'Do you take me for a fool?': Call center workers share their most memorable encounters with entitled Karen customers

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Jun 12, 2024 2:00 PM EDT

Anyone working in a customer-facing position should get the medal of freedom for keeping their cool despite having to confront numerous Karen customers per day. However, as you'll see with some of these stories, sometimes keeping your cool is impossible to help these customers out, calm them down, or even just get them off the phone. 

One of these call center stories sparked a core embarrassing story from back in my intern days. My job that summer involved answering and returning phone calls constantly. It can be a repetitive grind, and sometimes you're fielding so many back-to-back calls, you start forgetting to use your head. A friend of my manager called to leave a message. When I asked what her name was, she said Lorna Doone as a joke. However, I was so in the moment that I immediately responded, "Alright, Ms. Doone. I'll make sure [my boss] calls you back soon." When I hung up the phone and realized my mistake, I could not help but put my head in my hands.

Keep scrolling below for this list of top stories from call center workers. For more, take a look at this list of embarrassing work stories.

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  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10358178304
    via Petr Macháček
  • 02
    Call center workers of Reddit, what's the strangest opening to a call you've ever had from a customer?
    via u/Takariistorm
  • 03
    intensenerd 5 hr. ago . I've been in call centers since 2003... I have stories. My favorite though - - I answer and say "Thank you for calling support can I get your name please?" "FO you! That's my name!" Me barely realizing it I reply, "Ok Mr You what can I help fix?" Dude was stunned. He laughed, apologized and I helped him fix his computer.
    via u/Takariistorm
  • 04
    midnightsunofa ☐ edited 3 hr. ago .5 hr. ago Friend worked customer service for AMEX one summer. A guy called and wanted to know why his credit card wasn't working. She told him he had surpassed his $15K limit. He said "yeah, but that was LAST month. Don't I get another $15K this month?" Same friend worked in billing for Cleveland Clinic. A guy called because his gf wouldn't share a straw/cup with him, because she felt it was unsanitary. He wanted my friend to explain to his gf that sharing a st
    via u/Takariistorm
  • 05
    bab1oldgu 5 hr. ago As a call center worker, one of the strangest openings I've ever had from a customer was when someone greeted me with, "Hi, I'm calling from the middle of a cornfield, and I think my tractor's possessed." It took me a moment to process and stifle a laugh, but once I realized they were serious, we worked through their technical issue. It's calls like these that make the job unexpectedly entertaining and memorable!
    via u/Takariistorm
  • 06
    jschild 5 hr. ago Not a strangest opening, but one thing you get used to fast is people telling you a f novel about their life while giving you exactly zero identification details or the actual reason for the call.
    via u/Takariistorm
  • 07
    DuffMiver8 5 hr. ago First words out of the customer's mouth: "Do you take me for a fool?" He had ordered a $60 shirt and received a $10 t-shirt. I explained there must have been a picking error at the warehouse, but I checked and we still had the correct shirt in stock. "I ain't payin' for no second shirt!"
    via u/Takariistorm
  • 08
    "No, I never said you would. I'll place it as a no- charge order, you'll have the correct shirt in about a week." "I need that shirt for a wedding I'm goin' to this Saturday! A week don't do me no good!" This was Wednesday, so I said, "We'll upgrade the shipping to Next Day Air. It'll ship tomorrow and deliver on Friday."
    via u/Takariistorm
  • 09
    "Why in the should I have to pay for rush delivery?!!" "No, it's on us, we're just trying to make things right here. All we ask is you return the incorrect shirt to us." "WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO PAY TO SHIP THIS SHIRT BACK??!??"
    via u/Takariistorm
  • 10
    "Just use the prepaid return label that came with the order. There's no charge to use it." "I don't understand any of this. You talk to my wife." Wife gets on the phone, "Listen, why should we have to pay for another shirt?"
    via u/Takariistorm
  • 11
    I explained all we would be doing. "We're shipping out a replacement, free of charge. We're charging nothing for the NDA shipping so you get it on time, and the return shipping is also free. Now, just what more could I possibly do for you to make this right?" "Oh, well, that would be very nice, thank you!" Jesus H. Tap-dancing Christ.
    via u/Takariistorm
  • 12
    deadsoulinside . 5 hr. ago Worked at a national call center for a big ISP. Probably the 2 strangest openings I have came across happened there. First one speaking with a new user that just got hooked up to the internet.
    via u/Takariistorm
  • 13
    Customer: "OK, I got your internet service hooked up. Now what?" Me: "What do you mean now what?" Customer: "Like what do I do? I have the internet now, what do I do next?"
    via u/Takariistorm
  • 14
    Literally had to show the person how to actually use the internet. This was in 2005. Just always struck me as odd as most people know why they wanted to sign up for the internet.
    via u/Takariistorm
  • 15
    Second one that blew my mind. Caller: "My House is on FIRE!" Me: "I'm sorry, I think you dialed the wrong number. You need to hang up and contact 911"
    via u/Takariistorm
  • 16
    Caller: "Oh I am not calling the wrong number, I already called 911!" Me: "I'm still not understanding why you are contacting the support number for ISP?"
    via u/Takariistorm
  • 17
    Caller: "It was one of your techs that caused the fire installing my service and I demand to speak to HIS MANAGER NOW!" Me: "Sir, we would not have that type of information available. Nor would I be able to transfer you to that person even if we knew who it was. If the tech is still on site, you will need to speak to him to get that information."
    via u/Takariistorm
  • 18
    Turned out the tech was drilling a hole into the home to run a cable through it and hit a power line which resulted in the fire. It was a brand new home too.
    via u/Takariistorm
  • 19
    Green Onion Crusader . 5 hr. ago Ok, im switchboard in a call center for a resort. "Yeah, uh, who do I talk to about purchasing your roof?" "The roof?" "Yeah, the one with all the antennas on it? I would like to purchase it." "OK, give me just a moment and I'll get you to... someone."
    via u/Takariistorm
  • 20
    BarnacleMcBarndoor 5 hr. ago "Hold on, I gotta wipe" grunting noise creaking noise flush
    via u/Takariistorm

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karens workplace-stories call center work stories toxic-workplace job karen-customer work karens in the wild entitled reddit thread Reddit karen entitled people toxic-work-environment
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