...]And don't get me started on cashiers who cannot spell Michael. I've had michelle, mitchell, and my favorite, "My Coal" - even the person reading off the order was like :smallconfused: and then I walked up and they were like, "oooh, I get it..."

If it helps, Michael really should be pronounced mick-ha-el; less confusion that way.
Also, how do you get Michelle or Mitchell from Michael?...

Pyrian

2010-03-10, 08:40 AM

If it helps, Michael really should be pronounced mick-ha-el; less confusion that way.Oh, yeah, I'm sure that would confuse people less somehow. :smallconfused:

Also, how do you get Michelle or Mitchell from Michael?...I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing the person who keyed it in left out the "a", for "Michel".

toasty

2010-03-10, 09:04 AM

Oh, yeah, I'm sure that would confuse people less somehow. :smallconfused:

I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing the person who keyed it in left out the "a", for "Michel".

Pyrian, if its any comfort, the only people who spell my name (Isaac) correctly and not Issac (which, oddly, my firefox spell checker doesn't mark as wrong, EVEN THOUGH IT IS! :smallfurious:) are my family. And my dad thought it was Issac until he looked it up in the Bible.

What is even more irksome is when people say "Issac" when my name is right in front of them, spelled correctly... like on facebook. Ugh. :smallsigh:

Krade

2010-03-10, 09:14 AM

People like to ask if I'm from Germany. I get that my name is Hans. I know Germany uses Hans a lot. But it is not the only country nor is it the one where it is originally from. That's Scandinavia. I gave up a while ago on trying to tell people this and just give a quick "I'm from down the street."

Amiel

2010-03-10, 09:15 AM

Oh, yeah, I'm sure that would confuse people less somehow. :smallconfused:

When one is spelling a word, or trying to at least, sounding out each syllable is actually extremely helpful. In this case, mick-ha-el is a very close approximation to both how the name should be pronounced (modern pronunciation notwithstanding) and how it is spelt.

You do realise of course, that Israel is actually pronounced Is-ra-el and not Israil? Sammael is Sam-ma-el, not Sammail and so on.

I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing the person who keyed it in left out the "a", for "Michel".

If going by their individual pronunciation, the two are entirely different. Obvious fail is obvious.

Totally Guy

2010-03-10, 09:19 AM

What is even more irksome is when people say "Issac" when my name is right in front of them, spelled correctly... like on facebook. Ugh. :smallsigh:

When I was last at the local Bureau De Change the lady kept calling me Gay instead of Guy. English wasn't her first language but still... that was awkward. At least her co-workers tried to correct her. But she'd then forgotten which pronunciation was right and which one made everyone laugh.

Deth Muncher

2010-03-10, 09:24 AM

When I was last at the local Bureau De Change the lady kept calling me Gay instead of Guy. English wasn't her first language but still... that was awkward. At least her co-workers tried to correct her. But she'd then forgotten which pronunciation was right and which one made everyone laugh.

I've accidentally done that when trying out one of my numerous accents for no reason other than to do my accents. I try to avoid it, lest someone be offended., because it's really hard to explain that you were merely talking in a non-natural accent, not being a hater. O_o

SensFan

2010-03-10, 10:16 AM

Pyrian, if its any comfort, the only people who spell my name (Isaac) correctly and not Issac (which, oddly, my firefox spell checker doesn't mark as wrong, EVEN THOUGH IT IS! :smallfurious:)
Maybe because you're not the only person with that name on the planet, and some DO spell it Issac. Like my cousin.

Pyrian

2010-03-10, 10:18 AM

When one is spelling a word, or trying to at least, sounding out each syllable is actually extremely helpful. In this case, mick-ha-el is a very close approximation to both how the name should be pronounced (modern pronunciation notwithstanding) and how it is spelt.You don't get a "modern pronunciation notwithstanding" allowance. You're taking a common word which most people should recognize (and, usually, spell) and substituting an archaic form which will sound totally foreign to them. That's not going to improve anything.

Syka

2010-03-10, 10:40 AM

Serp, I feel your pain.

My legal name is a full version of the shortened one that I use. However, I have ALWAYS gone by the short version, ever since I can remember. Very few people have insisted upon calling me by my full name (oddly, my Ex's dad and one of my managers...my manager has since changed it to another nickname version of my name, but still not the one I use, lol).

This didn't bug me since people for the most part still call me by my chosen version. Until my current job. Now, for reference, I have worked retail before and my badge had the name I go by. But until my current job, I never had an issue.

Now at least 2-3 times a shift I get asked, "Is that short for (name)?"

"Yes."...which has turned into, "Yes, but I always go by (shorter name)."

It's aggravating because obviously I want to be (shorter name) but people insist upon asking me if it's short for the other name. :smallmad: I kinda get it, since the clientele this time is an older average age than the other store I worked at, and the older the customer the more likely they are to ask. It still get annoying.

I also totally get the auto-pilot. I get so used to the script it's hard to change it for different situations, haha.

Thursday

2010-03-10, 10:49 AM

Serp, I feel your pain.

My legal name is a full version of the shortened one that I use. However, I have ALWAYS gone by the short version, ever since I can remember.

Ditto this pain feeling, I despise the lengthened version of my name with every fibre of my being.
I use the short version to the point that all my published papers etc, everything uses the shortened version, but still there are emails etc addressed to the long name.

It is technically my name though, on passport etc, but I'm going to change that.

Funny thing is, I don't know why it bothers me so much, I really don't, I am (in theory) a rational person.

Solaris

2010-03-10, 10:51 AM

I have a reason for always going by the full version of my name, Steven, while my father goes by Steve. I'm named after my father and that can just get confusing fast.

Maybe because you're not the only person with that name on the planet, and some DO spell it Issac. Like my cousin.

And he spells it wrong. His name may be Issac because that's what's on his birth certificate, but the correct spelling of the name is Isaac. Even looking at the way it's pronounced should clue you in that Issac is the incorrect spelling for the name.
You should see how annoyed I get when I see someone whose name is spelled with etreem kool letterz. Not at them, at their parents. It's not morally wrong, just... stupid.

SensFan

2010-03-10, 11:30 AM

And he spells it wrong. His name may be Issac because that's what's on his birth certificate, but the correct spelling of the name is Isaac. Even looking at the way it's pronounced should clue you in that Issac is the incorrect spelling for the name.
You should see how annoyed I get when I see someone whose name is spelled with etreem kool letterz. Not at them, at their parents. It's not morally wrong, just... stupid.
No, he doesn't spell it wrong. It is pronounced differently than the name Isaac.

skywalker

2010-03-10, 11:48 AM

I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing the person who keyed it in left out the "a", for "Michel".

I'd say by now they're just messing with you. The Starbucks I go to, they always spell my name "Luc" on my cup. I don't know why, they just do.

But other places throughout my life, I've actually gotten people who spelled my name "Luck," which pretty much floors me.

When I was last at the local Bureau De Change the lady kept calling me Gay instead of Guy. English wasn't her first language but still... that was awkward. At least her co-workers tried to correct her. But she'd then forgotten which pronunciation was right and which one made everyone laugh.

Had a foreign exchange teacher (yes, cool, I know right?!) who addressed my friend Joe as "Josh" for the first 3/4 of the school year. It was hilarious.

Funny thing is, I don't know why it bothers me so much, I really don't, I am (in theory) a rational person.

I do find that a bit strange. Like people "lengthen" my name all the time, even when they don't know my legal name is the long version. It doesn't bother me a bit.

And he spells it wrong. His name may be Issac because that's what's on his birth certificate, but the correct spelling of the name is Isaac. Even looking at the way it's pronounced should clue you in that Issac is the incorrect spelling for the name.
You should see how annoyed I get when I see someone whose name is spelled with etreem kool letterz. Not at them, at their parents. It's not morally wrong, just... stupid.

Solaris, keeper of names and the intelligence thereof, has spoken.

Totally Guy

2010-03-10, 11:56 AM

If it's pronounced differently and it's spelt differently then quite clearly it's not the same name. How can there be a conflict?

Mercenary Pen

2010-03-10, 11:57 AM

I'd say by now they're just messing with you. The Starbucks I go to, they always spell my name "Luc" on my cup. I don't know why, they just do.

If I recall, Luc is the French version of Luke... Is there anyone there who might be of French-speaking extraction?

JediSoth

2010-03-10, 11:57 AM

Syka

2010-03-10, 12:02 PM

skywalker

2010-03-10, 12:12 PM

If I recall, Luc is the French version of Luke... Is there anyone there who might be of French-speaking extraction?

No, they just think it's fun.

Thursday, I think it bugs us because we have given someone the name we choose to go by and they willfully ignore it. And, frankly, it's rude when someone does so and it's totally rational to be angry about it.

You know some of us are just having fun. Because names are words, and words are fun to play with. See the "gay vs. guy" thing above.

Syka

2010-03-10, 12:13 PM

No, they just think it's fun.

You know some of us are just having fun. Because names are words, and words are fun to play with. See the "gay vs. guy" thing above.

There's a difference when someone does that (like what my manager calls me, another nickname version) and when someone insists on using the full form because it's 'proper'.

toasty

2010-03-10, 12:30 PM

Maybe because you're not the only person with that name on the planet, and some DO spell it Issac. Like my cousin.

If it truly has a different pronunciation then its not really the same name, is it? :smallbiggrin:

I knew a guy named Elbert. He was Elbert. Not Albert. Elbert. Different name.

RandomLunatic

2010-03-10, 12:53 PM

I used to work at a Dunkin' Donuts that was built into the corner of a gas station. I admit up front that I do not suffer fools very well, and readily became that employeee when confronted with that customer.

