The Most Idiotic Thing a Customer Has Yelled At You For...

[Arachne]

It always amazes me just how cheaply some people are willing to sell their decency.

I know you posted this a while back, but I had to say: Best. Quote. EVAR.

[Jester]

Well, Jester, I would just like to thank you for the lovely weather you arranged for me in July of 2001 when I was down on your lovely tropical isle. If I had met you I'd have bought you a

You're welcome.

And are you SURE you didn't meet me? I was here at that time, after all. You see any magic while you were here?

[Bonnie Bitch]

I've been yelled at by a customer for asking for her name.

OMG!!!

I work at a call center for XYZTV. Customers go through the IVR first, just to make sure only XYZTV customers are using the system (they have to provide the phone number or their XYZTV acct number, then they get the menu, etc.) When they get to me, my recorded greeting is, "Thank you for holding. My name is Bonnie. May I have your telephone number, area code first please?"
Some people scream at me through the greeting, then say, "Huh? Did you say something? What did you want?"
I've had people **refuse** to give me their phone numbers, because "I don't give out my phone number over the phone."
I've had people scream at me because they give me their zip code instead of their area code, and they don't like being told, "Ma'am/sir, that is your zip code. I need the area code, please, from your telephone number." Got called a "f***ing douchebag" for that one.
I had one customer who kept giving me her bank account number, and no matter how I explained it, she refused to grasp the concept.
I was on the line with her for 20 minutes. Fortunately, a sup walked past my desk and heard me. She took the call from me on the spot (since peons like me are not allowed to terminate calls). The sup said, "Ma'am, we need your XYZTV account number, not your bank account number... <pause while cust gives bank accoutn number again>.... No, ma'am, that's still your bank accout num,ber. As you are unable to provide the required information, we are unable to help assist you. You can pay and view your bill anytime thru channel 1 on your TV or at our website, www.XYZTV.org. Have a nice day, and thank you for calling XYZTV..... no, have a nice day, and thank you for calling XYZTV.... thank you for calling XYZTV... this call is now being terminated."
And that wasn't even the stupidest person who's ever called in.
(OT) -- Last night, I asked for the expiration date on a customer's credit card. The response I got was, "Two-zero-zero-zero-six-zero-one-zero-dash-ten."
I even wrote it down -- 20006010-10.
I stared at it, and I finally had to say, "Sir, I'm sorry, but that's not a recognized calendar date. Could you please tell me the calendar date of expiration?"
Again, he said, "Two-zero-zero-zero-six-zero-one-zero-dash-ten."
Then he informed me that, in his opinion, I needed to rent some IQ points, but not so nicely.
I finally said, "Sir, in order to process this payment, I need the expiration date on your card. You have given me a series of numbers which bear no referential value and are therefore meaningless. Please tell me the calendar date on which the card expires."
Somehow, from Two-zero-zero-zero-six-zero-one-zero-dash-ten, I was supposed to parse that the card was issued on 02/06 and expired on 01/10.
Oy, with a double helping of vey!

[repsac]

Hmm. Recently? Because I wouldn't edit a person's home made porn tape into DVD format. Not that I couldn't do it, but come on, I really don't want to have that image burned into my brain.

In the past though? There are some doozies.

1.) For not leaving my post at a register. Yes sir, I know you needed help on the other end of the store. However since I am not superman and can not see through things; I didn't know you needed help. No sir, I can not stop a bullet with my teeth, and would not like to try.

2.) For not raising the roll up door so someone could drive their truck inside the store. Yes, I realise your truck would fit, but if you are so lazy as you can't carry that shopping cart full of stuff out, I don't need to help you. Further, do you see a sign on that door that says "Indoor Parking?" No sir, "No Entry" does not mean Enter in Spanish, French, and I rather think it's an insult in Turkish.

3.) For the Microwave being the wrong color. It's not my fault you're not smart enough to peel the blue plastic film off it ma'am. Nor that you can't read the warning in big red letters on the film.

