We've all experienced poor customer service, even at some of our favorite places.
Though we might think certain places are completely reliable, every now and again we might find our food taking an unexpectedly long time, or be treated less than cordially by a new employee.
In most cases, these unfortunate situations were something of a fluke and won't stop us from going back in the future.
Of course, there are more extreme cases, which see the end of our ever using or frequenting certain businesses ever again.
Redditor OpposedToBears was curious to hear cases of businesses permanently losing customers through their practices, leading them to ask:
"How did a business permanently lose you as a customer?"
Bank Robbery... Done By The Bank!
"I had been a Wells Fargo account holder for 13 years."
"I started with a joint account with my parents as a teenager and later opened my own accounts and closed the joint account."
"My brother also had a joint account with my parents that he later closed when he opened his own account."
"He didn't really use his account with them and it was sitting empty."
"Fast forward to me being in law school and broke as a joke and my brothers account overdrawn because of some fees they were hitting it with."
"Wells Fargo decided to pull money from my almost empty account to cover my brother's overdrawn account."
"The only link between my account and his that we both, at some point in our lives, had joint accounts with my parents even though they were both now closed."
"Wells Fargo was wholly uninterested in listening to any sort of reason and repeatedly stated that this was their 'policy' despite the absurdity."
"My brother reimbursed me but I closed my account and have refused to do business with Wells Fargo on any level since."- kikithemonkey
Their Service Is Ironically Anything But "Direct"...
"Directv."
"They let you buy any movie or channel package online or with a remote, but if you want to cancel something you have to call into their 1-800 number."
"After sitting on hold forever and then having to sit through a bunch of offers on other channels and packages I just cut the cord."- ClassicPatsGamesYT
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Corrupt Car Salesmen Is a Cliché. That Just Won't Die...
"AutoTrader Online."
"Bought a car out of state and they never transported it."
"They also never handled the paperwork."
"Seller and I had to do it all ourselves."
"Weeks of phone calls with AutoTrader ending in, 'We promise', 'doing that now', 'just shipped', 'you should hear from them within X hours'."
"2 months.. nothing."
"Never again Autotrader."
"I don't believe your lies."
"Thank goodness seller was a decent human."- hyteck9
The Customer Is Always Right...
"I ordered carryout from a French restaurant in Pittsburgh early in the pandemic."
"The order was around $120."
"I gave them my PayPal debit card number."
"When I got to the restaurant, I added a bottle of water, which changed the amount I owed to, say, $127."
"So they processed the two orders, for a total of $247, which I did not realize until sometime the next week."
"It took over a month to get my first $120 returned to me."
"The owner of the shop could not have been any nastier, saying it was my fault."
"Never have I ever gone back there."- EnlargedBit371
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Makes You Wonder How They Ever Turned A Profit...
"SiriusXM called me to get me to renew my subscription."
"Here's how the convo went:"
"Me: I haven't used it in so long I didn't even know I had a subscription."
"You can go ahead and cancel it."
"SiriusXM rep: OK, your credit card on file is expired, so for you to cancel your subscription we need your updated credit card info so we can charge you for the last month of service and the cancellation fee."
"Me: Wait, so you want me to give you my credit card info so you can charge me to cancel your service, which I just told you I'm not using?"
"SiriusXM rep: Yes, that's right."
"Me: And if I don't give you my credit card info you have no way to charge me?"
"SiriusXM rep: Yes, that's right."
"Me: LMAO no. Goodbye."- OuterRimExplorer
People Expecting To Get What They Pay For Shouldn't Come As A Surprise...
"Vivid Seats."
"I purchased a floor ticket for a concert and was sent a mezzanine (2nd floor) ticket and unfortunately didn't notice til I got to the concert."
"Obviously floor tickets were WAY more expensive than the ticket I received."
"Vividseats refused to refund me because 'the seller fulfilled my order' ."
"Apparently doesn't matter if you don't get what you pay for."
"I filed a charge back with my credit card and just found out this morning that I won."
"I won't ever be using them again, customer service was horrible."- evelocityf
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Some Might Call This Karma...
"Twenty-seven years ago there was a little Italian restaurant in Greenwich Village in New York City."
"We had a friend who was on tour with an entertainment act, and whenever he would pass through New York, we would all get together with him for dinner."
"He was coming through the city late one night."
"We couldn't start dinner with him until 10:00 PM."
"This was not good for my wife and me as she was in her first trimester and waiting that late for dinner was not good for her stomach."
"My wife and I had an early dinner in the city, saw a movie, and then met our friends at this Italian restaurant."
