I just sprained my ankle and you deserve a discount because of it!?

[RocketshipChair]

Hi,
First post here, I've worked at a truck rental shop for the last three monthes as a Customer Service Representive. The story I'm about to tell concluded the worst day at work for me ever. I had worked from 9 until 6:30 without a break and for 6.5 of those hours completely alone because my manager didn't feel like showing back up to redeem my 1 hour lunch break he promised.

6:15 my manager shows up just to drop something off and telling me that he's leaving me alone and might be back to help close. He ignores everything I say to him and leaves mid conversation.

I help the customer(s) at my counter. There is a line of 3 people behind my customers, a nice couple. I grab the keys to the only one-way truck I can rent (the other popped a check engine light and we aren't allowed to rent them with that issue). Go out to deice and clean the truck, slip, fall hard as I roll my right ankle. Tell this customer I need to go inside and call someone else to come in as I can no longer stand. Customer is fine with this, I limp in, tell the waiting customers that I need to call someone to come in because I can't stand; I just sprained my ankle.

SC: I had better get a discount for you keeping me waiting like this
Me: Okay, I can do that, let me call someone first though so we can get the truck pulled out and cleaned for you.
SC:Okay, hurry up though

Make like 6 calls, one person can but I'm greatly inconviencing him from using the gym, even though we close in 20 minutes. He hung up on me the first time I called.

Me: (from the rolly chair) Okay, I have a coworker who will be here in 5 minutes
SC: Good! You're going to wheel yourself over to the desk to start my paperwork right?
Me: My coworker will be in a just a few minutes
SC: Could you just start it for me
Me: (while clearly in a lot of pain (biting my lip and tearing up a little)) I roll myself over to the computer terminal, and open up the rental screen. I get her last name and pull up her reservation
SC: You'll give me 29 cents a mile right?
Little Voice Inside My Head (LVIMH): Wtf, our regular rates are 99 cents a mile and in case you didn't notice, even though I told you, I just sprained my ankle have some sympathy, I'm glad that my misfortune is helping you out. Yes, I'll give you a discount but you don't deserve one.
Me: Our normal rate is 99 cents a mile the best I can do 79 cents.
SC: Why not 29 cents
Me: I'm sorry I cannot do that, i'm not supposed to do this but I'll give it to you for 69 cents
SC: I guess thats good enough.

After giving me more crap about our rates and how often she claimed to rent here (probally because she's constantly evicted (I've never seen her before)). BTW lady, thanks for asking how my ankle is--it hurts much more now that I've warmed up in here. My coworker shows up. Only moves the trucks I need and then sits idle.

Me: The security deposit for this truck is $105. If you use a credit card, your card will not be charged, just authorized, similar to gas station prepay.
SC: Why do you need security deposit?
Me: To ensure that we get the truck back and that the rental charges will be paid
SC: I don't have no hundred dollars. I've never needed that to rent here before. Thats ridiculous, thats a lot of money.
LVIMH: lady! Unlike your car this truck is worth more than $105 and I assure that your bill will be pretty close to that price anyway.
Me: Would you like to run it as credit than, so nothing is charged just authorized?
SC: Sure that should work I don't have $105 on it, but it should authorize anyway, right?
Me: It will probally get declined, since all the authorization does is check to see if you have $105 in it.
SC: Lets try anyway. I bet it'll work. By the way I'm going to have to pay my final rental fee with the card now right?
Me: You can pay anyway you'd like when you return our truck.
LVIMH: Omg look at that (i show her the screen). Can't believe it your card got declined. Wow. Impossible. Maybe its cause you don't have any money in it!
SC: Can you swipe it again?
Me: Sure.

Declined
SC: Lets try this other one

Declined
SC: Can't you rent it to me without a security deposit?
Me: I'm sorry I cannot.
SC: I have before.
LVIMH: No, No, No! you never have!
Me: We have always had a security deposit
SC: I am so frustrated. This is the most frustrated I've ever been. Why can't you do anything?!
Me: I can relate to your fustration, Mam
SC: I don't think you could relate to how I feel. You couldn't ever relate.

I snap
Me: You don't think I can *accidently use a curse word* relate to you? I'm sitting here with a swollen ankle explaining security deposits

Her jaw drops
SC: You can't curse at me I'm a CUSTOMER!

She goes into a 10 minute rant about how poorly I perform my work. And how she didn't attack me personally (clearly she did--why else would she say you?) but I attacked her cause I swore.

SC: You shouldn't work in this profession if you can't deal with customers. I'm calling your 1800.
Me: I'm sorry I swore, as you can see its been a rough night.
SC: I'm calling your 1800 right now.

