Share Your Stories Of Nightmare Customers (pricing, department store, sell, expensive)

[Flamingo13]

Mmmmm - beer *spoken in Homer Simpson voice*

[Kathleen1971]

Worked the customer service desk at Walmart in the early 90's and yes they will return anything including used underwear. And yes they will go on one of those cheap little hangers and go right on the clearance rack unwashed. Zayres/Ames in Miami did the same thing. I would say I hope that things have changed but they haven't at the Walmart in my area according to a little birdie I know. Moral of the story? If you are going to buy underwear at a box store ( Target aside apparently as I hear, again I said hear not know, they are really strict about clothing returns and what goes back out on the floor) make sure they are in a package. And make sure that package has not been resealed in a crappy fashion because you now know what that means!

[harry chickpea]

Nightmare customers? Which ones?

The woman who crupped on the restroom floor every time she came in?
The guy who slugged me while I was trying to direct traffic in an emergency situation and he wanted to get to his spot in the drive-in?
The family that made up false complaints to get free passes to theatres, and tried to get employees fired as part of their plan?
The drunk who barfed all over the artwork on the wall?
The drunk sheriff who had to be escorted out by one of his own deputies?
I could go on, but what is the point?

Those were more or less expected. What REALLY frosts the cake are the officers and boards of companies that have no clue on how to properly react. "Yeah, lets give a bunch of free passes to all the a**holes who rip us off and then complain, so they will come again." Gee, what a WONDERFUL idea. We should serve them lunch at the next board meeting while we are at it.

[texdav]

Originally Posted by Kathleen1971

Worked the customer service desk at Walmart in the early 90's and yes they will return anything including used underwear. And yes they will go on one of those cheap little hangers and go right on the clearance rack unwashed. Zayres/Ames in Miami did the same thing. I would say I hope that things have changed but they haven't at the Walmart in my area according to a little birdie I know. Moral of the story? If you are going to buy underwear at a box store ( Target aside apparently as I hear, again I said hear not know, they are really strict about clothing returns and what goes back out on the floor) make sure they are in a package. And make sure that package has not been resealed in a crappy fashion because you now know what that means!

Where do you live because I don't want to shop anywhere in your town if people do such things, Wouldn't find that at wal marts near me.But then say different about target when you don't know I thnik gives your story telling away. Disgruntaled? I would thin so because in most sates that would be illegal besides mean the people doing so just as bad as the manage of your stores.

[Kathleen1971]

Originally Posted by texdav

Where do you live because I don't want to shop anywhere in your town if people do such things, Wouldn't find that at wal marts near me.But then say different about target when you don't know I thnik gives your story telling away. Disgruntaled? I would thin so because in most sates that would be illegal besides mean the people doing so just as bad as the manage of your stores.

I live in Tampa. The Walmart in question is in Ruskin, FL. Pay them a visit and see for yourself. If you don't seen rotten drawers hanging, and you may not, why not make a trip to the ladies room where you can see poo on the walls, maxi pads on the floor and various other lovely sights and then come call me a liar. And the Zayres/Ames was in Miami. I would give you the addy but they have been out of business for years.

And I thought I made quite clear in my post that that is what I HEARD about Target, not what I know from experience. For all I know they could be doing the same damn thing but considering it's damn near impossible to return nearly anything there it would surpise me if they took back dirty panties. But who knows.

And again, my PERSONAL reference for Walmart, AS I SAID IN MY POST, was back in the early 90's and anything I have heard lately is just that, hearsay. I am sorry I did not take any pictures for proof back then but it is what it is and I know exactly what went on.

As for these things being illegal? Sure they are but if you think that these big chains don't break rules all the time I have a bridge to Nowhere to sell you. I suppose you also believe that grocery stores would NEVER try and resell old food or cover up expiration dates even though not only have people in that industry freely admitted to doing that and news shows have them on tape. Yep. Everyone in retail follows all the law and rules.


And finally, disgruntled? I have not worked in retail since 1992 and have been in the mortgage industry since than so how exactly do I have a dog in this hunt?

[NMyTree]

Originally Posted by texdav

Where do you live because I don't want to shop anywhere in your town if people do such things, Wouldn't find that at wal marts near me.But then say different about target when you don't know I thnik gives your story telling away. Disgruntaled? I would thin so because in most sates that would be illegal besides mean the people doing so just as bad as the manage of your stores.