"We decided that since we were not hungry, we would buy all the appetizers for the whole table."
"There were about 12 of us."
"We also said we would not be ordering an entree."
"We were told that this was unacceptable and I asked to see the owner."
"The owner came over and informed us it was the policy of the restaurant that we must order an entree regardless of how many appetizers we purchased."
"I protested pointing out that I had ordered over $100 in appetizers and I could get 2 entrees for $15 each."
"This idiot would not budge."
"So I canceled the appetizer order and purchased 2 lasagnas instead."
"I then requested that the entrees be packaged for takeout as neither my wife nor I were hungry in the least."
"I was once again informed that the entree MUST be presented at the table before being boxed to take out."
"Neither we nor any of our friends ever set foot in there again."
"I had a client in the village four months later and I walked past that restaurant."
"It was boarded up."
"Good riddance."- Sprocketholer
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You Can See Right Through Them...
"Glass door."
"They're f*cked."
"Make you leave a review to read reviews."
"On top of that they delete reviews posted by employees."
"I just want to know if the company I'm applying for is a hellhole."
"That's it."- heavenstarcraft
When Communication Is Your Business, You'd Better Communicate...
"AT&T."
"I had the weirdest situation."
"We had to transfer our landline to their new service but still AT&T to AT&T."
"It took over 21 days to get it working and I called them every single day (no joke)."
"They would say the same stuff 'we'll reset the system'."
"I decided to cancel it then said well you need to pay for the cancelation fee."
"I'm like, but you guys lagged so long that it made me cancel."
"Did not budge at all and said well you missed the deadline."
"Cancelled - AT&T internet ,phone, cable."
"Cancelled - AT&T business internet/phone."
"Cancelled - AT&T Mobile."
"I understand I'm just a number and won't bring down their business but you ain't getting another dime."- shocktopper1
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No matter our profession, we've all had an "off" day at least once in our lives, so it's always a good idea to give people the benefit of the doubt.
But when people don't treat others with respect or compassion, or frankly don't do their job, don't expect any kindness or understanding in return.
When we're intoxicated, or even the slightest bit tipsy from having a little too much to drink, our immediate perspective on things is hazy.
But there's nothing like a bit of alarming news or a jarring incident to snap us out of the fog and focus on the moment.
Sometimes alcohol isn't always to blame for our impairment.
It can be a state of mind, like a perpetual numbness from being complacent in life, and all it takes is one shocking moment to rattle us back to our senses.
Curious to hear from strangers online about this type of scenario, Redditor Known_Challenge_7150 asked:
"What’s one thing that sobered you up real quick?"
These individuals were witness to shocking events that sobered them up right quick.
Bleeding Out
"Got out of a taxi and found a naked man profusely bleeding from his head crawling up the driveway in my condo. Called him an ambulance completely forgot I was absolutely wasted until 45 minutes later when I'd helped him translate and in to an amublance and stepped in my front door."
"Later a few days later learned he'd slipped in the tub and literally crawled out for help. Poor dude. He was fine but I genuinely thought he was going to die there."
– DongLaiCha
Tragic News
"At a bachelor party and we got a phone call that the groom’s father had suddenly passed."
– accountnameredacted
Bottom Of The Barrel
"I went to visit my parents back in July. I was homeless and deep into fentanyl addiction so I lost a lot of weight. My folks could see it. They knew something was up. Anyway, I spent the night and I was getting ready to leave in the morning and I looked at myself in the mirror for a good long time. I finally had enough and told them everything. They took me to detox, from there I went to rehab. Graduated in August and been living with them ever since then. I have 160 days clean and sober."
– Crotch-Monster
A reality check can be enough for some people to snap out of it.
Like Father, Like Son
"Was driving a drunk friend home, he had been on a bender again and was smart enough to call me for a lift rather than try and drive. As I helped in to his house his mother came down the stairs and said 'your as drunk as your father' and went back upstairs. I haven't seen him drunk since then, he still drinks but the thought of turning into his dad scared him out of hard drinking."
– psycospaz
Busted
"Flashing blue lights."
– FiddleOfGold
"This sobered me up just thinking about it."
– redmaple_syrup
Losing Sight
"Woke up to no sight in one eye. I had cataract surgery so just thought one of the lenses had slipped and it was an easy fix. Eye doc says nope, you had a stroke. I loved soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and salty food, which caused high blood pressure, which caused retina damage. Over six months was able to get most of my eyesight back with medication, and all back within a year. Trying to navigate life with one eye was very sobering. Started taking HBP much more seriously."
