Update: Arrogant CEO Demands IT Contractor Serve Him A Cup of Coffee, Contractor Walks Out

Author image for Brad Dickson
Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Aug 9, 2022 11:00 AM EDT

This IT guy is retired but still contracts with his old employer, and he was called in to help one of their clients with their "ancient inventory system." When the client's CEO sauntered in demanding a cup of joe from the IT guy, things were about to go very poorly.

This lengthy tale was told by Redditor u/ShelLuser42, who shared their story to the r/Idontworkherelady subreddit, a growing subreddit where people share stories where they have been mistaken for an employee. Typically these tales involve Karens accosting other random customers and demanding service, but occasionally these power-hungry suited types pop up in a story or two.

Their initial post was well received, prompting them to provide another update a few days later detailing some of the aftermath. This second thread is represented as "The Fallout" section of the story on items #18 and #19.

Read on to see the screenshots of the story below.

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  • 01
    Hair - Posted by u/ShelLuser42 3 10 days ago 7 @5 37 Get me a coffee, or get out! Gotcha; good luck with the inventory system! XXXXL
    via u/ShelLuser42
  • 02
    Font - Backstory I'm a retired IT guy who still kept taps with his old workplace, simply because I really enjoyed working there and there was a solid mutual respect between the owners and the staff. So I basically told 'm that while I am retired I wouldn't mind lending a helping hand every once in a while should the need arise. However... don't overdo it. This year has turned into a weird year so far, but I can fully understand why they were having some issues, especially in this particular case
    via u/ShelLuser42
  • 03
    Font - An ancient inventory system Wednesday evening I finally got home with enough free time to try the recently released update for GTA V, and just as I was being called in-game my real cellphone also goes off. It's my former boss who was very apologetic but they had a major issue. One of their, ehm, more "specific" clients called out for help because their automated inventory system had stopped working. They could cope, it wasn't an immediate emergency, but this was still a major problem beca
    via u/ShelLuser42
  • 04
    Font - For the geeks amongst us NetBeans was / is (?) a very impressive IDE, definitely back in the days when I still used it, and NetBeans is an environment fully dedicated to Java development. The cool part was that NetBeans wasn't just an IDE... it was also a platform which you could use to build your own applications on. See: building a functional piece of software is one thing, building the interface to help the users to actually use all this... that's another thing and more than often wort
    via u/ShelLuser42
  • 05
    Font - This is provided in 2 options: if you already have an internal Windows server which also uses the Microsoft IIS webserver (/platform) then our software can easily be deployed on that. However, if you don't have a Windows server or don't want to address those costs then we also have a FreeBSD solution, powered by the Mono project. Mono is an open source project fully catered to providing ASP.NET solutions without all the added costs for a Windows server (or optional IIS license). Unrelated
    via u/ShelLuser42
  • 06
    Font - Arnhem, we have a problem... Yah, I agree that Houston sounds much better but... it is what it is. What do you mean, pushing your luck? ;) Anyway, one of our oldest clients were still using Windows XP because they reasoned that ... "why spent so much money on upgrades when everything works just fine?". Eventually my former work stopped supporting the Java version but because everything still worked.... For the non-geeks amongst us: Windows XP EOL'd around 2014 (see this link). And it's 20
    via u/ShelLuser42
  • 07
    Font - The problem at hand? That NetBeans solution is ancient, we're talking back in the days before Apache took over that project (I just Googled for it, but this seems like a good source of info). And all the original developers who worked on that had long left the company. The only person they still had in their sights was me. As such I got contacted and was asked if I would be willing to go over there and see what could be done? See: even if they did upgrade things it still left a huge issue
    via u/ShelLuser42
  • 08
    Font - Make me some damn coffee you! NOPE! So today, Friday; time of writing, I dress up in a suit and head over there to see what I can do to identify and maybe fix the problem. I arrive around 13:00 (no way in heck that I am going to give up my morning sleep over this) and I am greeted by the manager. We talk a bit about the whole situation and he explains to me that the main issue is that the XP "server" doesn't seem capable to contact anything else on the network anymore. I get to work and s
    via u/ShelLuser42
  • 09
    Font - Because I still had some more research and work to do I figured I'd put in my earbuds and ask Bixby (= Samsung's personal digital assistant on my phone) to call my office, all the while making sure that I had my phone on full display out in the open so that it would be obvious to anyone that I was on call, and not going insane talking to myself ;) It got even a bit funny when one of the friendly secretaries asked me if I wanted something to drink. So then I had to backswitch a bit and try