Customer: I want a large coffee, light and sweet.
Me: OK, one large, light and sweet. Anything else?
Customer: No.
*Presents drink*
Customer: This is a large.
Me: :smallconfused:...Yes.
Customer: I asked for an extra-large.
Me: No you, asked for a large, I repeated it back to you, and you confirmed it.
Customer: I wanted an extra-large.
*Cue several minutes of back and forth "You asked for a large", "I asked for an extra-large", "No you did not", "Yes I did", etc., culminating in me giving up and getting him an XL just to make him go away. I lost a lot of such arguments that way.*

There is always the classic "I want a coffee" or "Gimmie a large", but this woman took it to a new level.
Customer: I would like a coffee.
Me: How would you like it?
Customer: Hot, you moron! How hard is it to serve a coffee?
Me: Coffee is easy. Mind-reading is hard-you'll have to tell me what size and what you want in it.
Customer: You're a real a**hole, aren't you?
Me: It would take one to know one.
Customer: *Storms out*

I worked the closing shift, and at least twice a week, people would walk in the door at 9:05 PM, ignoring the sign right next to the handle which proclaimed our hours (closing time was 9:00 PM every night), walk up to me as I was cleaning up shop, and ask to be served. Some of them would get real offended when I explained the store was closed and there was no coffee because I was cleaning the machines. But one guy...
Customer: I'd like a latte.
Me: Sorry, I'm closed.
Customer: You don't understand-I'm [franchise owner's] cousin.
Me: Really? Unfortunately, I am still closed.
Customer: Look, I can prove it if you like. *Gets out wallet.*
Me: No, no, I believe you. It does not chage the fact that the latte machine is running its cleaning cycle (Note: It had actaully finished some time ago, but I really wanted to just get out of there), that the register is locked, and I am coutning down the till. I could not serve you even if I wanted to.
As you might infer, I did not have much respect for or loyalty to either company or management.

Then there were the people who came in and tried to scam free food out of me. Since, as previously mentioned, I had absolutely no compnay loyalty, the scams themselves did not bother me. But some of the stories they spun really annoyed me-itis one thing trying to rip off the compnay, but try not to insult my intelligence in the process, m'kay? Take this guy. Now, it was a long conversation (over 10 minutes), and I cannot remember the exact words spoken, so I will just provide the general gist of what was said.

A guy walks into the store and plops a bag of a half-dozen donuts and a half-drunk strawberry banna smoothie on the counter, and asked for replacements. I asked if he had his receipt, which the compnay required for all refunds/replacements. He did not have it. I politely informed him he was SOL.

He was determined. He explained that he had bought the donuts six hours ago at this sotre and they were stale. I pointed out that, in that time, the donuts sitting on my display rack had not magically gotten any fresher in that time, and quite likely the exact opposite had occured.

At this juncture, he started spinning a sob story about how he was absolutely flat broke, and he was burning the last of of his gas to drive the 30 minutes from his home to the store, and then back. And here is where his story fell apart completely-he never said where his home was, but at highway speeds it was at least 30 miles away. Assuming his car got 30 mpg, that was two gallons of gas he was burning. At the time, gas was running at about $3.30 a gallon. A half-dozen donuts cost $5.99. So if his story was true, it would have cost him less to go to his local store and buy a fresh batch of donuts then drive all the way up here in the uncertain of getting free replacements. I pointed this out, and the thing collapsed into a cirrcular rgument which remained stalemated until I called up the store manager, who told me to tell the guy to get lost. Which he eventually did, unhappily.

While the store was small enough that the closing shift was usually handled by one person, I also had the misfortune to get stuck on a couple of shifts with that co-worker, who often became that employee to customers.

Meet Sally*. Sally is the exemplar of the "dumb blonde" stereotype. I apologize to the blondes in the audience, but for Sally at least, it was true. To go with her complete lack of a clue, Sally was also a total canine of the feminine persuasion. You can already see this is going to be fun times.

Technically, Sally worked for another branch in town, but she sometimes got lent to our store when were short-handed. Sally had this curious delusion she was friends with the manager. The manager hated her guts, as did all my co-workers.

Abotu a half hour into our first shift together, Sally takes offense at the way I was looking at her and completely flips out on me. She apparantly thought I was checking her out and took mortal offense, and got on the phone with the manager to complain shrilly about it. In fact, I was waiting for her to move her dumb ***out of my way so I could get some actual work done, since she was displaying absolutely no indication of doing so. Better yet, when her boyfriend came to pick her up that night, he walked up to the counter and started threatening to beat me up. Quite frankly, I would have welcomed the swing, since after six hours in a confined space with Sally, I really, really wanted to hit her, but would have settled for doing it by proxy.

I have no idea what Sally did at her usual store, but I hope for the sanity of everybody involved she was not the cashier, as Sally was utterly hopeless with money. One day, I came in to take over from her. I came in at about 12:30, and she took the till out of the cash register to count it down to $100 and deposit the remainder. Now, when I closed, I got the whole procedure practiced enough it took me about 7 minutes total-the first part, counting the drawer to $100, took me less than 3, at which point it would be ready to put back in the cash register so the next guy could start serving customers. At 12:40, I asked "Uh, Sally, can you hurry it up a bit? We have customers waiting." At 12:45, I went back to see what was takign so long, and offered to help, and she shrieked "Back off! I'm much smarter than you!" Says the girls taking 15 minutes to count to $100. *Roll eyes*.

Another time, this customer comes in, and tries to pay with a $20 bill. Unfortunately, we had been getting $20s all afternoon, so there were not enough bills to actually make change. Sally just froze up, and then asked if was OK for the change to be in coin rolls. When I explained the problem, the woman said she could pay with a $5, but first would need her $20 back. Reasonable enough, but Sally could not grasp this. Which led to a back-and-forth argument, with Sally occaisionally yelling at me to butt out whenver I tried to get the situation resolved, with Sally finally caving in and rooting around the cash drawer, trying to figure out what the $20 was. While her head was down, the customer shot a me a look that asked "Is she for real?". I shook my head sadly, and pantomimed shooting myself. unfortunately, Sally caught me, and as soon as the customer was gone, was on the phone to her "friend" the manager, complaining about my unprofessional conduct in front of the customer. *Le Sigh*

*-Name changed to protect the very guilty.

SensFan

2010-03-10, 12:54 PM

If it truly has a different pronunciation then its not really the same name, is it? :smallbiggrin:

I knew a guy named Elbert. He was Elbert. Not Albert. Elbert. Different name.
Right. But since Issac is also a name, FireFox isn't wrong to now catch it on spellcheck :smallamused:

KuReshtin

2010-03-10, 01:13 PM

Ok, guys. Let's keep the name discussion in the name thread, shall we?

Isak

2010-03-10, 01:34 PM

A couple horror stories from my days at Circuit City...

I used to work as a Computer Salesman there.

One day, I get this middle-aged couple come in and they start looking around at the laptops. I walk over and ask if they need any help or have any questions. They give me the usual response; We're looking to buy a laptop. But they've never had a computer in their life. Ohhh boy. Now; I'm not easily frustrated when it comes to people asking about computers at all... I start showing them some simple things on the laptop (Web browsing, Windows Media Center, things like that). The first question? "How did you do that?". Not about opening all those programs. Not about the OS. How did I move the cursor. These two didn't even understand the concept of a TOUCH PAD. I showed them a few more times; then handed it off to my Supervisor as my shift was over.

This other guy came in every single week, looking for the least expensive laptop we had. Big guy, dressed in a suit, almost a little intimidating looking. And every week; We had already sold out in every store in the area, including the local and regional warehouses. There just wasn't any way to get it. So I'd tell him this every single time, and even show him through our system. One day, he actually threatened me with a lawsuit if I couldn't get this laptop for him. Turns out, he's a local lawyer. It took two supervisors AND my Store Director for him to finally realize that the laptop wasn't able to be found... :smalleek:

One of the most awkward customers I had... Were three guys who insisted on buying a $1200 Toshiba. We had it in stock; and they just wanted the laptop. Cool, why not? We get to the register... They start pulling out $5 bills. $1200 worth of $5 bills. :smallfurious:

KuReshtin

2010-03-10, 01:57 PM

A couple years ago, I was on a trip back to visit the family in Sweden, and on our way back from a friend's 40th birthday party, we stopped at a mall, and I headed into an electronics store to get a new set of headphones for my mp3 player.
Considering I work with computers, I gravitated over to the computer department, just to see what they had, and compare the prices from the UK, and some of the sales people there made me feel almost sick.

I know it's their job to try to sell stuff, and they probably get a commission if they sell lots of stuff, but some of the stuff they came out with was just... infuriating.

One salesman asked a customer what kind of computer she as looking for, and she said she wasn't sure, but it was for uni-work, so mostly word processing, maybe a bit of surfing the web, stuff like that. This guy took that as a sign to introduce her to a laptop that he said was 'perfect' for that type of stuff, because the processor and all the other hardware was excellent to run CAD applications and the latest games and stuff on.
How he would come to the conclusion that she needed a computer that needed to run CAD applications because she said whe wanted a computer that she'd use for word processing and surfing the web, I don't know.

Now, I know from personal experience that I'm a lousy salesman, but to me, that just seemed as if someone were to step into a car dealership and say that 'I just need a car to get from work and back, maybe run to the shop, and that's it' and the sales guy would then try to sell me a people carrier.
If he tried to do that, I'd be really p***ed off.

Thursday

2010-03-10, 06:33 PM

Thursday, I think it bugs us because we have given someone the name we choose to go by and they willfully ignore it. And, frankly, it's rude when someone does so and it's totally rational to be angry about it.

Amen Brother and/or Sister! Preach it!

Thing is, in my case I do feel like I might actually be being a little over the top to to get that annoyed, its only a (reasonably common) name..
But then, -I do. so there it is. I think you are right.

It only builds up slowly deep inside me as repressed rage, so no harm done...

