SCs and their attempts to get you in trouble

[blas]

Has anyone ever came across an SC who had/has a vendetta against them, and has personally tried to seek out and get you in trouble? Maybe a customer sunk so low as to complain to the manager about you.....on your day off? Maybe a customer made up a complete lie about you because you said something they didn't want to hear (aka "We're sold out" or "Sorry, we do not accept checks")??? Do share your tales!

The gas station I worked at was really low key, a mom and pop store. We weren't corporate, so we didn't have to kiss the customers' asses. However, with our trashy clientel, they felt that somehow, they were STILL entitled to "the customer is always right", and that if we didn't follow suit the exact way our manager did, we were BAD and needed to be punished (aka, not letting them budge or not speedily cashing them out, or not making them write their info on their checks, or not checking ID for credit cards, carding for ciggs, etc etc etc etc).

One of my first nights not working with my manager, I was training with a girl named Tess (made up name). Tess told me that I had to be EXTRA careful what I said around customers, and that some of them will randomly ask how I like it or if I like my manager or the owners, and it's a trick. She said no matter what, say NOTHING at all. It's a trap; they try and catch you saying bad things so that they can complain and get us in trouble. Granted, no one should talk shit in front of customers, but these customers did set us up for it at times. I was warned.

And so, when I got called in one night, it was an emergency, and I was needed to come in so quickly that it didn't even matter what I wore. My manager said "Just wear what you're wearing, I don't care what you do, I just need someone to finish the night off." So I did.

A regular, nasty SC came in, and grunted, "Where's ye work uniform?" or something like that. I smiled and said, "I'm just covering for someone tonight." I kept it plain and simple, not angry or disappointed sounding. I didn't make any deal out of it whatsoever.

Well, the next day, when I came to pick up my check, my manager wanted to have a talk with me. WTF? She told me that a customer had came in early that morning and told her that I had been complaining about getting called in. I called BS and stood up for myself, saying I had said NO such thing, I didn't even say anything other than that I was covering for someone. My manager still didn't believe me (rrrrr!). I was getting called in a lot, so maybe she believed that I was angry.....but she should have known me better than that. I knew our customers and their tricks better than that.

What, did that guy think he was gonna get free stuff for bitching about me? I made sure to treat him like absolute dirt every time I waited on him after that. I wasn't even too worried about him complaining, since he already did it once, and I felt that if my manager was going to believe some nasty rat like that over me, I would be better appreciated elsewhere.

Oddly enough, he never bitched about me again, but it didn't fail that he tried to bitch about other employees.

I always warned new people to watch it.......isn't that just SAD?

[Lace Neil Singer]

There was once this woman who whinged to my boss at Hell's Pizza about me; she made up a fairy tale about me cussing her out and messing up her order. She didn't mention me by name, just called me "the girl with blue hair"; I had blue hair at the time of working there. It varied tho; sometimes it was pink or green instead. Anyway, the boss listened to her ranting on; then he said "What day was that again?" The woman confidently said, "Thursday." My boss said, "Sorry, but you're talking rubbish; Lace wasn't even working on that day." The woman apparently looked like a fish out of water; she'd been caught bullshitting and didn't have a leg to stand on. I never even found out why she picked on me; I didn't even remember taking her order!

[Lulu]

I posted about this on the old board, but I had this guy who threw a total hissy because I wouldn't give him a refund (no receipt, no proof of purchase, usual story) and then proceeded, over the course of something like 6 months, to complain to not only my manager, but the shops owners, the management company of the shopping centre the shop was in, and even the local press. All of whom, gratifyingly, either had him removed from their premises by security or told him to stop being so pathetic. He was a charmer that one, threw a hardback book at my head and then went around telling everyone he could find that I'd had him arrested

[ditchdj]

If anyone lied about me to the boss and got me fired I'd sue them for slander. I wonder what the looks on their stupid faces would be if a bailiff came to their front door and served them court papers naming them as a "defendant". I guarantee that would shut em up for awhile! So run your mouth and your ass is gonna be paying MY bills for awhile.

From what I understand it only costs about 50 bucks to haul someone into small-claims court and you can get them for up to 5000 I believe (?)

[lordlundar]

OH OH! I remember that story lulu. That guy was a maniac. He probably should have been behind bars.

