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People Around The World Share Their Customer Service Horror Stories

Trista Smith April 19, 2021

Customer service isn’t an easy industry to work in. It involves a lot of being polite and fixing other people’s problems. In fact, it can become downright stressful having to deal with other people’s concerns all the time. There’s a reason people don’t stay in customer service for very long. However, then some employees don’t take their jobs seriously or even care at all.

They can go out of their way to make things even more difficult for the customer, hoping that they’ll go away and leave them alone. Check out these stories crazy stories about the worst customer service people have received from around the world. What would you do in these insane situations? And, yes, we also have several stories where employees are complaining about crazy customers.

20. Bad Customer Service Equals No Food

Eating out is a luxury most people enjoy. Unfortunately, for one unlucky person and his girlfriend, they weren’t so lucky. They’ve gone to a particular restaurant regularly because the food is delicious. But on this last occasion, Reddit user duh_metrius chose not to go there ever again. “So we’re sitting there for a long time- long enough for the people next to us to sit, order, and get their food. So I’m about to flag down the waitress and see what’s taking so long when she walks over and says, “I’m sorry, but the kitchen says you can’t have your steak.”

The man asked why he couldn’t have it, and she replied they couldn’t make it for him. He took this to mean that they were out of steak, but she corrected his mistake by saying that they kept cooking it wrong. That they’d already tried three times to make it, and since they couldn’t get it right, he had to order something else. “So then I order something else, we wait over half an hour again, and the waitress says they lost our order ticket and we left.”

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19. Customer Service Transfers

When you’re having problems with your bank account, you want to be able to take care of it as soon as possible through their customer service. Unfortunately for one person, they ended up somewhere else entirely different. They called to talk to a real person through Bank of America. Their question pertained to something that couldn’t be handled through their usual menu. Unfortunately, there was no option to dial “0” for the operator.

Reddit user TheUgniux told the tale. “Anyways, so of course I had to go through each new menu with the woman speaking “conveniently” and “comfortingly” slow, so I don’t miss a single word. I get with someone finally; I’m in the wrong place and need to be transferred. Get a new person, have to go through all my information before they hear my question. In the wrong place, transferred. Info, wrong place, transferred once more. It had been around 20 minutes by this point. Then I hear, “Hi, I’m Susie with Wells Fargo. How may I assist you?” What. The. Frick.”

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18. Waiting In Line To Be Skipped

It’s always polite to wait your turn in line. But when it comes to going next, one person had an unfortunate incident with being skipped. One Redditor went to a fast food place in Camberwell, Melbourne, with a friend. After waiting in line for their turn, they walk up to the counter after their friend orders. The guy behind the counter looks behind them and says, “next!” They immediately say something to the effect of “hold on a sec, it’s actually my turn to order.” The guy looks at them, and then at the next customer and again says, “next.”

“Myself and the next person in the line are giggling now, asking him why he won’t serve me. He again doesn’t answer and says, next. By this time, his manager has caught on to the fact something isn’t right, comes over, and asks what is going on. The guy gets sent away, and the manager serves me, apologizing profusely. I still have absolutely no idea why he didn’t want to serve me, but I haven’t seen him working there since that night. He was young, so maybe he was just really nervous? Or just didn’t like the look of me? Either way, it has remained firmly in my memory because it was so bizarre.”

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17. Fast Food Customer Service Goes Wrong

Ordering at the drive-thru shouldn’t be a hassle. You order what you want and they make it for you. And on the off-chance that the workers get it wrong, workers are usually eager to make you a new one. Apparently, this was not the case with the workers at a local establishment. After placing an order, this Reddit user received the wrong sandwich. Wanting to correct the problem, they headed back to the cashier thinking it would be a simple fix. Instead, they were met with big attitude.

Redditor hmfiddlesworth told their own personal story. “The cashier looked at me like ‘wtf is your problem.’ She disappeared for ages to call a manager. [The] manager comes over and also gave me the ‘but where’s the problem’ look. She then said it happens often cause all the packaging is similar, so it’s not really their fault. Eventually, she agreed to replace the burger. After about 10 minutes, I get handed a cold, sad burger that looked like it was pulled out the garbage.”

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16. No Help

When you buy a broken product, it should be easy to return and have it replaced, or at least be refunded. However, some cashiers are not interested in doing the job they’re getting paid for. Reddit user HeadStove ordered a roll of wallpaper from Home Depot’s website, and it arrived damaged. They brought the product back into the store to return it, only to be met with an 80-year-old woman who obviously shouldn’t have been working there. She was tasked with operating the computer and could not figure out how to process the return.

