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Ever have one of those customers who takes the "the customer is always right" to heart and thinks that they can do no wrong? Well, read on. Be warned, this is LONG.
Many moons ago, (5 years...dear god has it been that long?) I worked for Moore's. We had this guy who would regularly come in and throw a huge coniption fit every time he had a problem. Thing was, nine times out of ten, there was no problem. He was just throwing a fit. The thing was, he was a lawyer. Meaning that not only would he call corporate and whine, but he'd whine with threat of lawsuit. Yes, he got pretty much what he wanted. That is, until around christmas 2001.
I remember it like it was yesterday. Somehow, I had drawn the short end of the straw. Meaning I would have to close. Great...I loved closing. No, I really did. I'm not sure why, but the fun ones always appear around closing. Lawyerman, was not fun.
I'm working in my department. Taking time to vac under the suits and clean around them. That was pretty much all I did until after closing. Then, it was paperwork and do the count. Then, call the cops and get an escort to the bank. Yes, we took in that much money around then.
I hear a call over the intercom "Management needed in Ladies." Looking up, I notice one of my cashiers giving me a rather FRANTIC look. She is not a happy camper. Well, I took a moment to put up my vac, walked across the store and smiled. "What's up?" I asked Pat. She turns to me and says softly. "Uh, there's a problem with the check." looking down, I realise that it's an out of state check, and we aren't allowed to take it. Oh'ing a bit, I looked over at the customer (Lawyerman and his wife) and said politely. "I'm sorry. We can't accept an out of state check. Do you have another method of payment?" Lawyerman gave me a funky look, turned a few shades of puce and then spat (figuratively) at me. "Why the
not!? Wal-Mart takes them!"
Maintaining my cool, I looked at him a moment. Now, I didn't speak right away, that was a habit of mine. Playing with ticked customers tended to be fun. Especially if they started off with that wal-mart takes it. My manager had even said quote "If they do that, have fun."
Looking at Lawyerman I smiled some and said. "Well sir, It's against our policy. If I take it, I'll be fired and you'll have to pay my unemployment." Lawyerman spittered, sputtered and fumed. Finally he says to me. "You'll take the
'ing check or I'll have your job!" (end quote)
Smiling some I just shrugged and said again. "I can't take the check sir." fuming more he looks at me and says "WHY?" Now the fun begins.
Looking right at him I said (and this is TRUE) "Well, it works out this way. In our state, if you come here and write a check that bounces; we can't get the money. So, the state treats it as a felony and issues a warrant for your arrest. I belive the charge is typically fraud."
Lawyerman and wife leave after that, without a word.
Later, maybe the next day, i'm told by my DM that the man had called the home office and complained. I repeated my story to the DM, to which he asked if I thought something may happen. (Meaning if I might have trouble again.) I said I wasn't sure, but doubted it so my next shift began.
Guess who comes through the door later on that night? Lawyerman. OH FUN!
As I'm standing talking to a friend of mine (who just happens to be a uniformed police officer) Lawyerman heads right to ladies. Turning to the officer I groaned. "Oh lord pete. Not him again." Now, three guesses what happened next? Yes. you're right. He tried to pass an out of state check...again.
Again, I said no, but this time (under DM orders) I turned and just walked away from him. The DM didn't want a confrontation, and said no matter what, he wouldn't fire me if I did that to the man.
Walking back over to Pete, I chat him up some only to be shocked as Lawyerman stomps my way. Screaming at the top of his lungs some indiscernable words, he ends it with spitting on me.
Oh no he didn't.
Well, Pete saw this and then Lawyerman had a problem. You see, in my state, spitting on someone constitutes an assault. Plus, Pete looked at me and asked. "Do you feel threatened by him." I could only nod. Turning to the lawyer, pete pulls out his cuffs. "You're coming with me." he says, and through the screams of "i'm a lawyer, I know people." Lawyerman ends up with his happy self cuffed, trussed, and pounded off to jail.
epilogue:
Some time after this, I was in another store. While there, I happened to run into Pete again. (I'd left moore's by then). Pete comes over and we start talking again, to which I asked about Lawyerman. This is what Pete told me.
Supposedly, once they got the guy up to the dept to run his background; he'd gotten himself a nice resisting arrest charge by trying to fight the cops. So, while letting him stew in the tank they ran his background. It turned out that Lawyerman had a warrant for "Issuance" in Alabama. Issuance being the same thing as fraud. Supposedly, he'd gone there on a vacation, wrote a check for a closed account, and then left. The same account he was trying to use at our store. Lawyerman ended up being sent back to Alabama, where he may have gotten as much as ten years for felony fraud.
