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First up, hi! I've been reading the posts for about a week and I hadn't seen anything like this experience I had, so I just had to join up and ask 
I work in a movie rental store and as you can imagine most of the SCs I get are to do with late fees. This story is from about a year ago, and I have a bad memory for quotes so I'll just have to give you the gist of the conversations.
An older man and a youngish woman came in one night, got a movie, and when they came up to the counter to rent out had around 20 bucks owing on the account. It was from a couple of years ago and they were, of course, very surprised to find it on there. It was obvious they actually had only a little more than what was needed to rent out the movie itself. I felt bad for them, they were quite nice, and it was such and old charge... but I cannot waive late fees ever, so I quietly told them that they *could* just go to another store to rent out, eh?, wink wink, nudge nudge?... But they decided to spend all the money they had with them to pay as much of the fee off as possible. They left the DVD behind as they now couldn't afford to rent it.
I figured, that's that, all's well with the world... right?
About 10 minutes later, I get a phone call from a VERY irate woman, who turns out to be the man's wife and the woman's mother. She basically starts going ballistic about having to pay the late fee. This is the gist of what happened (rather shortened)...
Me: obviously
SC: also obviously
SC: How could you make them pay that?! That was my daughter's bus money, now she can't get to work tomorrow!
Me: Actually, I did tell them that they didn't have to pay, that they could just leave and go somewhere else. They insisted on paying it.
SC: What were the charges for! I've never returned anything late there!
Me: Well, unfortunately our system wipes the information about what the fee is for once it's paid, BUT since there is still a few dollars owing on there I can see what that is for, for you. *goes to computer and finds the info* Ok, as I said, I can't see what the rest of it was for, since the information is gone, but what's left indicates that [Movie Names] were rented out [Time last year] and returned X days late each, that means that each of them gave a late fee of $x.xx
SC: We never rented those! (Like I've never heard that before)
Me: Well, they were rented on your account, and you're responsible for what goes on there...
SC: I want to know what the rest of the fees were for!
Me: As I said before, I can't, etc etc (Repeat these two lines for the next 5 minutes).
I don't remember how the next bit went exactly, but somehow she got on to telling me how they shouldn't have had to pay the fee to rent out.
Me: I'm sorry, but it's policy that any late fee over $xx.xx MUST be paid, or at least reduced to $xx.xx before any hires can be made on the account.
Cue several more minutes back and forth re-explaining said policy to her.
Out of the blue, she says: How old are you??
Now, I don't think I've ever lost my temper with another human being. Computers, appliances, sure. People? No. I just shut down. When she asked this my whole brain shut down in self defense, and I *nearly* told her, but then that lovely part of my brain that silently swears at everyone and is a heinous bitch kicked in
Me: I really don't think that has anything to do with the situation. (said rather coldly)
SC: Well, I do! How old are you?!
Me: I'm not going to tell you that, it has nothing to do with any of this.
SC: Fine! I want to talk to the manager!
Me: The manager's not on tonight I'm afraid, I can put you on to a senior staff member if you like.
SC: Well is she going to tell me the same thing as what you've told me?
Me: (DUH! YES!) Well, it's all just store policy, so, probably, yeah.
SC: Well then I don't want to talk to her.
Me: Alright well, I'm sorry, but I can't really do anything. It's store policy to have X amount of late fees paid off before hiring, and the computer has wiped the information about the other late fees, so I simply cannot look that up.
SC: Well I want to talk to the manager, when will he be in?
Me: *looks it up in the big book* He'll be in on [Day], shall I get him to call you then?
<Gets her details as she continues abuse.>
I just wanted to ask everyone... Has anyone else had SCs demand to know your age? How did you deal with it? (Do you think I dealt with it alright?
)
By the way, I was 19 at the time, but one of the more experienced employees... I'd been there a LOT longer than the Senior Staff member on
I work in a movie rental store and as you can imagine most of the SCs I get are to do with late fees. This story is from about a year ago, and I have a bad memory for quotes so I'll just have to give you the gist of the conversations.
An older man and a youngish woman came in one night, got a movie, and when they came up to the counter to rent out had around 20 bucks owing on the account. It was from a couple of years ago and they were, of course, very surprised to find it on there. It was obvious they actually had only a little more than what was needed to rent out the movie itself. I felt bad for them, they were quite nice, and it was such and old charge... but I cannot waive late fees ever, so I quietly told them that they *could* just go to another store to rent out, eh?, wink wink, nudge nudge?... But they decided to spend all the money they had with them to pay as much of the fee off as possible. They left the DVD behind as they now couldn't afford to rent it.
I figured, that's that, all's well with the world... right?
About 10 minutes later, I get a phone call from a VERY irate woman, who turns out to be the man's wife and the woman's mother. She basically starts going ballistic about having to pay the late fee. This is the gist of what happened (rather shortened)...
Me: obviously
SC: also obviously
SC: How could you make them pay that?! That was my daughter's bus money, now she can't get to work tomorrow!
Me: Actually, I did tell them that they didn't have to pay, that they could just leave and go somewhere else. They insisted on paying it.
SC: What were the charges for! I've never returned anything late there!
Me: Well, unfortunately our system wipes the information about what the fee is for once it's paid, BUT since there is still a few dollars owing on there I can see what that is for, for you. *goes to computer and finds the info* Ok, as I said, I can't see what the rest of it was for, since the information is gone, but what's left indicates that [Movie Names] were rented out [Time last year] and returned X days late each, that means that each of them gave a late fee of $x.xx
SC: We never rented those! (Like I've never heard that before)
Me: Well, they were rented on your account, and you're responsible for what goes on there...
SC: I want to know what the rest of the fees were for!
Me: As I said before, I can't, etc etc (Repeat these two lines for the next 5 minutes).
I don't remember how the next bit went exactly, but somehow she got on to telling me how they shouldn't have had to pay the fee to rent out.
Me: I'm sorry, but it's policy that any late fee over $xx.xx MUST be paid, or at least reduced to $xx.xx before any hires can be made on the account.
Cue several more minutes back and forth re-explaining said policy to her.
Out of the blue, she says: How old are you??
Now, I don't think I've ever lost my temper with another human being. Computers, appliances, sure. People? No. I just shut down. When she asked this my whole brain shut down in self defense, and I *nearly* told her, but then that lovely part of my brain that silently swears at everyone and is a heinous bitch kicked in
Me: I really don't think that has anything to do with the situation. (said rather coldly)
SC: Well, I do! How old are you?!
Me: I'm not going to tell you that, it has nothing to do with any of this.
SC: Fine! I want to talk to the manager!
Me: The manager's not on tonight I'm afraid, I can put you on to a senior staff member if you like.
SC: Well is she going to tell me the same thing as what you've told me?
Me: (DUH! YES!) Well, it's all just store policy, so, probably, yeah.
SC: Well then I don't want to talk to her.
Me: Alright well, I'm sorry, but I can't really do anything. It's store policy to have X amount of late fees paid off before hiring, and the computer has wiped the information about the other late fees, so I simply cannot look that up.
SC: Well I want to talk to the manager, when will he be in?
Me: *looks it up in the big book* He'll be in on [Day], shall I get him to call you then?
<Gets her details as she continues abuse.>
I just wanted to ask everyone... Has anyone else had SCs demand to know your age? How did you deal with it? (Do you think I dealt with it alright?
)By the way, I was 19 at the time, but one of the more experienced employees... I'd been there a LOT longer than the Senior Staff member on
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