– MissHibernia
Quitting The Bottle
"Looked up someone I went to highschool with who was an awesome guy. Found out he had been dead for 3 years from alcoholism, at age 33. I made an overnight change. I hadn't started drinking that night yet, 10 months ago. Haven't touched it again since."
– omgtater
These disturbing moments were enough for Redditors to immediately come to their senses.
Unplanned House Guests
"Me and a buddy Woke up in someone’s living room, realized neither one of us knew the people, they were just nice and let 2 drunk guys sleep on their living room floor. We didn’t even say goodbye."
– Oneinsevenbillion75
Serious Health Warning
"Elevated liver enzymes."
"And the knowledge that this sh** was gonna kill me and I just couldn't orphan my family over it."
"So I opted for recovery, instead."
"Clean and sober since June 5, 2009."
– Far_Meal8674
The Joyride
"Grew up in a rural area. The little town hosted dances at the hockey arena, everyone (adults and kids) went and they overserved everyone, regardless of age. I was maybe 16 or 17 and was absolutely sh*tfaced, and jumped in the back of someone's truck with about 8 other people to go back to someone's cottage for after dance drinking. The driver (still don't know who it was) started racing one of his buddies and we whipped around small dirt roads, flying around blind corners on the wrong side of the road, going god knows how fast. It was basically a disaster waiting to happen. It was crazy scary and I was sober and thankful to be alive when we finally arrived."
– foxfood9116
The human psyche is a fascinating thing, isn't it?
How we can automatically focus on something urgent at a crucial time, even after getting buzzed from drinking too much alcohol.
But as we're in the thick of the holidays, it's a good reminder to drink responsibly and stay off the roads if you drive to your celebratory destination.
Cheers. Stay safe. And happy holidays.
We've all complained or vented about something in our lives which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't exactly a problem, or is very easily solved.
Then there are those who complain about things that others almost hope will happen to them at some point in their lives.
These are known as "first world problems", as they are problems that pretty much only the world's one percent faces.
From having to fly business class instead of first class, or being served Roederer instead of Dom Pérignon, these complaints are often met with amusement, bewilderment, or even anger.
Redditor jennimackenzie was curious to hear the most absurd "first world problems" anyone ever complained about, leading them to ask:
"What’s the most ridiculous 'first world problem' you’ve seen people get worked up over?"
"Tale As Old As Time..."
"I once knew a mom who was legitimately devastated, to the point of tears/grief, because a doctor predicted her 8 year old daughter's final height to be around 5'2","
"Which wasn't tall enough to get cast as Belle at Disney World."
"That was the child's (and her mother's) only dream in life, apparently."
"Didn't appreciate my suggestion that she could be Minnie or Mickey."
"Lol!"
"Only a face character would do!"- TravelLovingMom
"Must Be Funny, In A Rich Man's World..."
"My boss from about a decade ago was this insanely rich dude who always went to the bank to get fresh and crisp currency."
"He'd call the bank in advance to make sure they had some on hand."
"I think he was a germaphobe."
"He had a trash can that he'd throw $1 and $5 bills in that he thought was 'dirty' and regularly just donated it vs spending it."
"I asked him why he did this and he said it was too much trouble and asked if I wanted it."
"I said f*ck yeah dumped it into my bag and when I got home it was close to $400 in singles and fives.
"Another time, he wanted to upgrade all the computers in his studio, so we went to a store and bought 10 PCs."
"They all had $150 mail in rebates and he wasn't bothered to go through the trouble of mailing them in."
"3 weeks later I received $1500 after spending a whole afternoon filling out all those goddamn forms."- azninvasion2000
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Who Wore It Better?
"When I was about 19 years old, I was at my boyfriends family BBQ."
"I was wearing this pretty floral sundress."
"His cousins girlfriend showed up in the same dress and she was SO mad that she went and changed."
"I will never understand being upset when someone is wearing the same thing as you.'
"Did you really think that your shirt you bought off the rack is going to be unique to you?"
"No."- mertsey627
Seeing Red! Or Blue In This Case...
"The blue of the balloons wasn't quite the same as the bridesmaid's sashes."
"Years ago my wife and I attended a wedding."
"It was very low key."
"The dinner was in the dining hall at the university where the couple met, cinder block walls and all."
"It was a Baptist wedding - no booze and very serious."
"The dark blue balloons attempting to liven up the hall were a slightly darker shade of blue than the sashes on the bridesmaid's dresses."
"The bride lost here sh*t and absolutely raved for nearly an hour."
"I can't remember how they finally managed to talk her down."- mechant_papa
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See You In Court!
