'She sighed loudly and immediately lost her patience': Hotel guest tries to get front desk clerk fired, only for her plan to backfire

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Jul 27, 2023 3:00 PM EDT

A guest at a hotel couldn't believe the way the front desk clerk was talking to her. She thought it was rude — so she tried to get the employee fired. 

There's that old saying that goes, "You catch more flies with honey than vinegar," meaning you should be nice to people in order to get what you want. It's that simple, and it works a lot of the time! People who work in customer service are far more familiar with the kinds of customers who are quick to anger, and this hotel guest is a great example. It seems like lots of customers get upset just because they don't like what the hotel clerk has told them. Even if it's totally illogical, they'll insult the worker, and in this person's case, the guest threatened to take their job away from them.

This OP, u/LobbyJockey, didn't take that threat lightly. They contacted their manager, then let their phone record their conversation as they confronted the cranky guest and her cousin. Both wanted to stay in the room, but there was some confusion around who was actually the person booking the room. 

Check out this story below, plus comments from folks with their own stories (and people who adored the tale). Next, these deli workers were told never to deny their customers and to always stock shelves to completion, so they worked overnight to spite their bosses. 

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  • 01
    Font - 'After I said "Have a nice day," with perhaps too much bite, she told me she's going to try and get me fired'
    via Andrew Neel on Unsplash
  • 02
    Font - Guest tries to get me fired for doing my job, admits she's doing it "just to be a and the results are b highly satisfying. Long II This happened back in April. tl;dr at the end. Around mid-morning, an attractive young woman came into the lobby and asked for a key to her cousin's room (who we'll call "Shi-Shi Garcia"). Cousin: "Can I get a key to room 207?" Me (checking...): "Is Ms. Garcia here with you?" She sighed loudly and immediately lost her patience. Zero to sixty. Badgered me for h
    via u/LobbyJockey
  • 03
    Font - Eventually, I offered to check the camera footage to see if she was present at check-in. This seemed me a very generous solution to her problem, a definite grey-area loophole--but they didn't see it that way. The one on the phone said "You're really gonna be that petty? Why can't you just do your job and let my cousin into our room." Finally sick of the abuse, I snapped back "Doing my job means your cousin plops down on that couch and waits for you to get back here and let her in. What I'
    via u/LobbyJockey
  • 04
    Font - The cousin took the key, sighed loudly, and walked back to her room without even so much as a sarcastic "thank you." That could have been the end of it. Five minutes later, Shi-Shi came into the lobby. This struck me as odd, because I was told she was "hours away". Never looking up from her phone, she asked for my name and my supervisor's name, and took the opportunity to slip in a few more derisive remarks. After I said "Have a nice day," with perhaps too much bite, she told me she's goi
    via u/LobbyJockey
  • 05
    Font - I puzzled over it a while, then grabbed my cell phone, set it to record, took a deep breath, and knocked on Shi-Shi's door. That conversation (~30 seconds): [redacted. Edit: I added a transcript to replace the audio clips.] Me: (knock, kna-knock knock) "Front desk" (Shi-Shi opens the door, holding her cell phone up to her ear, saying something inaudible into it) Me: "Hey so do you want me to call the police and oust this person from your room?" Shi-Shi: "No no no--no. She's actually in th
    via u/LobbyJockey
  • 06
    Font - Me: "Thennn why are you upset that I let her in?" Shi-Shi (talking into the phone): "Hold on, can I- can I- can- can-- is there a way I can call you back or put this on hold or something?" (inaudible talking between Shi- Shi and the cousin) My goal was to bait her into saying it's okay for the cousin to be in that room. She walked right into it. At the moment I knocked, she was actually on the phone with Noice Hotels, filing a complaint about me--which is why she says "Can I call you back
    via u/LobbyJockey
  • 07
    Font - She followed me back to the desk where we talked a little longer. I asked her to clarify why she was threatening me with firing and she replied, "I'm just doing it to be a 11 b That conversation (26 seconds): [redacted. Transcript below. Starts after she gets off the phone with customer support. We're standing at the desk.] Shi-Shi: "Okay." (long pause) Me: "So it's okay that that person's in the room?" Shi-Shi: "That is correct." Me: "Then what's the problem?" Shi-Shi: "The problem is...
    via u/LobbyJockey
  • 08
    Font - The only reason I recorded this stuff was to defend myself against a write-up or worse. I was content to let the whole thing go. She had her key and filed her complaint and my manager was on my side. Great. That could very easily have been the end of it. The next day, however, after they checked-out, Housekeeping discovered Shi-Shi and her cousin had stolen all our pillows and left their own raggedy, old pillows in the pillowcases. Did they think we wouldn't notice? Naturally her card dec