ON TOPIC: what is it about computer salespeople? is it that its something sort of complicated that lots of people don't understand (though that will improve with time) so there are more triicks to pull?

Krade

2010-03-10, 08:04 PM

Well I guess it's time for a dip into my "Horrors from working at Blockbuster" bag:

The store opens at 10. I get there at 9 to do the paperwork, count all the money, run the deposit to the bank (conveniently located across the parking lot), and a few other little things. This all takes pretty much exactly an hour to do so there is no time to spare for pretty much anything.

Its 9:45. I'm in the middle of varifying the tills for the day shift and the phone rings. Pick it up, do my normal "Thank you for calling x, this is y, what can I do for you?" Guy wants me to check something on his account. I say "Okay sir, I'm sorry but I can't check accounts until we open because the computers aren't up yet. If you can call back in 15 minutes I will be glad to help you." Absolutely unacceptable. I need to do this now! After a little more of my explaining how impossible it is to help him and he needs to call back in 15 minutes he demands the number to the corporate office and my name. Easy. I flip through the little roll-a-dex, give him the number and my first name. I then inform him that we are a privately owned franchise Blockbuster and Corporate will just refer him to the Director of Operations who will just repeat what I have already told him.

Him: "What's your last name?"
Me: "You don't need my last name."
Him: "You have to give it to me!"
Me: "Umm... no. I don't. We are are specifically told to not give our last names to customers."

I can't remember what else was said, exactly, but the call didn't last much longer and I was happy for that since it meant I could finish my work before the store openned. He never called back.

RandomNPC

2010-03-10, 09:22 PM

these are all from my wife, who always wears company uniform and name badge:

Customer: Do you work here?

Customer looking at body wash: I can't find my shampoo! did they stop making it?

Customer with back to 16 foot wall of diapers in the middle of the isle: where are the diapers?

Customer: This is 5 for $5, how much is one?

there's also the customers who eat the produce sold by weight and expect the casheir to figure out how much it should cost. a banana peel, half an apple, a bag of grape stems, or cherry seeds. yea.

or the people who don't leave. I remember being under legal age to run the floor buffers (18 i was 15) and the manager telling me to be annoying and follow the customers around with the floor buffer a half an hour after we closed.

Or I remember a good number of posts ago the misbehaving children. again my wife gets to tell me about this one. Every friday (grocery day I guess) these two teen girls run about the store for an hour or so. Every friday the bathroom toilets overflow right after these girls run from the bathrooms and leave the store.

Customers who argue the return policy for fifteen minuets and demand to see a manager. Then the manager they've been talking to folds his hands on the counter and says "Yes? how can I help you?" I don't think they heard me laughing at that one.

Foeofthelance

2010-03-10, 09:57 PM

Don't hand over the big bills first. If nothing else, the cashier locks into dealing with amount A and does not want to suddenly deal with juggling amount B while the register is still going to tally A at the end of the shift, even if the cashier's mental math is capable of juggling coins.

I'm curious, what kind of registers do you use? Ours just pay attention to the final tallies, and can even figure when I've screwed up a credit card. (We have to tell them what kind of card it is, since they aren't plugged into the authorizing machine. As long as the totals for call cards used matches what the register says, it doesn't care, though, if we tell it the wrong card.) Do the ones you use count the bills or something on top of it?

Serpentine

2010-03-10, 10:08 PM

Ditto this pain feeling, I despise the lengthened version of my name with every fibre of my being.
I use the short version to the point that all my published papers etc, everything uses the shortened version, but still there are emails etc addressed to the long name.

It is technically my name though, on passport etc, but I'm going to change that.I carry a copy of my birth certificate around. I've only had to show it to prove I'm not lying about my name a couple of times, but it's a couple of times too many.

My mum's told me a lot about her patients (never with names attached, of course). Like the man who comes in regularly, just to show her his penis. She thinks he's just lonely... And then there's the super-hypochondriac lady. In the middle of the bird flu scare, she came in insisting that she had it. Mum simply asked her "Have you been kissing any chickens? No? Then you don't have it."

Before I started working at the town library there was a guy (I think the guy who keeps sending incredibly ignorant letters to the newspapers) who came in all the time, complained about everything (like the little kids making too much noise, at storytime), and stalked one of the staff members. He was eventually banned. Now half his newspaper letters are criticising the library...

Last story, these guys aren't mean or rude, in fact they were quite friendly (although I think the 40+ year old Iraqi man wanted me to be his girlfriend). They were wandering around the uni library looking for something while I was shelving. So, I offered to give them a hand. Long story short, they had absolutely zero idea of how the Dewey-decimal System worked. I showed them about 4 times, and eventually just found the item for them. It comes so naturally to me, I have a hard time conceiving how someone could have so much trouble with it...

Katana_Geldar

2010-03-10, 10:29 PM

Serpentine, at my local library I have seen people sitting at a table and eating smelly chips. :smallfurious:

Don't they know you don't eat in the library unless there's some sort of function there?

We used to game in there on weekends, but people gave us strange looks.

Serpentine

2010-03-10, 10:33 PM

What are smell chips?

I once got told off by my supervisor-type lady for bringing a hot Milo into the library. I brought it in cuz I'd spent part of my morning tea break on the loo and so didn't have time to finish it, so I brought it in so I wouldn't get told off for spending too much time on my break. As both my colleagues (including/especially her) have brought cups of water or tea or whatever into the library several times before, I didn't think it would be a problem. How very wrong I was :smallsigh:
But the other coworker said he'd noticed her being much grumpier than usual, and thought she might've been going through menopause :smallamused:

Syka

2010-03-11, 12:19 AM

Oh, oh, oh! I remember one.

Sadly, one of my regulars. I thought he was just friendly and all, he was really nice, showed me photos of Civil War Reenactments he did, etc.

Then he moved into Creeper Category. For the record, before him, I've only had one other semi-Creeper and that was while at Movie Gallery (a guy who followed me around while I was shelving asking questions about where I went to school, etc, and finally asking if I had a boyfriend...he was about 10 years older than me...I know, because I'd seen his ID while setting up an account). But that was an isolated incident. Oh no, not this guy.

He took following around the store to the next level. He'd actually touch me. Nothing overtly inappropriate, but I don't like being touched in general and I can handle it if I know you, but I don't consider being my customer 'knowing you'. Especially not while I'm working; my coworkers didn't know Oz was my boyfriend for several months. They knew I had a boyfriend, but since I never hugged him or anything while in the store, they never realized it.

This guy would touch my shoulder or small of my back and leave his hand there. :smalleek: It wasn't quick, it would stay. I'd move away, he'd touch me again.

It got to the point where the next time he'd touch me I was going to say, "That's making me uncomfortable; please stop or I'll get my manager."

I was later surprised to find out he was still allowed in our store at all. He'd done the same thing to almost every single female employee. He also had proposed to one of my (married) managers, and every time he was rebuffed, he'd move to a different one of us.

He seemed to get the idea when I would NEVER come out from behind the counter while he was there (or go back hella fast if I'd been out when I saw him come in) and he's backed off, but there is still that element of Creeper about him.

Good one from Movie Gallery. We started having to call customers if they hadn't been in in X weeks and tell them they had a free rental. Previously, we'd had an issue where a DVD got returned horribly scratched and the lady refused to pay since she claimed she didn't do it. She had to have since we check all DVD's as they come in and as they go out, and it had NOT gone out like that. Well, she got a free rental call.

I forget exactly how it went down, but I got a solid 15 minute rant about how we shouldn't call her if she can't get the rental. Because I couldn't rent to her, period, since she hadn't paid for the ruined DVD.

Can't tell you how many people I had argue with me about late DVD's, too. One lady, who actually had me near tears since I'd been having such a bad day (after she left; I held it back during) surprised the hell out of me by calling back to apologize for being short with me. She'd sworn her husband had returned it. She then talked to him and apparently it had slide under the van's seat. :smallsigh: She made my night by apologizing, though. First and only time that has happened to me.

Krade

2010-03-11, 01:02 AM

I can't remember a single time a customer apologized for being a douche.

Some of you may remember, some years ago, when Blockbuster started doing the whole "No More Late Fees" thing, the franchise store I worked at opted out (since literally 1/3 of that stores profits were from late fees). This happened long before I worked there and the first time I went in after it was suposed to go in effect, I saw the sign on the door stating that the store wasn't doing that before I ever stepped foot into the store. Years later, when I did work there, every. Single. Day, people would claim 'they didn't know' we were different. Generally, if it was under $5 we'd give it them. Once. Ever. If it was more than that, they might get half off.

This caused a lot of complaints. I never understood how people missed the signs that were, at all times, for years been on the front door and each and every one of the registers.

Syka

2010-03-11, 01:10 AM

What's even better...

"But Blockbuster does it!" regarding waiving late fees when you work at Movie Gallery. :smallsigh:

Escef

2010-03-11, 01:15 AM

I can't remember a single time a customer apologized for being a douche.

I recall once, while working at a small, full-serve gas station. It was either a Friday or Saturday night. Was kinda' busy, and I'd been told that customers at the pumps have priority. I'm stepping out of the booth and closing the door behind me as a fellow comes up and asks if he can just go in and get his cigarettes, and I simply reply, "No," perhaps sterner than I meant to.

He retorts with, "You don't know me!" Apparently trying to say I was implying he was a thief.

Just before I step away I reply, "You're right, I don't know you. That's why I can't let you in the booth."

When I got back from the pumps the guy apologized to me. I was rather surprised. I sold him his smokes with no complaint.

Krade

2010-03-11, 01:25 AM

What's even better...