Drinking at 11:00 AM ?

Find a wagon and jump on it.

[TKramar]

One of the worst things I see customers do on a consistent basis is make a business issue a personal one, or take their personal issues with a person to their business. But the latter isn't so much a "customer" issue.

[TKramar]

More nightmare stories. Preparing taxes one year, customer walks in with a shoebox of receipts. Wants us to sort through them to see what he can and cannot deduct (we did so, but recommended he get a book keeping service or accountant for the following year). Other customers don't have all their information and expect us to be able to construct something without it. We need to be reasonably certain of the accuracy of our information, or we can't really do the return. You made money under the table, and want to know if you have to claim that. Shocking, really.

[gardener34]

"
I work as a merchandiser in various stores - one store employee told me that just the day before a customer had apparently tried on bras, decided to keep one ON - and hung her old ratty one on the hanger and returned it to the rack!!!"

I worked in a dept. store lingerie dept. This happens ALL the time. Or they would take the nasty old bras and put them in the packages and then put them back on the shelves.
Once I had a man request I measure him for a bra. I made my manager do it - no way they were paying me enough for that. I also had transvestites come in regularly.
Also once there was a couple that came in real drunk, and he fell against a rack and split his head open and there was blood all over - we called the police.
then there was the shop lifter who did not realize he was on the floor that did not have an outside exit. He tried to run and ended up running in the backstock room.
Oh yeah, and once I took a counterfeit bill. Had the FBI questioning me about that one... someone had been passing 20s all over the mall that day.
And then there was the genius who reported her credit card stolen. Then she found it and tried to use it. It came up stolen on the register - we had security flying out of nowhere at this idiot....
And the gross stuff people tried to return: vitamins, used carpet, drapes that had nasty odors from hanging up in someone's home and they returned.

I could go ON and ON....

[NMyTree]

From the late 80's ...to the early 90's I was managing an Industrial Safety Equipment store. You know, all the stuff OSHA requires (" Caution: If you think OSHA is a small town in Wisconsin, you're in trouble ") lol

We had hundreds of commercial house accounts, so most of our business was from in-house commercial accounts; but we also did over the counter retail.

One day these guys walk in and they have a job to clean some large industrial chemical holding tanks.

They brought a few other things and two 3M half mask organic vapor respirators, up to the counter.

I ask them what they're using it for and they say they have a job cleaning out a chemical tank.

I ask them what kind of chemical is/was in the tank. He says hydrochloric acid.

I instruct him that the 3M half mask organic vapor respirators are not appropriate for that job and that they will need a full face supplied air unit.

He asks me the price and I tell him.

He got annoyed and said I was trying to sell him something he didn't need, for a bigger profit. I told that wasn't true and I showed him our OSHA approved chemical guide reference book and how it clearly states that hydrochloric acid requires a full face supplied air unit and that he would also need either neoprene or butyl rubber gloves for the job.

Again he accused me of trying to push stuff on him he didn't need, but this time he started raising his voice, cursing me out and insulting me.

I tried to clam him down and provided him with literature ...you know....facts and told him that his worker would be killed in the tank and on top of that he would be in HUGE trouble with OSHA.

Again he just barked insults at me.

I never once raised my voice to him or got nasty with him.

At that point I'd had enough and told him I wouldn't sell the respirators or canvas gloves to him. That his worker would die the second he was lowered into the tank and if he didn't care about that, I at the very least needed to protect our business. Which of course led to his screaming some more and flinging more insults.

At this point the owner stepped out of his office to see what was going on with this guy. The customer started yelling at him and bashing me to the owner. I explained what was going on.

The owner politely informed him that everything I said was true. Which of course resulted in the customer verbally attacking him.

So after a long, drawn out bunch of cr*p...the customer calms down and says he'll have to come back for the supplied air unit, fullface mask and gloves. That he didn't realize he would need that much money. But he still wants the 3M half mask organic vapor respirators. He agreed not use them in the tank.

The owner agreed to sell it to him and I even made a note on the receipt that it was NOT to be used in the acid tank.

The next day I come into work and the owner calls me into his office.

The idiot sent his worker into the acid tank with the 3M half mask organic vapor respirator and the guy was dead within seconds.

The guy had a family and OSHA was all over the idiot who sent him in there.

Stupid ******' people!