When a Customer Tries to Get You Fired...! - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

biffbronson · 05-24-2023, 02:06 PM

Have any of you worked in a retail or other service industry job, and had a customer so irate that they tried to have you fired?

When I was working for Builders Square at age 25 (1990), a middle-aged guy came in and wanted me to price-match a water heater with our competitor down the road.

The problem: as I stated to him, we will only match a competitor's price if that store has the same item in stock. But this guy had told me right off
the bat he came to us because the competitor was out-of-stock.

Once I'd explained our policy, he blew up and began acting like the ******* he was, saying he would have me fired. I still remember my reply: "Go ahead. I have my degree, and I don't need this job...!"

He got ahold of my department manager, and I got called on the carpet to have to explain what happened. I wasn't fired because aside from losing my cool, I hadn't done anything wrong. If I encountered a ****ing ass customer like that in my later years, I would make him regret he ever crossed my path.
____________________

I've worked for the following retailers, mostly in the late '80s to mid '90s:

Payless Cashways (Furrow Building Materials)
Builders Square
OfficeMax (Kmart owned at the time)
Phar-Mor
Meijer
Kmart (stock only)
Waccamaw (merchandising)
Walmart
Notre Dame Bookstore

Steve_uk · 05-24-2023, 02:52 PM

I've discerned bosses have their favourites. If you don't go out of your way to compliment your boss or otherwise make him or her look good you may be in for a rough ride. Suffice to say I've had some bad experiences.

Steve_uk · 05-25-2023, 09:34 AM

This may be slightly askew but it's terribly sad when an employer makes excuses to get rid of you. There's a case in my country at the moment and I can think of another case a few years back in a similar vein. https://www.aol.co.uk/entertainment/...082213816.html

stevea · 05-25-2023, 09:55 AM

Similarly, you can be the fair-haired boy in your department at a large company. So it was for me, with two sequential female bosses. After the second boss left, Paul came in.

At the time an older lady and I were managing a small office. He evidently determined he needed only one manager, used the excuse that she had seniority, and sent me off to an all-night computer room job.

I had already had an all-night job within the company, which I liked, but this one after a week, no. So I demoted myself from mgt. and took another job.

Steve_uk · 05-25-2023, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevea

Similarly, you can be the fair-haired boy in your department at a large company. So it was for me, with two sequential female bosses. After the second boss left, Paul came in.

At the time an older lady and I were managing a small office. He evidently determined he needed only one manager, used the excuse that she had seniority, and sent me off to an all-night computer room job.

I had already had an all-night job within the company, which I liked, but this one after a week, no. So I demoted myself from mgt. and took another job.

I have to say I hate the hierarchy and the bitchiness in the workplace. I always just wanted to do the job to the best of my ability and leave.

biffbronson · 05-25-2023, 02:34 PM

I once went to a temp agency hoping to get a factory job, as a means of getting with a company and moving into their engineering dept. The agency offered me a temporary job in which I'd have to take my own car to Elkhart -- and take additional workers with me at no compensation -- to work off the back of a garbage truck, picking up residential trash...! And I'd come to them with a 4-year college degree!

Of course, once I turned that down, they wanted nothing more to do with me -- even though they were desperate to find physically big & able workers (they likely put a mental tape measure on me).

With another agency, I did interview for an engineering job. But the interviewer berated me for not knowing about hyrdoforming (metals shaped by water pressure). Of course I didn't -- that's industrial engr., but my degree was not in industrial (mechanical is not the same). A wasted long trip due to the agency's stupidity.

Yong Fang · 05-27-2023, 10:38 PM

I worked at a hotel/casino as a desk clerk and some moron came down to pay his bill, which was around $20 and he gave me about ten dollars in change, and this was dimes and nickels mixed in with some quarters. If it was all quarters, no problems. He just gave me a mound of coins and expected me to sort it out. There was a change machine like twenty feet away and he refused to go there. Finally I said I wasn’t counting his money. Of course he and his wife are scanning me for my name badge to complain. I forgot what happened since this was thirty years ago, almost to the day now.

