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Guy Shares A Client Interaction He Had That Still Creeps Him Out, Inspiring 35 Others To Share Similar Tales
Interview With Author
Working in retail, restaurants, hospitality, and the like is always… definitely… something.
Besides the long work hours, the tedious duties, and the very often inadequate pay, there’s all these clients to deal with, and not all of them are pleasant and civilized. That’s not say they’re the polar opposite, necessarily, but they are surely far far away from what makes a 5-star client because of their aggression or awkwardness or just flat-out bizarreness.
Image credits: TheBlackNerd
Whatever the case may be, there are loads of stories of less-than-favorable clients from people working in these industries, and one former Starbucks barista has sparked a bit of a story-fest with his tweet recalling a customer interaction that still haunts him to this day.
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#2
Writer, reviewer, and host of the @LowStakesShow, Terence Wiggins, also known as The Black Nerd, went to Twitter to share an interaction with a customer he won’t forget anytime soon because of how haunting it was.
Back when he was working at Starbucks, one day he was cleaning the restrooms and knocked on the women’s restroom door to check if anyone was inside. Lo and behold, there was, but instead of casually saying it’s occupied or something among those lines, he got a very angry “WHO IS IT?”
He also asked folks who worked similar jobs to share their haunting conversations with clients. And boy, did Twitter deliver!
“I usually check my Facebook Memories first thing in the morning and I'm constantly reminded of the years I spent working at Starbucks,” Terence explained the origins of his tweet in an interview with Bored Panda. “I don't remember which memory made me ask the question but I'm sure it was something bad.”
Needless to say, when the tweet started racking up likes left and right, Terence was very surprised when the counter nearly reached 10,000 for both quoted tweets and likes. While he does have a modest follower base, the tweet went beyond the usual metric.
“It just exploded and I started seeing replies and quote-tweets from celebrities,” elaborated Terence.
Stories from workers in retail, restaurants, and the like often circle around customers from hell as most of these places are very accessible to anyone and so the chances of running into a difficult clientele are high. But that’s not the only reason, as explained Terence:
“I think there's a certain type of person who views customer service workers as less-than or someone that they can boss around without any consequences. It's really not most customers, 90% of customers are fine but there's a 10% that have a brain that's a jar full of angry bees and they have to let it out on someone who can't do anything about it.”
#11
As mentioned previously, Terence’s tweet inspired quite a lot of people to share their experiences.
These included everything from exposing mistresses to customers discussing wounds to elderly people shouting gun violence hypotheticals.
And then there was this 6-tweet story by a guy who used to work at a Taco Bell and had a client who was described as a satanic cowboy who took half his order before storming off, then returning after about 20 minutes, getting upset about his other half of the order, which he wrongly remembered, and then chanting in Spanish, while his bodyguard counter-chanted something as well. That one also received over 8,000 likes.
#19
Now, in some cases these difficult customers might just have interesting personality quirks or could just be tired, but in other cases they could also be inherently angry, sad or straight up weird if they act that way in public. So, we asked Terence what his take on this was, and he had this to say:
“I think it could be both. There's harmless people who have weird personality quirks or are tired or some such thing and they will definitely say something weird that'll stick with you. On the other hand, there are people who have some inherent anger or sadness that they've decided to take out on other people and that other person is usually an employee getting paid minimum wage and can't possibly fight back.”
#21
Milady Blue 3 years ago
Schweinhund, actually, is the word you are looking for. It is "Pig dog" and is a pretty potent insult in German.
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Kismet Sarken 3 years ago
2nd week in training for an ISP in the states, first week taking calls. Everything was running smoothly then all the sudden the queue died, like from calls in queue waiting to zero instantly. Single call comes in, I get it. Lady on the line was calling to pay her bill. She said, "I figured I'd get through ". I asked why that was, she proceeds to tell me about a plane hitting a building in NYC. That's how everyone I worked with found out about the happenings of 9/11. We started streaming radio stations to listen. It was devastating to say the least. One of the guys I was in training with, his mother worked in tower 1. Luckily her train ran late that day.
Will Lanni 3 years ago
... Whoah. The last thing that popped into my mind on 9/11 was "I should call customer support, I bet that call queue is short right now!"
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Jessica Allred 3 years ago
This reminds me of when I worked for Comcast and there was a really bad ice storm that knocked out the power for 5 days. Lady called in yelling that her cable wasn't working. I asked if she had electricity and she said no and asked me what that had to do with it. Yup.
Miranda Simpson 3 years ago
Yep. Every day! And ppl nowadays think they can carry their modem around with them & it will just work & get mad it won't & huff "what am I paying you for" well, not for that.
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TheMagness3000 3 years ago
I would've said "I'm sorry sir, but we are still cleaning up the bodies that are obstructing your service line." CLICK
Paula Blohm 3 years ago
On 9/11 our office had the tv sets on. We were not being loud just stunned watching. Our boss was having a meeting in the conference room. He came out and yelled at us to be quiet. Thinking he did not know yet what was happening I told him. He pretty much said he did not care and stormed off back to the conference room and slammed the door. He was encouraged to pursue other opportunities at another company not too long after. Needless to say we were thrilled to see him.go.
Nicole Harnischfeger 3 years ago
It’s incredible how inconsiderate and self-absorbed some people are. To be honest, I think there’s more of these types of people in the world than there are decent and compassionate people. Stay as awesome as you are so we can shift the balance back 😉 have a beautiful day friend!!
Candia Lee 3 years ago
They are just louder and more noticed. There are definitely more good-hearted folks, living quiet lives.