4.) For not returning Cash back on a Credit purchase. Kidding aside here, this one happens often. It's a little known fact that in most every state (it may be federal even). It's illegal to give cash back when the original purchase was made on a credit card. Rather, protocol says you return the money to the card.

5.) Because the customer bought the wrong color chair. (I actually ran into this lady again...today). If you can't bring a bit of the color with you to check, then why are you yelling at me for your fault? Should I drive to your house cut a bit of your wall out and bring it along?

[tollbaby]

2.) For not raising the roll up door so someone could drive their truck inside the store. Yes, I realise your truck would fit, but if you are so lazy as you can't carry that shopping cart full of stuff out, I don't need to help you. Further, do you see a sign on that door that says "Indoor Parking?" No sir, "No Entry" does not mean Enter in Spanish, French, and I rather think it's an insult in Turkish.

*snicker* I love your posts!

[Kilamon]

Once, while a server was down, and I was working to repair it, people were calling my cell phone to ask me if the server was down, how long it would take, blah blah, etc. Then, the gem came. He called and demanded to know precisely why it was taking me so long (he'd called before too). My answer, "I'm fielding phone calls instead of fixing the problem." and that set him off. I got written up. Nowadays, even though I no longer work there, when I am working on a downed server issue or anything involving downtime, I don't answer my phone at all.

Oh, I almost forgot about this little article which almost redefines the SC meaning. The poor admin was yelled at, threatened and the problem wasn't even remotely his. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/03/24/tuttle_centos/

[MadMike]

He called and demanded to know precisely why it was taking me so long (he'd called before too). My answer, "I'm fielding phone calls instead of fixing the problem." and that set him off.

One of my coworkers did something like that once. One of our programs went down in the middle of the night, and one of the other guys got called for it. He was pretty much in over his head with it, so he called the first coworker, who said he'd look at it. He dialed in (this was before high speed was readily available, so it was all dialup), and started looking. He was barely logged in, when he got a message over the system asking if he had it figured out yet. A few minutes later, another one, and another one a few minutes after that.

Anytime someone sends you a message over the system, it kicks you out of the screen you're in so you can see the message, so I can understand he must have been getting annoyed rather quickly. After it happened one two many times, he grabbed his cell phone and called the other guy, and told him, "I could get it figured out a lot faster if you'd quit sending me these damn messages!"

When he ran into the other guy the next day, the other guy apologized and told him the only reason he was pestering him so much was because the Boss from Hell was right next to him, bitching at him because it wasn't fixed yet. I don't think anyone got in trouble over it, fortunately.

[roadside]

Her compact car was too small......nuff said

[HappyCthulhu]

I even wrote it down -- 20006010-10

Its a Star Trek Master Card.
They have Stardates for the experiation.

[drummer1279]

heres one for the record books. 235 customers in the span of 3 days doing everything from throwing temper tantrums that make a 2-year old look like ghandi, to lawsuit threats, to calls to our corporate offices complaining of "unaccomidating employees at the hotel" all because our wireless internet server literally blew up and we had no service. goes to show how dependent people are on the internet these days.

[squall]

I got chewed out by an angry lady for something I didn't do and for something most people would not bat an eyelash at.

We had this toothpaste on advertisement at my old store I worked at. It was not on sale, just advertisement identical price to shelf tag price.

The advertisement tag said 2 for $3.00. The shelf tag said 1.45 each. The item scanned 1.45, which essemtially comes out to 2 for $2.90.

So this lady storms up to me and demands to know the actual price. I told her ACTUALLY they are 2 for $2.90. I told her the advertisement signs are automatically printed and they printed from corporate and they made a slight error in signage and advertisement.

Totally ignoring what I just said, she screams:

"That's false advertisement! You are ripping people off!"

I say "Um..we're actually saving you ten cents on the advertised price. If anything, this ad is not doing us much justice, you are benefiting from this mistake. The price has not changed for the worse."

She calms down a little and replies "Well...still, it's false advertising! I'm still going to talk to a manager about it." I think she was bluffing though, and was trying to come out on top. She just walked away and went about her business.

All over 10 cents?!

[greensinestro]

Well, can't you see what I'm doing?

