Most ridiculous complaint.

[sashh]

I got a supermarket delivery and it arrived about 10 mins before the time slot. I was happy with this but joked with the driver about it being early.

He said some people do make genuine complaint if he is early.

At one house he knocked on the door, the door was opened and he was told to come back at the allotted time. It was 2 mins.

God I’ve had that too! Sainsbury’s. Arrived over an hour early, and were annoyed I was still sitting on a train home and wasn’t going to be back until ten minutes before my slot time.

Which was precisely why I had booked that particular slot. If I was going to be at home earlier, I’d have booked a slot earlier.

I once had a man complain because an item in our window display was obscuring part of a promotional poster. I went outside with him to see what was being obscured, assuming it was terms and conditions of an offer or something, writing of some kind anyway, and it turned out it was just a plain blue bit of background colour on the poster. He told me people would prefer to see the colour than what was on display in front of it. I laughed, assuming he was joking - he very much was not joking. I ended up giving him Head Office's number so he could complain about me. Never heard anything more about it.

Business owner and retailer here. Some of the complaints I get often make me think "how can I say 'what the fuck ' politely".

Most recently just before Christmas and therefore a very busy trading period, a regular customer kicked off with me and one of my poor members of staff because I had two members of staff out on the shop floor tidying and greeting people. Apparently extra, smiling staff, were creating an atmosphere.

I used to work in a store that offered OAP discount on a Thurs.

I was covering one of the tills for another colleagues break and I overheard a conversation between 2 ladies. One of them visibly older than the other. The older one was saying how she'd forgotten her OAP ID and now wouldn't get her discount so when she approached the til she said this to me so I told her I'd give her the discount anyway only to find out later that she'd complained that I was wrong to assume she was an OAP and how dare I do so. 🤷‍♀️

I book my deliveries to arrive at times that suit me wfh.

An early delivery would interrupt a
work meeting and I wouldn’t be able to accept it

This is horrifying. I am sorry this has happened to you!

A friend works for the NHS and received a complaint from a man who'd been referred for tests on the 2 week pathway (possible cancer). The tests came back clear and he was furious that he'd been sent for all these tests when there was nothing wrong with him, that he and his partner had been massively inconvenienced and worried and he wanted to be reimbursed for the parking costs he'd had to pay out at the hospital!

This reminds me of a woman I heard in a Chinese restaurant complaining she’d been given the wrong order because her fried rice was white. “Fried rice is brown!” she kept insisting.

They “replaced” her rice. Our table had a chuckle to ourselves when he overheard her finally realise, after she’d eaten half of it, what we’d spotted the moment the waitress brought it out - it was just the same rice drowned in soy sauce 😁

Yes, I’ve had this too. Moaning and big sighs that I wasn’t there 90 minutes before my slot began. When I reminded him that my slot was between 10 and 2, he snippily said “You can’t guarantee a time with these flexible slots. You need to book a fixed slot if you want that.”

Erm… I understand how a flexible slot works, thank you. I know it could be at any point within those four hours. But not 90 minutes before it!

I work in a hospital. People sometimes arrive early for scheduled appointments and the receptionist 'arrives' them on our system. I try and be helpful and fit them in if I gave a gap. One older gentleman got very irate when I called his name in the waiting room, 'BUT ITS NOT MU APPOINTMENT TIME YET!!!!'. His daughter gave him very short shrift!

I also had a now ex boss tell me that I was being to nice to customers on the phone and at the counter. I worked in a commercial vehicle testing centre and dealt with lots of mechanics etc who liked a bit of banter and a laugh. Didn't stop me doing my job whilst we would chat. Also one of the men that would ring me to book His trucks imfor testing had a stutter so a phone call with him would take a little longer than others but I'd just wait on him and jest along with him and he told my boss that I was a dream to deal with it and that he always felt I listened to him and waited for him to get his words out but apparently that was going above and beyond according to boss.

I had this with asda- arrived home from work 15 mins before the delivery slot commenced and the driver had already attempted delivery and left early. I now have a Morrisons delivery pass, their drivers are a lot more accommodating and happy to wait, and I’m happy to accept my groceries early to save them waiting- if I am home to do so.