    via u/LobbyJockey
  • 09
    Font - Nope! Two days later, whose name do I see in the Arrivals list, but Shi- Shi Garcia. Two adults. Oh dear. I called the phone number on-file, expecting to have it out with her, but it was a man who answered. I told him we'll have to cancel this reservation because Shi-Shi and her cousin are not welcome at the Slumtown Inn. He asked why and I told him the whole story; the key, the abuse, "I'm just doing it to be a b," and the pillow swap. I did not mention the recordings. He apologized prof
    via u/LobbyJockey
  • 10
    Font - Ladies and gentlemen, it saddens me to tell you: Shi-Shi and her pretty cousin were let go. They were fired in a strange city, a thousand miles from home, in the middle of a business trip. Sad. Edit: One of the mods asked me to remove the audio clips. At a commenter's suggestion, I supplied transcriptions instead. tl;dr a guest tried to get me fired on false pretenses but got herself fired for being an abusive liar and a thief.
    via u/LobbyJockey
  • 11
    Font - alextheracer The "replace the hotel pillows with your own shty pillows" was literally on r/sh ylifeprotips or r/unethicallifeprotips a few days ago.
    via u/alextheracer
  • 12
    Font - [deleted] Almost as irritating as the whole "hotel life hacks" which are generally bulls. Or when "hotel employees" give out secrets to getting your way in a hotel. F that. Just be a nice person, kind, polite, etc. Things go your way if you are a lot nicer. You attract more flies with honey rather than vinegar.
    via u/deleted
  • 13
    Font - Mastervodo +4 Don't know if this counts as petty or pro revenge, but f me, it's the best story I've heard this week about some f customers getting a dose of instant karma. Good job!
    via u/Mastervodo
  • 14
    Font - thr0w4w4y528 I'm just shocked by the pillow planning. Stealing towels/pillows is one thing (still wrong, but could be a spur of the moment decision), but bringing replacement pillows? Like how long did they plan that out?
    via u/thr0w4w4y528
  • 15
    Font - beef_weezle I think the real moral is "don't s where you eat". If you're on a business trip, representing your company, don't act like an as hat.
    via u/beef_weezle
  • 16
    Font - Lilliannette This is one of the most satisfying* posts I've ever read on this subreddit. I don't work a front desk job myself. I always pick one hotel in particular and they've always been fantastic whenever I go! I'd certainly hate to do this job. I already avoid retail because people suck. Good on you though and such beautiful sweet karma. Rightly deserved!
    via u/Lilliannette
  • 17
    Font - greendragonsegg there is 55 million reasons WHY checking IDs and names in system when giving keys out. so screw shi-shi and the bulls she rode out of town on.
    via u/greendragonsegg
  • 18
    Font - _procyon Sorry for being dense but I'm confused. So Shi Shi was ped because you wouldn't let her cousin right? Then you checked the camera footage and let her in? So did Shi Shi then pretend like she didn't want you to let her cousin in, and you did it without her knowledge? This isn't explained very well. Also did the cousins work together and were on the same business trip, or one was on a business trip which happened to be to her cousins city? I don't expect you to know this but it's w
    via u/_procyon
  • 19
    Font - LobbyJockey OP. I don't like you, but I r... They are cousins. Originally, I thought Shi-Shi had just brought her cousin along, but then I was told they both got fired. Double the pleasure. She was angry because I fought with her cousin (and then both of them when the cousin got Shi-Shi on the phone) about giving the cousin a key to the room. I did end up giving the cousin a key, which is what they both wanted. Shi-Shi tried
    via u/LobbyJockey
  • 20
    Font - to get me fired out of 100% pure, needless, petty spite. She was angry that I gave them a hard time, rather than happy that I found them a loophole.
    via u/LobbyJockey
  • 21
    Font - Archonet please, not another peep, ... I love it when people tell me they're gonna get me fired. I get to s on their dreams, because they often think it'll get them what they want if they threaten my livelihood. "I'm sorry you feel that way, but that isn't the first time I've heard that at this job, nor will it be the last. You are more than welcome to bring your complaint to the manager in the morning, however as you have threatened my livelihood I will be exercising my right to refuse y
    via u/Archonet
  • 22
    Font - It's like watching a balloon deflate. "Buh...buh...but you're supposed to get me what I want when I threaten your employment!"
    via u/Archonet
  • 23
    Font - fancifulandfree Definitely the universe working out karmic justice and d does it feel good and I wasnt even in the receiving end lol.
    via u/fancifulandfree

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keys tales-from-the-front-desk hotel fired front desk karen-customer hotels karen cousin workplace-stories jobs work stories workplace business
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