I deal with internet service, much of the time assisting customers with setting up usernames and passwords. Then, I assist them with doing a manual set up being we do not send out software. I love it when the customer gets frustrated at something so easy (being many cannot read, I think), and they'll ask "Well, you're sitting there at a computer. Can't you see what I'm doing?" No, sir, I cannot. We are an internet company only. We do not do remote access to your computer, and if you want something like that, you have to call the manufacturer of your computer, or a Microsoft IT specialist.

But, in phone service long ago, I also used to get, "Well, can't you tell which phone in my house is not working right?" Yes, sir, I have direct access to view each and every room in your house, and I see everything including which phone is broken.

[Chanlin]

OMG!!!

I work at a call center for XYZTV. Customers go through the IVR first, just to make sure only XYZTV customers are using the system (they have to provide the phone number or their XYZTV acct number, then they get the menu, etc.) When they get to me, my recorded greeting is, "Thank you for holding. My name is Bonnie. May I have your telephone number, area code first please?"
Some people scream at me through the greeting, then say, "Huh? Did you say something? What did you want?"
I've had people **refuse** to give me their phone numbers, because "I don't give out my phone number over the phone."
I've had people scream at me because they give me their zip code instead of their area code, and they don't like being told, "Ma'am/sir, that is your zip code. I need the area code, please, from your telephone number." Got called a "f***ing douchebag" for that one.

I get yelled at on a regular basis when I ask people for their phone numbers, mind you I work in a call center for a prepaid cellular phone service. So ya know, I kinda need to ask you your cellular phone number when ya call if you want me to help you at all.

"You mean you don't have caller ID??"

As a matter of fact we do, but what if you just happen to be, oh I don't know, calling from a different phone?

Other dumb things I get yelled at for:

1: Directory assitance gave you the wrong number? Oh gee, did you give them the right information? Or is it just possible that there is more than one Bob Smith in the town of nowheresville. Oh and while I'm on a roll here, WE are NOT directory assistance, if they gave you the wrong number call directory assistance and whine at them.

2: Your battery died? I don't know did you maybe oh say try CHARGING IT. I mean is this so hard a concept to grasp. The phone has a battery read out for a reason. When it gets low, go plug it in.

3: Somone called you and it was a wrong number for them? Are they harrasing you? No, then whats the big deal? You've never called a wrong number before or what.... Oh you want us to credit you som air time? Um.... well..... no ---- or to reverse this....

4: Oh you called a wrong number and you want a credit for your airtime. Well, how about no. Why not? It's not our fault you called the wrong number. Oh, and check the brochure/box we don't credit for wrong number calls, it says so in the fine print.

5: You can't use your phone?? Do you have airtime remaining? What you should? Well we show a balance of zero. How is that possible you ask? Maybe you, oh I don't know, used it all up. Wow what a shock, I mean how could you have used up all of those sixty minutes in one day.

Sometimes I wonder how these people survive if they blow up over such stupid or little details.

[bullets]

RE: Yelled at

I've been yelled out because our IVR stated "Press 1 for English, Press 2 for Spanish." and then received the lecture about "if they want to live in America, they should learn to speak English."

[greensinestro]

I've been yelled out because our IVR stated "Press 1 for English, Press 2 for Spanish." and then received the lecture about "if they want to live in America, they should learn to speak English."

Oh,yeah. That is a good one there. I deal with that all the time as well. In Florida, we deal with a ton of different ethnic groups, races, and languages. Sometimes, the ones that speak, say, Portuguese are upset that their language is not on the menu. Then later on, someone will gripe about the fact the other languages other than English are on there. "I'm not interested in hearing about there being a choice of languages on your menu! This is America." And I think, "Yes, sir, I'm glad to hear that you've put me in my place regarding what country you and I both live in. Now, how can I help you?"

When I did phone service, I used to deal with the onslaught of customers who were programming their voice mail, and they would call me up to bitch about the fact that Spanish was one of the languages on there. "You need to get that off my menu!" Let me snap my fingers and I'll take care of that for you!