"But Blockbuster does it!" regarding waiving late fees when you work at Movie Gallery. :smallsigh:

I think we have a winner:smalltongue:

Extra_Crispy

2010-03-11, 01:42 AM

Here is one interaction with Microsoft tech support I had

I had to reformat my hard drive on my computer and after installing the windows XP it came up with the activation. Since I did not have the modem hooked up I canceled that and proceded to finish resetting up my desktop and returning my settings. Well I forgot all about the stupid activation and every time it would pop up I was in the middle of more inportant things so I did not get around to doing it online. 30 days passed and my computer was locked, I had to call to activate and get past the lock. I dont remember the exact words but the conversation went like this:

Guy: Thank you for calling microsoft my name is Bob how can I help you. (in a very think Indian accent, no way his name was Bob)
Me: Explained the situation
Guy: Ok you need to activate windows. How many computers is this XP on?
ME: (making the mistake) This one, I used my friends XP disk as I could not find my disk, but it is my product code that came with the computer.
Guy: Well I cant activate the computer. According to the End User Lisence Agreement windows can only be on one computer.
Me: That is fine I have the disk, the computer came with windows so I have a product key and everything. I just cant find my disk right now, so I used my roommates disk to install the program and my product key.
Guy: So how many computers is this program on?
Me: Mine, my product key. I just used my friends disk.
Guy: So your roommate has windows XP on his computer?
Me: Yes
Guy: And you used the same disk?
Me: Yes
Guy: Well if you read the EULA Windows can only be on one computer. As you have broken the EULA I can not activate your windows.
Me: I have not broken the EULA, Have your read it? My computer came with windows, I have a legal copy, I have a product key that is different from others and was ONLY used for this computer. I can not find my disk, I used my friends disk. That does not matter, it is just a program. I used my product key, my legal product key for my computer, one that has not been used by anyother computer. Thus it is legal and fine. I have worked microsoft tech support before, I know this is fine.
Guy: But how many computers is this program on?
Me: (getting frustrated) Just mine, the product key is just for my computer and is only being used by my computer.
Guy: you told me you used your friends disk?
Me: yes, i did. That does not matter.
Guy: According to the EULA windows can not be used on more than one computer
Me: (starting to get snide) So there can be only one computer in the world that uses windows?
Guy: um no
Me: Exactly, the windows program is the same no matter what disk I use. It is the product key that proves that I am not piriating the program. My computer has a product key. I have a legal copy. I just can not find it right now and used my friends disk, the same program on everyones computer, with my unique product key to reinstall windows. Now I just need to have it activated.
Guy: But you used your friends disk, According to the EULA windows can only be on one computer
Me: (having lost it, but being able to just hold in the pure anger) Look you dont know what you are talking about, get me a manager.
After a 5 min hold a manager got on the line, he asked me to explain. The manager spoke perfact english with no accent. I told him the same story about using my friends disk but my product key as I could not find my disk at the time of the install. He said "Is that all, here is your activation code"
I plugged that in and was up and running in less than 5 min after the manager got on the line. Spent 30 min talking to the first employee.

Deth Muncher

2010-03-11, 01:51 AM

Idiocy.

This is why I believe there is a special layer of Hell reserved for outsourced customer service people.

Lioness

2010-03-11, 02:55 AM

Oh, I hate the creepy customers. There was one who came in one day, when I was serving and just about to leave. I asked him what he wanted, and he said "I'd like 200g of her" *points to 20-something year old other customer*. We're both a little creeped out, but I try to stay professional. "I'm sorry sir. I can't serve her." Well, he asked again, and I told him the same thing again. He eventually got his bacon, or whatever it was, and as I was handing it to him he grabbed my hand, held it, and said:
"What are you doing after work?"
Me: "Going home."
"I don't suppose you'd like to come for a drink with me afterwards?"
Me: No. I don't drink.
"Well, you can sit and watch me drink."
Me: "No, sir, I don't want to. I have to go serve the other customers now."

And so I sort of extracted myself. I didn't handle it too well (I should have just told him to get the hell away from me - he had to be at least 40 years older than me), but I was really flustered and shaken. I couldn't actually serve anyone for another 10 minutes, and then when I left I was sort of scared to go outside in case he was waiting for me. He wasn't, thankfully. but he was there the week after. One of the (rather insensitive) male employees, who was there the week before, said, "Hey, L, can you serve this guy?". I reminded him what had happened and ran away out back. I'm still sort of cautious to be working on Sundays, in case he comes back. He really really unsettled me.

If he does come back, I'm going to attempt to get him kicked out. I don't care whether it's a bad attitude to customer service; he's being entirely inappropriate.

KuReshtin

2010-03-11, 04:20 AM

What's even better...

"But Blockbuster does it!" regarding waiving late fees when you work at Movie Gallery. :smallsigh:

I get that kind of comment all the time, only in my case they claim that they should be entitled to get an onsite technician to repair their laptop because 'if you buy a Dell computer, they have onsite warranty on their machines'.
That's when I have to start trying to explain to them that the only reason you get onsite warranty for Dell machines is because you pay extra for it, even if that particular customer might not be bright enough to realise he's paying extra for it.

And of course all the ones who then go on saying that they'll never buy another Lenovo/IBM laptop ever again. Like that's going to make me able to change the warranty entitlement because of that.

Thursday

2010-03-11, 06:56 AM

I carry a copy of my birth certificate around. I've only had to show it to prove I'm not lying about my name a couple of times, but it's a couple of times too many.

Unfortunatly I am lying about my name.. as it is the long one. Gah.
Don't you have anything else? like a library card, or are they really that stubborn?

More generally: When I worked in said grocery store, I also mis-badged myself (as Julian, a name about as far from mine as I could get..) and possibly camped it up a bit as well, you can hava a bit of fun when you don't care about your employer at all and no-one knows who you are.

snoopy13a

2010-03-11, 11:39 AM

Anima

2010-03-11, 01:47 PM

You know, on the one hand Wikipedia is really convenient, but on the other hand, asking such question was more fun before it's arrival. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milo_%28drink%29)

Katana_Geldar

2010-03-11, 06:36 PM

I love Milo, and Otis too. :smallwink:

skywalker

2010-03-11, 07:40 PM

What's even better...

"But Blockbuster does it!" regarding waiving late fees when you work at Movie Gallery. :smallsigh:

Yes, and Blockbuster had serious trouble for it.

Not only do you gain revenue from late fees, but late fees also encourage people to bring things back. When they don't bring things back, other customers cannot pay you money to rent them either. No late fees was one of those really incredible ideas born of the incredibly wrong belief that perfect business is satisfying every customer every time.

Similarly, this is the reason you must pay a much larger cost than simply the replacement cost of a rental if you lose/keep it: You must also cover the forgone rental fees the store would obtain while they are procuring a replacement.

Krade

2010-03-11, 09:00 PM

To be honest, Blockbuster is pretty much screwed anyway due to the popularity of Netflix, and Blockbuster Online can't save the brick & mortar stores from going under. They've already had to cut operating hours so I think it's only a matter of time before physical video stores are a thing of the past.

On topic: Like most of my stories from Blockbuster, I was in charge. The cashier was having some difficulty getting a customer checked out so I went over to see what was up. Guy forgot to bring money. I can tell this dude is on the brink of being pissed off from how long it's already taking and I start going through the list of things we can do and we come to he get's his mom on the phone and gets her credit card # (which, since it was the same card that was used to open the account with, was ok). Easy. I then bring up the account:

Me: Uh... what's your name?
Him: *gives name*
Me: Yeah, you're not authorized to rent on this account.
Him: But it's my mom's account and I have used it before!
Me: Be that as it may, I can't break the rules just because someone else did.
Him: Can you talk to her on the phone?
Me: Unfortunately, no. All changes to authorized renters must be done in person.
Him: *very angry now* What's your name?
Me: *points to name badge* *Gives name*
Him: What's your last name? (sensing a recurring theme here?)
\/*See previous story for the next bit about my last name*\/

Him: "What's your last name?"
Me: "You don't need my last name."
Him: "You have to give it to me!"
Me: "Umm... no. I don't. We are are specifically told to not give our last names to customers."
He writes down my name and leaves in a hilarious huff. The customer behind him actually laughed, and every time he came in after that he would jokingly demand my last name. Good times.

But wait! There's more! About a half hour later he's back! With his MOM! Naturally, I'm as polite as possibly while I try to hide the smirk because this "adult" cried to his mom about the whole thing. As I'm processing the transaction we get another priceless conversation:

Him: Do you know who I am? I- *intimidation check: FAIL!*
Me: Let me tell you, I really don't care.
Him: *leaning over the counter* Listen to me you little **** (there was a short string of various expletives I can't quite remember)
Me: *cutting him off* Get out.
Him: You can't make me!
Me: *with hand over the phone* You wanna bet on what the police think?

He grudgingly leaves and a turn to his mother and continue the transaction, making a point to ask if she wanted to add him to the authorized renters on her account. Transaction done, one customer happy, another put in his smug place. That was the only time I ever had to put my foot down on a customer. I wish there was a way to screen customers for infantile rage. This dude was at least in his mid-twenties when this was happened. I was 19. It was awesome.

icastflare!

2010-03-11, 09:16 PM

I worked as a clerk in a smoothie shop and the customers were nice except for a real bright ones

-We have a policy that we can write down what they order, we show it too them, and they sign it. It makes sure they cant get the order mixed up. If it is our fault, we have proof of that matter that this was their order. This one guy kep ordering a banana smoothie the go " I ordered a rasberry, kiwi, orange, or sometihng of the mix." We showed him that he signed for a banana and he would yell " ITS *********** WRONG!!!" He would do this everyother weekend or so. It went on till he left the state

.

Partof1

2010-03-11, 09:18 PM

I'm kind of worried about when I get a job dealing with customers. I'm a pretty polite person, but people who feel entitled to things bother me. I have to wonder how civilly I can put my foot down.

