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The customer service industry is not for the faint-hearted, and yet most Americans, 107.8 million people, work in private service-providing industries. 16.7 million of them work in the leisure and hospitality sectors, meaning they handle customers’ orders on a daily basis.

And if you've ever worked in a restaurant of some sort, you’d know this is not a walk in the park. Although you do meet lovely people and locals you can call by their name, and the loyal clients who always get their usual, sometimes things are not that pretty. Entitled customers, spoiled kids, and clients who don’t even know what they want are also part of the job.

So when the Twitter user @Kealy22 posted the question “Customer service workers, what is the complaint that broke you?” on her thread, people had a whole bunch of stuff to share. So get ready for stories about customers from hell.

Shouting, complaining, calling corporate, speaking to the manager, acting aggressively, wasting everyone’s time—these are some of the most dreadful real-life client incidents that will change the way we look at customer service workers for good.

Image credits: Keally22

Image credits: Keally22

Image credits: Keally22

Image credits: Keally22

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Raine Soo
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love your response! Was the customer clever enough to understand it?

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Bored Panda reached out to Tay, who goes by the Twitter handle @taylorkiwi, who joined the viral thread to comment on her experience working in the customer service industry. Tay’s tweet read: “customer where I work at a golf course. I kindly asked a member not to move the patio chairs around as it was a Covid rule. She proceeded to lick her hands and touch ALL the chairs on the patio as a 'joke.' Her friends did not laugh. I did not laugh.”

Tay said that she always loved working in customer service, but it’s been challenging. “I mean I hate it, but I love it. As frustrating and irritating as people can be, finding out ways to work and relate to different types of people is a learning curve.”

In fact, Tay confessed that she has been “yelled at, talked down to, and personally insulted.” But “learning how to handle these moments has helped me grow,” she added.

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Tay said that when it comes to dealing with entitled, impolite, and challenging customers, she takes on a “killing with kindness” strategy. “Typically if it’s someone much older or much younger, I ensure I do everything right and everything perfect. It’s a very satisfying feeling knowing that they are having a mental struggle trying to come up with something to complain about.”

But the best moments are when “you have an awful customer sitting with a friend who really isn’t so bad. By being kind to them when they are clearly trying to belittle me, I know they feel foolish and their friend is embarrassed.” Tay said it’s the perfect way to ruin their day while making their day the best it can be.

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Ty Stratton-Quirk
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Some people, you just wish would find a Huntsman spider in the front seat of their car.

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Samantha Lomb
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's nice to see managers stand up for employees instead of throwing them under the bus

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Raine Soo
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How does one not know the difference between a fingernail and a slice of onion?

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When asked if she agrees with the saying that the customer is always right, Tay replied: “Hell no, the customer is usually never right. I am paid to be an expert in what I’m doing, even if it’s just an expert in the menu and serving.”

She added: “Oh really, last time you were here you were allowed to substitute chicken for shrimp? Well, I’ll have you know the protein is cooked into the sauce and you can’t change it out.” Although Tay agrees that the customer should be accommodated as best as possible, it doesn’t mean they’re right.

If you’re thinking of working in the customer service industry, Tay said you have to be able to adapt to each person you interact with. “The correct answer for one person might be insulting to another. They have different personalities, different ways of interpreting information, and different ways of socializing.”

There’s no one copy-paste way to behave with clients, so you have to be extremely versatile to be able to handle both pleasant and not-so-much situations that happen daily.In the end, Tay revealed that smiling through a painful customer is also a part of the job. “There’s nothing I can do during a shift that’ll make me put on a real smile if I’m working with an awful customer.”

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On the other hand, “the thought of me complaining and having my friends and coworkers agreeing with my struggles during our after-work glass of wine makes it all worthwhile.”

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Samantha Lomb
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I hate people with ill behaved children who don't bother to discipline them.

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Samantha Lomb
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How do adult humans NOT know coffee contains caffeine? Though good move quitting rather than strangling her

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Samantha Lomb
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Were they fried in lard? That is possible though unlikely and some shortenings contain pork

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BusLady
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Lady, they are not going to buy a round table and put your name on it.

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Samantha Lomb
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The worker likely had to know before entering the rest of the order because of the ordering system. Some people are just insane

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BusLady
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I would think that legally, the money belonged to you. The police would have regarded it as a nuisance call. And what a lousy boss.