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Fried Mermaid 3 years ago
Once there was a hurricane near the country I live, many of our designers had to stay at home or go to their affected families locations, so we were clearly understaffed. We sent out comms to our clients. This one woman had her deadline extended by many hours, and once I explained her our situation (apparently she either didn't care or didn't read our comm), she said "I understand that you have that situation, but you should have let us know in advance of this kind of things so we can plan ahead"... I guess next time I'll ask Zeus for weekly weather reports
Miranda Simpson 3 years ago
Customers do that to us all the time. Like advance notice of the hurricane or tornado or whatever. Like ma'am the sirens were your warning.
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Evelyn Haskins 3 years ago
You DO know that 'decimated' only means one in ten killed don't you!
Robert Trebor 3 years ago (edited)
Proper Panda Pedant. Bravo. Pedantic is not necessarily bad. Keeps things on track. Look what has happened to " enormity". Used to mean a very great evil. The Holocaust was an enormity. But now it's used just as something big. Bah. NEEDLESS pedanticism is bad.
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Marco Conti 3 years ago
Ever worked at an internet company when the internet goes out? It's like a bunch of marionettes without strings.
Anne Edwards 3 years ago
Have you tried switching it off for a minute then turning it back on?
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Jonathan K 3 years ago
Probably complained that half his employees were deadbeats when they didn't rise from the grave for their next shift
Nicole Normand 3 years ago
Omg, all I understood was that it wasn't your company's fault. Nothing else. Lol.
Emmett O'Brian 3 years ago
We used to get angry day traders saying they were losing "millions" every day their dsl was down. We started saying that dsl isn't a guaranteed service but if you want a guaranteed service a T1 (at the time 1999) was faster and guaranteed. They'd get all exited, "how much does that cost?" Only $1500 a month. "That's way too expensive!" Sir, I thought you said you were losing millions a day, $1500 a month is a small price compared to that.
Miranda Simpson 3 years ago
I deal with this regularly. No electricity? Well we should still somehow get their WiFi up. House under water? Get out their scuba gear.
M. Hampton 3 years ago
Yeah. People die every day, but is that the worst thing in the world? Being a corporate german IT guy has got to be horrible
OK, PSA time.
“Employees are people. They have about as much power in the situation as you do and unless the employee is being an a-hole for no reason, just cool your jets about small things. Your food or drink will eventually get made, you'll eventually get that product you want, there's no such thing as the mythical ‘back room’ where we're just hiding products from customers,” said Terence.
If anything, be kind to your waiters, store clerks and everyone else who makes your life easier.
You can check out everything we talked about in context here, and you can also take a look at Terence’s socials like his Twitter account and his Low Stakes Show podcast as well as his Ko-Fi shop.
#29
Bedlamite 3 years ago
I was in the hospital after appendix surgery, there was another woman in the same room, she was nice enough, but Sunday came around and a whole gaggle of Church ladies came to see her. I was trying (pretending) to sleep until one of them came over to me and laid hands on my head while praying. I'm non-religious, and don't have anything against people who are, but keep your bleeping hands off me. I felt so violated. That was over 25 years ago and I still get pissed when I think about it.
#31
Claire Stanfield 3 years ago
Had a regular who would send back the first side of fries claiming they were 'greasy'. We prepared another side of fries exactly the same way, and they were fine. Every time.
#32
Francesca Annoni 3 years ago
I worked for years in a shop... an Italian luxury underwear brand.. You don't know how many time we had to tell the customers you must try the bottom piece of underwear and swimwear OVER your own underwear... and sometime I found underwear stained..why try underwear if it's this time of the month? Without your underwear?? It was unbelievable ...and disgusting...
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What do you think ?
Heather Sterling 3 years ago
I worked at a car dealership as the night receptionist during college. One night, this lady calls me furiously shouting about how one of my cars is parked in her private parking spot and I need to come get it immediately. Assuming it was one of our loaners I asked for the license plate. She said it didn't have one and so I asked her how she knew it was our car. she replied because the licence plate bracket around the TEMPORARY REGISTRATION TAG had our dealership logo and number on it. After attempting to explain to her 5 times that someone only purchased the car from our dealership and it is their car NOT ours and I can't do anything to come get the car from her parking spot, she let loose the longest string of insults and curses I've ever heard. In the middle of her insult rant, my manager says to me over the phone in the calmest voice, "you can hang up the phone now". No idea that he was listening in on the call, but I'm glad someone else witnessed her ridiculousness.
MikeWheelerFan 3 years ago
How rude! I wonder what kind of private spot she meant though…it was at night so I would assume apartment.
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Michael Borden 3 years ago
I worked part-time at Petco for two years while going to school full time for my B.S. degree in Anthrozoology. On one of my days off, I decided to head up to Petco while bringing my 4yo American Raven for the ride with me. (Legal here in Florida w/proper permit). So I walked into Petco with my Raven perched upon my left shoulder. As I was talking with some coworkers & introducing my bird to them, this older lady approached me with a look on her face that could freeze the balls off a stone monkey. This lady started to get angry & accuse me of practicing the dark and how crows are "Servants of Satan", and how dare I put peoples souls in danger by bringing it to my place of employment. She called the police telling them I was threatening her & others with an exotic "Rabid" bird. (Rabies is a mammal exclusive disease btw folks). I finally had enough and jokingly told the officer I'm pressing charges on her for sheer stupidity, contagious ignorance, and for feeling my IQ drop around her
HWillheums 3 years ago
Off topic, If you had a docile Raven on your shoulder in front of me, I'd just been in awe and stare.... gorgeous creatures. I'd have so many questions....