Krade

2010-03-11, 09:26 PM

I'm kind of worried about when I get a job dealing with customers. I'm a pretty polite person, but people who feel entitled to things bother me. I have to wonder how civilly I can put my foot down.

While there are a lot of stories about horrible customers, I wouldn't worry about it. The horrible customers are just the ones we remember. In an earlier post I said that about 1 in 1000 customers are able to see through my mask of civility and can tell that I'm actually a hideous demon from another dimension and they also somehow know that the only way to banish me back into the netherworld is to flip out over some really silly things.

It also depends on where you work and what position you're in. If you are entry level, you won't have to worry about putting down the foot. Other people get paid paid to deal with that. You? No. Manager? Yes.

Syka

2010-03-11, 10:03 PM

skywalker, we actually didn't charge extra at Movie Gallery. If not returned, a movie would be re-rented out to you 3 more times (5 days each time, at the normal rate; actually cheaper than most daily late fees), and then those fee's would be 'waived' and the price of the movie would be charged to your account. If eventually returned, the price of the movie was returned and late fees reinstated. If not returned, one only had to pay the price of the movie.

Also, I loved the customers who would try to get me to rent to them on an unauthorized account. The best was the time some underage kids tried bribing me 120$ to rent an M game, which we can't ever do. One kid was under 17, the other was over but not authorized.

Also, I forgot to tell about that manager. I've had a total of 8 managers. 1 at Movie Gallery, 4 that I started with at Walgreens, and 3 that have been switched out at Walgreens.

Of those, I've only disliked 1. But I have good reason to dislike him. He turns lights off when I'm reading for a class on my break, he's pushed carts into me on purpose, he's thrown stuff at me, knocked my stuff over, and I know he's done this to others. He doesn't straighten his part of the store, he gets pissed if we don't do it for him, he has watched the security footage on his own (a no-no), he has stayed after work alone (another no-no, it happened right before Christmas...we'd been supposed to get out at 12:15am; it was 12:30am and he finally let me go (after I did half of his duties) and he stayed afterward), and he has left the store while the only manager without letting us know (I once had to have the cosmetics girl get him from his car THREE DIFFERENT TIMES because I had customers waiting for returns). Apparently leaving the store was him trying to find his meds (he has Chrone's and it has flare ups a lot), but he didn't even tell us, which every other manager does when they step out.

One of the first few times I worked with him, I was checking a girl out at the second register while he counted down the front. I caught a glimpse of her ID, showing she was underage. After she left, he says to me, "Why didn't you get her number for me?" "'cause she's underage" and thought to myself 'and 'cause you're creepy'. He has also commented on how "chicks are crazy" because of a girl he was dating to me.

He's basically immature and inappropriate. He's 24 and acts like a child. After what happened around Christmas I was very close to speaking with my store manager about him. The only reason I haven't is the fact that I don't really work with him much anymore. Until him, I didn't know what it was like to not like a manager. Even another managers joke about his lack of responsibility, and I don't know a single coworker who likes him on any level.

I don't think I'm perfect by any means, but I let him be a lesson as to what not to be like to my employees.

Also, most of my customers are wonderful, wonderful people. I love most of my regulars. It's just those few who are horrible that make the entire job soul-sucking. Which is sad, otherwise I'd love customer service.

The company also makes it. I loved Movie Gallery, but we also had a lot more autonomy. Most times it was only 1 or 2 people, and I was frequently in charge. Which means if we got an unruly customer, we could kick them out. I mean, I had hissy fits thrown over late fees, but the monsters were few and far between there. I definitely get more at Walgreens, but we also have a higher volume of customers with a wider selection of things to go wrong.

KerfuffleMach2

2010-03-13, 10:37 PM

I work at U-HAUL. For those that don't know, that is a company that rents trucks and trailers for people who want to move. Been there over three years.

A couple of days after last Halloween, I had an extremely rude customer. She kept cutting me short on the questions I was supposed to ask for any rental. She made several sarcastic comments about both me and the process.

Then she leaves this review online.

get employees that have social skills. the young man who waited on me was rude and terse. he wouldn't acknowledge my questions and acted hung over, perhaps too much halloween partying. he watched me struggle with boxes and wouldn't even hold the door for me, in an empty store. if he hates his job that much, he should go elsewhere. when we move again in a month, i will have to go elsewhere. abuse isn't fun. i realize that you can't pay people to care, but to be so obvious about not caring is sad for all involved. a little courtesy would have been nice. this fella need therapy. who knows how many folks he attacked after me ? thanks, rev l newman

I answered every question she asked. I didn't act hung over. Maybe a little tired, but not hung over. She bought three boxes, which weren't very big. And I didn't hold the door for her because she had somebody else with her to do that, and I was getting her truck. She yelled at me for leaving the truck running while I went over a few things with her.

And honestly, this is not the worst I've had. Not even top ten.

Liriel

2010-03-14, 02:07 PM

My mum's told me a lot about her patients (never with names attached, of course). Like the man who comes in regularly, just to show her his penis. She thinks he's just lonely...

This becomes all that much better when you misread it as "She thinks he's just lovely..." like I did. *Scuffs* Sorry, Serp. :smallsmile:

Back on topic: I was covering a lunch break for the Lawn & Garden cashier. These registers have absolutely no counter space, however, the lines are often shorter than those in the main section of the store. So, here it is, 5 minutes left until the cashier is due back when a gentleman walks up with his 4 boys. All five of them have a shopping cart full of clothes. I start ringing them up, knowing this will take forever. My co-worker returns as I'm attempting to get through it all and helps me by bagging everything. (Remember that no counter space thing? Yeah...the bags weren't that easy already open system either since we hardly use any back there. So bagging as I went made it go even slower.) After we've finally managed to get through their entire order...I can't remember how much it was, but well over $500...the gentleman proceeded to pull out his bill clip and pay with $1 bills! Seriously. $1 bills - the mom/wife was a waitress. It took the two of cashiers double and triple counting it to make sure everything was alright. (Double and triple counting became necessary when we lost track when, inevitably, someone would come up to the counter and ask where X is located or some such.) The guys were all extremely polite, but the L&G department was just not the best place for that transaction. And really...a large purchase in only singles?

I also love the customer who bought a huge swing set. Amanda & I are the only ones working, so we have to go out and load this thing ourselves. We're both small girls, but strong enough to do it despite our looks. The guy keeps complaining that us girls are stuck doing the heavy lifting and that we should have some help....but never offers any assistance himself.

When buying something large (like a riding lawn mower) BRING A BIG ENOUGH VEHICLE TO CARRY IT! One time I literally had to start taking the thing apart to squeeze it into every available nook & cranny in this guy's car.

Syka

2010-03-14, 04:04 PM

Liriel, that sucks! You did remind me of one of my favorite customers. He's one of those cool one's you get.

He's a regular at my store, and he's always coming in to buy big bags of candy. Sometime before Halloween he mentioned he was going in to work (it was about 9pm) and I inquired where he worked, since it was pretty late. He named a local...exotic dance venue. It was then I realized why he paid in mostly one dollar bills- I was getting stripper money! :smallbiggrin:

Turns out, he buys the big bags of candy for the girls he works with. I went "D'awww!" when I found that out. He's this big burly guy with tattoo's and stuff whose an absolute sweetheart.

Also to balance out the negativity, there is another regular I have. I had no idea her and one of my other regulars were married for MONTHS because they never came in together lol. I worked Friday night and helped a girl out who said her mom came in all the time (she said her mom's name, which I didn't recognize). The girl is new to the area, and her husband travels a lot, and she was wondering if I'd want to hang out sometime, so I gave her my number. Well, my regular comes Saturday morning and goes, "Oh, X, my daughter, was in her last night! She said she met the sweetest girl!" and that's when it clicked. XD Needless to say, it felt a lot less weird having a customer know my number when I realized who her mom was.

I have a handful of customers like this that I see all the time and adore. They make working there not as bad. :smallsmile:

Katana_Geldar

2010-03-14, 05:02 PM

Mercenary Pen

2010-03-14, 05:07 PM

KerfuffleMach2

2010-03-14, 08:36 PM

I love the people who come to my work and try to rent a truck without a license. I've had one guy try to argue with me that he didn't need one.

One service U-HAUL does is fill propane tanks. We always get people who start to light a cigarette near the propane pump. My manager has actual taken a cigarette from a guy and stomp on it for that. Dangerous stuff there.

One of the regular customers we get for propane is a catering service. One who's been doing catering for quite a few movies recently. Every couple of weeks, they'll have a whole meal for anybody working there that day. Good stuff, too.

Escef

2010-03-14, 09:05 PM

Signs all over the place that say no bills larger than $20, and people drop 50's and 100's on you. Most of the time crap like this happened I didn't have the money to easily make change for these guys. After a while I started stockpiling ones.

Kid comes in, gets $5 in gas, hands me a 50. "Is this all you've got?" "It's all I have." "No problem." Kid got 45 in ones. Did the same thing to a guy who got 10 in gas and a pack of smokes and paid with a hundred, total came to a little shy of 15 bucks. 85 ones returned. When people got to thinking a gas station is a bank I punished them for it.

Silly Wizard

2010-03-14, 10:10 PM

Although I wasn't the worker that had to encounter that customer, that person was my friend (and a huge jerk). So we were in Wal Mart one night and he was looking around at the computer games. He ends up taking a copy of Left 4 Dead 2 and proceeds to the Returns and Exchanges desk. He tries to return the game, saying he got it from his uncle for his birthday and doesn't have the receipt.

Of course, the guy was like "what?" and told him that the game was never bought. My friend begins to flip out and demands to see the manager. He yells at the manager for like thirty straight minutes, until the manager broke and accepted the return.

He used the gift card he got from the return (they didn't do cash returns) to buy L4D2. Apparently it's easier for him to return an unbought game than to just open the case and take the code for his Steam account.