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Raine Soo
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Do you ever get the feeling that some folks just wake up angry at everything and everyone?

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BusLady
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Personally, I prefer beer in the bottle. I'm sure she lost a lot of respect for her prof after that.

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Samantha Lomb
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If that is not done right and very carefully, it constitutes child abuse as kids don't get the proper nutrients.

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Toujin C'Thlu
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

*sighs* What is with men thinking that women don't understand machines, simply because they're women? Especially these days.

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BusLady
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So why didn't she google it then? If you're buying something like that, you should do your homework. She was rude to the salesperson who was just trying to help and do their job.

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Gwen
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I was a cashier, I didn't mind the customers with coupons, expect ones like this. Other than that, my co-workers were really happy that I didn't mind the coupons. After awhile, the coupners would always come to my line!

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Raine Soo
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What a jackass that 'man' was, screaming at a teenager until she cried. He should be ashamed of himself, but he probably feels no shame.

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Some Cool Guy
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've read about this before, it's some sort of stupid online joke on subway. sigh

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Raine Soo
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3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Processed cheese: what a way to ruin a gourmet hamburger. Also, seeing that Wisconsin a cheese capital.

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Raine Soo
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3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Is this customer Goldilocks of Goldilocks and the three bears? "Coffee is not sweet enough. Now, this one is too sweet. I want one that is just right."

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BusLady
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So you were supposed to go tell the performers to keep it down? Lol

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EA
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When she puts an ‘unexpected item in the baggage area’ and the machine craps out, she’ll be grateful there is a staff member on duty at the self checkout to help her!

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BusLady
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Young people can get disrespected because of their age. Perhaps they are new and still in training. That's no reason to be impatient and rude.

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Samantha Lomb
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Its sad how women have to lie and always been on guard because being a creep is so normal for many men

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BusLady
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Alcohol makes people stupid. That's been proven time and again. Pretty scary experience. It crosses the line. Something like that is criminal.

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Raine Soo
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Egad, some people are just awful. I hope that the "dumb bitch' customer gets her comeuppance.

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Boopie Dew
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well ma'am plz take ur headset back to where you bought it from. I'm sure the plane ticket costs a bit more but atleast you'd be right when you got to the correct store. Which is what you really want anyway.

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BusLady
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It seems more practical to go with smaller cups for children anyway. They have small hands so they're easier for them to handle.

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Samantha Lomb
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

if there is karma someone will do the same to them in a couple of years

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Samantha Lomb
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

rich people are truly awful to staff. It's like you are invisible/ non human. On the other hand they gossip in front of you like mad for the same reason

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BusLady
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That type of behavior is not very Christian of her. Oh, and I guess I'm going to hell. I have 2 tats, and one of them is a cross.

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WilvanderHeijden
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm very happy to live in a country where this kind of crazy isn't tolerated. The customer can send the salad back, but she will get charged for it.

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BusLady
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3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I wonder how the construction worker would feel if a guy in a business suit insulted his job.

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Luther von Wolfen
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Worked in food service for decades, always back of house to avoid customers. It is so easy to be decent human being when interacting with servers. It's not even hard to be polite, friendly and respectful. If the server makes a mistake, it doesn't require a huge amount of effort to be understanding and patient. It might not make the world a better place in a major way, but every little bit matters.

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BusLady
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Let's see: Does something wrong, gets caught. Then whines that it's not fair. Who does that sound like?

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BusLady
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's as bad as snapping your fingers at restaurant server.

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Pheebs
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had an opposite situation. Got secret shoppered my first day, still learning my job and where things were in the store. Managed to answer a few questions just through common sense, but had to finally admit it was my first day and I didn’t know everything yet. They were super nice, thankfully. Found out later it was a corporate person doing test calls to see how stores were handling customer service.

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Raine Soo
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I never realized that there were so many uncilvilized folk in a polite society.

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Pheebs
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Some people do this to scam money out of workers. Another tactic is to start talking to a cashier while they’re counting change and changing up what type of bills you want until they get flustered. It’s why a lot of cashiers set the paid cash on the register while doing change so they can prove what the customer gave them.

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BusLady
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Let her dig through it and waste her time, not your's.

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Paizleypie
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Snapping fingers at someone is a HUGE NO- NO in my book. It makes me want to literally snap their fingers.

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WilvanderHeijden
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Might be that none of them could actually afford to be there but they also couldn't admit to each other that this holiday was too expensive for them.

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