    via u/ShelLuser42
  • 10
    Font - Sure this would involve costs, but maybe we could "sell" this idea by allowing more people to access the interface (in the current situation this was limited: a strict client - server setup). So here I was... in front of a somewhat disassembled computer, earbuds in and talking back and forth while my phone was lying on the table next to me. Context: I am the only one wearing a suit around here, and I cannot help be certain that this is what started the whole thing. My talk with the boss h
    via u/ShelLuser42
  • 11
    Font - The entitled CEO Next moment someone also wearing a suit enters the room and he's immediately greeted by the manager who also showed me around. It was also at this time when I found an USB stick which actually worked on this PC. Great! That will help to make a most recent backup, so I fire up cmd.exe and make sure the database is shut down. Once I'm sure I start a copy process on the same command line environment. Then I suddenly hear it: "Ey you... support guy, get me a coffee!". I look
    via u/ShelLuser42
  • 12
    Font - It was then when I knew this was not going to end well ;) And know what? I couldn't care less either. "Not my job, why not get it yourself?", I respond while also starting to round a few things up. I was definitely going to push this, but I wasn't going to blow up the whole project over it either. As I expected: "I am your boss, when I say that I want you to make me a coffee you make me a coffee, understand?!", the idiot even slapped the table to get his point across. Ok then, game on: "y
    via u/ShelLuser42
  • 13
    Font - "Suits me just fine, can I get your signature on that? That you demand me to leave?", I ask while handing out my worksheet paper and for sure: "f'ing idiot", he tells me when signing! I immediately secured the document and packed up my stuff. "Thank you, good luck with your broken inventory system and have a great weekend", I tell him while I put on my coat. "Wait, what?!", he goes. "It's what I've been trying to explain", the manager goes: "he's the contractor who is... <at this time I m
    via u/ShelLuser42
  • 14
    Font - So I reach the exit, turn around to face him and tell him once again: "Sorry, this "f king idiot" is going to do exactly what you wanted me to do. Not my problem that you're too stupid to make your own coffee", and with that I left. Outside I immediately called the boss who was in full support of my decision actions (I was a bit worried about that part to be honest) and he agreed: they can make a new appointment. This is going to be interesting because... the only day I can make this work
    via u/ShelLuser42
  • 15
    Font - Outside I immediately called the boss who was in full support of my decision actions (I was a bit worried about that part to be honest) and he agreed: they can make a new appointment. This is going to be interesting because... the only day I can make this work is Friday next week. No way in heck that I am going to give up my weekend and I have more important stuff to do next week.
    via u/ShelLuser42
  • 16
    Font - TL;DR My former workplace asks for help: a client who uses 'our' majorly outdated software on Windows XP has an issue; I'm the only one they have who still knows that software from first hand (I was one of the founding programmers). • I go over there, take the PC apart, find the cause of the issue and come up with a possible solution. • Some guy in a suit walks up to me and demands I make him a coffee; I refuse. Bickering back and forth, now I'm told to get him a coffee or get out of HIS
    via u/ShelLuser42
  • 17
    Font - The "fallout" After I left the clients company they were livid when they eventually found out that I was the contractor and had now "just left". Very heated words (hearsay!) were spoken between the bosses of my company and the client. This even went as far as assigning an official spokesman for all contact with the client. Everything had to go through him. My Reddit endeavors were also discovered by my company but they didn't mind too much because.. it's not really their business what I d
    via u/ShelLuser42
  • 18
    Font - Since they themselves demanded that the "Java expert" left the premises they now had to pay dearly to get him back. Since said Java expert didn't want to go back they were even given a choice: 2 of the company programmers on staff would help with the transition but it would take at least 2 more weeks because these were C# programmers and not Java programmers (my company doesn't have any Java programmers on the payroll anymore). OR... we could "probably" get it done this week but that was
    via u/ShelLuser42
  • 19
    Font - 1Sluggo 10 days ago Nonono, we need an update! Reply Share 550 phil035 9 days ago 100% this needs to be updated even if its lack luster 115 squire80513 9 days ago We don't support updates to this system anymore, sorry 136 Reply Share 147 Reply Share ShelLuser42 OP. 9 days ago Maybe we can sell you a new updated license? AA Reply Share ...
    via u/ShelLuser42
  • 20
    Font - opschief0299 - 10 days ago Well obviously your suit comes with a cape. 284 Reply Share nyxienightmare 10 days ago NO CAPES! 148 Reply Share
    via u/ShelLuser42

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idontworkherelady tech support it ceo IT guy Horrible Bosses reddit thread Reddit
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