[Becks]

One day, I took my salad cart out to the salad bar, to fulfill my job requirement. I suddenly felt the urge to sneeze, so I took a few steps back, turned my head into my shoulder, and sneezed. I then went into the bathroom to wash my hands, then went outside to have a smokey treat, since a member of the cleaning crew chose that time to vacuum our runner rugs.

Apparently, a woman later called the store and asked to talk to my supervisor. She wanted to complain about the fact that I actually SNEEZED...in PUBLIC. Oh, the HORROR.

When he was telling me about this, he couldn't stop laughing. And we couldn't get over the fact that after she witnessed this atrocity, she finished her shopping, went home, and THEN called to complain...

[KayEm]

Has a customer ever purposely tried to get me in trouble ?

YES !!!!!

I'll never forget this bitch I call Toadwoman. I was working in this video store at the time and loved it. All the feedback I'd gotten from customers and managers alike was positive so I thought I was in for a long stint there.

Well, this one day we have this employee meeting, and our manager tells us that she wants us to know that what we do on our time off is OUR business and ours alone (and that's as it should be).

So a few days go by and in comes Toadwoman. I was all alone at the time and we were seriously busy, so she walks up to the counter while I'm on a phone call to another customer, well the customer wanted me to go see if there were any more Pirates of the Carrebean, so I say to Toadwoman "I'll be right back".

She hrrrrrmpphs, but I let it go. I get back (in about 3 seconds) and she's worked her way into practically an apopolectic fit. She's got smoke coming out the ears, she throws her card at me and snaps "I don't have all day !!!" then when I'm done, she snatches her movies out of my hand and hrrrrmphs her way out the door.

BITCH !!! well, this was just too much. I run to the back room in tears, come back and my relief is there so I go home.

The next day...my day OFF (I.E. on my own time), I'm at the post office and guess who walks in ? You got it ! Toadwoman.

Well, going on what my manager said, that my time was my own, and I'm STILL furious because she made me cry at work, I get in her face and tell her what a miserable human being she is and that she shouldn't even be allowed out to shop in public till she can prove she can act like a decent human being.

She's spluttering "I am the customer...I am the customer !!!"

I'm telling her that she's WRONG, because right now I'm not an employee. So she says "We'll see what Leslie has to say about this" and she hrrrmphs off.

I'm thinking that Leslie will just back me up, as I'm a good employee and because of what she said at the employee meeting.

WRONG...a week later I'm told my services are no longer necessary. I tell her that I have the right to know the reason why. The assistant manager (Leslie was too much of a chicken shit to do this herself) tells me that Leslie told him they don't have to give me a reason as the job is "at will".

Well, obviously I know the reason. Leslie obviously bent to the will of the almighty Customer and I was history.

As if that wasn't bad enough, I have to look at Toadwoman at least once a week at the store I work in now ! It's all I can do not to walk up and spit in her face.

And I just saw Leslie...the fucking bitch works in the public library. One of these days I'm going in there and rip her a new asshole (when I first saw her I was in my work uniform and didn't think it would be a good idea. After all, our time off isn't really our own, as I think has been proven with this story)

[Kiwi]

I get in her face and tell her what a miserable human being she is and that she shouldn't even be allowed out to shop in public till she can prove she can act like a decent human being.

oh honey, that is never a good idea, customer or not! your lucky she didnt have a weapon, or wasnt physco or have a few other people there with her ready to kick you to kingdom come!

you will never be able to turn around people like that, its no use trying, they are sad and pathetic enough, dont drag youself down to that level. I know she made you angry and upset but you have to rise above it

believe me I understand totally how angry you feel when someone belittles you and you have no way to defend yourself, but what happens at work STAYS at work.

[Lulu]

OH OH! I remember that story lulu. That guy was a maniac. He probably should have been behind bars.

with a big friend named Butch Thankfully he's not been seen since and this being the teeny town it is, I can only assume he moved away...hopefully with his head hung in shame

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Well, I've certainly had plenty try, although none have succeeded. I've told plenty of customers to go to hell, however it's all in the delivery. They have nothing if they decided to complain. Their complaints come off making them look like crazy people.

The one that to this day has me scratching my head was this one at Kinko's:

Manager: (Sidles up to me at counter) Did you wait on an old guy out in self-serve today?

Me: No, I wasnt' even out in self serve today. Why?

Manager: (sigh) Yeah, that's what I thought.

Me: Why do you ask?

Manager: Cuz this old guy out there complained that the 'girl with the white streak in her hair' cussed him out and told him he was acting like a baby."

