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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To hate customers

541 replies

rahjama · 30/04/2022 09:46

Somewhat lighthearted.

Working in hospitality/retail, what things do customers do that really, really annoy you when you're working? I'll start

  • Booking for 6 people and then saying "Hope it's okay we're now a party of 194"
  • Paying in cash but they're 1-20p short. "Can you cover it?" No I cannotHmm
  • Sitting on tables that are dirty/unset/in the process of being cleaned when there are clean and set tables literally next to them. Then complaining about the lack of cutlery.
  • Buying the cheapest pint, saying it's flat/doesn't taste right, then swapping for the most expensive pint.
  • Picking up an allergen menu and then saying "is this all you do?" No that's all we do GLUTEN FREE it says at the top!!!!!!!!!
OP posts:
EinsteinaGogo · 30/04/2022 09:48

😂😂😂

Love this!

I don't work in hospitality but I recognise lots of these.

How about the opposite, too?
"We were a party of 194 but are now down to 6, hope that's ok?"

Sexnotgender · 30/04/2022 09:55

I spent many years working hospitality.

I hate people 😂

We’ve sneaked in and sat ourselves in an obscure corner of the restaurant and now we’re going to get mad at you because you haven’t been over to take our order 🙄

A woman once yelled at me and said I was going to give her lung cancer because the table next to her had a dish that was a bit smoky.

Sexnotgender · 30/04/2022 09:56

Booked a table for 4, rocked up as a party of 8. Didn’t think they needed to mention they had 4 children. Lost their shit when I told them I didn’t have a table for 8 available.

hellswelshy · 30/04/2022 10:02

Not me, but a colleague once had a customer who had complained they hadn't received a bonus payment. When told they had in fact been paid it, but just a bit earlier than they had thought, they then complained it had been paid too early! 😮

Original poster
rahjama · 30/04/2022 10:02

Do they think we will magically have an unlimited amount of space for them? Book for the amount of people who are coming. It's not hard.

Another one:
Me: "Hi there, how are you"
Customer: "I'll have a fish and chips and a large diet coke, table 7. Thanks"

RUDE. At least say hello?????

OP posts:
Original poster
rahjama · 30/04/2022 16:49

Another one, when parents bring snacks for their young ones such as crisps/cake/raisins and then leave them ALL OVER THE FLOOR

OP posts:
MinnieMountain · 30/04/2022 17:16

When I was a waitress in a touristy pub there was always some berk who called out “house” when I shouted an order number (no table numbers outside) 🙄

squashedalmondcroissant · 30/04/2022 17:39

Also: 'We want a table for 7, this is our preorder so you can make sure everything is ready for then and we won't have to wait'

Proceeds to turn up at 7:30 and then moan that everything is cold/ruined 😡

UnsuitableHat · 30/04/2022 17:40

Ooh, might try that pint ruse 😉

RightOnTheEdge · 30/04/2022 17:42

Sitting at the only dirty table in the place and moaning that it's dirty.

Coming up and sitting down at a table you are in the middle of cleaning and plonking all their stuff down so you have to lean over and clean around them.
Rude bastards why can't they just wait two minutes until you've finished?

When you are balancing three or four plates and baskets and they say "Oh you forgot our bowl of chips and lasagne!"
No I didn't! I'm just not a fucking octopus!

When you've got heavy plates of food burning the skin off your fingers and you say "I've got the mixed grill, the boneless basket and the medium sirloin?"and they all just sit and stare at you.

When people have a go at you because you have politely explained that it's company policy not to allow dogs and you have to stand there while they argue with you for ten minutes and then shout abuse before flouncing out declaring they will be taking their custom elsewhere because "Obviously the mean lady hates you Fido!" 🙄

"I know it's not your fault but...."

I might have had a tough one this week 😂😂

Ilikewinter · 30/04/2022 17:51

Ex retail here! ..... customer on their phone, i ask would you like a bag, do you have your loyalty card, no response. Customer pays then says, oh ive got my loyalty card and i need a bag.
Customers who are just on their phones
Women who take money out of their bra.
Customers on self check out who snap their fingers in the air for attention.
People who think they can return stuff 6 months later because theyve changed their mind.
People who use contactless payments and walk off before the transaction has been processed.
Plus lots more...hence why i dont work in retail any more!

hepaticanobilis · 30/04/2022 17:51

People who don't know how to shop online or don't read the description.

For example, customer buys a pack of 3 of something and the complains they only received 3 things, they expected more 🙄

Or measurements are clearly listed as 5 inches by 4 inches and customer complains because they expected it would be bigger 🙄

Customer buys a perishable product that is sent on a 24-hour courier service as standard and then uses the delivery options given in the tracking link to reschedule their delivery so it ends up being in transit for a week 🙄

Customer complains the item they purchased as a gift is now too late for the birthday, or sometimes that it's arrived too early. Customer never selected a specific delivery date but seems to expect the company is psychic and knows when their mate's birthday is 🙄

phoenixrosehere · 30/04/2022 17:53

Moaning about paying for a 10p bag after spending obviously more than that, and still not answering if they want one or not..