My coworker says to her and I that shes kinda right. Thanks for backing me up bud? What exactly are you doing? Her husband is like why are you calling he said sorry and you are being harsh to him. The number is closed cause its late at night.

Anyway, long story short. She called everyone she could to complain about me. Ridiculous. IMHO she got was coming, and I'm glad she couldn't rent her truck. As far as I know, nobody did anything about her complaint. And I went to hospital after she left. Terrible sprain, doctor was almost certain it was fractured when I first came in.

[Akasa]

Fracture means workers comp. You got the injury on the job.

[wagegoth]

OMFG! That completely blows. What a selfish cow. Her being unable to rent the truck was the minimum karmic justice she deserved.

Now, did you call your company, file the work comp claim, and put in a complaint because you're not getting your breaks and backup?

[Seshat]

Agreed to both. File a claim, and make a complaint about how you've been treated by your boss and co-workers.

[Food Lady]

What she should have done was asked if you were ok, offered to get you ice, asked if there were a boss she could fetch for you. Someone gets hurt and my needs become secondary. That's being a decent human being. She's apparently not one.

[bainsidhe]

And as a customer....ooooh lookit that, she has to pay 99 cents a gallon after all. Cause since you didn't finish her paperwork, she can explain to someone else why she's holier than though.

[Mytical]

What she should have done was asked if you were ok, offered to get you ice, asked if there were a boss she could fetch for you. Someone gets hurt and my needs become secondary. That's being a decent human being. She's apparently not one.

Sadly there are not enough decent human beings left, so this is QFT, QFE

[XCashier]

Now, did you call your company, file the work comp claim, and put in a complaint because you're not getting your breaks and backup?

^^^ THIS!!!

Please tell me you got workman's comp AND got the manager in trouble for not giving you breaks and backup! That is breaking labor laws, and they deserve to get in trouble.

I hope your ankle is better, and I hope you find a better job where you are treated like a human being.

[RocketshipChair]

My manager filled out an incident report. I'm waiting to hear back from human resources (this happened thursday). And you bet I'm gonna fight for worker's comp. The work conditions are terrible (I had previously refused to fill propane for 2 monthes because our scale was broken and nobody would replace it, eventually my badgering and boycotting lead to us getting a new one). I had slipped earlier that day and didn't get hurt then, and began salting. My manager felt that I shouldn't be salting since it was to snow the next day and that we'd have to buy more salt and nobody could afford bonuses if we had to buy more salt. I told my manager that there needed to be more salt put down and told him that I didn't care about bonuses if it meant a safer enviroment. The lot should have been plowed too.

Anyway, sorry for the rant.

I'll let you guys know when I hear back from human resources.
Thanks for the kind words.

[shadowpanda]

Good luck with it, I hope you get the outcome you want. I hope they learn from this and start improving the conditions at that place

[AccountingDrone]

Good luck ... I and my co-workers at Spending Plan Truck Rental in a northern southern state had to take the franchisees to the labor board over some serious issues, and when they researched the issues, also found out that there had been shenanegans going on with payroll and the people had to find 7 years worth of employees and pay them the misplaced payroll that we all had been shorted.

Don't forget, sprains count for workers comp also, sprains are a valid injury, and once sprained, that muscle group will tend to have issues in the future [especially ankles, they get a hard workout normally] Make sure that you see a physiotherapist to get some exercises that will strengthen the muscles and stabilize the joint for protection against future injury!

[Mystic]

Wow, yes, fight if you must. That kind of work environment isn't worth dealing with if they aren't even willing to take care of their employees.

[Mondestrucken]

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the concept of saving the salt. That's like telling people not to use the toilet paper because you don't want to buy more, and it just gets wasted if you flush it away.

[BowserKoopa1]

Kudos to you for putting up with her bullshit. Had I hurt myself I most definitely would not have been as patient with her, and I would not have given her a discount for having to wait. I mean, its like she felt you kept her waiting on purpose, and therefore she expects to get a discount.
As for your bosses, they sound like a bunch of assholes at that place. I'd be careful since they may have it in for you after they find out you've beeen compaining about them. Might be time to find another job where they actually appreciate the work you do. Good luck and

[protege]

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the concept of saving the salt.

You'd be surprised at how often this sort of thing goes on. In fact, my fair city got blasted for similar actions. Imagine an entire city deciding not to salt roads, or even plow them. During last year's storm...I didn't see one plow or salt truck the entire 2 hours it took to get home! Seems the mayor decided that they couldn't pay the crews overtime, and that salt was "too expensive." In other words, they sat on the massive reserves, and let citizens fend for themselves