Strangest complaint you've ever received

I used to work in a well known video rental shop. One evening a very cross bloke brought back a video he claimed was faulty. We checked it on the shop telly....nothing wrong with it.

He was getting very irate and insisted it was faulty and he wanted a refund. When asked what the actual problem was he looked at us as if we were mad. 'Its the picture....it's not working properly. It's in black and white. Only old films are in black and white so it must be faulty.'

Yes ladies, it was 'Schindlers List'. I think we have him a refund just for giving us a good laugh. And stupid-person anecdote.

also, we had a bunch of really rude customers in in a store I worked in (e.g. they were mucking around for about an hour, then suddenly decided that everything had to be done NOW and their purchases put through STRAIGHT AWAY - they threw money at a colleague and said "that should make you work faster"). A customer I was serving was in the changing room, trying on some clothes. Rude customer demanded that I get my customer out of the changing room, so she could try on some clothes (my customer hadn't been in their long). I politely told rude customer to get lost.

First one was when I was working in a store, and they did free gift wrapping (box, tissue paper, ribbon. Pretty standard and the same at every store ). I was wrapping someone's gifts for free and she complained that my gift wrapping wasn't "magical enough" and that she'd go to another branch of the store (the other side of town) because their gift wrapping would be better. I did explain it would be exactly the same but she didn't get it. Oh well ... she was wasting her own time.

Second is - a friend organises a big dinner on Friday night, which is free (but you can donate), you just have to tell them in advance that you're coming so they know how many people to prepare for. One Friday, dozens of people turned up without having given notice, so the food had to be spread out quite thinly. One person (who hadn't booked, or donated), emailed to complain that he hadn't had enough food. RUDE.

Oh and when I was about 5 I hit the next door neighbours fence with a little plastic spade, the type that come with a bucket.

They rang the police, police came round and were gobsmacked. Ended up giving them a telling off for wasting police time.

We ran a product demonstration day (demoing slings, shower chairs etc) and invite a lot of occupational therapists. We often have guest speakers.

We have feedback forms and one woman said 'good course but why on earth did the guest speaker have high heels and makeup on'

From royal correspondent Jennie bond that she wasn't getting special treatment in....... Primark!

I worked in a cafe, there was a huge fire in basement so I had to evacuate all the customers quickly, smoke was quickly filling the dining area. One couple were very annoyed they were having to leave before they had finished and demanded to speak to the manager as they weren't going to leave on the say so of just a waitress. To cut a long story they took that long to leave, we all ended up being treated for smoke inhalation.

I once had a parent complain that we always sent the text messages from school to her DH's mobile number and not to hers. I explained that the system automatically sends the message to the number noted as 'first contact' on the Data Collection sheet they filled in. I showed her the sheet (which SHE had completed) putting her DH as first contact and said I would amend the system changing her to first contact.

She said 'But surely you would have known DH is often in meetings and can't always use his phone?'

Of course, silly me

As I said I used to work in customer services for a mobile network, I once answered the phone to have a man loudly proclaim "I have my equipment in my hand and I can get get it to work, what are you going to do abou it?" I couldn't speak, I had to put him on hold!

I once spent some time explaining how a bill was worked out, and in the end the woman I was talking to said she'd report me for being patronising! I said that was absolutley her choice, and if she wished to report me because she was unable to understand how things added up then I didn't have a problem with that. She never did. Another time I'd had to break down a bill and got the customer to write it down and add it up themselves. That "Eureka" moment came when they cried out - "now I see it - what a fool I am" and I replied - "what can I say - the customer is always right" There was a guffaw of laughter - and customer came back with "I deserved that! Thanks for your patience". But it's sad reading this thread just how many idiots are out there, and how nasty there are for no reason.

The general public are stupid.

I used to work in a shop selling handmade teddy bears (ugh). I had a man complain that the modern bears had a lump where their genitals would be. Ugh. I was 15 and looking back he may have been a pervert.

I work in a restaurant/coffee shop, once I was asked if I could not be so loud whilst making coffees (heating milk etc) as she had a headache...coffee shop probably not the best place for someone with a headache!
On another occasion, a lady requested another cappuccino as the one she had been given was cold. I made her another 'extra hot' one (as requested), she called me over as this one was 'too hot she couldn't possibly drink it' (obviously didn't get the memo that hot drinks cool down) so I made her ANOTHER one! And she left half of it!!

A friend of mine used to work on a farm, which was open to the public to come and see and feed all of the animals. She said she used to get complaints from people saying that they should not have pigs, and demanding that she move them somewhere else out of sight of the public. I know that in certain religions, pigs are not tolerated, but if you visit a working farm, would you not expect to see pigs?!