Me: Woah, WHAT? WHAT???

Manager: Well, don't worry about it, I knew that was not true.

Me: WHAT THE HELL? I never even went out there today! I just came in an hour ago!

Manager: I know, don't worry about it.

Me: Well, that's kind of freaking disturbing, dont' you think?

To this day, I don't understand what that was all about. I didn't get into any trouble or anything, but still, what the hell was that?

[KayEm]

oh honey, that is never a good idea, customer or not! your lucky she didnt have a weapon, or wasnt physco or have a few other people there with her ready to kick you to kingdom come!

you will never be able to turn around people like that, its no use trying, they are sad and pathetic enough, dont drag youself down to that level. I know she made you angry and upset but you have to rise above it

believe me I understand totally how angry you feel when someone belittles you and you have no way to defend yourself, but what happens at work STAYS at work.

Oh I KNOW it wasn't a good idea, but I'm the kind of person when I'm furious, I act first and ask questions later lol. It was just too bad that I had to see the bitch outside of work the day AFTER it happened when I was STILL mad.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Well, I've certainly had plenty try, although none have succeeded. I've told plenty of customers to go to hell, however it's all in the delivery. They have nothing if they decided to complain. Their complaints come off making them look like crazy people.

The one that to this day has me scratching my head was this one at Kinko's:

Manager: (Sidles up to me at counter) Did you wait on an old guy out in self-serve today?

Me: No, I wasnt' even out in self serve today. Why?

Manager: (sigh) Yeah, that's what I thought.

Me: Why do you ask?

Manager: Cuz this old guy out there complained that the 'girl with the white streak in her hair' cussed him out and told him he was acting like a baby."

Me: Woah, WHAT? WHAT???

Manager: Well, don't worry about it, I knew that was not true.

Me: WHAT THE HELL? I never even went out there today! I just came in an hour ago!

Manager: I know, don't worry about it.

Me: Well, that's kind of freaking disturbing, dont' you think?

To this day, I don't understand what that was all about. I didn't get into any trouble or anything, but still, what the hell was that?

That sounds almost identical to what happened to me... My personal theory was that the woman was mad cuz of something that happened to her at work, so she decided to work off her grudge attacking a poor innocent cashier, ie myself. The old guy probably was just in the throes of advanced madness.

[dragonflygrrl]

I had a funny one at Budget:

One time a guy came in furious from the car return area because he was being charged for insurance that "he didn't want." I looked at his contract, and lo and behold he had initialled for the insurance not once but three seperate times. I pointed that out to him, and he flew into a complete tantrum, and demanded my manager. When she came out, he started to tell her the sad story, adding the extra detail that "that girl was the one that rented it to me too, so I know she knows I didn't want the coverage." At that point, my manager checked whose agent code was on the contract, and sure enough it wasn't me. She pointed that out, and he said, "Well, ok, but she sure looks like the girl that rented it to me, and I specifically remember telling her I didn't want coverage."

At this point in the tale, I must give you some background. I am about five feet high, very white, and blonde. The girl that rented him the car was about 6'2", African American with a very dark complexion, and long, black and pink braids. She happened to be standing by the door while this was going on, so my manager was able to point at her and say, "Actually, she is the one that rented you the car. Are you sure you remember what you said?" Guess who slunk away quietly? The best part was that as he walked past my coworker, she smiled sweetly and said, "No, I can see how you could mix us up. People do it all the time."

[RecoveringKinkoid]

The best part was that as he walked past my coworker, she smiled sweetly and said, "No, I can see how you could mix us up. People do it all the time."

Awesome.


Now that I am thinking of this very confused old fart again, it has ocurred to me that he possibly approached some random customer thinking she worked there (but then THAT never happens,right?), encountered some real or imagined rudeness, and when he saw the manager, looked behind the counter to point out the "employee" who had wronged him. Since I was the only female person in the store that morning, I was the lucky winner.

That's where my money's riding. That, or he was just suffering some dementia. Whatever. Still sucks.

[CrazyCashierGuy]

I once had a guest complain to the Hardlines Manager (who was acting as the store director at that moment) that my service was "not good enough", so he came down and watched me run some guests through the checkout (I never noticed), walks down to the service office, speaks with sucky now ex-manager (thats for another story), then calls me into the office and explains to me what happened, and then told me what he saw: Nothing wrong at all. Of course this is the manager who has now apparently transferred to another store and should be promoted to store director if he hasn't been already....