The rudest customer I've ever spoken to....

[KatherineB]

Quoth lvceline

The fact of the matter is, utilies like power, gas, and water are not something you can choose no matter where you live.

That may be the case in some places, but in my city, for instance, all of that has been deprivatised and there are now a lot of companies in competition for the almighty dollar. Sadly, since they all collude, it hasn't meant a reduction in prices.

[dragon_wings]

Quoth KatherineB

That may be the case in some places, but in my city, for instance, all of that has been deprivatised and there are now a lot of companies in competition for the almighty dollar. Sadly, since they all collude, it hasn't meant a reduction in prices.

In my area I know of at least two utilities companies. Though depending on where in town or the surrounding areas you live seems to dictate which utilities company you use. (I've used both. One at each of the apartments I've lived in here in <hometown>.)
Note: I live in East Tennessee. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has a bunch of dams built on the lakes and rivers in this area. I wouldn't be surprised to find out they sold the power they produce to both the utilities.

[patiokitty]

Quoth lobo94

Nah. Let's go for the disintegration ray. Or, we can always shove him into a conversion chamber, do some brainwashing, and he'll come out gentle as a lamb, and using the opposite of his primary hand. (10 points for the reference.)

V - the tv series from the 80's I miss that show so much!

[Juggler]

While I'm not a fan of prescriptivist bullshit, "can" is more accurate in this situation. By calling you the person is clearly asking for help which eliminates the "may" option. The question is wether you are in a position to help him, hence "can".

[Lace Neil Singer]

Oh, I hate rude people like that. My theory is that they're miserable, pathetic arseholes who like to up their self esteem by being a tosser to someone who can't turn round and tell them to eff off; ie a phone operative or a cashier.

Whenever I encounter one, I tend to go into stiff, polite mode; I don't say anything to them other than the necessary and I ignore their rudeness. Of course, when they leave, I put my hands behind my till and give them the finger, but I won't give them the satisfaction of being able to register a complaint.

Last time I had a rude customer, I was thinking of how he must have discovered his wife running off with the milkman in order to make myself look pleasant, and I could tell that my civil and nice manner was annoying him far more than if I'd returned his rudeness. One of the managers was also on; he said that I dealt with it fantastically and that the best way to deal with a cretin like that was to up the politeness. It annoys them and they can hardly complain with, "She was nice to me and polite!". XD

[EricKei]

Quoth Lace Neil Singer

It annoys them and they can hardly complain with, "She was nice to me and polite!". XD

The horror...The horror!

SC: How DARE she! She...she was really REALLY polite to me! Ugh!

[PepperElf]

I dunno... I've seen a few threads here where the customer DID complain that the employee was polite.

[Lace Neil Singer]

My managers wouldn't take any notice of such complaints, tho.

[EricKei]

Pepper - my point exactly. Some people just aren't happy until they're bitching and unhappy.