“I stood there for 15 minutes while she made various attempts, and I was trying not to give off any sense of impatience or make her feel rushed or flustered. And then she ultimately concluded that there was nothing she could do and that I should just go away and come back another day. I asked if there was anyone else in the store who might be able to try, and she just refused to call anyone. I was surprised that someone working [in] customer service thought saying “go away and come back another day” was an adequate resolution.”

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15. Paying To Receive Your Own Bill

The convenience of online billing has made it much easier for people to take care of their affairs. You receive an email notification, and you can just go to their website to pay online. But technology, it seems, also makes things more difficult for some businesses. But why are the customers the ones who have to pay for it? In this case, it’s a small amount, but using technology kind of negates the need to pay for a stamp.

A Redditor told of their experience. “My former German internet provider once sent me an email that said ‘We can’t send you the bill per email as requested because your email address is incorrect. We now have to send you the bill per Mail. This service will cost you 1.50€.’ So, they’ve sent me an email to tell me they can’t send me an email. I refused to pay the 1.50, and nothing happened. Nine months later, they cut my connection because I haven’t paid the 1.50€. [Jerks].”

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14. Ungrateful Restaurant Manager

When you find a restaurant you enjoy, you may end up going there a lot. And when they put in new locations, it’s hard to break your loyalty. For one unfortunate family, however, a restaurant lost them as a customer. A new location had opened up, and the family was interested in giving it a try, despite the menu prices being a little higher than what they’re used to. Reddit user notjustanyschloss shared their experience.

“The service was mediocre, and the food not much better – especially for the price. We got the bill, and my mother tipped about 15% (which is low for her but still a standard/typical amount in the US). The manager of the place brought the bill back and told my mother she didn’t leave enough [for a ]tip. That’s when my dear sweet mother zeroed out the tip line. I’d never seen her do that before, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she never does it again. We haven’t been back in over 15 years, and I honestly don’t understand how the place is still in business.”

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13. Unhelpful Therapist

Having access to a healthcare physician, whether it’s for your physical or mental health, is essential to stay happy. Especially when it comes to therapy, it’s vital that you have access when you need it. For unfortunate Reddit user AbortRetryImplode, they hadn’t gone to their therapist in over a year, so the office informed them that they had been dropped as a patient. That didn’t seem like a big problem; they could just get a new therapist, right? Wrong. Things only became more complicated.

“They suggested filling out new paperwork and informed me that the therapist wasn’t accepting any new clients. They make another suggestion of seeing a different therapist who may have any openings for new patients. Instead, their suggestion was turned down, stating that they were already established with this therapist and that they didn’t want to switch them, despite being booked for the next four to six months. “At this point, I’m pretty angry. So I say, “I’m calling you guys because I’m having major issues. What if I was having thoughts of self-harm? Are you going to tell a person who’s a danger to themselves that they can’t see a different therapist since theirs is booked until May?” And that’s when she hung up on me.”

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12. Pizza Gone? Not Our Problem!

It shouldn’t be difficult to get the food that you ordered. The worst part is waiting for it to get made. But when you’re still waiting after everyone else at your table has received their meals, something is definitely up. And what’s worse than being forgotten about? Having your food delivered to the wrong table. Reddit user noodle-face shared their customer service horror story. “Everyone’s pizzas came except mine and my wife’s. We’re waiting for like 10 minutes until we notice people after us were getting food. Finally, I go up there, and they get all defensive and say they delivered it.

“I tell them that they didn’t, but after much interrogation, they finally fess up that another customer had raised his hand and taken our pizza. They then just sat there looking at me like, “OH WELL?” I had to argue with the manager to get the pizza I ordered. She tried to make us take other pizzas instead that were already made (and not what we ordered). This place lost my business for life.”

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11. Bank Fees For Closed Account

Dealing with the bank is hard enough. One mistake, and you could end up paying. But when the mistake is their mistake, they’re not so avid to admit it. In fact, they may even try to cover it up and pretend as if you’re the one who still made a mistake. Redditor RicsFlair had to jump through many hoops to get this situation sorted out. “Somehow, Wells Fargo claimed that I had incurred a withdraw from the savings account. It turned out to have been an error on their part. However, they tacked on an “overdraft fee” of $15. I noticed it in my checking account.