Serpentine

2010-03-14, 11:00 PM

Ah, I remember one! This lady wasn't bad, exactly, but my God could she talk. 5 minutes before closing, she I think borrowed some stuff, talking the whole time... and then kept on talking. And talking. And talking. We tried to give her some hints that it was time to go, outright stated that we were closed... She'd say "oh yeah, of course!" and then keep on talking. And talking. Until it was 10 past closing and I just left out the front door. And then she followed me. And kept talking. And walked with me down the mall... then after another 5 minutes turned around and walked the other way. She had followed me in the opposite direction to where she had to go just to keep talking to me! :eek:

More positive: there's a family of regulars at that library. The mother's Thai, I think, white father, very cute kids. The little boy, Max, in particular is adorable, and he's absolutely tiny. He's 4 years old, and about 2 feet tall. One week he game in as Batman, and another week as... can't remember who. Then the week before the last open Saturday before Christmas, I told him that he should give me a Christmas present by wearing this great rainbow-coloured hat next week. He didn't and I was sad :smallfrown: So I guilt-tripped him :smalltongue: Anyway, really nice family, and I've been served by them, too - they own an award-winning Thai restaurant. Leon, the father, has delivered food to me a couple of times (a customer knows where I live! :eek:), but unfortunately it's only average :smallfrown: Someday soon I'll go eat in there, I've heard good things about the restaurant proper...

The Linker

2010-03-15, 12:00 AM

I've had no bad customers in my time working side cash for a certain fast-food chain. I don't take orders, but I take the money -- a really easy gig. I usually make the sandwiches, but money-taking is a MUCH less stressful way to get paid for a few hours of work. :smallbiggrin:

Anyway. Like I said, I've had no bad customers, but I've been a pretty bad worker sometimes. Like when a customer gave me a ten-dollar bill for a $4.25 meal, then, after I started getting the change together (five-dollar bill and three quarters) she gives me another quarter. Normally fairly good at math, I flub up and think "oh, alright, she wanted to get rid of that quarter. Now I can credit her a quarter's worth." So I give her TWO quarters. Brilliant. She looks at it, and politely starts to correct me. I see my mistake and fix it, giving her two more quarters. She basically says "that's... uh... alright, thanks!"

It wasn't until just after she left I realized what I had done. She gave me a quarter, hoping for a nice round (ho ho) loonie, and gets three more quarters. She's probably telling stories of that incompetent minimum-wage cashier right now. This will haunt me to my grave. D:

Then there was the customer who paid some $8.45 bill with a veritable handful of coins that he says is about nine dollars. I start making cursory calculations of the mess, then say "uh... so, nine dollars, huh?" and start getting fifty-five cents of change together. "Aw, no, he doesn't know," he says of the son/grandson in the passenger seat who assembled Mount Mint.

This still isn't a bad customer story, really, since my subsequent rough estimations resulted in me short-changing them a bit. I feel bad about that too, but maybe not QUITE as much. :smalltongue:

Krade

2010-03-15, 12:17 AM

There's this one old foriegn lady who comes into my work and complains about something every single time she comes in. It's never even anything big. "The signs are confusing," "Why do you keep moving things around?" "The sign said it was this price," etc. She gets bread from the bakery a lot and will often complain about how it's either burnt (the 'burnt' bread has been, everytime, sourdough; which is tougher than most other breads) or undercooked. She buys single roses and then exchanges them immediately because they aren't quite up to her draconian standards for roses (which makes you wonder why she doesn't pick them more carefully to begin with:smallsigh:).

While none of these things by themselves makes her 'that customer', its the fact that it is everytime she comes in, which is almost everyday.

Mr. Moon

2010-03-15, 07:26 PM

I haven't had that employee, but I do go to that store sometimes.

The local game shop is like many game shops. The only people who work there are men, most of whom are only vaguely aware of the shape and form of a female human beings. What makes this particular store so bad that I only go there when I need the things they sell, and can't make the trip to larger cities with other stores?
Well, partially, it's the general creep-factor I get from that place. Not to mention, my grandma's convinced that "something really bad" was going to happen to me there.

But, what's the most annoying about that store, is the fact that all it's employees are always far too busy painting their models to pay attention to their freaking customers. I swear, I once waited at least ten minutes to buy a deck of Magic cards. :smallannoyed: By the time they even noticed I was interested in buying something, I was seriously considering just walking out with the damn deck, because hell, they wouldn't care.

Liriel

2010-03-15, 09:04 PM

Moon_Called, I know that store! I hate going there too! And then when they finally do notice me (they're anti-MtG and pro-minis) they do that creepy flirting with me....while talking down to me in that 'girls can't know anything about gaming' style. I figure you probably know that type too. :smallannoyed:

Okay, so more than likely it isn't the same store. But it is a similar that store.

I try to avoid the place, but they're the best place to get dice for RPGs and often times their prices on MtG cards are so far off, you can sometimes get a good deal. (Like $1 Undiscovered Paradise after it spiked to $20 most places.)

Once I got a top loader with a pain land, when I got home, I found a 2nd pain land hidden behind the first - didn't bother letting them know it happened. They're too --fill in choice words here.-- They flat out admit they don't know or care about the MtG stuff and crowd. If you point out that they're behind in their pricing and that one card says X price and another says Y price, they'll automatically charge both at the higher price - regardless of which is more correct.

But, yeah....if you're lucky...and willing to search through their junk piles - you can outsmart 'em.

Serpentine

2010-03-15, 09:55 PM

The local game shop is like many game shops. The only people who work there are men, most of whom are only vaguely aware of the shape and form of a female human beings.It always amuses me when I see this sort of thing. My local gaming store* is a family-run business - mother, father, 30-something son. The son's a little awkward, but not the least creepy. We've had some miscommunication about dice ("Hey, do you get dice in?" "Oh, not really. I mean, we can get these sets, but they have d20s and things like that..." I have ordered 'specially various D&D books through you and complained about only stocking 4th edition books, and regularly wander in to have a look at the gaming stock... Why would you think I wasn't interested in those? :smallconfused:) but that's about it. Nice folks.
The other place I've seen, was a stall in the market that was selling D&D and other gaming books. This one wouldn't be relevant, except that the owner was talking about starting a shop in Armidale (more gaming-oriented, to avoid too much competition with the aforementioned hobby store). It was run by a nice semi-hippy sort of guy and his lovely more-hippy (I presume) girlfriend. Again, nice couple, not at all creepy.

*okay, it's actually a "hobby store", with more model trains and boats and jigsaw puzzles than Warhammer and D&D stuff, which could make a difference.

Syka

2010-03-16, 12:24 AM

My local gaming store isn't too bad. But then, I've often gone there either with A. my male friends (they all looked at mini's, I went to D&D, lol), B. a boyfriend (more often than not, it's my dragging them along, once again, lol), or C. my mom and sister (on that occasion, I was wearing a skirt and the store's dog decided to try and sniff up it >< thankfully, it failed).

I've never gotten a creepy vibe, but I've also never gone alone. It probably helps I've seen other girls in there more than once and the guys strike me as fairly social adept. Cool owners, too. Did an interview with him for one of Oz's class videos.

While they aren't the most pro-active employees, there is always at least one employee in the vicinity of the register at all times.

The other gaming store is twice as far away, and I've only been there once, but I'd totally go again. The owner is really awesome and friendly, and the staff is generally friendlier. Plus, it's got a cooler name and where my sister's fiance and his friend's game. :smallwink:

Lioness

2010-03-16, 01:46 AM

There's only one D&D shop in my city, and the guys there are really nice. I don't get creepy vibes from them at all. I often go in with my boyfriend, but just as often go in there alone, and they're polite and smiley and oddly sympathetic at my frustration at the lack of 3.5 books (They've only got the ones they hadn't sold when they stopped making them)
I swear, one of them automatically gets out the dice boxes when I walk in, because I feel bad if I go in and don't get some dice.

Even the other customers, though quite typical gamers and no doubt surprised to see a female in the store, aren't creepy at all. It's awesome.

Mary Leathert

2010-03-16, 02:37 PM

Well, continuing with the game stores, I'll about the one in my city. It's the only one here, and part of a small chain.

It's nice, not cramped at all, clean and actually quite airy. And the staff has always been polite enough, and ready to serve when needed. No creepy vibes whether I go alone or with my female friends.
Part of the reason for this could be that the store also sells manga, which in this country seems to attract a lot of buyers of the young female persuasion. So they're used to girls there. I like manga, role playing games and board games all quite equally, which all they sell, so it's good store for me.

CurlyKitGirl

2010-03-16, 05:22 PM

I've been subject to that employee and that customer - while I was another customer.

That employee was a moron. I was, admittedly, complaining under my breath about the stupidly expensive food under my breath; but that was no excuse to what she did.
Apparently I have a slight-to-strong accent, and I was buying a pasty - I was starving enough to buy one - and she went, "That's a weird accent, where're you from?"
"Cornwall."
"So, you're inbred then?"
" . . . what."
I, just, what? So stunned I walked out of there an didn't even think to complain. I don't think I even really understood what she said until about an hour later.
WHAT?
How can -
I still don't know why she said that. Or how she got away with it. It was in November. Haven't been back there since.

