'[Now] she can't check out anything until the fine is paid': Karen messes with the wrong librarian, who rediscovers $450 in old unpaid fines

Brad Dickson • Managing Editor

May 27, 2023 12:00 PM EDT

It's always important to be polite to the customer service worker who is handling your request, even if that request involves negotiating a tricky situation, chances are you'll get a better result if you treat that person like an actual human being. Usually, the sheer bureaucratic inertia of a large corporation or a government entity will mean that if you're rude to the wrong worker, you're going to be stuck in bureaucratic purgatory for a frustratingly long period of time. Or, worse, they may connect dots that need-not have been connected that result in you needing to address long-forgotten fines before your current issue is capable of being resolved. This kind of petty malicious compliance is usually reserved for the worst customers.

This Karen sought to resolve her long wait for a high-demand library reservation, for which she was far down on the list, by using sheer brute force—issuing demands and using rude language in order to get someone to cave to her demands. This backfired when she crossed the wrong librarian…

Next, check out this person who was rude to a DMV worker and had a similar result.