I really didn't think I'd run across this in real life

[bankworking]

I've read a great number of posts on various customer stupidity, so I KNOW customers can be pretty dumb from time to time.

However, this, for me, was a first.

I was reviewing the online loan applications, and one of them had a social security number mismatch noted on the credit report. It happens. Easy to mistype the number. So, I give the customer a call, while I pull up what SSN she happened to type in.

It was, I kid you not: 123-45-6789

When I spoke to her about it, her response:
"Well, that was what the website told me to put in."


You mean the example? Really? You really typed in the example and thought that might be the correct information to put on a loan application under the box marked YOUR Social Security Number?

I refrained from laughing until after I hung up.

[Exaspera]

*pause*...and you might loan this smart person money?! *snigger*

[JustaCashier]

Lemme guess......her Name was Mary Smith, and she lives at 123 Main St. Any City, Any State 12345-6789, Phone Number (555) 555-5555.


Mike

[bankworking]

No, she's a longstanding member, excellent credit, multiple loans....with us...all paid on time. (I'm guessing she hadn't used the online applications before though.) She's going to correct the SSN in person where we can ID her, but she really didn't trigger my "red alert" buttons. I noted the loan application, of course, so no one will try to complete it as is, not that anyone SHOULD complete it with a credit report information mismatch alert, but always better to be safe.

[Mr Hero]

Lemme guess......her Name was Mary Smith, and she lives at 123 Main St. Any City, Any State 12345-6789, Phone Number (555) 555-5555.


Mike

She was born on mm/dd/yyyy.

[Miss Fatale]

My students turn in their work online. They are expected to name their files a certain way, and the examples says something like, "JaneJones_Assignment2."

I had a student who did not understand Jane Jones was an example, and not what the file should be named. I actually contacted the student because I thought it was plagiarism, not someone using the example name.

The student didn't get it and I lost my cool and said what good would it be to have 30 files all named JaneJones_Assignment2?!

[Brojekk]

Lemme guess......her Name was Mary Smith, and she lives at 123 Main St. Any City, Any State 12345-6789, Phone Number (555) 555-5555.


Mike

No...she lives on 123 Fake Street.

[telecom_goddess]

Lemme guess......her Name was Mary Smith, and she lives at 123 Main St. Any City, Any State 12345-6789, Phone Number (555) 555-5555.


Mike

OMFG this had my laughing so god damn hard........oh man.

[Hyndis]

Its actually very, very, very common for people to type in the EXAMPLE NUMBER as their own number.

When you fill out the form you must supply the part number to claim your warranty. The part number is on every product we manufacture. All part numbers use the exact same format, and we even provide you an example part number of what one of them looks like if you're not sure by the description of it, or are confused where it says PART NUMBER: XXXXXXXXX on the product itself.

You'd be surprised at how many people provide the part number as what product they have.

This is not possible. That part number is an example part number. There is no actual, real part number with that number. If you input the example part number as your part number, guess what? We'll still process your claim.

But you just ensured that your warranty claim process will go very, very slowly. Enjoy not having your computer up and running.



If people follow instructions the warranty process takes like 2 days, tops. If you don't follow instructions, or fight us every step of the way? Weeks. Months sometimes. We've had one guy trying since last year to claim a warranty. He keeps throwing screamingfits about how complicated it is.

Its only complicated if you make it complicated and refuse to provide the very simple information needed. Like, what product you have. What is your name. Where do you live. When/where you bought it from.

If you have your receipt/invoice (which you should, its required) that takes care of what product it is and when/where it was bought. All you need to supply is your name and where you live.


"This is so complicated! I don't know why you keep making me jump through all these hoops!"

[DGoddessChardonnay]

OMG . . . .

More proof to Tater Salad's theory: Ya can't fix stupid.

She was probably the one who back in school sat in Sex Ed class listening to a detailed explanation on reproduction and upon hearing the word "semen" asked "When did the Navy get involved in this?"

[Jester]

She was probably the one who back in school sat in Sex Ed class listening to a detailed explanation on reproduction and upon hearing the word "semen" asked "When did the Navy get involved in this?"

Very often, if you live in a port town.

Yes, it's funny. And yes, it's true.

[draco664]

Oh that takes me back. When I worked part time at a bank's customer service centre, once or twice a shift I'd ask for the account number and get the phone number for the CSC.

[Mikkel]

In my bicycle shop I sold kickstands. I have always preferred the ones you cut off to the right size, they are stronger than the adjustable ones, this is the ones I'm talking about:

There is a cartoon on the packaging which show standing the bike upright and measuring the distance between the crank axle and the ground and then finding the same number on the kickstand and cutting it off with a hacksaw.
One customer complained that he had done just what it said on the package and the kickstand was much to short. It turned out that he had cut it at the length shown as an example, 160 mm if I remember correctly. He demanded a new kickstand but he paid for the next one when I asked him why he thought, if all kickstands had to be 160 mm, the factory wouldn't make them the right length in the first place .

[XCashier]

"This is so complicated! I don't know why you keep making me jump through all these hoops!"

"Because you keep being stupid!!!"

Now my head hurts from all the stupidity. How can you not understand the concept of "example" and to substitute your own information for the example?!

[Hyndis]

"Because you keep being stupid!!!"

Now my head hurts from all the stupidity. How can you not understand the concept of "example" and to substitute your own information for the example?!

The funny thing is that the absolute worst offenders for this kind of repeated stupidity are small businesses. I don't know what it is, but they keep expecting us to give them special treatment because they are a small business.

If you're Newegg then yes you get special treatment. If you're a one person store in a rural stripmall that no one outside of your farming town has heard of, then no. You go through the process like everyone else.

Just follow instructions and it'll all be over very quickly and with a minimum of pain. Continue to fight The Man and you're in for a world of hurt. And by hurt I mean not get your product replaced. Follow instructions and it takes like 2 days to do from start to finish. Its not that hard!

People just love to fight The Man. Even when doing so involves shooting themselves in the foot. Repeatedly.