“When I inquired, they said that it was because there were no funds in the savings account. But the account had been closed for years! I spent an entire week calling and emailing different departments (referred to me by different reps). I felt that I was at the mercy of whatever erroneous charge they wanted to throw at me. Ultimately, I believe nothing would have been corrected had I not emailed every Wells Fargo director that I could find on the Internet. Eventually, I was advised that they had recalled the bogus late fee but made sure to get it in writing. I stopped banking with them at that time.”

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10. Customer Service For Window Shoppers

Window shopping is a harmless venture, browsing around in a story with no interest in buying shouldn’t bring down a guillotine. Maybe you want to buy it later or surprise someone as a gift, but you currently don’t have the funds. How this couple was treated goes beyond words, and we wouldn’t be surprised if they never shopped at the store ever again in the future. Reddit user Catalyst09 told their odd story. “Went into Kay Jewelers with my wife to get her engagement ring inspected for the every six months warranty checkup. So, obviously, I’ve spent money with them before.

“As we were waiting for the paperwork, my wife noticed a necklace she liked and wanted to see mostly the price on. The saleswoman immediately started talking about the credit card, trying to get me to apply. I told her I wasn’t interested. We noticed the price was rather high. I said we just wanted to look at the necklace up close, but not buy today. IMMEDIATELY, she grabs the necklace back and starts helping another couple that had walked in without another word to us.”

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9. Dull Service

Proposing can be one of the most exciting moments of your life. You find the perfect ring, and you even know your partner’s ring size. So when you finally have the ring in your pocket, nothing else can go wrong, right? Think again. This poor fiancée had to deal with the embarrassment of their engagement ring not fitting when they tried it on. What makes it more aggravating is that customer service had this to say according to Reddit user Sudo_Nymn:

“When he bought me an engagement ring, he asked to see rings he knew I’d like – in size 7. When he proposed, low and behold, the ring is way too small. We go to Kay the following day. They slip the ring onto a sizer – it’s a 5.5. Their story: “all our display rings are 7. Someone must’ve ordered this and had it resized, then returned it. It got put back in the case, and then you bought it.”

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8. Hair Stylist Who Never Listens

A haircut should be relaxing. If you want anything extra, that shouldn’t be a problem for them, especially if you have any requests or suggestions. After all, you know your hair best, so you would know what products to use in your hair. One unfortunate woman was stuck with a hairdresser who scoffed at her throughout her entire appointment. Reddit user PeligrosaPistola shared her bad experience.

“Right away, she told me I should quit straightening my hair and get a wig like her. She asked me what products I used and rolled her eyes at each one. I asked her to put a special cream on my forehead and ears to protect them from the chemicals. She LAUGHED at me and mocked me with the other stylists. When my skin ended up burning because see above, she put oil on it instead of washing the chemicals out right away. When I finally made it to the sink, she used a brush on my scalp while shampooing, which you should NEVER do because agitated skin and chemicals don’t mix). She picked up on the fact that my (ex) boyfriend, whom I was meeting up with after, was white. It took her 3 hours to do a 45-minute service.”

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7. Ignored By The Server

When people go out for a meal, they understand they’re paying for a service. Not just for the food, but for the benefit of someone else cooking and serving it to them. The wait staff are usually keen on this and try to provide the best service possible to ensure that customers come back time and time again. Lousy customer service is guaranteed to drive customers away, and if they tell their friends, they’re likely to lose business. The waitress at this restaurant didn’t care about that as she took care of everyone else but this Reddit poster sunshinensea.

“I went to a fancy-ish local restaurant in my hometown with my friend. We’re in our early 20s, but most people that go there are much older. We didn’t see our waitress for a long time. The couple next to us that was seated after us and got their food before we even got water. She never checked up on us during our meal. However, she wasn’t too busy for us because she had two other tables by us that she talked to a lot, and she hung out by the bar. She never gave us napkins or silverware for our meal, so we had to ask someone else.”

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6. Nasty Drinks

People want to know that the food that they order when they’re eating out is safe. They want to trust that the people preparing them are using the safety standards that have been prescribed so that no one gets sick from eating the food. On the rare occasion that something goes wrong, the wait staff usually treat the situation very seriously. The last thing they’re going to do is make a customer pay for food or drinks that violates those safety standards. Apparently, this waitress didn’t get that memo, according to Reddit user ontrack.