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D20 Games 3 years ago
I worked retail for 26 yrs. All of the above and then some. I've caught couples, that's right, plural, having sex in the store. I've been (saved) a few times. My last time I told the lady I was a pagen. She looked pole axed. I've found weed 3 times. I've had crazy pregnant chicks, wanted waited on hand and foot, because they were carrying a fetus. Felt bad for the dudes, they looked miserable. Had people tell me they don't believe in global warming, something the government made up to control us. Y'all get the drift. I could tell 1000s of stories.
DocD 3 years ago
When I was a bartender, was serving this over 50 married couple right at the bar. They were enjoying themselves and as they were leaving, the husband asks me if I would like to come over to their house and hang out. I declined, and then he tells me his wife wants to have sex with me. I declined again and they leave. An hour later the husband comes back, tells me his wife will be pissed if he comes back without me, and then offers me $2k - still declined...
DS Mom 3 years ago
Working as a security guard at a factory. One of the big guys comes in, I look up, give a half smile and then look back down. He stops, comes back and starts yelling at me that if I can't give him a full smile then I should not smile at him at all. I apologized and said that I had just lost a loved one. He would not let it go. He kept ranting on about fake people with fake smiles. Okay, whatever you say dude. 🙄
MARS 3 years ago
I use to work as a receptionist in a physical therapy office. I was also an aide. This woman comes in and starts screaming at me about her surgery and pre-op. I don't know anything about this. I explained that we are a physical therapy clinic and don't do pre-ops and the surgeons are in THIS office and not the one she is in. She is screaming at me about it and I tell her straight up, "Lady, I don't know what you are talking about. Stop yelling at me!" I called some staff to come in and she starts going off on "This idiot doesn't know what she is doing!" This "idiot" doesn't work in preop or surgery! Even multiple supervisors came in and told her she was in the wrong place and I wasn't who she needed to talk to. She insisted I was the person. I got up and said, "I'm over this, I'm taking a break." And walked to my car and blasted some music for 10 minutes then came back. The lady was gone and my manager told me, "she was in the wrong place." And didn't even apologize.
Celesta 3 years ago
Another fun Target tale. I was working cashier and had the hiccups. A male customer was next in line with his wife. Without me noticing he left the line, went around behind me and grabbed me from behind yelling. His wife immediately laid in to him and his only response was "but see, her hiccups are gone". Unbeknownst to him, I had been the victim of a violent assault less than a year before, and robbed at gunpoint working at a video store about 3 months earlier. My hiccups were gone, but I was also borderline catatonic from full blown PTSD panic attack. His wife apparently chewed him out the entire time my mamager rang them up and all the way out to the car. I had to be helped to the break room and don't really remember much else.
Celesta 3 years ago
I was working at Target. I had a coworker who was deaf, he worked in the backroom and didn't really walk the store much. Well he was heading back from the break room (front of the store) and I was at the Fitting Room. I hear a woman shrilly saying "EXCUSE ME!" repeatly while stomping after him (passing at least one other worker) to which he's obviously oblivious too. I go over, ask whats wrong. She starts ranting about how she'd been following him from the front of the store, wanting help but he was "ignoring her". I explained he wasn't ignoring her, he waa deaf, so he couldn't hear her. Her response "Well he should have to wear a sign".
Phyzzi 3 years ago
A decade ago I drove city bus and one trip two people were a bit sloppy getting on the bus. As per my training I asked them "just wanted to check where you are getting off in case you fall asleep". "Don't worry, we aren't drunk, we are on cocaine, we won't fall asleep". Needless to say, dispatch was called, I "had to pull the bus over for a few minutes" and these dudes didn't have a clue what was going on until the police got there.
TheWeeb 3 years ago
I have two stories come to mind. First, a guy walked up to my manager and told her "You smell good enough to r@pe, would you call the cops if I raped you?" He was a regular, came every morning. Second, same place, we started serving lunch at 10am but continued serving breakfast until 11, so we kept our signs on breakfast. Someone came through almost at the end of breakfast and said "I want a cheeseburger and bacon cheeseburger" with a couple modifications. That's what I rang him up for. He got to the window and got his food and told me it's not what he wanted. He then specifically said he wanted "number 1 and 2, not these" I was already frustrated and told him that's not what he ordered and payed for, and those weren't cheeseburgers. He tried to complain "well, the signs still say breakfast" and I told him "cause we are still serving breakfast" and he kept b!thing over it. I just walked away from the window and told him someone else could deal with him
Mry Cstl 3 years ago
My DIL works on the phone. She has a white name. She has to talk to people. Sometimes people will start talking to her about things. Sometimes people rant to her about illegals and African Americans .and they go on and on. And they'll say you know what i mean. Not having any idea my dil is Hispanic.
Edward Smith 3 years ago
Worked at telemarketing in the 90s calling people who had cancelled their America Online and tried to get people to reactivate their accounts. I started with our script on one call when the guy on the other end of the phone cut me off. "America Online!!! My wife left me because of someone she met on there! Why in the hell would I sign up for that!" Knowing it was a lost cause, I replied "It is a great place to meet new people." After the profanity and the hang up, I heard my floor manager laughing from across the room. He had been monitoring my call.