That customer.
Math Friend, Friend Who Does French and I had had come back from a fairly disappointing charity ball, so we were nicely dressed even though it was about eleven o'clock at night and we were in a kebab/chippie.
There were two 'locals' (as far as I can tell, it's a university town, so we weren't all that sure) as well. Math Friend didn't want anything, so FWDF and I had ordered our food when Local Girl said, "You university students then?" We answered in the affirmative and then she asked "Where're you from then?"
Math Friend said, "Hull." (She simplified it - noone ever knows where her village is)
FWDF said, "Liverpool." (She simplified it - people do know where her peninsula is, but she finds it easier to reference the large city)
I said, "Cornwall." (I simplified it - hardly anyone seems to know where my town is even though it's quite well known)
"That in SOmerset?"
((At this point I had a minor brain meltdown - how can she not know the counties of the country?))
After a few seconds I said somewhat hesitantly, "Cornwall's the most southerly county in the country."
"You've got an uppity accent for such a rural country. You inbred? Bet you lucked out getting here."
I am stunned. Math Friend and FWDF are stunned. The two (immigrant) shop owners are stunned. They'd served Local Boy and Local Girl with nary a complaint or racial slur, but I do.

My brain has stopped. This was in January. In three months I'd had two complete (female) strangers ask me if I was inbred. Thus inferring that my entire family and county are inbred, idiotic, and a whole host of other slurs and that my accent, dress and being up country makes me a freak (of my county) and something I'm putting on to hide my 'inbred rurality'.
It. What. This is taking that customer and that employee a bit too far.

I'm a nice person normally; affable, happy, easy going and gentle-ish. However, below this moderately thin facade lurks a monster of epic proportions. I can snap out in vile sarcasm, insults, patronisation and general [female dog]ness and worse. Never swearing though. Only once have I ever said the F-word and I promptly got a clip 'round the earhole after I left the bathroom (long story); I just hate swearing. I can say 'damn', 'crap', 'hell' and really small ones like that, but I always apologise afterwards.
Howver, with the latter I was three hairs breadths away from whipping my the swear words my mum inherited from her fisherman father and all her brothers (each of whom was in the army) and cussing a blue streak as wide as America.

I have it within me to be the that customer of all that customers, and likewise for the employee angle. I just try my best not to be person in public. Or at home too often. And never in company even then.

Mercenary Pen

2010-03-16, 06:20 PM

*snip*

With the shopworker at least, you could probably have kicked up a fuss because that's slander, pure and simple. Also, what part of the country is this where they claim Cornwall is inherently inbred? That sort of thing is something no decent person would say in my opinion... I work in a shop myself, and I would NEVER make a personal attack against a customer- I take far too much pride in my work for that (even if there have been customers who easily deserved it).

CurlyKitGirl

2010-03-16, 06:32 PM

With the shopworker at least, you could probably have kicked up a fuss because that's slander, pure and simple. Also, what part of the country is this where they claim Cornwall is inherently inbred? That sort of thing is something no decent person would say in my opinion... I work in a shop myself, and I would NEVER make a personal attack against a customer- I take far too much pride in my work for that (even if there have been customers who easily deserved it).

Oxford.
That's the thing. It was in Oxford. Two universities in one town, thousands of tourists all year 'round.
You kind of expect standards. Y'know, basic politeness.
I was shocked speechless, practically senseless, I even said "Thank you." before leaving. As I said earlier, it didn't even set in for an hour.

And now you know, people who work in Oxford are uppity. Or at least people who work in shops in Oxford.

Mercenary Pen

2010-03-16, 06:59 PM

Oxford.
That's the thing. It was in Oxford. Two universities in one town, thousands of tourists all year 'round.
You kind of expect standards. Y'know, basic politeness.
I was shocked speechless, practically senseless, I even said "Thank you." before leaving. As I said earlier, it didn't even set in for an hour.

And now you know, people who work in Oxford are uppity. Or at least people who work in shops in Oxford.

That is pretty poor. I'll have to bear that in mind in case I ever do decide to make a day trip across to Oxford at some point... I mean, I'm just a short-ish (this is of course dependent on traffic) bus ride across from there.

Has to be said, whilst I do try to be polite and fairly professional at all times, my vindictive streak is a lot closer to the surface than yours, and I would have made those people regret so much as opening their mouths (though I would probably have done so without swearing).

Mathis

2010-03-16, 08:28 PM

So, I worked my way through the last year of High School to save up some money for Uni. Like many other young people I got a job at a local grocery store, doing both the register and other stuff around the store.

Working at a grocery store is a safe bet you will meet that customer, for some reason grocery stores attract them like nothing else. Anyway, this was a fairly small town so I recognized every customer by face and there was a really cool atmosphere whenever I was doing the register, a sort of friendly recognition with everyone who comes by and I could ask customers politely "How are you today" and get honest replies, and they would do the same, generally an awesome place to work. Oh, Im starting to rant...To the Batmob-, uhm point!

There was however this one customer who seemed to want nothing else but act obnoxious and be a general jerk to everyone, especially us young people ( We were a few, and what's up with older people acting smuggly superior towards young people, around 15-20 purely based on age anyway?), even though he had no reason to because I always knew where everything was, every price and I always had a solution to the so called problems he used to find. He didn't look like your regular jerk though, he had a well-groomed beard, wore nice clothes and a fairly classy look all-together.

He did pretty much everything you've already read in this thread, but I think the time he topped it all was when I was in charge of the store for the night, and a friend of mine was sitting in the register ( we closed at 23.00), she's a small rather shy teenaged girl, you know the type. He came in complaining close to closing time that we (the store) had tried to con him by selling him the wrong kind of magazine and he demanded his money returned to him and the magazine he wanted for free. I politely explained to him that he had simply picked up the wrong magazine because they were placed right next to each-other, and that he could just leave his old one and bring the new one with him. He had taken the one from the week before, when he wanted the newest edition. He continued ranting on about the girl trying to con him, angry like I've never seen him before, and to be honest I was already quite fed up with his attitude from several scenes similar to this one. I was on the verge of getting angry myself, adrenaline pumping and heart racing, you know the feeling.

Anyway, what he went on doing now was the worst I've seen done from a customer ever and I hope I will never see anything similar again. He turned away from me and ignored what I was saying, went back to the girl in the register, yelled at her, then spat at her, he actually spat her in the face and called her names I can't repeat on this forum.

This is where I walk up to him, put my hand firmly on his shoulder and said to him in the most manly, authorative voice I could muster with my 18 years that if he didn't walk out of the store within the next 5 seconds I would physically see to it that he ended up on the outside myself. I also picked up my cellphone, told him I was calling the police (I really just dialed three random numbers and faked it). He left after I threatened with the police luckily... Needless to say we closed the store early that night. Unfortunately the girl quit her job and as far as I know havn't worked in a job dealing with customers in the same way since.

Escef

2010-03-17, 12:05 AM

Working at a grocery store is a safe bet you will meet that customer, for some reason grocery stores attract them like nothing else.

I don't know if you noticed this, but everyone eats. Yes, even them. So, it is kind of an eventuality that you see them in a grocery store. :P

Mystic Muse

2010-03-17, 12:57 AM

I don't know if you noticed this, but everyone eats. Yes, even them. So, it is kind of an eventuality that you see them in a grocery store. :P

wait......they don't eat good and regurgitate it as evil?:smallconfused:

THAC0

2010-03-17, 01:07 AM

Ilena

2010-03-17, 04:15 PM

I am sure the cashier who took about forty dollars worth of $1 and swapped it for notes is not going to forget me any time soon. I made the mistake of putting a fifty in a change machine as I had nothing smaller. :smallconfused:

The coins were WAY too big for my purse and had to go in my dice bag, so I had an atcual bag of gold pieces.

I did ask the guy if he minded swapping though, usually shops will appreciate lots of change, just not too much.

I usually do this, well ... not like that but i take money out of the machine and it only comes in 20s, and i need 70 so i ask the cashier if they can change it for 5s or 10s,

But i work in a call center, has for 4 years, and you really have to work in one of these places to understand it i think.

But one of my good ones, i was working tech support for desktops, and lady called in. Went something like this, now mind this was a 40 min call

She. I have an error message on my screen
Me. Well, what is that error?
She. I dont know my screen is black
Me. slightly confused but ok just had a feeling on this one, is thre a little light on the front of it?
She, i dont know wheres the front ....
Me. thinking now, ok no big deal, i discribe the front of a standard monitor, using a variety of discriptions, all of which she just could not find the front, in retrospect i guess i could have said the opposite side from where the cords plug in but oh well, long story short, after attempting to discribe in everyway i could possibly think of to get her to find the front of the monitor she finds it and manages to press the power button, turns on great and fine.

Me. Ok ... now, what does the error say,
She. Detected new hardwear.
Me. Ok ... did you plug anything new in?
She. ya a printer,
Me . (by this time its been 40 50 odd mins, and i probably shouldnt have done this but it was 50 mins and an issue that we dont do) Ok... unplug it, does it fix it?
She. (happy) yes!
Me. Ok thx for calling!

definately one of those calls where you want to say box it up and send back, at least she was a pleasent person to talk to,

so many more but outta time to post :P

oh, and just a general foolish customers, we need 2 serial numbers and 2 product numbers to take care of what we do here, customers have to have all 4, most of the time if they dont no big deal we can find it, but what i find most frustrating is i ask for a product number, and they say, oh do you mean serial number? NO! if i ment it i would have said it!!! :S others just outright give the serial number .... *headdesk* oh well,

RandomNPC

2010-03-17, 05:47 PM

Again with my wife working the grocery store chain.

The Produce puter outer man was stocking a bottom shelf for one of his displays (produce gets a few things in containers they shelve, but shelves in produce sound odd don't they?) While he's sitting on the floor filling up that bottom shelf I mentioned, and here comes a customer who decides it's socially acceptable to ram people with shopping carts. The bruise on his back has been described no smaller than "huge" and other simmilar words. He got up and yelled at her about how he would have moved if she just asked, and management never said a word to him about it. Personally I would have offered him a hammer, but i've got me a violent streak lately.

