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"The customer is always right," reads customer service rule number one, popularized back in the early 1900s. Is this slogan truly correct, though? I'm pretty sure that anyone who's ever worked in this field has had the pleasure of encountering at least a few customers that were being rude to them for no apparent reason. I mean, we've even made a list of times customers acted like total jerks and got shamed for it.

And even though in such situations, the staff are expected to suck it up and stay collected, there's always a sneakier and a more subtle way to get back. Recently, TikTok user @officialtbw asked fellow customer service workers to share things they've done to a customer who has been rude to them, and started it all by revealing how he sometimes gives people cold butter instead of room-temperature, because he knows that cold butter will rip up their bread. Since then, thousands of TikTok users have jumped on the bandwagon by sharing their own little stories.

Without further ado, Bored Panda invites you to look through a list of some of the funniest, most savage and passive-aggressive ways customer service workers have gotten revenge on impolite customers. Don't forget to vote for your favorite ones and share your own stories in the comment section!

#1

40 Passive-Aggressive Ways To Get Back At A Rude Customer Shared By TikTok Users someone paid me $17 in change while laughing to their friend that I'd have to count it so I lost count 6 times right as I was about to be done countin

lonewolf15mr , Andrew Turner Report

#2

40 Passive-Aggressive Ways To Get Back At A Rude Customer Shared By TikTok Users As a delivery driver I once spent the entire drive en route to a chronically rude customer's house shaking the bottle of soda they'd ordered

apparently_unoriginal , Unknown Report

#3

40 Passive-Aggressive Ways To Get Back At A Rude Customer Shared By TikTok Users I took a deep breath and was extra nice to them. They were so triggered but sounded insane complaining to my boss about how nice I was being

bread_farm , Vinqui Report

#4

40 Passive-Aggressive Ways To Get Back At A Rude Customer Shared By TikTok Users when I was a teacher I had a parent was constantly rude. I told her her baby started walking so she missed her first steps

squeakersyarn , Randal Phoenix Report

#5

40 Passive-Aggressive Ways To Get Back At A Rude Customer Shared By TikTok Users Under blend their smoothies so the little chunks block their straws

ebonymallinson , Kari Sullivan Report

#6

40 Passive-Aggressive Ways To Get Back At A Rude Customer Shared By TikTok Users I'm in heating & air and if they're rude...I tell them it'll take 3 days to get the part for their heater..even though I have the part. be cold karen

mattnj26 , Paul Sableman Report

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Anna roberts
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Worked at a Wendy's in HS. Do not piss of the people while ordering at the drive thru. JS

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#7

40 Passive-Aggressive Ways To Get Back At A Rude Customer Shared By TikTok Users Sprayed fart spray in the isle because they didn't wear a mask and cussed me out when I told them we required a mask

rachaelhendrick , Wikimedia Commons Report

#8

40 Passive-Aggressive Ways To Get Back At A Rude Customer Shared By TikTok Users When I was a cashier if anyone came to my register on the phone I always talked to them loudly to make it harder for them to talk on the phone

k_serasarah , Wikimedia Commons Report

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#9

40 Passive-Aggressive Ways To Get Back At A Rude Customer Shared By TikTok Users allow them to put their card in to pay and hit escape so they have to do it again. repeat until I feel better

fiercemel , Unknown Report

#10

40 Passive-Aggressive Ways To Get Back At A Rude Customer Shared By TikTok Users If they threw their money at me to pay, I'd throw their change back at them, smile and walk away

mirellesminis , Paulien Osse Report

#11

40 Passive-Aggressive Ways To Get Back At A Rude Customer Shared By TikTok Users I “accidentally” forget to take the sensors off so they have to come back and I can waste their “precious time”

kayraalvarez , Wikimedia Commons Report

#12

40 Passive-Aggressive Ways To Get Back At A Rude Customer Shared By TikTok Users Be nice to the wedding photographer. If you're not I include all the awful photos of you & sometimes even add some weight in photoshop

amzukiwsky , Wikimedia Commons Report

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#13

booked their airplane seat on a 10+ hour flight right next to the bathroom

renroh71 Report

#14

40 Passive-Aggressive Ways To Get Back At A Rude Customer Shared By TikTok Users Used to work at a grocery store, if people were extremely rude to me I would squash their loaf of bread in my hand while packing it in a bag

danirectangle , pixel1 Report

#15

40 Passive-Aggressive Ways To Get Back At A Rude Customer Shared By TikTok Users I put extra, extra hot sauce in their salsa then do not refill their drinks