My fella is a customer service manager and every year he gets the 'you have ruined my childs christmas, how dare you not deliver bikes on christmas day'

One had a customer bring back a box if matches it's said "approximately 200 matches". He had counted them and there was only 199 to wanted an exchange. He then got all the matches off the shelf and counted them till he found one with exactly 200 in.
He wanted us to send them all off the the supplier to be recounted and that the person that counted them should be sacked.
We tried to explain that it was a machine and it did say approximately 200 but he wasn't happy

I also used to work in a bike shop.

I'd packed someones wheel, and inside the wheel box put a jiffy with their other items in, I think it was some brake pads.

Got a phonecall 'you haven't included all my items, send the others'

to which I replied 'oh they're in the wheel box, if you open it up you'll see them'.

she went ballistic saying 'WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO OPEN THE BOX, I WANT A NEW PAIR SENDING NOW'

An OT rang up my work and said:

'listen Ive got a client who needs to sleep in his sling because it's better for the carers. The district nurse has said no absolutely not but I know you can so I want you to tell her that he can'.

I replied that no-one should be sleeping all night in a bed in a sling, to which she 1. wanted to complain about my attitude and 2. wanted to complain about the quality of the slings.

Our slings are excellent, but no child should be stuck having to sleep in a sling just because it's easier for the carers. I really thought she'd have known better.

A work one:

My husband returned home from work- he was installing some Ikea wardrobes. The wardrobes were 0.5cm taller than the ceiling height.
Client was annoyed that he could not (would not) install because it was only half a centimetre too small a space.

I was moving into a new house, and while I unlocked the front door, the removal guy put a box down on the path with maybe 1 cm over onto the grass next to the path.
Neighbour comes ranting, screaming and swearing about us ruining her grass, and started throwing my stuff around which was being unloaded onto the road.
She did not stop even when I showed her the title deeds which said the grass under discussion was MY property. Apparently the title deeds were WRONG!
Surprisingly we never spoke after that (she was always a cow about everything)

I worked in a coffee shop, there have probably been hundreds!

A woman brought back an empty plate saying she wanted a refund on her chocolate velvet cake as it was not velvet cake as the display sign said. She's said velvet cake was red, she enjoyed the cake but wanted a refund. Myself and the other member of staff were . She's had queues in a huge Saturday queue with an empty plate for a refund?!

Many, many, many people asking for their cappuccino to be re made without the foam .

An irate woman asking for a drink for a competitor coffee shop. I explained that wasn't us that sold it. She told me shed had it before. I told her it wasn't from us. She was adamant. I showed her out selection of syrups and she still didn't believe me. Told me just to make what she wanted!

A woman accused the staff of stealing her car keys. She knew they were in her hand at the till but after that they had dissapered. She was getting very angry. In the end we showed her the CCTV. There were no keys in her hand. Only her purse and her sandwich. Turned out they were in the lock of her car door....

A woman complained it was too cold in the store. She was sat by the door and it was snowing outside. I'm not sure how she expected people to get in and out without using the door.

The new tenant of my mother's flat has just complained that it takes 2 flushes for his poo to go down.
Now I know what he means, someflushes are a bit weak but I don't think I would complain to letting agency and landlord re: this!
He has also complained that he can see scaffolding on opposite building, my dad had to be restrained from saying what did you expect Hanging Gardens of Babylon?!

.

The private hospital I worked in, and for some reason patients needing pacemakers

I'm an NHS patient, I don't want to be seen in a private hospital.

(even though it is the same cardiologist and local NHS cath lab is being refurbished, which is why the work is being outsourced).

You don't have any parking? But that's what we pay for. (never mind you will not be driving the day you have a pacemaker fitted)

I'm not being admitted if you only have a twin room, I always have my own room. (sorry no single rooms available, and you do NEED a pacemaker)

They put me in a room with a German (that was a written complaint to the hospital)

can this thread be moved out of chat so we don't lose it after 90 days?

Working in an opticians, someone complained that a colleague had shouted from one end of the practice about how to fill out an NHS form and they were embarrassed by this, assured them it didn't happen as had all worked there years and knew how to fill the form out, he stormed out. 10 minutes later he came back to apologise as it was in fact not us but a competitor across the road. (We had stood and watched him in there in between times)
Anothet one involved a locum working over several practices put his initals on orders so we knew it was him, initals MAD. Had a complaint that he was calling the pstient mad.