I deal with sales callers who phone and say "Hello Madame, how are you today?" by replying with: "Well I was fine until you rang."

I worked as a porter in a children's hospital. One time, an estranged partner of a mum was making calls to the hospital saying he was going to come in and "kidnap" his child who was a patient there.
We went on shut down, meaning all entrances/exits were locked and manned. Anyone coming through them had to show ID. I was sent to a door at the back of the hospital that went from the main hospital to an admin building.
A posh looking lady came through the door, and I asked for her ID (we had to ask everyone, so I was just doing as I was told). She refused, and said I said I should know who she was.
Next day, manager hauls me into the office. She was the head of the NHS trust and I should have known who she was.
I think the worst though was when I got a bollocking for "not working" whilst waiting for a lift.

I work in a supermarket.

When the old pound coins had become no longer legal tender, a customer reported me to head office for not accepting them.

It's to engage in conversation to try and prompt the customer to buy things. That's how sales work

It is annoying when delivery drivers don't turn up in their time slot. I understand why it happens but you pay extra for a one hour slot rather than the longer length slots. So you effectively have to be on your marks to open the door maybe half an hour before and anytime up to an hour and half after the end ime.

The complaint I always remember many years ago was a Curry's delivery driver ringing me up very, very angrily to say his lorry was stuck between a width restriction about 1/4 a mile from my house, couldn't deliver my appliance today and his company hadn't mentioned it was on his route. (There were also the usual warning road signs). I was so shocked by this call that I spluttered a question for more information but he'd hung up!!! I'd stayed in all day for this delivery.

Ooh just remembered the best one!

In a seaside town Dh and I went for lunch in a pleasant, reasonably upmarket fish and seafood restaurant. A grown man made an absolute scene shouting when his main course arrived. He'd ordered the cod. Which is what was served to his plate. But he was incensed because when he orders cod he "expects it to come in either breadcrumbs or batter!!!!"

It was so embarrassing that he was such an ignorant aggressive idiot and felt terrible for the poor waiting staff

When sales people do the "how are you today?" spiel I do understand that they have been trained by the company to ask this. I'm not going to take it out on them or be snippy back. My dd who is autistic would find it awkward. She can reply whatever she likes or ignore it. Both are usually ok. As long as no one is being rude or aggressive it's not the worst thing in the world.

and a short guy cancelled his membership when only top lockers were available.

See, that I can understand. It's thoughtless to not be inclusive and consider the needs of others. What if you had someone in a wheelchair? Would you still make them use a top locker? It's hard enough being short, there is no reason you should make his/our lives any harder by not accommodating short people or people with disabilities! If he can't reach the locker then he can't use the facility, can he?

Not exactly a complaint, but someone from the electric company once came to fix our meter and reported me to social services for having a "filthy home with a young child."

It was said child's first birthday, and the "filth" was wrapping paper and empty packaging...

When I worked in retail, a customer once reported me because I wouldn't give her a just-released dvd for free. Her reason for expecting it was because it was for his Son on his birthday.

I live in Australia and I absolutely HATE that American trend of asking after us. No Aussie really enjoys it, it's not rude, in fact I believe the people who are made to ask it hate doing it as well. Next only to the other form of creeping Americanism that we have now adopted "Have a good day./evening". Aussies hate this stuff.

The amount of customers who want to put a complaint in when they have been caught shop lifting is unbelievable (they never do)

That surprises me. But fair enough.

I love having a chat. Its never, "have a nice day", its more how's your day been? Very often initiated by me (the customer). Suppose this is the distinction. The service person will respond in kind. Talk about the weather, how busy it is. Some tell me about their weekend plans - uni studies. Its pleasant and expected. Similar to thanking the bus driver.

I never go into Coles, Woolies or even Aldi and not greet the cashier. I

It doesn't work though because it just pisses me off. As soon as they start with that 'how are you today?' etc I know AUTOMATICALLY it's a telemarketer and say 'fine thanks but I'm not interested' and hang up. So it's self-defeating of them to do it. It's bad sales strategy.