Lynn Hixson 3 years ago
As a summer job in high school, I worked in the office where we renewed people's driver's licenses. One day, a man comes in and says he's there for his license. He gave me his name which I thought sounded vaguely familiar, but couldn't quite place. I checked the file for the card for renewable licenses, no card - no license. He insisted, so I looked again. I could see that he was beginning to get frustrated and something in this man's demeanor, or maybe it was my intuition, was giving me a really bad feeling. The Circuit Court Clerk was in court that day and I wasn't supposed to leave the office, but I went to the door to see whether any of the other clerks were on their way back in from lunch. Imagine my relief when I saw the Clerk heading toward the door! She whispered for me get in the back office, that she would take care of the man. Anyway, turned out that, the summer before, he had walked up behind his mother while she was hanging clothes out and shot her with a shotgun.
Phyzzi 3 years ago
(nesting this so they stay together): #2 He'd just been released from the mental hospital, the state had taken his license, and he wasn't supposed to get it back
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Dayna Jennings 3 years ago (edited)
I worked for a popular beauty supply store several years ago. Had a man come in looking for hair removal wax. Told me his dominatress likes it bald down there. I tried real hard to keep a straight face while pointing out the best wax to use.
Hales M 3 years ago (edited)
I had a customer ask me to hold her baby for a moment while she ran to the washroom... it threw me but i tried to be nice and decline but i eventually agreed because she needed to go urgently. She went to the washroom then left the building. My manager told me to wait in the staff room... I held the baby and waited for the cops, flabbergasted that she had left her kid. She got back before the cops got there (about an hour)... she apologised and confessed that she had realised she had forgotten to raise her credit limit so ran to the bank. She was like"She was asleep in her arms and I didn't want to wake her but it took longer than I expected"...my manager (dad of 4) was like "YOU LEFT YOUR NEWBORN WITH A STRANGER FOR OVER AN HOUR!! THE COPS ARE COMING NOW, WE CAN'T LET YOU LEAVE." She tried to snatch her but I kept the baby from her (at my manager's request so that she didn't leave before the police got there). Police took the kid until the father came and arrested her.
Pam Dworshak 3 years ago
I was working the graveyard shift in a convenience store, it was around 2:00 and this guy comes in buys some condoms and asks me if I would like to try out the condoms. I tell him he needed to leave and then says he really needs to use the bathroom and was persistent about it. I tell him to use it and then to leave. When I went to do the restroom cleaning, he had taken care of himself and left his nastiness behind on the floor. I got out the bleach and used about 1/2 gallon to clean it up. The other male customers who used the restroom that night came out and their eyes were watering, but after I explained why they were happy to know that I made sure nothing remained living from the sick SOB.
Amanda Alexandre 3 years ago
Were you alone? Who worked front desk while you cleaned? It must be terrifying to be alone at night with such a creep
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Zoë Butler 3 years ago
I have some crazy customer interactions from working in the grocery store, but the one that will stick with me forever happened recently in my corporate job. I do customer service in grocery distribution now, so I know most of the people that call, but sometimes get an assistant manager or vendor. I answer the phone, and it's a very elderly gentleman on the other end saying he needs to file a life insurance claim for his wife who died in August. It took me about 5 minutes to get him to realize he called the wrong number and there was nothing I could do to help. It was really difficult to navigate, being firm and compassionate, trying to navigate a sad situation I could do nothing to help with. I hope he found the right number. He wasn't a creep, but the situation gave me the shivers, knowing my grandparents are up there in age and will someday have to make the same call...
Lisa Shaw 3 years ago
I worked customer service for a US cable company, the worst one I had was, after a tornado went through an Island community in Texas. Guy calls up and complains that his cable is out, I explained that due to the natural disaster that just occurred and no power on the island there was really nothing we could do to assist him. He went on to explain that he had power because he had a generator and insisted that we send a tech out, which couldn't be done since all but emergency services were barred from getting onto the island. He further explained that the cable box for his street was in his backyard, lines and poles are gone. Told me people all over his property all day, turns out his neighbour had not been seen since before touch down, they were looking for the body and all he was worried about was missing his tv shows! This one still bothers me all these years later.
Nicole A 3 years ago
In high school and college I waitressed. I was horrible - clumsy and forgetful. One day this big executive comes in to close a business deal and I was struggling to open the wine by the table and ended up banging the bucket of ice water onto his lap. I think I was either 15 or 16. I was embarrassed and young and naive. I start scooping the ice off his lap then take the tiny cocktail napkin I had and was trying to rub and pat his upper lap dry. Suddenly he grabs my wrists and says to me in a pained voice to stop. Looking back I realized I was giving this guy a hand job in the middle of a business merger. I was so embarrassed I asked another waitress to take over. Lost out on a huge tip. At least he was decent enough to stop me - I had plenty of very grown men slipping me phone numbers in my apron while out on dates or with their wives.
Amanda Alexandre 3 years ago
Oh, I'm sorry. Sometimes we do everything comes in our mind to fix situations, without thinking it through. I can def6 understand the feeling.
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Jo Choto 3 years ago
I return to my idea that everyone working in customer service should be armed with a taser, and allowed to use it. I think it would radically change the way people behave.
Rocky Mom 3 years ago
Silly. Workers in customer service aren't immune to possibly being irrational, insane people themselves. Same reason why teachers shouldn't be armed.
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Katherine Boag 3 years ago
The OP isnt even that weird, like the number of times people have knocked on the toilet door, ive said 'occupied', and then THEY JUST OPEN THE DOOR ANYWAY im this close to going straight to angry WHO IS IT
Heather Heaston 3 years ago
My first job out of college, I did historical research at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark in Birmingham, AL. My job was to compile comprehensive stories on multiple topics related to the plant, its owners, its workers and their families, but everyone who worked there had to take a turn in the visitors' center now and then. A previously lovely German couple had come in and asked me a lot of questions before heading off on their self-guided tour. On their return they asked some stuff about other stuff to do in the city. Things took an ominous turn when they asked for the location of the Confederate cemetery. I told them there wasn't one. They began to get angry. I explained that the city of Birmingham was founded because of the iron and steel industry AFTER the civil war (my earlier job description's point being I KNEW this aspect of the city's history). They didn't believe me. They said I hated Germans and stormed out.
