Who Says The Customer Is Always Right? Hilarious Complaints And Perfect Employee Comebacks
Anyone who has worked in customer service knows all too well the mantra that the patron is always right. In some cases, though, the complaint is so outlandish that you just have to sit back and laugh. Other times, it's the business that's at fault for something ridiculous, like when a shampoo turned a dog's fur pink. The best is when a representative replies to a complaint with a witty comeback, like the train company that sarcastically apologized for pouring rain onto the tracks. Read on for more hilarious exchanges between flabbergasted customers and exasperated employees.
The Upside Down Pizza
This customer seemed justified in his complaint at first. He claimed that his pizza didn't have any toppings on it, and was essentially just a round flatbread. Domino's Pizza replied back with genuine concern, only to find out that they'd done nothing wrong.
A moment later, the patron replied, "Never mind, I opened the pizza upside down." We have to wonder if it was the delivery person who turned the food over or if the customer did it. Either way, it makes no sense.
The Service Isn't The Problem
We can't tell if this customer complaint was genuine or just for the sake of pushing buttons. The Twitter user wrote, "please get your SMS working! I sent this girl 246 texts last night asking her out and none of her replies have come through yet..."
Whether the patron has a texting addiction or is joking around isn't clear, but the brilliant employee response works either way. They wrote, "Hi James, that's a lot of texts! Maybe next time you should try sending 1 text to 246 different girls..."
Locked In The Store!
This shopper has to be one of the most justified complainers in all of the customer service history. He spent two hours locked in a bookstore before having the brilliant idea to write on the company's Twitter page. After politely asking to be let out, the business snapped into shape.
We can't be certain how long it took, but the company did eventually reply, "We're pleased to announce that @DWill_ is a free man once more. Thanks for your concern and tweets!" We can just imagine how many people came to this man's defense and further embarrassed the company.
Stay In Your Lane
This customer wasn't complaint wasn't about the business' service or products, but rather their philosophical quote they posted. Ralph Waldo Emerson's wise words read, "Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."
The kicker is that the company who posted this quote provides railroad transportation. Thus, the witty customer replied, "With all due respect, this is terrible advice for trains." In other words, stay in your lane conductors!
A Taste Of Their Own Medicine
It's not every day that you see two companies that aren't even in the same industry go head-to-head on social media. Old Spice out of the blue asked Taco Bell, "Why is it that "fire sauce" isn't made with any real fire? Seems like false advertising."
First of all, this question doesn't even make sense because fire does this thing called burn. Still, Taco Bell came back with a "fiery" response that proved their point flawlessly: "@OldSpice Is your deodorant made with really old spices?"
False Alarm
This customer complaint seemed very serious at first, to the point of urgency. He wrote, "Actually just seen a live snake in one of your stores???" This statement would be highly concerning to an employee, and not just because of the broken grammer.
A representative expressed their concern saying, "oh dear that does not sound good" and inquiring about which location the snake was spotted. The sly complainer then replied, "Never mind it was just ma ex." Back in the '90s we would have called that a prank call.
It's All About The Ratio
This Facebook user posted a long caption about two things: cheese and crackers. The complaint was addressed to a New Zealand airline that didn't seem to understand the ratio requirments for this beloved snack.
The patron starts out by stating that this "matter of national concern" has caused him "sleepless nights" since so many other faithful customers have shared in this plight. The issue at hand is that the amount of cheese requires "at least four crackers," not a measly two. He leaves off with, "Please rectify this horrid oversight..."
The Edgy Customer Service Reply
This Twitter user put down all Tesco mobile account holders, which makes us wonder if he's even a customer. He bluntly states, "Immediately turn off if a girl's mobile network is tesco mobile." What we think he's trying to say is that he isn't attracted to females who have this certain carrier.
Tesco came back with a response that had just as much of a bite to it. They wrote, "Are you really in a position to be turning girls away?" Something tells us the answer is "no."
If Late, Leave Early
It can be easy to want to blame a company for situations that are out of everyone's control. That was the case with this Twitter user who wrote, "Sort ir out @LDNOverground if I'm late once more this month I lose 25% of my salary. Are you lot reimbursing me?"
We take back our original statement. This issue was completely within the control of the complainer! If this has become so habitual that their salary is at risk, they clearly know how to prepare. As the business replied, "Leave early you will not be late next time. Hope this helps."
A Picture Says 1000 Words
They say that a picture is worth 1000 words, and that seems to be the case hear. This customer said he opened his frozen pizza box and discovered this inside: a moldy cardboard pizza base.