laelwehnerhill , Maxell Miklós Report

#16

If someone was being very rude to me I would save their number at the end of the day and put it in insurance offers and stuff so they would get calls

amiekleigh Report

#17

I worked in the drive-thru at a Wendy's. rude people got broken straws for their sodas. because nothings more annoying than a cracked straw

rehtaeh.l Report

#18

40 Passive-Aggressive Ways To Get Back At A Rude Customer Shared By TikTok Users she payed me in ones.... i checked each and everyone up to the light

clarak19 , Unknown Report

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#19

Sometimes if they get kids meals, I'll give each one a different toy so maybe the kids will fight over it and annoy the parents

rhyanrose1 Report

#20

I've given a tip back and said “ you clearly need this more than I do”

miss_struff Report

#21

40 Passive-Aggressive Ways To Get Back At A Rude Customer Shared By TikTok Users I work at a deli and when I customer is being a Karen I'll squish the cheese together after I slice it so it's impossible to separate later

mickmoo420 , Unknown Report

#22

One time I gave someone their 99 cents change back in nickels and pennies because “that's all we had in store at the moment”

kristachuu Report

#23

I put them on my “don't take cake from her” contact list so when they call, i always tell them I'm booked

bakemydaymimo Report

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Stille20
Community Member
3 years ago

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That assumes you can afford to lose money just to screw them .. and maybe you can

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#24

I worked at Verizon and I would make sure a little dust got under their glass screen protector on their phone

rebeca68r Report

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#26

I work at a restaurant and I made a lady wait the entire 40 minute wait time we quoted her even tho her table was ready in 20 minutes

kaiteeliz Report

#27

I used to work at a coffee shop and if someone was rude to me, I wouldn't stir their coffee so that all the sugar would just sit at the bottom!

_brendalc Report

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Graham Baker
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

or you could over-sweeten their coffee. because they could stand to be a whole lot sweeter.

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#28

Grocery store worker here and when rude asking To see if a product was in the back politely told him it had been recalled cuz people died

15minofame Report

#29

40 Passive-Aggressive Ways To Get Back At A Rude Customer Shared By TikTok Users I used to purposely put the french fries at McDonald's upside down so it would spill as they pulled them out

_dee_nice_ , Wikimedia Commons Report

#30

Nonchalantly break their candy bars in half as I bagged them

emxiloveyouu Report

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Average Grizzlies Fan
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If this is Kit Kat or Hershey then you are helping them, any other candy and it is just what they deserve

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#31

Not offer whipped cream on their hot chocolate because it's the best and they're the worst

robothive Report

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Average Grizzlies Fan
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm honestly not a huge fan of whipped cream. I know a lot of people that love it though; it's always the most popular thing with the Thanksgiving dessert.

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#32

I don't say a word to them and the person after them I'm alway extra and hyper with them. the look back like huh

mitcheoso Report

#33

If a customer spells their name out to me rudely, I spell it wrong just to make myself feel better

spillinbeans Report

#34

When I worked at a grocery store & ppl would throw their money onto the moving conveyer belt instead of my open hand, I'd let the belt eat the money

megan_brown2012 Report

#35

I work at a bqq restaurant and someone ordered $150 worth of food with no tip and I “forgot” all their bqq sauce oopssss

yasgee1.11 Report

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Piet Puk
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Your boss is the real assh0le here for not paying you an honest salary.

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#36

40 Passive-Aggressive Ways To Get Back At A Rude Customer Shared By TikTok Users When I worked at McDonald's and rude people would ask for extra sauce, I would give them pancake syrup

thekuebz13 , Unknown Report

#37

In a hotel... put them in a room above the parking garage entrance/valet. Also scheduled 4am wake up calls

pooter076 Report

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Id row
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's just going to get one of your co-workers screamed at.

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#38

Left them on hold or mute until they hung up

kissthecreolequeen17 Report

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Ian Koch
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just pushing a hidden comment out of the way. keep scrolling and have a nice day.

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#39

I'm an ultrasound tech...I used the COLD gel even though we have gel warmers

joypompeo Report

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Daisy Chain
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I feel like this is a bit rude, as it's someone's body you are being rude to. Also, if it's a pregnant lady, as a women, I know that hormones tend to skyrocket when we are pregnant.

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#40

Leave them on hold..... for a long time.... and then *accidentally* hung up and turned off my phone for lunch

megbgr Report

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Leonora Roper
Community Member
3 years ago

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Note: this post originally had 50 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.

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