Brian Bennett 3 years ago
I think all people in retail should get "Danger Pay", you know like they do working on oil rigs and lumberjacks! They only have to deal with mother nature. Retail workers have to deal with the most ignorant, stupid, moronic, uncouth Son of a bitches that walk the earth!
Pamela Sigman 3 years ago
Once while working security at a major league baseball stadium in California, I had a 92 year old lady try to bring in her loaded 45 mm gun into the stadium. It was a sold out game and the lines were long. I felt bad telling her the reasons why guns were not permitted into such a venue and that she'd have to take her gun back to the car and wait in line again to go through bag check. She replied, "can't I just leave it with you until after the game?" Eventually, she took it back to her car... I did give her a hand stamp so she didn't have to wait in the hour long line to get back in...
Anne Duval 3 years ago (edited)
I used to work at a call center answering tv repair calls for circuit city many years ago. I had one caller who had issues with his tv call and I managed to troubleshoot the issue and get it going again. After the tv was fixed he proceeded to tell me his life story and after telling me that he just got divorced for the fourth time he asked me if I wanted to be wife number five. He said he liked my voice and how smart I was. He also asked where I was and under our company policy we have to let them know where our office is located and we also have to tell them our full name so I told him. Not long after that he told me that he was going to go on a trip and come see me. I was terrified that he was going to track me down because he didn't seem like he was all there.
Shreeky 3 years ago
I used to work at Walmart 1st shift as a fresh stalker. One morning after I came in from my 15min break some girl stopped me & asked where she can find the tuna. So I took her to the tuna & looks at them & freaks out cause she wanted the ones with the pull tab. She kept whining about it & tells me to go get some from the back. I told her I would have to find the person who works in groceries to look for her that I worked in a different department. That's when I noticed she kept digging in the back of her shorts scratching her ass. She noticed that I had my nose wrinkle up in disgust, so she tells me her ass won't stop itching & to hurry up on the tuna that she's hungry. When I started to walk away she was smelling her hand that she was scratching with. (Found out she was tweaking & she had to be escorted out she was caught stealing panties🤢) Then a year later I got pennies thrown @ me when I was putting meat out in meat dept cause of another tweeker (my stupid brother unfortunately)
Simon Murray 3 years ago
Once had an old man return an electric kettle. As was policy I had to test it before exchange. I opened it up and it was coated in lumpy black stuff. I asked what it was only to be informed it was beans. He explained his wife was away and he wasn't allowed to used the cooker so he figured, the kettle gets hot. This man was at least 75! Unfortunately I couldn't exchange it and he had to buy a new one
Lindsey Morris 3 years ago
I normally love every Bored Panda article, but this one was so weird. 90% of these were in no way “haunting?”
Lynn Hixson 3 years ago
#2 He'd just been released from the mental hospital, the state had taken his license, and he wasn't supposed to get it back.
kaileesi 3 years ago
What the? 99.9% of these aren't even creepy. OP specifically asked for creepy customer service encounters. I guess reading comprehension surpasses many people.
Amanda Alexandre 3 years ago
The comment section is creepier than the post
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Dl James 3 years ago
I worked in a shoe store in high school and college - same company, different locations. The high school store (late 1970s) was not in the best part of town, but thankfully never experienced harm. One evening a trans woman came in looking for shoes. My managers were both making very derisive comments about her. I was 16/17 y/o and completely embarrassed by their behavior. I happily went to help her & we found 3 pair of shoes she really liked. She asked if I worked on commission. When I answered no, the look on her face was priceless! For the next year or so, when I worked she'd come in and buy several pair of shoes every few months. I also found out that she would ask if I was working & if not, she would not shop there. btw-that company is no longer in business
Emmett O'Brian 3 years ago
Never threaten a public utility. Working in a call center for the phone company. Guy calls up complaining about his bill. Talks to a manager and threatened to fire a rocket launcher at our office. We eventually ended the call with the guy calmed down. A month later a lady called in wanting to cancel her service. It was in her husband's name so he had to cancel. She answered "he can't, you put him in jail!" We looked into the records and it was the guy that threatened to blow us up! We had no idea anyone knew about that call or that the FBI pressed charges.
Heather Sterling 3 years ago
I worked at a car dealership as the night receptionist during college. One night, this lady calls me furiously shouting about how one of my cars is parked in her private parking spot and I need to come get it immediately. Assuming it was one of our loaners I asked for the license plate. She said it didn't have one and so I asked her how she knew it was our car. she replied because the licence plate bracket around the TEMPORARY REGISTRATION TAG had our dealership logo and number on it. After attempting to explain to her 5 times that someone only purchased the car from our dealership and it is their car NOT ours and I can't do anything to come get the car from her parking spot, she let loose the longest string of insults and curses I've ever heard. In the middle of her insult rant, my manager says to me over the phone in the calmest voice, "you can hang up the phone now". No idea that he was listening in on the call, but I'm glad someone else witnessed her ridiculousness.
MikeWheelerFan 3 years ago
How rude! I wonder what kind of private spot she meant though…it was at night so I would assume apartment.