Another one in produce, one of produce puter outer mans minions. She's got a cart loaded up with boxes of things to put on the shelf and she's got a full box she's starting to put out. Customer approaces and says "Excuse me" motioning with her hands that she'd like to get by. So minion picks up her box and starts moving away, slowly, as the department is crowded. Apparently slow moving is worse than not moving, and the customer starts yelling things, questioning the produce minions intelingece and whatnot. Customer got a nice retalitory yelling at because minion was moving as well as she could. Again, management let it slide.

Way back when, when I was a produce minion, one of my fellow minions had an encounter. There was a watermellon that fell on the floor, and he had a few bags to put it in, a bottle of floor cleaner, and a roll of paper towels. Mid way through the cleanup a customer starts yelling at him because he's not cleaning up the mess right in front of him, and he and all department store workers are idiots that can't find better jobs. He completely ignored her, somehow adding fuel to her rage, but after a moment she stormed off. A few customers tried to console him but he told them he'd rather not talk about it on the sales floor. He started screaming about it as soon as he was off sales floor, all the way to the dumpster we put bad produce in. He goes off about that to this day.

um... i think thats it for now.

Foeofthelance

2010-03-17, 11:26 PM

Problem: Customers rattling the doors before opening are causing damage to the frame.

Solution: Leave lights off before opening time. There's enough natural light mixed with the emergency fixtures for me to work happily.

Problem: Customers call cops on the "prowler" lurking in the store...

Serpentine

2010-03-17, 11:30 PM

Yesterday I was doing some data entry in the offices (job variety FTW!), when I was distracted by a coworker asking, "Are you lost?" To which the American/Canadian lady wandering around said "Lost in a good way, just finding my way around..." Then said coworker got up to help the lady find her way to where she was going, explaining that she was actually in the staff offices, where patrons of the library aren't meant to be and where it is unlikely she would find what she was looking for...

The Linker

2010-03-26, 01:43 AM

I'm taking money at work again. Customer orders a single bacon burger combo, and drives straight from the speaker to my window. She rolls down the window, and cigarette smoke immediately meets my nose, her passenger actively engaged in creating it. The customer looks at me through one eye and says, sleepily:

"...What did I just order?"

True story. :smallbiggrin:

Concrete

2010-03-26, 08:40 PM

I have actually been one of those annoying customers.
I walk into a MC-donalds, roaring drunk at 2am on a friday night, order a coffe, and remain there for four minutes, staring at it, before grabbing the cup, throwing up on the counter, and walk towards the doors(without paying, mind you) and walking straight into a wall. I turn around, screaming that everyone in the place is a wanker, and then, finally, I leave...
Now, in hindsight, I can't really see why nobody stopped me... Also, I have yet to return there...

I also used to have the annoying habit when I buy pizza, to change in my money into 1krowns(about 10Cents), and then pay the exact amount,(aprox 75 sek) but in ones, leaving some poor guy counting money while I keep others waiting.
I'm a ****.

PairO'Dice Lost

2010-04-24, 07:21 PM

A few years back in high school, I worked at a store selling school uniforms for all the private schools in the area for two summers (the job sucked and the other employees were worse, but it was all I could get as a freshman). We had two main types of customers that stuck out in my memory, one very pleasant and one decidedly not.

The first sort were customers whose kids went to the Islamic Saudi Academy, the only Islamic school in the area and one mostly used by Middle Eastern diplomats' families. (I live near D.C., so there are a lot of diplomatic families in the area.) Both the usual clientèle of the store and the other employees were, shall we say, less than socially skilled, so Saudi families always got dirty looks and were spoken of quite unkindly. Being the only employee willing to help "those people" I always ended up serving them. I usually rang them up as well because the cashiers constantly complained about how they just couldn't understand the accent (despite the fact that they were perfectly intelligible), but I digress....

One time, a family that had just moved to the US came in three days before their school started with 12 kids to get fully outfitted. It was a real pain, because the store was crowded and we were short on their uniforms so close to school, but I managed to get them all outfitted, rang up, and on their way. In February, they came in again to get the full summer uniform. In August they came in once again to get a few new uniform pieces. It came up in conversation that it was my last week on the job, and after I checked them out, the father handed me $300 and thanked me profusely for always being so helpful to them, unlike the other people working there. It didn't stop the other employees from being prejudiced asses, but it at least gave them a bit of a comeuppance.

On the other hand, the Hispanic customers buying uniforms for Catholic schools were not nearly as nice. They would always come in and be perfectly courteous when speaking English, then constantly insult the employees, the store, the uniform quality, etc. in Spanish assuming we couldn't understand them. I speak Spanish mostly-fluently but because I look extremely Irish and always gave them a "No idea what you're saying, sorry" look, those customers felt fine insulting me right to my face. It was quite satisfying to see their expressions when I would smile and tell them "Tengan un buen día, fue un placer servirle a usted" ("Have a nice day, it was a pleasure serving you") as they left.

Pyrian

2010-04-24, 08:20 PM

PairO'Dice Lost

2010-04-24, 08:56 PM

Latinos can be really weird that way - I don't understand what makes them think they're so incomprehensible speaking in Spanish right next to the Mexican border here in San Diego. You don't have to be fluent, you'll pick up enough just living here. I suppose it's different when you speak English - you can never expect people won't know - but still.

It's somewhat more understandable up in the middle of the East Coast where you're not within spitting distance of the southern border, but still. It's not as if Spanish isn't the most common second language to learn in school around here, and it isn't as if students aren't likely to learn the swear words of their chosen language as soon as they can :smallbiggrin: so if you walk into a store and start insulting a dozen school-age summer employees in Spanish, you'd have to expect they'd pick up on something.

Winter_Wolf

2010-04-24, 10:29 PM

Interestingly, this is a behavior common to just about anyone who thinks you don't speak "their" language. And it's always said in a happy, smiley way, which I assume is because they think that they're having a laugh at your expense. I got that a lot in certain parts of Asia. I get that a lot from certain groups here in the US. The sweetest course of action, of course, is to join in with them, smiling and laughing, and agreeing with them that, "oh yes, we're just so stupid and ignorant." After which I spend a few minutes expounding on all the flaws of their group and how much they suck. I'm such a diplomat.

I take it as a lesson to either speak well of others, or to insult them in their native language (if I can speak it) just so there's no misunderstanding exactly what I'm doing. I'm polite as a rule, until I run into an a-hole. I figure, well, if you can't be civil, don't expect it from others.

Maximum Zersk

2010-04-24, 10:43 PM

I think it's kind of funny when there's a few people being a-holes about you in a language they think you don't understand. Then, once they're about to leave, say "bye" or "have a nice day" in the language they were just speaking.

PairO'Dice Lost

2010-04-24, 10:57 PM

The sweetest course of action, of course, is to join in with them, smiling and laughing, and agreeing with them that, "oh yes, we're just so stupid and ignorant." After which I spend a few minutes expounding on all the flaws of their group and how much they suck. I'm such a diplomat.
I like the way you think.

I think it's kind of funny when there's a few people being a-holes about you in a language they think you don't understand. Then, once they're about to leave, say "bye" or "have a nice day" in the language they were just speaking.

It was quite satisfying to see their expressions when I would smile and tell them "Tengan un buen día, fue un placer servirle a usted" ("Have a nice day, it was a pleasure serving you") as they left.
:smallbiggrin:

THAC0

2010-04-24, 11:38 PM

I was "that customer" once, but it wasn't my fault, and it wasn't to anyone's face.

I was going through my credit card statement and found a charge to a company that I couldn't remember purchasing anything from. Additionally, the company name was very vague.

So I filed a dispute.

The company did not list an address or a telephone number or any way to get in contact with them to find out who they were, or if they used another name that I might have recognized. Since they didn't have any way for me or the credit card company to get in touch with them, my money was refunded.

Just recently, though, I was at a fair going through the booths and I think I might have figured out what the company actually was - and yes, I did actually buy from them! ...But I'm still not 100% sure, but I feel really bad if I did actually purchase from them but didn't pay... :smallconfused:

Krade

2010-04-25, 12:25 AM

Just recently, though, I was at a fair going through the booths and I think I might have figured out what the company actually was - and yes, I did actually buy from them! ...But I'm still not 100% sure, but I feel really bad if I did actually purchase from them but didn't pay... :smallconfused:

My understanding of credit cards (which is quite limited and is likely false), is that the company is still gauranteed those funds and any refund you got was at your credit card company's expense. So don't feel bad about getting the refund. Credit companies can afford it.:smallbiggrin:

I believe this is because most companies (especially internet based ones) have little to no way of verifying credit card holders. Again though, I could be, and probably am, wrong.

Marillion

2010-04-26, 01:33 AM

I have been that customer twice. Both times, my girlfriend and I walked into a restaurant 15 minutes before they closed. We felt bad doing it, but by the time we both get off work, we kind of have to if we want to have a nice dinner that I don't cook, and I get tired of cooking since that's what I do all day. But! We gave the server $10 above my usual 30% tip, we ordered very quickly, and we ate at a decent pace and left when we were done (as opposed to some people who've done the same thing at my restaurant, finished their food 30 minutes after they got it, and sat around talking for another half hour.)

I don't really have a that customer story, as most of our clientele are very nice regulars. However, some of these people...

Customer: "I want the chicken parmesan, but can I get that with veal instead?"
Server: "Umm...*points to the veal parmesan, which is the very next item on the menu and costs two dollars more*
Customer: "No, I want the chicken parmesan, but with veal instead."
Server: "Umm...It'll be a two dollar upcharge."
Customer: "Ok!"

Something we do at work is 'Parmesana style', which is basically covering the item in mozzarella and throwing it in the salamander for 2 dollars. I once had someone ask to get their SALAD parm style. At first I was all :smallconfused:, but I figured they just wanted raw mozzarella cheese on their salad. Nope. They wanted the salad to be covered in mozzarella...and then thrown in the salamander. :smalleek: It was that exact moment that I lost faith in humanity.