See, there are happy endings.
Many moons ago, (5 years...dear god has it been that long?) I worked for Moore's. We had this guy who would regularly come in and throw a huge coniption fit every time he had a problem. Thing was, nine times out of ten, there was no problem. He was just throwing a fit. The thing was, he was a lawyer. Meaning that not only would he call corporate and whine, but he'd whine with threat of lawsuit. Yes, he got pretty much what he wanted. That is, until around christmas 2001.
I remember it like it was yesterday. Somehow, I had drawn the short end of the straw. Meaning I would have to close. Great...I loved closing. No, I really did. I'm not sure why, but the fun ones always appear around closing. Lawyerman, was not fun.
I'm working in my department. Taking time to vac under the suits and clean around them. That was pretty much all I did until after closing. Then, it was paperwork and do the count. Then, call the cops and get an escort to the bank. Yes, we took in that much money around then.
I hear a call over the intercom "Management needed in Ladies." Looking up, I notice one of my cashiers giving me a rather FRANTIC look. She is not a happy camper. Well, I took a moment to put up my vac, walked across the store and smiled. "What's up?" I asked Pat. She turns to me and says softly. "Uh, there's a problem with the check." looking down, I realise that it's an out of state check, and we aren't allowed to take it. Oh'ing a bit, I looked over at the customer (Lawyerman and his wife) and said politely. "I'm sorry. We can't accept an out of state check. Do you have another method of payment?" Lawyerman gave me a funky look, turned a few shades of puce and then spat (figuratively) at me. "Why the
not!? Wal-Mart takes them!" Maintaining my cool, I looked at him a moment. Now, I didn't speak right away, that was a habit of mine. Playing with ticked customers tended to be fun. Especially if they started off with that wal-mart takes it. My manager had even said quote "If they do that, have fun."
Looking at Lawyerman I smiled some and said. "Well sir, It's against our policy. If I take it, I'll be fired and you'll have to pay my unemployment." Lawyerman spittered, sputtered and fumed. Finally he says to me. "You'll take the
'ing check or I'll have your job!" (end quote)Smiling some I just shrugged and said again. "I can't take the check sir." fuming more he looks at me and says "WHY?" Now the fun begins.
Looking right at him I said (and this is TRUE) "Well, it works out this way. In our state, if you come here and write a check that bounces; we can't get the money. So, the state treats it as a felony and issues a warrant for your arrest. I belive the charge is typically fraud."
Lawyerman and wife leave after that, without a word.
Later, maybe the next day, i'm told by my DM that the man had called the home office and complained. I repeated my story to the DM, to which he asked if I thought something may happen. (Meaning if I might have trouble again.) I said I wasn't sure, but doubted it so my next shift began.
Guess who comes through the door later on that night? Lawyerman. OH FUN!
As I'm standing talking to a friend of mine (who just happens to be a uniformed police officer) Lawyerman heads right to ladies. Turning to the officer I groaned. "Oh lord pete. Not him again." Now, three guesses what happened next? Yes. you're right. He tried to pass an out of state check...again.
Again, I said no, but this time (under DM orders) I turned and just walked away from him. The DM didn't want a confrontation, and said no matter what, he wouldn't fire me if I did that to the man.
Walking back over to Pete, I chat him up some only to be shocked as Lawyerman stomps my way. Screaming at the top of his lungs some indiscernable words, he ends it with spitting on me.
Oh no he didn't.
Well, Pete saw this and then Lawyerman had a problem. You see, in my state, spitting on someone constitutes an assault. Plus, Pete looked at me and asked. "Do you feel threatened by him." I could only nod. Turning to the lawyer, pete pulls out his cuffs. "You're coming with me." he says, and through the screams of "i'm a lawyer, I know people." Lawyerman ends up with his happy self cuffed, trussed, and pounded off to jail.
epilogue:
Some time after this, I was in another store. While there, I happened to run into Pete again. (I'd left moore's by then). Pete comes over and we start talking again, to which I asked about Lawyerman. This is what Pete told me.
Supposedly, once they got the guy up to the dept to run his background; he'd gotten himself a nice resisting arrest charge by trying to fight the cops. So, while letting him stew in the tank they ran his background. It turned out that Lawyerman had a warrant for "Issuance" in Alabama. Issuance being the same thing as fraud. Supposedly, he'd gone there on a vacation, wrote a check for a closed account, and then left. The same account he was trying to use at our store. Lawyerman ended up being sent back to Alabama, where he may have gotten as much as ten years for felony fraud.
See, there are happy endings.
Talk about being in the right place at the right time. Good for him -- and you! -- for putting the kibosh on Lawyerman's nonsense.
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