Load More Replies... Michael Borden 3 years ago
I worked part-time at Petco for two years while going to school full time for my B.S. degree in Anthrozoology. On one of my days off, I decided to head up to Petco while bringing my 4yo American Raven for the ride with me. (Legal here in Florida w/proper permit). So I walked into Petco with my Raven perched upon my left shoulder. As I was talking with some coworkers & introducing my bird to them, this older lady approached me with a look on her face that could freeze the balls off a stone monkey. This lady started to get angry & accuse me of practicing the dark and how crows are "Servants of Satan", and how dare I put peoples souls in danger by bringing it to my place of employment. She called the police telling them I was threatening her & others with an exotic "Rabid" bird. (Rabies is a mammal exclusive disease btw folks). I finally had enough and jokingly told the officer I'm pressing charges on her for sheer stupidity, contagious ignorance, and for feeling my IQ drop around her
HWillheums 3 years ago
Off topic, If you had a docile Raven on your shoulder in front of me, I'd just been in awe and stare.... gorgeous creatures. I'd have so many questions....
Load More Replies... D20 Games 3 years ago
I worked retail for 26 yrs. All of the above and then some. I've caught couples, that's right, plural, having sex in the store. I've been (saved) a few times. My last time I told the lady I was a pagen. She looked pole axed. I've found weed 3 times. I've had crazy pregnant chicks, wanted waited on hand and foot, because they were carrying a fetus. Felt bad for the dudes, they looked miserable. Had people tell me they don't believe in global warming, something the government made up to control us. Y'all get the drift. I could tell 1000s of stories.
DocD 3 years ago
When I was a bartender, was serving this over 50 married couple right at the bar. They were enjoying themselves and as they were leaving, the husband asks me if I would like to come over to their house and hang out. I declined, and then he tells me his wife wants to have sex with me. I declined again and they leave. An hour later the husband comes back, tells me his wife will be pissed if he comes back without me, and then offers me $2k - still declined...
DS Mom 3 years ago
Working as a security guard at a factory. One of the big guys comes in, I look up, give a half smile and then look back down. He stops, comes back and starts yelling at me that if I can't give him a full smile then I should not smile at him at all. I apologized and said that I had just lost a loved one. He would not let it go. He kept ranting on about fake people with fake smiles. Okay, whatever you say dude. 🙄
MARS 3 years ago
I use to work as a receptionist in a physical therapy office. I was also an aide. This woman comes in and starts screaming at me about her surgery and pre-op. I don't know anything about this. I explained that we are a physical therapy clinic and don't do pre-ops and the surgeons are in THIS office and not the one she is in. She is screaming at me about it and I tell her straight up, "Lady, I don't know what you are talking about. Stop yelling at me!" I called some staff to come in and she starts going off on "This idiot doesn't know what she is doing!" This "idiot" doesn't work in preop or surgery! Even multiple supervisors came in and told her she was in the wrong place and I wasn't who she needed to talk to. She insisted I was the person. I got up and said, "I'm over this, I'm taking a break." And walked to my car and blasted some music for 10 minutes then came back. The lady was gone and my manager told me, "she was in the wrong place." And didn't even apologize.
Celesta 3 years ago
Another fun Target tale. I was working cashier and had the hiccups. A male customer was next in line with his wife. Without me noticing he left the line, went around behind me and grabbed me from behind yelling. His wife immediately laid in to him and his only response was "but see, her hiccups are gone". Unbeknownst to him, I had been the victim of a violent assault less than a year before, and robbed at gunpoint working at a video store about 3 months earlier. My hiccups were gone, but I was also borderline catatonic from full blown PTSD panic attack. His wife apparently chewed him out the entire time my mamager rang them up and all the way out to the car. I had to be helped to the break room and don't really remember much else.
Celesta 3 years ago
I was working at Target. I had a coworker who was deaf, he worked in the backroom and didn't really walk the store much. Well he was heading back from the break room (front of the store) and I was at the Fitting Room. I hear a woman shrilly saying "EXCUSE ME!" repeatly while stomping after him (passing at least one other worker) to which he's obviously oblivious too. I go over, ask whats wrong. She starts ranting about how she'd been following him from the front of the store, wanting help but he was "ignoring her". I explained he wasn't ignoring her, he waa deaf, so he couldn't hear her. Her response "Well he should have to wear a sign".
Phyzzi 3 years ago
A decade ago I drove city bus and one trip two people were a bit sloppy getting on the bus. As per my training I asked them "just wanted to check where you are getting off in case you fall asleep". "Don't worry, we aren't drunk, we are on cocaine, we won't fall asleep". Needless to say, dispatch was called, I "had to pull the bus over for a few minutes" and these dudes didn't have a clue what was going on until the police got there.
TheWeeb 3 years ago
I have two stories come to mind. First, a guy walked up to my manager and told her "You smell good enough to r@pe, would you call the cops if I raped you?" He was a regular, came every morning. Second, same place, we started serving lunch at 10am but continued serving breakfast until 11, so we kept our signs on breakfast. Someone came through almost at the end of breakfast and said "I want a cheeseburger and bacon cheeseburger" with a couple modifications. That's what I rang him up for. He got to the window and got his food and told me it's not what he wanted. He then specifically said he wanted "number 1 and 2, not these" I was already frustrated and told him that's not what he ordered and payed for, and those weren't cheeseburgers. He tried to complain "well, the signs still say breakfast" and I told him "cause we are still serving breakfast" and he kept b!thing over it. I just walked away from the window and told him someone else could deal with him
Mry Cstl 3 years ago
My DIL works on the phone. She has a white name. She has to talk to people. Sometimes people will start talking to her about things. Sometimes people rant to her about illegals and African Americans .and they go on and on. And they'll say you know what i mean. Not having any idea my dil is Hispanic.
