That IS stealing

[Kitten in the box]

Ok...here goes...I had just gotten off of work and was showing my new cell phone to a friend of mine and the different things I can do with it....I had shown them that I can basically record anything and have it as a ring tone and currently I had a song 'Come on Down to South Park on my cell phone (actually its a Theme song from South Park when it first starts but thats beside the point) anyway my friend thought it was great...then this "person" comes up and rudely says that was stealing. The convo went like this: (Kitten: Me SSC: Stupid Sucky Customer)

SSC: You know that IS stealing *snippy tone*

Kitten: Uhmmm...no its not....I recorded it off my television so its not stealing

SSC: YES it IS. You did NOT pay for that...therefore it was STOLEN!

kitten: NO it was NOT and I believe I was TALKING to my friend...

SSC: *yelling* YOU DID NOT PAY FOR THAT RING TONE!!! THEREFORE YOU STOLE IT I DO NOT CARE IF YOU RECORDED IT OR NOT!!!

kitten: YOU need to get the HELL out of my FACE AS OF RIGHT NOW!!

I turned to leave with my friend leaving the customer there in shock. You would THINK that would be the end of it right?? WRONG!! The next day (today) I was called into the manager's office to discuss what went on the previous day....I explained it to him and he says I should just appologize to the customer....Im like WTF??!! There's NO way I am appologizing to the customer. If I am wrong about something and I feel the need to appologize ONLY THEN will I appologize. I told the manager I am NOT appologizing to this person and walked away. I know I am gonna probrably get written up for this but at this point I honestly do not care.

[Crazeyal]

Eh..

I'm gonna have to go with the manager on this one. I mean, Kudos to you for standing up for yourself... but that's simply no way to talk while on company time.

The person was being rude, pushy and arrogant. Accusations of theft a serious thing. You COULD have asked the person to act like an adult, use proper manners, etc but you sunk to their level.

Now, plenty of people would have said worse to this idiot. A few might have even turned the tables on them. I know I'm probably gonna get it for this opinion, but Company time is Company time.

[auntiem]

If you were off work, but still in uniform then maybe, but they yelled at you first unprovoked. It isn't that person's job to go around being the copywright police.

As far as if what you did is stealing I can't say anything about it without risking this thread heading straight to fratching.

[bigjimaz]

As long as you recorded the copyrighted theme from South Park for your own personal use and do not sell it or transfer the song to another person, it is allowed. That being said, tell the idiot to go pound gravel.

[Andara Bledin]

I don't believe that using the opening part of the theme to a tv show for your ring tone would be considered theft. The reason we have to pay to download songs is usually for the work that went into coding them as ring tones, not for licensing fees.

Also, once the other person is yelling and invading my personal space, I don't think telling them to back the hell off is that out of line. It's a little stronger than appropriate while still in work attire, but not by much.

^-.-^

[justZu]

Kudos to you for standing up for yourself... but that's simply no way to talk while on company time.

"I had just gotten off of work and was showing my new cell phone to a friend"

Kitten in the box was not on company time. The SC had no business butting into a private conversation held on private time.
If Kitten was in uniform, then the SC was still wrong, but it might have been better, career-wise, to handle it differently.

[SuperB]

While I'm sure the RIAA would love to go after personalized ringtones, as long as someone is not re-distributing it or charging for it, it's personal use. (and it's ok) I bought the software for my phone so that I can transfer images to my wallpaper and create ringtones from my CD's.

[Sliceanddice]

I with Kitten, i can be rude (ok B*tchy) to a customers when im not at work. I don't have to appoligize to them if i wasn't working. They where invading my private life and space, in my private time.... unless they are paying me on my off time imk not appologizing for nothing.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

This is why I never hang around work when I am finished and while I'm still in uniform. I change clothes and come back if I need to do any shopping. That way I'm just another face in the crowd and not an employee who can be easily identified.

I do see where the manager is coming from here. Even if you are not on the clock, you're still representing the company if you're still in uniform and it isn't good for the company to be having employees telling customers off. How was the SC supposed to know you were off the clock?

Granted, this SC was a bitch, and the manager's being a weasel, but there is something to be said for being as professional as possible while in uniform. I personally would've walked away.

[Namrepus221]

I would've told her first thing, "Lady...what if I DID pay for this ringtone? So why don't you shut the heck up and butt out of business that isn't yours in the first place"

[BookstoreEscapee]

This is why I never hang around work when I am finished and while I'm still in uniform. I change clothes and come back if I need to do any shopping. That way I'm just another face in the crowd and not an employee who can be easily identified.

This is why I'm glad I didn't have to wear a uniform! Take off my name tag and I'm just another customer!

[Bloodsoul]

This is why I'm glad the only ringtone I'm interested in was given away for free on the artist's website; of course, I probably won't get a cell until my rotary gives out, and it's been running for 20+ years now.

That peon had no right to start anything like that; I can't really argue with how the situtation was handled. Even if it was wrong, it can still be chalked up as an accident/lapse of judgment. Like, what Popeye said! "That's all I can stands, I can't stands no more!"

[Phone Jockey]

I believe that Kitten was in the right. I'm just glad that I can block out my customers because they just yell at me thru e-mails. Heh.

[aurelemsrealm]

I don't blame you for your reaction to this customer. That was totally inappropriate of the customer to butt into your conversation like that. I probably would have found a semi-diplomatic, seemingly polite way of telling the customer that I'm off the clock and my conversation with my friend is a private matter. However, if the customer persisted after that, I probably would have been more direct in telling this person to butt out and back off.

Incidentally, recording the South Park theme for your own personal ringtone does not constitute theft or copyright infringement.

[PizzaBoy]

There is no reason that you should be forced to apologize. Though the customer did not know you were off the clock, they had no right butting in to your conversation. That's just rude, and that customer seemed to be looking for an argument or at least some sucking up. Personally, I would of been polite, but if that person consisted, I would have either been rude back or have left, but you did the right thing.