Call center worker gets back at entitled customer: '[She] got frustrated and asked to speak with ANYONE else'

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Oct 6, 2024 5:00 PM EDT

This person didn't mince words when describing their "worst job I've ever worked." It's a common sentiment among call center workers: people seem to either adore the job and stay for years, or loathe it and leave ASAP. Some people don't mind the grueling work of dealing with upset individuals who need their problems solved yesterday. These workers have patience and the ability to stay calm under pressure. This person found that it was hard to fake sympathy for people who were extremely upset, since they often hurled insults or yelled at them. 

Some customers will just prevent themselves from getting help. For example, some will refuse to tell the phone operator basic info like their name or birthday because they "should already know that information." Or, like this person, who kept insisting to be transferred elsewhere, despite the call rep knowing that wouldn't solve the issue. Oh well, if the customer's always right, I guess you'll just have to do exactly what they've asked for…

Up next, see who you side with in this case of two siblings who can't agree on a Thanksgiving dinner, with one sibling saying, "My mom thinks I'm putting turkey over my own family."

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  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10412794368
    via Getty Images on Unsplash+

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    "Transfer me to anyone else!" Whatever you say ma'am
    via u/mister-monotone
  • 03
    During the summer of 2020 I worked customer service for an online retailer. It is the worst job I've ever worked. While most people were polite, kind and understanding, I had to deal with many people who were (often justifiably) upset about a problem with their order, but even then most people would be sure to say
    via u/mister-monotone
  • 04
    their anger was not directed towards me. Faking sympathy for these people was hard enough, but then there would be people berating me personally as if I had something to do with whatever problem they were complaining about.
    via u/mister-monotone
  • 05
    One day, the system we used to track peoples' orders was down. I wouldn't be able to cancel orders, check when the shipping date was, change the shipping address, nothing. The supervisor told us to tell the customers to call back in an hour at which point the system would hopefully be back up. Again, most people were understanding that there was literally nothing I could do to modify their orders and said they would call back later.
    via u/mister-monotone
  • 06
    This one lady calls me and is upset about something and wants me to cancel her order. I tell her I apologize for the inconvenience but I can't at the moment, and that she should call back in an hour. She was not happy with the response. She starts going off about how that is unacceptable, she doesn't have time later, take down her information and do it later once
    via u/mister-monotone
  • 07
    the system is back up, this is horrible customer service, etc. I constantly have calls coming in so I can't be dealing with her problem at the same time as speaking to another customer, and more importantly, my shift was going to be finished in 20 minutes and I sure as wasn't waiting around for the system to be back up and doing overtime to cancel this lady's order, especially with her attitude. ' entitled
    via u/mister-monotone
  • 08
    Eventually, she decides that she has had enough of me, and asks to speak with my supervisor. Summer of 2020 is peak COVID, so I was working from home. I explain the situation and say I can't just pass the phone to my supervisor but what I can do is escalate the issue by putting in a ticket and a supervisor will call them back in 24-48 hours. Of
    via u/mister-monotone
  • 09
    course this is not good enough for her. She is yelling at me at this point, going on and on about how awful this customer service is, and she is not accepting that there is nothing I can do at the moment. She decides she doesn't want to speak to me anymore and screeches at me to "Just transfer me to ANYONE else, I don't care. I don't want to speak to you anymore!" I say
    via u/mister-monotone
  • 10
    okay, just give me a moment. As I'm thinking in my head "You did say ANYONE", I transfer her to the Spanish customer service line. TLDR: Customer service job, system to modify/cancel orders was down. Lady didn't like that, got frustrated and asked to speak with ANYONE else, I transferred her to the Spanish customer service line.
    via u/mister-monotone
  • 11
    SkwrlTail I find the phrase "We hate it as much as you do" to be very helpful when dealing with something beyond your control. "I'm sorry, the system is down completely for at least an hour. Possibly more. Nobody - not my supervisor, not my manager, not even God himself - can access anything until it's fixed. We
    via u/SkwrlTail
  • 12
    hate it as much as you do, but there's absolutely nothing we can do right now. I'm sorry and I wish I had better news."
    via u/SkwrlTail
  • 13
    Jaikula_Free... Well, when they dont specify to where you are to transfer them to, it could be anyone within the company. Or to someone outside the company. Back in the 1990s I was visiting my cousin at her new job, she wasnt front line but part of the escalation team that calls got sent to for those really bad Karens that would call.
    via u/Jaikula_Freedom
  • 14
    One good thing about the department she worked in was that she had brilliant direct supervisors who were great to work for. The supervisors allowed for that good old malicious compliance and even had printed and on every cubical wall.
    via u/Jaikula_Freedom
  • 15
    "If you ever have an person that has been transferred to escalations tell you the following line: "Just transfer me to anyone that is willing to listen." Then you can feel free to transfer them to whatever number first comes to mind. Do make a note of where you transferred them to for future reference when they are bound to call back up."
    via u/Jaikula_Freedom
  • 16
    Well, my cousin came up with the most brilliant one of all. She would transfer them back to their own number. Most people back then had call waiting activated on their home phones, so she would ask them to hold one moment, then transfer them out to their own number.
    via u/Jaikula_Freedom
  • 17
    Because the call waiting was activated it would just ring out because it didnt get answered, or would end up going to their own voicemail service with the phone company, and because they are seething over being put on hold, not catch their voice, or someone they recognized on the recording, then leave a scathing msg.
    via u/Jaikula_Freedom
  • 18
    5% of the time the person would put the call to the company on hold to answer the incoming call, only to find their own hold music now on the line, and either hang up not wanting to deal with that and return to their previous call which they just hang up on. Or sit there waiting for someone.
    via u/Jaikula_Freedom
  • 19
    neophenx I mean... yeah you and anybody else available was physically unable to do jack until the network was fixed. Nature of the beast. Lady played stupid games and won stupid prizes!
    via u/neophenx

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call center malicious compliance malicious-compliance-reddit entitled phone calls malicious compliance reddit entitled people
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