The real kicker is that the representative replied, "I'm sorry to ask, but what seems to be the problem with this product, please?" Though the employee was very sweet in her response, it's a little scary that she didn't see the problem with mold near food.
Oh The Irony
To fully understand the irony of this complaint, it's worth mentioning that it was addressed to a magazine named Popular Science. Nevertheless, the person wrote, "There are too many articles on overly scientific subjects that take up most of the magazine."
Gee, who would have thought that a "popular science" magazine would be chock-full of scientific articles! You'd think it'd be full of celebrity gossip or cooking recipes! The best part is that the publication made the message their "complaint of the month."
Sarcasm At Its Finest
This text was in response to a customer's complaint. It was so explicit that we did you the favor of trimming it out so that you only see the employee reply. The company sarcastically states, "Oh I'm soooo sorry, no reaaaallly I am - I forgot that we poured gallons and gallons of rain onto the tracks!"
There's probably been at least one time in most of our lives where we wanted to drop our professional facade and have this kind of an attitude. We have to applaud this employee for going for it so we can all live vicariously.
Right Back At Him!
Virgin Trains has proven themselves to be quite the sassy company. Yet another customer dared to push their buttons by writing, "New Virgin trains look pretty basic IMO." IMO is short for "in my opinion," so at least they recognized their own bias.
The company mimicked this unflattering remark in their response by saying, "I think you look pretty basic Josh...IMO." You've got to love the ellipsis, as though they were debating whether or not to add that little disclaimer.
The Pink Dog
This poor customer had a very valid reason to be concerned. After a representative asked the dog owner to "elaborate" on his serious problem, he posted a photo of his bright pink canine next to the dog shampoo container.
The baffled customer then wrote, "Yes, why on earth has your shampoo turned my dog pink?" Somewhere a higher up in the company is cringing at the blatant accusation. Hopefully, this didn't "stain" their reputation (get it?) permanently.
Not Clever Enough
This customer clearly has a high bar when it comes to wit because he was extremely preturbed by the "Merry Pringles" logo. He wrote, "HOW IS THIS A PUN. YOU COULD'VE HAD "PRINGLE BELLS" OR "MERRY CRISPMAS."
In case you couldn't feel his rage through the all caps, let us also mention that we cut off an array of expletives. To be fare, his suggestions were far better, but we don't think he'll have a shot on the marketing team with that temper.
Two Can Play At This Game
This is another example of a company who decided to mimic their rude customer. The complainer wrote, "When you call someone and it goes through to their Tesco Mobile Voicemail...LOOOOOOOOOOOOL." We believe this person meant to imply that anyone with this phone carrier is worth laughing at.
The company responded, "When you realise your mates are ignoring you LOOOOOOOOL." In other words, it's not the only who is ridiculing who has the upper hand, but the ones who are ignoring him that do.
Overcharging Is Mugging
This customer complaint started out grave. The Twitter user wrote, "Hi! I've just been mugged at your venue. Are you able to help me?" The customer service representative immediately asked if the patron had reached out to a member of security.
The smart aleck then replied, "yes - and the police but neither were interested in the fact I was charged 5.25 for a room temperature can of Tuborg." There's nothing like a little dark humor to cure a case of the overcharged woes.
Always Read The Label
One critique of social media is that people tend to overshare. That certainly was the case here when a Twitter user wrote, "I accidentally got the popping candy chocolate and it really upset me :[ That is all :["
As cute as the unhappy faces are, no one needs to know about the time you bought the wrong kind of chocolate. Still, the company honorably wrote back, "That's a shame, but hopefully it'll teach you to read the labels before buying something..? ;)" Even chocolate has a silver lining.
Now They're Speaking His Language
This complaint is hilarious not because of the message that's being delivered, but because of the way in which it was said and, better yet, how the employee replied. The customer's "request" states, "YO wen u gettin da ps4 tings in moss side? Ain't waitin no more."
The representative slyly replies, "Safe badman, we gettin sum more PS4 tings in wivin da next week y'get me. Soz bout da attitude probz avin a bad day yo." That's what we call speaking someone's language.
Hobbits Don't Wear Shoes
This handwritten note shows that to be a truly proficient complainer, one must start at a young age. The child author begins, "Dear Lego, I have a complaint to make about your Lord of the Rings sets." She then explains that whilst her brother was playing, she discovered shoes on the hobbit figurines.
The girl continues, "If you have seen the movies, you know that hobbits do not wear shoes. If you could take this to heart, I'd be very happy. Thank you!" We love that she included an image with arrows to illustrate her point.