Anyone who's worked in customer service for longer than 20 seconds knows that for every understanding customer you get, there are a handful of absolutely wacky ones.
Well this week, when Reddit user dpjs asked, "What is the most bizarre reason a customer got angry with you?" the stories were just as wild as you'd imagine.
Here are some of the most ridiculous moments shared:
1. This incorrect singer:
"I was working at McDonald’s. A customer complained that there was not a tomato on her Big Mac. I explained to her that Big Macs do not come with tomatoes unless specially ordered. She then proceeded to sing the Big Mac song to me in front of a lobby full of customers, adding the word 'TOMATO' into the song lyrics in an attempt to prove her point."
2. This "regular":
"I was working at a coffee and wine bar when I had a man scream at me because he ordered 'the regular' and I didn't know what he wanted. It was my first time meeting him, which, catastrophically, aligned with the first time I was left to take care of the register alone. I couldn't get away from his yelling in order to ask the people in the back what he wanted, because he refused to outright tell me. He just kept screaming, 'Don't you know who I am?!' over and over. He made such a big scene that his 'regular' order was written out, laminated, and pinned to the cash register after that."
3. This scaled-back problem:
"I worked as a CS representative for a redistributor and I once had an older gentleman call to order a food scale that was like a 10-pound capacity. The platform was only a few inches wide. When he received it, he called me yelling, 'How the hell am I supposed to stand on this thing?'"
4. This upstairs downer:
"I once had a customer storm upstairs to our customer service department to make a complaint about how we'd moved menswear upstairs, and he couldn't get upstairs because of his knees and — while we had an elevator — he was also claustrophobic, so he couldn't use the elevator."
5. This "rude" thank you:
"I worked at a coffee shop and one time, after I handed a customer his coffee, l told him to 'have a nice day.' He sent an angry email to corporate AND my manager telling them I was 'rude' to him because I didn’t follow a 'company standard' by saying 'have a nice day' instead of 'thank you.'"
6. This healthy bird:
"My first job was in the produce department of a local grocery store. One morning, a middle-aged woman came in and asked me if we had any 'organic pears' in the back room because the ones up front 'didn't look great.' I explained to her we would be getting our shipment in the following morning and she could come back then, or we have regular pears available in the next row.
She did not like this.
Aside from getting yelled at, she requested to speak with my manager. What killed me, though, was, as she is about to walk away, she turned and said, 'I'll be back tomorrow to get my pears, but I don't know what my bird is going to eat today. He only eats organic!'"
7. This cheese stack:
"I used to work in the deli section of a grocery store in Vermont. I was once slicing cheese for a woman who got real angry that I hadn't stacked her cheese perfectly straight. Anyway, the story has a happy ending. Her exact, indignant words were, 'Where I'm from in New York, they stack the cheese perfectly straight.' The guy behind her, a regular the local employees greeted by name, piped up and said, 'Well then maybe you should go the fuck back to New York.' Best moment I've ever had at work."
8. This angry weirdo:
"A customer came in to buy hand sanitizer. She walked down the aisles, found it, brought the bottle to the register to purchase it, saw there was some AT the register, then proceeded to share her vast knowledge of swear words, swearing she would never shop with us again. What."
9. This untrustworthy boss:
"A lady walked into my office, asking for one of my colleagues. I explained to her that he works out of a different office. She was upset, as she had documents to drop off for him. I explained to her that his office is only three minutes down the street, or I could scan her documents and email them to him. She refused. I told her she could leave them with me and I can ask my colleague to pick them up tomorrow. She refused again, because she 'didn't trust me.'
I explained that I am the director of operations for the company, and thus the person she was looking for's boss. She then yelled that it was extremely sensitive information and stormed out. Not even a full minute later, she came back, asked for my business card to 'prove' I am who I say I am. I give her one and she left her stuff with me."
10. This "incorrect" farewell:
"I was once yelled at for saying 'no problem' instead of 'you're welcome.'"
11. This Bible translator:
"I worked at a Borders bookstore and had a customer that wanted a Bible that was in English...but, somehow, not a translation? He kept saying he wanted 'the original Bible,' but he didn't want the New Testament Greek one we had. He wanted 'the original, but in English.' I ended up leaving him in the King James Version section and said, 'Let me know if there's anything else I can do,' while walking away quickly."
12. This Russian condescension:
"I once had a customer who noticed I had an accent (I'm from southern Virginia) say I was 'Russian.' I don't know how they possibly thought my accent was Russian, so I corrected them, but they got angry because I was 'condescending' them."
13. This non-daycare concern:
"A woman I had never met or seen in my life asked me during my shift where her kids were. I was confused and said, 'I'm sorry, I don't know.' She yelled at me and repeatedly asked 'where they put them.' She then angrily stormed off and, to this day, I have no clue why she was asking me that."
14. This example of "don't shoot the messenger":
"I was a teller for almost four years when I was in college, and I remember getting yelled at repeatedly by customers who would get mad at ME because THEY were low on money and/or had checks bounce due to them lacking funds. How is that my fault?"
15. This late (?) opener:
"I was screamed at one time because I didn't open up shop...an hour before opening time, because he 'was here now, so open the store!' He kept banging on the door until we finally opened, then threw a metal bucket at my head. Good times."
16. This fry-day:
"A customer ordered a dish that ALWAYS comes with fries. He got mad when he got his dish because he wanted bread. No problem, I apologized — although I did nothing wrong — and brought him some bread. He then yelled at me because the restaurant 'always serves this dish with bread.' I told him I had worked there for five years and I advised him to tell the staff that he wanted bread when ordering next time. At this point he got red in the face and screamed at me. Long story short, the owner came over to his table, she supported me, the guy ate his food (which must've been cold by then) and never came back."
17. This early bird:
"I used to deliver pizza and had someone get irate and refuse a delivery because they'd ordered their food to be delivered at 7 p.m. and I got there at 6:55 p.m."
18. This American issue:
"I worked at a call center and a woman asked for 'someone in America.' I said, 'I'm in America! How can I help you?' because I was, in fact, in an American call center. She said I 'wasn't' and asked again. I said, 'Don't worry, I'm in [insert Midwestern state]! What can I assist you with?' She then asked for my manager. I have a clear Midwestern accent and yet THIS HAPPENED MORE THAN YOU'D THINK IT WOULD."
19. And finally, this sneaky-sneaker:
"A few years ago I was working as a cashier. It was my job to watch over the self-checkout machines and help anyone who was having trouble. One day I see this guy who didn't understand that you needed to scan the item, then place it on the scale before scanning the next one. I walked over and asked him if he needed help. He nearly JUMPS out of his skin and started yelling at me because I 'snuck up' on him. He demanded to see my manager.
I get my manager and this guy tells him that I not only snuck up on him, but that I was 'very rude' and 'laughed' at him, which another customer who saw the whole thing even called him out on. Eventually the manager told him that he'd 'talk to me,' and the guy was satisfied. My manager literally said, 'Uh, don't sneak up on people.' Still the only time a customer ever got angry at me."
So there ya have it. Now it's YOUR turn! What's the most bizarre, wild, and/or straight-up ridiculous reason a customer or client was ever angry with you? Share your story in the comments below!