Edward Smith 3 years ago
Worked at telemarketing in the 90s calling people who had cancelled their America Online and tried to get people to reactivate their accounts. I started with our script on one call when the guy on the other end of the phone cut me off. "America Online!!! My wife left me because of someone she met on there! Why in the hell would I sign up for that!" Knowing it was a lost cause, I replied "It is a great place to meet new people." After the profanity and the hang up, I heard my floor manager laughing from across the room. He had been monitoring my call.
Lynn Hixson 3 years ago
As a summer job in high school, I worked in the office where we renewed people's driver's licenses. One day, a man comes in and says he's there for his license. He gave me his name which I thought sounded vaguely familiar, but couldn't quite place. I checked the file for the card for renewable licenses, no card - no license. He insisted, so I looked again. I could see that he was beginning to get frustrated and something in this man's demeanor, or maybe it was my intuition, was giving me a really bad feeling. The Circuit Court Clerk was in court that day and I wasn't supposed to leave the office, but I went to the door to see whether any of the other clerks were on their way back in from lunch. Imagine my relief when I saw the Clerk heading toward the door! She whispered for me get in the back office, that she would take care of the man. Anyway, turned out that, the summer before, he had walked up behind his mother while she was hanging clothes out and shot her with a shotgun.
Phyzzi 3 years ago
(nesting this so they stay together): #2 He'd just been released from the mental hospital, the state had taken his license, and he wasn't supposed to get it back
Load More Replies... Dayna Jennings 3 years ago (edited)
I worked for a popular beauty supply store several years ago. Had a man come in looking for hair removal wax. Told me his dominatress likes it bald down there. I tried real hard to keep a straight face while pointing out the best wax to use.
Hales M 3 years ago (edited)
I had a customer ask me to hold her baby for a moment while she ran to the washroom... it threw me but i tried to be nice and decline but i eventually agreed because she needed to go urgently. She went to the washroom then left the building. My manager told me to wait in the staff room... I held the baby and waited for the cops, flabbergasted that she had left her kid. She got back before the cops got there (about an hour)... she apologised and confessed that she had realised she had forgotten to raise her credit limit so ran to the bank. She was like"She was asleep in her arms and I didn't want to wake her but it took longer than I expected"...my manager (dad of 4) was like "YOU LEFT YOUR NEWBORN WITH A STRANGER FOR OVER AN HOUR!! THE COPS ARE COMING NOW, WE CAN'T LET YOU LEAVE." She tried to snatch her but I kept the baby from her (at my manager's request so that she didn't leave before the police got there). Police took the kid until the father came and arrested her.
Pam Dworshak 3 years ago
I was working the graveyard shift in a convenience store, it was around 2:00 and this guy comes in buys some condoms and asks me if I would like to try out the condoms. I tell him he needed to leave and then says he really needs to use the bathroom and was persistent about it. I tell him to use it and then to leave. When I went to do the restroom cleaning, he had taken care of himself and left his nastiness behind on the floor. I got out the bleach and used about 1/2 gallon to clean it up. The other male customers who used the restroom that night came out and their eyes were watering, but after I explained why they were happy to know that I made sure nothing remained living from the sick SOB.
Amanda Alexandre 3 years ago
Were you alone? Who worked front desk while you cleaned? It must be terrifying to be alone at night with such a creep
Load More Replies... Zoë Butler 3 years ago
I have some crazy customer interactions from working in the grocery store, but the one that will stick with me forever happened recently in my corporate job. I do customer service in grocery distribution now, so I know most of the people that call, but sometimes get an assistant manager or vendor. I answer the phone, and it's a very elderly gentleman on the other end saying he needs to file a life insurance claim for his wife who died in August. It took me about 5 minutes to get him to realize he called the wrong number and there was nothing I could do to help. It was really difficult to navigate, being firm and compassionate, trying to navigate a sad situation I could do nothing to help with. I hope he found the right number. He wasn't a creep, but the situation gave me the shivers, knowing my grandparents are up there in age and will someday have to make the same call...
Lisa Shaw 3 years ago
I worked customer service for a US cable company, the worst one I had was, after a tornado went through an Island community in Texas. Guy calls up and complains that his cable is out, I explained that due to the natural disaster that just occurred and no power on the island there was really nothing we could do to assist him. He went on to explain that he had power because he had a generator and insisted that we send a tech out, which couldn't be done since all but emergency services were barred from getting onto the island. He further explained that the cable box for his street was in his backyard, lines and poles are gone. Told me people all over his property all day, turns out his neighbour had not been seen since before touch down, they were looking for the body and all he was worried about was missing his tv shows! This one still bothers me all these years later.
Nicole A 3 years ago
In high school and college I waitressed. I was horrible - clumsy and forgetful. One day this big executive comes in to close a business deal and I was struggling to open the wine by the table and ended up banging the bucket of ice water onto his lap. I think I was either 15 or 16. I was embarrassed and young and naive. I start scooping the ice off his lap then take the tiny cocktail napkin I had and was trying to rub and pat his upper lap dry. Suddenly he grabs my wrists and says to me in a pained voice to stop. Looking back I realized I was giving this guy a hand job in the middle of a business merger. I was so embarrassed I asked another waitress to take over. Lost out on a huge tip. At least he was decent enough to stop me - I had plenty of very grown men slipping me phone numbers in my apron while out on dates or with their wives.
