You're going to complain NOW!??!

[Chazzie]

Ever had to call 911 and have paramedics in your lobby while you deal with not one but TWO customer complaints at the same time?

I can now say I have...!

[Mike Taylor]

Sounds pretty short-sighted on their part. Any details on what these idiots were complaining about while the paramedics were doing their thing?

[Chazzie]

Well, it started with a woman calling me because we had forgotten to include a sandwich with her order (my fault, i didn't see it come up on the screen). She was pissed that she had to come back since she had first come to the store on her lunch break.

As soon as I'm getting off the phone with her, my coworker is asking me to come to front counter because I have another woman complaining. She is in the bathroom at the time so I wait for her to come back. As I'm waiting a gentleman comes in with his wife and asks me to call 911, as they think she is having a heart attack. I call 911 immediately and paramedics were dispatched.

The woman comes back from the bathroom to speak to me and insists on talking to me privately where my coworker can't hear/interrupt. So I step into the lobby to speak with her. She was a little hard to understand (thick accent) but from what I gathered, there was some sort of miscommunication between her and my coworker. I guess she'd asked him to hold her coffee behind the counter while she went to the bathroom, and instead of saying OK, he said it would be fine where it was at the front of the counter. She kept explaining to me that she would have felt more comfortable if he just did as she asked. Both were legitimate complaints... had I not had a medical emergency happening 8 ft away. I even explained to her "sorry if it feels like I'm distracted, I just had to call 911 for that couple".

The paramedics came while I was apologizing out the ass to this woman. And then the customer who complained on the phone showed up while I'm getting lectured by the second woman, who wouldn't let me just fix her problem, apologize and move on, she insisted on lecturing me about my coworker's attitude for 10 minutes and re-explaining the situation several times.

I never got to check on the poor woman I called 911 for. I hope she's okay.

[notalwaysright]

Classic SC attitude: My minor complaint is more important than a medical emergency!

Bonus points because they included a second classic: Continuing to complain even though the situation is resolved, and manager has dutifully groveled.

[EricKei]

I'm relieved neither one complained about having to step around heart attack patient...

[Chazzie]

I'm relieved neither one complained about having to step around heart attack patient...

me too, I would have gotten in trouble for telling them to GTFO.

[Dytchdoctir]

I'm relieved neither one complained about having to step around heart attack patient...

Happened more than once for each of the following:

Sir, stand up, I need to get to that man lying on the floor beside your chair.

(I'm a guy) No ma'am, I will not get out of the women's restroom because you need to pee, I am treating a patient who is vomiting her insides out here.

No, I will not "take it outside", I am performing chest compressions and preparing to start an IV.

[Raveni]

I've had people complain to me, then corporate, because the gas pumps at c-store were turned off while the fire department extinguished the car that was burning next to them. (Because that's the best place to push your burning car, but I digress.)

Me: Really, you're yelling at me instead of moving your car?
CS: Cars don't explode like on tv.
Me: Gas stations do.

[mathnerd]

I've been the medical emergency while people around me complained about minor stuff. I don't actually remember it, but I was told the story by my son, who was there. During one of my far to many anaphylaxis episodes, this one at the RedFruitStingingInsects, there was apparently a nasty customer who kept complaining that she had to wait because the ramp was blocked. Of course, the ramp was blocked by a customer who wasn't breathing while paramedics were trying to intubate. I'm pretty sure the paramedics wanted me intubated and on a stretcher as fast as possible so they could get me to the hospital, but this woman couldn't wait a few minutes even when somebody's life was as stake.

[nutraxfornerves]

Me: Really, you're yelling at me instead of moving your car?
CS: Cars don't explode like on tv.
Me: Gas stations do.

I once was working on an outdoor project right next to a fire academy. I got to see the entire press conference where they demonstrated why you should not keep a can of gasoline in the trunk/boot of your car.

The car did not exactly explode, but it went from just sitting there to fully engulfed in seconds. Anyone inside would not have survived.

[Brojekk]

Cars won't explode exactly as you might see on TV or in the movies. There's no exaggetated big ball of flame launching upward. But they will be quickly engulfed in flames and the gas tank will pop with a dull boom. Lots of nasty black smoke heading whichever way the wind is blowing.
Couple of years ago a car hit a fire hydrant and telephone pole in front of a neighbors house down the street from me in the wee hours of the morning. All the stuff I described above is what I saw.

[MoonCat]

Cars won't explode exactly as you might see on TV or in the movies. There's no exaggetated big ball of flame launching upward. But they will be quickly engulfed in flames and the gas tank will pop with a dull boom. Lots of nasty black smoke heading whichever way the wind is blowing.
Couple of years ago a car hit a fire hydrant and telephone pole in front of a neighbors house down the street from me in the wee hours of the morning. All the stuff I described above is what I saw.

Burning cars are pretty horrifying. We passed one once on the highway. Cops were there, and the driver was okay and was some distance away using her cellphone while the car burned (the cops were keeping an eye on things, I assume waiting for the FD to show up). We could feel the heat of the fire - even though our windows were closed.

I just can't get over these idiots who think their minor concerns are more important than someone's medical emergency. These same people would be screaming bloody murder if they were the ones in trouble.

[Blue Ginger]

It's not just customers complaining about stuff while there is an emergency.

I had a staff member trying to complain that the printer was out of paper while i was taking an ambo crew through the office. :roll eyes:

Can't remember exactly what my response was, but it was likely something along the lines of 'I'm too busy right now but paper is right there. Do it yourself.'

Admittedly it would have sounded pretty snarky, but the paper boxes are literally right next to each printer, which were right freaking behind the numpty.

[EricKei]

I covered a truck fire recently for the paper -- An 18-wheeler hauling a bunch of big plastic tubing/tires/etc caught fire (the driver was able to decouple the rig itself and drive off without injury, apparently) -- the trailer itself was basically a series of vertical metal bars about 3 feet apart with a similar roof and a solid floor. The black smoke coming off of it was thick enough to provide me with substantial shade, even tho I was all the way on the other side of the highway -- I could feel the heat coming off of it. Was kinda looking like o_O when I noticed that bits of flaming rubber (etc) were flowing down onto the ground next to the trailer.

Took 4 fire trucks to put it all out, and 80% of the cargo was simply melted slag by the time they did.

[Seshat]

How can people forget that fuel burns?