05-24-2023, 02:06 PM	#1
biffbronson Sentimental Fool Forum Star Join Date: Aug 22, 2009 Location: Near Notre Dame Posts: 10,608	When a Customer Tries to Get You Fired...! Have any of you worked in a retail or other service industry job, and had a customer so irate that they tried to have you fired? When I was working for Builders Square at age 25 (1990), a middle-aged guy came in and wanted me to price-match a water heater with our competitor down the road. The problem: as I stated to him, we will only match a competitor's price if that store has the same item *in stock. But this guy had told me right off the bat he came to us because the competitor was out-of-stock. Once I'd explained our policy, he blew up and began acting like the ****** he was, saying he would have me fired. I still remember my reply: "Go ahead. I have my degree, and I don't need this job...!" He got ahold of my department manager, and I got called on the carpet to have to explain what happened. I wasn't fired because aside from losing my cool, I hadn't done anything wrong. If I encountered a ****ing ass customer like that in my later years, I would make him regret he ever crossed my path. ____________________ I've worked for the following retailers, mostly in the late '80s to mid '90s: Payless Cashways (Furrow Building Materials) Builders Square OfficeMax (Kmart owned at the time) Phar-Mor Meijer Kmart (stock only) Waccamaw (merchandising) Walmart Notre Dame Bookstore

05-24-2023, 02:52 PM	#2
Steve_uk Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Jun 29, 2012 Location: Manchester UK Posts: 5,803	I've discerned bosses have their favourites. If you don't go out of your way to compliment your boss or otherwise make him or her look good you may be in for a rough ride. Suffice to say I've had some bad experiences.

05-25-2023, 09:34 AM	#3
Steve_uk Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Jun 29, 2012 Location: Manchester UK Posts: 5,803	This may be slightly askew but it's terribly sad when an employer makes excuses to get rid of you. There's a case in my country at the moment and I can think of another case a few years back in a similar vein. https://www.aol.co.uk/entertainment/...082213816.html

05-25-2023, 09:55 AM	#4
stevea 22 Years On Sitcoms Moderator Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 13, 2003 Location: Indy Posts: 45,109	Similarly, you can be the fair-haired boy in your department at a large company. So it was for me, with two sequential female bosses. After the second boss left, Paul came in. At the time an older lady and I were managing a small office. He evidently determined he needed only one manager, used the excuse that she had seniority, and sent me off to an all-night computer room job. I had already had an all-night job within the company, which I liked, but this one after a week, no. So I demoted myself from mgt. and took another job.

05-25-2023, 02:34 PM	#6
biffbronson Sentimental Fool Forum Star Join Date: Aug 22, 2009 Location: Near Notre Dame Posts: 10,608	I once went to a temp agency hoping to get a factory job, as a means of getting with a company and moving into their engineering dept. The agency offered me a temporary job in which I'd have to take my own car to Elkhart -- and take additional workers with me at no compensation -- to work off the back of a garbage truck, picking up residential trash...! And I'd come to them with a 4-year college degree! Of course, once I turned that down, they wanted nothing more to do with me -- even though they were desperate to find physically big & able workers (they likely put a mental tape measure on me). With another agency, I did interview for an engineering job. But the interviewer berated me for not knowing about hyrdoforming (metals shaped by water pressure). Of course I didn't -- that's industrial engr., but my degree was not in industrial (mechanical is not the same). A wasted long trip due to the agency's stupidity.

05-27-2023, 10:38 PM	#7
Yong Fang Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 04, 2009 Location: Memphis Tennessee Posts: 3,072	I worked at a hotel/casino as a desk clerk and some moron came down to pay his bill, which was around $20 and he gave me about ten dollars in change, and this was dimes and nickels mixed in with some quarters. If it was all quarters, no problems. He just gave me a mound of coins and expected me to sort it out. There was a change machine like twenty feet away and he refused to go there. Finally I said I wasn’t counting his money. Of course he and his wife are scanning me for my name badge to complain. I forgot what happened since this was thirty years ago, almost to the day now.