"Rich neighbors who end up in expensive court battles because they disagree about where a tree can be planted or whether the color of a fence fits in with the street’s 'amenity'."
'These disputes get really heated and rack up huge lawyers’ bills."
"The most pathetic part is after the judgement when they are arguing about who should pay the other party’s costs."
"Lots of affidavits filed citing the 'emotional distress' they had to endure, or painting themselves as brave warriors who were forced to take a stand to fight for 'justice'."
"Also lots of pompous litigants insisting that the judge refer to them by their 'Dr' title."
"An absolutely insane dumpster fire of entitled rich people problems."- ElectrocRaisin
It's Always People With Money Who Don't Want To Pay!
"I work in a public library."
"People will get so so mad if they have to be put on a wait list for a book."
"A popular book that just came out."
"Ok our services are not only free but so are the books."
"You’re welcome, a**holes."- Switchbladekitten
A Warm Butt Is A Happy Butt!
"My own."
"We have a bidet toilet seat (Fabulous! Everyone should have one!) and not only does it wash your bum and blow dry it, but the seat's heated!"
"It's shocking how much a heated toilet seat makes the whole process more agreeable."
"Except: We had a power outage and I went to use the toilet and the seat was cold!"
"Unacceptable!"
"This shall not stand!"
"I was really upset because it didn't feel good."
"Then I stopped and thought: This is the most first-world problem anyone's ever had."
"I was really pissed because my heiny was tepid."
"I got over it."- DeathGrover
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Holy Matrimony!
"Weddings are a gold mine for this question."
"People get so hyped up over their 'most important day of their life'."
"They'll destroy friendships, go into debt, and have crazy expectations."
"It's not always the couple who go crazy, either."
"Sometimes, it's the parents or another family member who feels entitled to control the wedding."
"It's just a party."
"Be considerate of guests, have plenty of food and drinks, and enjoy it."- magicrowantree
When Fast Food Isn't Fast Enough...
"Having to pull off to the side to wait for a drive-thru order to be brought out to you because your food isn't ready and there's a line building up behind you."- demanbmore
In Case You Don't Think Customer Service Employees Are Undervalued...
"I was working the return desk at a Target next to a military base so I have so many stories."
"One of my favorites was a lady who had her baby shower before revealing the gender and was livid that she had received floral newborn diapers when she’s having a boy."
"It was a huge box of super expensive, all organic diapers, that we didn’t carry and therefore could not return."
"I cannot accurately express her fury and disgust."
"How dare either suggest her boy could wear feminine diapers."
"I suggested she donate them if she didn’t want to use them and she instead threw away the entire box."
"When she left we pulled it out and threw it in our donate bin."
"There have also been multiple times where mom’s order massive toys and when we bring them out to the car they get furious that they aren’t wrapped."
"We don’t offer wrapping services."
"Here’s the thing, if you don’t want your kids to see the toys you got them for Christmas or their bit to day DON'T BRING THE CHILD WHEN YOU PICK IT UP."
'I’ve had multiple women scream and curse me out that I had ruined their kids Christmas by bringing the toys they ordered out to the car like they requested."- clever-mermaid-mae
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Happiest Place On Earth!
"I used to work for Disney."
"That in itself should tell you everything."
"However for fun I'll give you two specific stories one form our tech department and one from my wife who worked bookings."
"I specifically worked for their call center to help with technical issues with magic band and the website."
"Suddenly got worse huh?"
"A right of passage call everyone has at least one story of is the 'Dome call'."
"Basically there is a subset of Disney Guest (TM) that believes if it rains at Walt Disney world there is someone that will push a button to encapsulate the whole of Disney property in a dome to keep out the rain."
"I'm not kidding."
"If this button is not pushed they call our tech department to angrily ask why."
"My wife worked booking."
"Pretty much everything including Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique and Pirate's league."
"These two things did roughly the same thing difference being price and theme."
"BBB was expensive did more and was focused on princesses, pirates league did a bit less and focused on mermaids and pirates."
"Lady called up my wife, and got pissed about BBB being booked up (It goes FAAAAST)."
"Karen: 'Im going to give the phone to my daughter and I want you to tell her how you are ruining her vacation by not letting her do BBB'."
"Wife proceeds to explain how pirate's league is so much cooler and how she can be a mermaid or pirate and basically gets the kid to start demanding to their parents about how they want to be a mermaid instead of a princess."- trollsong
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The horror!
Being booked into a junior suite at Disney World instead of an executive suite!
It's almost as bad as having no money for groceries, or no food to feed you children...
Said absolutely no one.