Amanda Alexandre 3 years ago
Oh, I'm sorry. Sometimes we do everything comes in our mind to fix situations, without thinking it through. I can def6 understand the feeling.
Load More Replies... Jo Choto 3 years ago
I return to my idea that everyone working in customer service should be armed with a taser, and allowed to use it. I think it would radically change the way people behave.
Rocky Mom 3 years ago
Silly. Workers in customer service aren't immune to possibly being irrational, insane people themselves. Same reason why teachers shouldn't be armed.
Load More Replies... Katherine Boag 3 years ago
The OP isnt even that weird, like the number of times people have knocked on the toilet door, ive said 'occupied', and then THEY JUST OPEN THE DOOR ANYWAY im this close to going straight to angry WHO IS IT
Heather Heaston 3 years ago
My first job out of college, I did historical research at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark in Birmingham, AL. My job was to compile comprehensive stories on multiple topics related to the plant, its owners, its workers and their families, but everyone who worked there had to take a turn in the visitors' center now and then. A previously lovely German couple had come in and asked me a lot of questions before heading off on their self-guided tour. On their return they asked some stuff about other stuff to do in the city. Things took an ominous turn when they asked for the location of the Confederate cemetery. I told them there wasn't one. They began to get angry. I explained that the city of Birmingham was founded because of the iron and steel industry AFTER the civil war (my earlier job description's point being I KNEW this aspect of the city's history). They didn't believe me. They said I hated Germans and stormed out.
Brian Bennett 3 years ago
I think all people in retail should get "Danger Pay", you know like they do working on oil rigs and lumberjacks! They only have to deal with mother nature. Retail workers have to deal with the most ignorant, stupid, moronic, uncouth Son of a bitches that walk the earth!
Pamela Sigman 3 years ago
Once while working security at a major league baseball stadium in California, I had a 92 year old lady try to bring in her loaded 45 mm gun into the stadium. It was a sold out game and the lines were long. I felt bad telling her the reasons why guns were not permitted into such a venue and that she'd have to take her gun back to the car and wait in line again to go through bag check. She replied, "can't I just leave it with you until after the game?" Eventually, she took it back to her car... I did give her a hand stamp so she didn't have to wait in the hour long line to get back in...
Anne Duval 3 years ago (edited)
I used to work at a call center answering tv repair calls for circuit city many years ago. I had one caller who had issues with his tv call and I managed to troubleshoot the issue and get it going again. After the tv was fixed he proceeded to tell me his life story and after telling me that he just got divorced for the fourth time he asked me if I wanted to be wife number five. He said he liked my voice and how smart I was. He also asked where I was and under our company policy we have to let them know where our office is located and we also have to tell them our full name so I told him. Not long after that he told me that he was going to go on a trip and come see me. I was terrified that he was going to track me down because he didn't seem like he was all there.
Shreeky 3 years ago
I used to work at Walmart 1st shift as a fresh stalker. One morning after I came in from my 15min break some girl stopped me & asked where she can find the tuna. So I took her to the tuna & looks at them & freaks out cause she wanted the ones with the pull tab. She kept whining about it & tells me to go get some from the back. I told her I would have to find the person who works in groceries to look for her that I worked in a different department. That's when I noticed she kept digging in the back of her shorts scratching her ass. She noticed that I had my nose wrinkle up in disgust, so she tells me her ass won't stop itching & to hurry up on the tuna that she's hungry. When I started to walk away she was smelling her hand that she was scratching with. (Found out she was tweaking & she had to be escorted out she was caught stealing panties🤢) Then a year later I got pennies thrown @ me when I was putting meat out in meat dept cause of another tweeker (my stupid brother unfortunately)
Simon Murray 3 years ago
Once had an old man return an electric kettle. As was policy I had to test it before exchange. I opened it up and it was coated in lumpy black stuff. I asked what it was only to be informed it was beans. He explained his wife was away and he wasn't allowed to used the cooker so he figured, the kettle gets hot. This man was at least 75! Unfortunately I couldn't exchange it and he had to buy a new one
Lindsey Morris 3 years ago
I normally love every Bored Panda article, but this one was so weird. 90% of these were in no way “haunting?”
Lynn Hixson 3 years ago
#2 He'd just been released from the mental hospital, the state had taken his license, and he wasn't supposed to get it back.
kaileesi 3 years ago
What the? 99.9% of these aren't even creepy. OP specifically asked for creepy customer service encounters. I guess reading comprehension surpasses many people.
Amanda Alexandre 3 years ago
The comment section is creepier than the post
Load More Replies... Dl James 3 years ago
I worked in a shoe store in high school and college - same company, different locations. The high school store (late 1970s) was not in the best part of town, but thankfully never experienced harm. One evening a trans woman came in looking for shoes. My managers were both making very derisive comments about her. I was 16/17 y/o and completely embarrassed by their behavior. I happily went to help her & we found 3 pair of shoes she really liked. She asked if I worked on commission. When I answered no, the look on her face was priceless! For the next year or so, when I worked she'd come in and buy several pair of shoes every few months. I also found out that she would ask if I was working & if not, she would not shop there. btw-that company is no longer in business
Emmett O'Brian 3 years ago
Never threaten a public utility. Working in a call center for the phone company. Guy calls up complaining about his bill. Talks to a manager and threatened to fire a rocket launcher at our office. We eventually ended the call with the guy calmed down. A month later a lady called in wanting to cancel her service. It was in her husband's name so he had to cancel. She answered "he can't, you put him in jail!" We looked into the records and it was the guy that threatened to blow us up! We had no idea anyone knew about that call or that the FBI pressed charges.
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