Nightmare Karen Client Begs Her Ex-Account Manager for Free Service a Year After Canceling, Claiming He Owes it to Her ‘Because of Many Years of Friendship’

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Aug 24, 2024 8:00 PM EDT

Karens are usually the villains in every employee's work nightmares, but this nitpicking lady takes the trophy as the #1 most terrible client ever for a financial firm's top accountant. 

Managing your finances can be fairly simple if you put your mind to it. Combing through your financial statements, reading the transaction amounts, and processing your earnings nowadays is pretty straightforward when you have your money nestled with a financial institution (if you can read, of course). But for this particular Karen, attempting to navigate her quarterly statements was far more complicated than her weekly coupon clipping parties with the other neighborhood watch members, so she needed her account manager to walk her through every transaction–line by line. 

After decades of working with this woman, the account manager had become sufficiently jaded each time he saw her number pop up on his desk phone, dreading the 1 or 2-hour conversations that would take place after he answered. Not only did this Karen need line-by-line explanations of each transaction, she also enjoyed complaining about fees (even though her legacy account boasted the cheapest fair in all of the company), and she insisted that she could find 'better service' elsewhere.

Okay, bet. 

Keep scrolling for the story of an accountant who won the client dump lottery when his nightmare Karen customer canceled her account in search of greener pastures, only to come crawling back to him for free labor when she realized he was the best there is.

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  • 01
    "Her new account manager wouldn't return anymore of her calls"
    via canva
  • 02
    Boomer closes her account but think I will still help her because of our "friendship"
    via Yearoffrontier
  • 03
    I was the account manager for a boomer who had a legacy account with my firm. It was a smaller account, and it billed lower than any of my other accounts because the contract for services was only offered years ago.
    via Yearoffrontier
  • 04
    It wouldn't have even been on my radar except the account holder was VERY difficult to work with. She called every quarter after she recieved her financial statement and we went line-by-line through every transaction. These calls
    via Yearoffrontier
  • 05
    could last hours, but were usually around an hour per instance. On almost every call she complained about her fees, told me that they were too
    via Yearoffrontier
  • 06
    high, and that she would figure out exactly how we were cheating or stealing from her someday. I explained that she couldn't even get this kind of fee structure now, to which she always replied that she had a mind to take her business elsewhere.
    via Yearoffrontier
  • 07
    Long story short, one day she demands that we close her account immediately and transfer the assets to another financial institution. I was overjoyed until she called me a little over half a year later to
    via Yearoffrontier
  • 08
    tell me that her new account manager wouldn't return anymore of her calls, that she thought paying a higher fee for her new account meant "better service", that no one
    via Yearoffrontier
  • 09
    would help her with her latest financial statement, and.... would I mind going through it with her if she mailed me a copy because of our many years of friendship?
    via Yearoffrontier
  • 10
    I politely declined but I still DREAM about what I really wanted to say to her.
    via Yearoffrontier
  • 11
    Chronza 5 hr. ago She claimed friendship after being such a tool to work with? That's next level cluelessness
    via Chronza
  • 12
    Ok-Cheetah-9125 -5 hr. ago I've been in customer service facing jobs since I was 14 and this does not surprise me at all. The worst pitas think they are the best people.
    via Ok-Cheetah-9125
  • 13
    KellyBunni 4 hr. ago They see it as justifying your job's existence and feel they are creating your role
    via KellyBunni
  • 14
    Ladner1998 4 hr. ago There was 3 options that immediately came to my head 1. Im sorry but you believed that we were cheating and stealing from you when you were under us. I dont know why you
    via Ladner1998
  • 15
    would think otherwise now that you are no longer with us 2. My consultancy fee for anyone without an account at this bank is insert price here 3. Im sorry who are you?
    via Ladner1998
  • 16
    ChiWhite Sox24 . 4 hr. ago This was such a satisfying read. They always scream about taking their business elsewhere even when they're getting better customer service than they deserve.
    via ChiWhite Sox24
  • 17
    Barfy_McBarf_Face - 4 hr. ago Yep. Threaten to leave? There's the door, it isn't locked. Let me help you with that baggage, please don't leave it here.
    via Barfy_McBarf_Face
  • 18
    Lopsided-Peach584 - 4 hr. ago She realized she couldn't treat people like and is now misinterpreting your previous above and beyond work ethic for "friendship." Pfft, bye Felicia.
    via Lopsided-Peach584
  • 19
    bippy_b 4 hr. ago Only way this would have been better is if she came crawling back asking for the old fee structure.. only to have that replaced with something that cost more.
    via bippy_b
  • 20
    OkeyDokey654. 4 hr. ago Wow. I thought you were going to say she wanted her old, no longer available type of account back, but this is even worse.
    via OkeyDokey654
  • 21
    Imaginary-Message-56 3 hr. ago I've a friend who owns a small legal practice. He's winding down toward retirement, and he's decided to start "firing" clients. Selection criteria like yours - those who are a complete pain.
    via Imaginary-Message-56
  • 22
    MommyRaeSmith1234 4 hr. ago This is like men who think women servers or other people being paid to be polite to customers are interested in them.
    via MommyRaeSmith1234
  • 23
    BuddyPalFriendChap. 2 hr. ago Except this boomer wanted OP to work for free. So its like those creepy guys who hit on waitresses but then ALSO tip $0.
    via BuddyPalFriendChap
  • 24
    Both-Mud-4362 - 2 hr. ago I'm always shocked by how many people think workers being friendly to customers in the workplace = friendship. It's called doing your job.
    via Both-Mud-4362
  • 25
    Designer-Mirror-7995 4 hr. ago B-B-BUT we're fAMILY!
    via Designer-Mirror-7995
  • 26
    Inside-Recover4629 2 hr. ago People who accuse you of cheating, stealing and threatening to take your business elsewhere isn't a friend. They're a leech.
    via Inside-Recover4629

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financial institution employee cancelled clients nitpicky work customers finance client working nitpicking customer employees financial Reddit karma karen karen customer
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