Person Asked For People's Most Memorable Rude Customer Stories, And 30 People From Our Community Responded

While doing security work at an event, I was posted at the exit only. Had a lady try to enter, so I informed her it was an exit only and directed her to the entrance. She attempted to push me to the side several times, when that didn't work she handed her very small infant to another woman and assaulted me. I defended myself with minimum force, never laying a hand on her or restraining her. What made me truly angry was the event organizer (who we warned their shitty set up wouldn't work), refused to evict her. I, the victim of assault, was moved to another area for my safety whilst the psycho roamed free. No I did not press charges (should have, live & learn), she was still there so I didn't want to deal with retaliation. Plus she hit like crap, not even a bruise-I've dealt with worse doing junior high security.

work for an answering service. I'm not sure what happened with my coworker beforehand but I was suddenly on the line with a very pissed off client who was berating me, telling me shae paid my paycheck, you know that sort of warm, fuzzy person. she demanded I tell her my name so she could get me fired and when I responded truthfully, "Jessica", she accused me of lieing and said I was "too old to be called Jessica."

I told her to tell my mother that.

So, I’ll admit the customer wasn’t rude but she bothered me so much. Because she brought her dog. And it wasn’t just any dog. It was a tan chihuahua and it was SO obese that it was painful to watch. Dogs shouldn’t have to go through life waddling because their owners enjoy “pampering ” them. You can spoil your dogs with toys and attention but don’t overfeed them. Please. (This applies to all pets and humans actually.)

First "real" job as a cashier at Kmart at 17yrs old in 1983. First time working the Service Desk, a woman wants to return an expensive box fan that's encrusted with dust and "dribbles". But it still has the pristine price sticker on it (it's "proof" for her). She didn't realize it's encoded with the date it was tagged...about 8yrs ago! As soon as I opened my mouth she started squawking and the manager came running over and gave her the refund. She told me to do anything customers want so they don't raise their voice and upset other customers. Then she revealed that woman was a regular who did this on a regular basis. (She sure had them trained.)

Used to work in an "open kitchen," where there were no doors between the kitchen and the front of house (where the customers were seated). A few of my favorites from when customers would come to ask me questions personally:
1) How vegan is your lettuce?
2) I know I told my server I have a deadly dairy allergy, I just don't understand why you won't give me a side of the buttermilk ranch.
3) (my personal favorite) I refuse to eat honey at all. It's not a dietary thing, it just lends to the subjugation of the bees.

Having been a manager of a couple retail stores I have way too many stories, but I'll share the two that I find the most infuriating.
First one involved a mother who came in with her 4 or 5 year old son. One of the associates was helping her with a pair of shoes when her son proceeded to start peeimg himself. Pee was literally running down his leg and spreading across the floor. Without moving she just smiled and said, "oh, it's okay honey. These nice people will clean it up." She then proceeds purchase the shoes and leave as if absolutely nothing happened. I understand not wanting to embarrass or traumatize your kid by scolding them in public, but you can't act like that is normal or okay behavior! At least clean it up yourself!

The second one (in the same store) also involved a mother and her kid - a little girl probably around the age of 11 or 12. I was helping the mother put on her shoes, as her daughter stood there starring at me. She wouldn't stop, and it even became kinda awkward. I just looked up at her at gave her a smile and was like, "how you doing? It's nice of you to give your mom company while she shops." It was at this moment that this girl gives the smuggiest little grin and goes, "what's wrong with your eyes?". I have never wanted to bitch slap a child so hard in my life. Her mother didn't seam the slightest bit bothered. I'm chinese by the way.

This just happened today. We get emails in the CS dept regarding issues, and I called the broker to advise how to correct it. He started to yell at me and tell me its our error and we need to fix it. Even after advising him we processed based off what we received he still screamed at me. No resolution I gave him satisfied him. Today I realized after 15 years of doing CS and working in a dept that gets little to know respect (at most companies) its time for a new line of work. And i am not a delicate flower but I transferred the call to a supervisor in tears because he was just very cruel and demeaning and it is very sad that people can just make a call and be so mean and the person on the other line just has to take it because their job requires them too.

I do phone surveys. On my first day I got this very, stereotypical hillbilly, Cletus-sounding dude curtly decline the survey and refused to offer anyone else in the household to participate without asking anyone. I think he even said there was no one else in the household. He was a bit rude about it than necessary. Then he "hung up"...
But he didn't actually hang up the phone.

Wife: Who was that on the phone?"

"Cletus - "Just some survey about yadda yadda yadda. Told 'em to shove it wer' the sun don't shine."

Wife: "You thick-headed moron. Maybe I wanted to do the survey. You big putz jerk."

To this day I always ponder if there are people who are interested but don't get the chance because of people like this.
But forever in my memory because of the way they spoke and how it went all down at the end was like something out of The Simpsons.

I was working in a mini-market in the 90's. It's a mini-market so not everything items have a price tag.
He bought a Snikers bar. I said 10kr (let's say its $2).
1 hour later he came back furious.
He: IT SAYS 9kr IN THE SHELF!
Me: Ok sorry, I give you 1kr back.
He: DO YOU F*****G KOW HOW MUCH 1KR IS? #¤#"%

Never seen an adult get furious for 1kr.
For a second I thought he was going to kill me for the 1kr.

A well-known right wing radio talk show host here in the US had his mortgage with the bank I worked for. He made his payments in the branch offices on the very last day before he incurred late charges. Unfortunately, we ended up having a technical glitch in our systems & his payments had to be sent from the branch to corporate to be posted, which took a day or two. Our systems generated & sent late notices, but the payments were always posted effective the date he'd paid in the branch, so there wasn't ever a late charge. He called me one day, screaming about the notices. I explained that I couldn't prevent them from generating unless he paid a few days earlier in the branch, but that he could disregard them because his payments were posted as paid on time. That was NOT good enough. I went to lunch & when I came back my coworkers were absolutely staring at me. It turned out that he'd gone on an extended rant about the whole thing on his radio show & people had heard it. A little while later, I was called on the carpet because the bastard had called my VP & demanded I be fired. She didn't fire me, but from then on that asshat was handled with absolute kid gloves. I will NEVER forget it.