“My friend’s soft drink tasted terrible, and he found an oily washer in the bottom of the bottle. Fortunately, he had only taken a sip. He got another soft drink. Later, we were billed for the nasty drink as well. I told the waitress we would not pay for the first drink he had because it was undrinkable. When I paid the bill, she brought change, having included the drink in the bill. I asked to see the manager, and she said the manager wasn’t around. I looked around back towards the kitchen, and evidently, only the cook was back there, so she might not have been lying. Her whole attitude was one of complete indifference.”

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5. Broken Appliances

Major appliances like dishwashers and dryers are expected to last a long while as long as they’re used correctly. No one expects that they would break within a week of buying them. Perhaps after a few years, but not one week. So when this Reddit user purchased a new washer and dryer combo from Sears, they didn’t expect that they were going to have to go through so much trouble: “Bought a washer dryer combo from Sears. I opened a Sears credit card to buy it. They both broke in less than a week.

“After a month of no repairs, I had them returned. Sears refused to acknowledge my return, and I had to fight with them for six months to take the charges off the credit card.” Not only was this person out of appliances to get their laundry done, but they couldn’t get their money returned to their credit card so they could get a new one. Talk about inconvenience. It’s no wonder fewer and fewer people are shopping at Sears these days and why the business is closing down.

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4. Internet Car Radio Outrage

Experiencing a car accident is never a pleasant experience, both financially or emotionally. Having to deal with all the paperwork makes it more stressful than it needs to be. And if there isn’t another vehicle in the family, trying to get another one in a timely manner can be next to impossible. But Reddit poster red1420 didn’t have a problem with the car they were getting; they were having issues with the Internet radio service provider they’d signed up for.

“I was in a car accident that totaled my vehicle a month after purchasing a year subscription. Called to get it switched to my new vehicle, and they refused. The rep on the phone said in a snotty tone, “ma’am, you CHOSE to get a new vehicle.” She probably had more to say, but I interrupted her so fast and had to sit through all of the call center tricks to get to talk to her supervisor. Although my accident didn’t result in any severe injuries, I’ve lost close family members in a car accident, and it struck a nerve that someone would jump to conclusions right away.”

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3. Arrogant Customer Service

When you go out to a restaurant, you expect that the people working in the kitchen know what they’re doing. They wouldn’t have been hired for the job otherwise. This commenter went to a nice spot for lunch that was known for its seafood. When they received their meal, they hadn’t taken a bite yet because it was too hot. That’s when the waitress came over to see if everything was okay. Only then did this Reddit poster discover everything that was wrong with their meal. Redditor BeautyNBoots shared their story.

“I dig in, and everything is overcooked, the salmon, clams, calamari…everything but the mussels. She comes back out, and I let her know it’s overcooked. Then, she immediately gets irritated and asks me why I didn’t mention it when she went by the first time. She then explains that everything gets cooked together, so the mussels would have been overcooked if it was bad. The other things wouldn’t be overcooked. Do you cook calamari and mussels for the same amount of time? I couldn’t believe she was so forceful and arrogant with me. I had never sent back a dish in my life, and I hope I never have to do so again.”

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2. A Gift Card That Didn’t Work

A gift card is the best way of giving someone a gift so that they can pick out exactly what they want for. And when it comes to cruises, everything on the cruise ship can be dreadfully expensive. So this one father thought he was doing his child a favor by getting them a gift card to use on their cruise. Little did anyone know that that wouldn’t be the case at all. In fact, it made everything much, much worse. Redditor BeautyNBoots told their story of another case of poor service.

“The gift card was for drinks and amenities and had both our names on it. It came time to pay up, and they won’t use the gift card balance. Wont let me use it for misc. room charges and won’t let my friend use it for her drinks. They say it was in my name only and is only for booze. No refund, no conversation. Just “No, you should have used it on drinks.” Freaking Cruise lines.”

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1. They Waited So Long They Could’ve Driven There… So They Did

On a busy night, it can be challenging to order a pizza. Everyone seems to have the same idea, and you can end up being put on hold for so long you’re not sure you even want a pizza anymore. Of course, if you hang up now, then you have to find something else to have for dinner, and you might end up being put on hold again. That can be a difficult situation also.

But Redditor Fromhe was one customer who got put on hold and decided to put the pizza delivery place to the test. Not wanting to lose their spot in the phone queue to someone else, and to see if they really were putting them on hold and not just making them wait for no reason, this is what they decided to do: “I was put on hold to order a pizza from a local place. I was put on hold so long I drove down there still on hold to yell at them after they cooked my pizza.”

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