I don’t care how you feel about it, just need to know if you want to carry out your purchase in your arms or inside a bag.

VeniVidiWeeWee · 30/04/2022 17:56

Just remember that there's a good anagram from customers. In case you don't know it the first word is store.

SanFranBear · 30/04/2022 18:02

Gah - sends me back to my waitresses days (rocks in a corner)...

Cannot agree more with this: When you've got heavy plates of food burning the skin off your fingers and you say "I've got the mixed grill, the boneless basket and the medium sirloin?"and they all just sit and stare at you.

I can't remember who ordered what - I've got 12 tables, two drinks orders waiting on the bar and six desserts to make out back! Answer me, goddammit!

Bloody LOVED it though and have fond memories of my colleagues as they were probably the most sociable jobs I've ever had... could just do without all the customers!

nancy75 · 30/04/2022 18:04

Women who take money out of their bra
I’ll match the bra & offer woman who paid for a pair of shoes using money she took out of her KNICKERS!
To extract the money from her under garments she hoiked up her mini skirt, put 1 foot up in a chair & had a hood rummage. This was over 25 years ago & I’m still recovering!

nancy75 · 30/04/2022 18:06

Customer who was livid when I didn’t know what sandwiches would be served on the London to Southampton train - I worked in a shoe shop, which was not located on a train or even in a train station

Tothepoint99 · 30/04/2022 18:06

rahjama · 30/04/2022 16:49

Another one, when parents bring snacks for their young ones such as crisps/cake/raisins and then leave them ALL OVER THE FLOOR

Did you not plan to clean the restaurant that night?

nancy75 · 30/04/2022 18:08

Customer who wanted a refund on a cardigan she bought 17 years ago because a button had come off.

customer demanded a refund on a hat from Debenhams, even though the shop wasn’t Debenhams or even in the same town as a Debenhams.

I was a retail manager for a long time, could fill this thread by myself!

KupoNutCoffee · 30/04/2022 18:09

Retail customer call centre. I kept a tally of how many Christmases I personally ruined. No 'big' presents mind. See also children I forced to eat off the floor / sleep on the floor because they'd dissembled their table/bed before the new one arrived.

Favourite being they'd rearranged a next day delivery at 07.00 in the morning, called because they hadn't wanted to do that and was annoyed at 10am that I couldn't get the delivery to now put it on their route again, wanted a refund on their delivery because they'd rearranged it for not next day anymore.

On a more positive note, I did get a strangely cute video of a dancing toy that had no sound - we'd often ask for proof of damage and just refund/replace without collecting for lowish value items.

WabbitsAndWeasels · 30/04/2022 18:12

Supermarket worker here:

  • pointing at something, I work on a service point (meaning you require me to get what you want) only thing is I can't actually see what you're pointing at. I told one man I couldn't see and before I could finish he asked what he should do instead, while trying not to laugh I told him he could tell me what he wanted instead.
  • asking for something which we clearly don't offer, we make custom items and have a complete list of potential options. People will still ask if we have something even if it's the third time I've told them where the list is and they're actually stood in front of it.
  • saying 'well they normally do it' even though its something we've never done and is actually actually against store policy and could actually get me in trouble if I did do it.
  • requiring an audience to order their custom product. If I'm busy and a customer is looking lost I'll point out the ingredient list and ask them to let me know when they're ready to order. 10 seconds later they're looking annoyed so I ask if they're ready, they then proceed to ummm and ahhh over their choice while I have to wait to take their order.
  • customer gets order wrong and it's somehow my fault. Ordering a small (even though I double checked) rather than a medium then getting annoyed that I made a small rather than a medium even though we have very clear signage and ingredients list available to premade products on the shelves so you can see the size you're ordering.

I feel so much better getting some of this off my chest after a hard week at work.

Marthaandthemuffins · 30/04/2022 18:15

Just remember that there's a good anagram from customers. In case you don't know it the first word is store.

Took me a while……. 😂

Sexnotgender · 30/04/2022 18:16

When you've got heavy plates of food burning the skin off your fingers and you say "I've got the mixed grill, the boneless basket and the medium sirloin?"and they all just sit and stare at you.

exactly. You ordered 20 minutes ago how the fuck don’t you know what you’re having.

lanbro · 30/04/2022 18:20

@RightOnTheEdge agree with everything! We've got a regular table of 6 who never remember what they've ordered, apart from the one who does but it's coming in the 2nd trip, because you know, my servers don't have 6 hands, and claim we've forgotten their chips!

Often have a queue fir tables so always dealing with trying to clean a table around handbags as people dive for a free one, then harrumphing because the condiments haven't miraculously refilled themselves!

Another woman who comes several times a week and always has some minor, ridiculous complaint - I always think why do you come so often?!!

But the lovely ones outweigh the nutters, I've made some fab friends who were once just customers, and it's like socialising all day long!

Sexnotgender · 30/04/2022 18:24

Another woman who comes several times a week and always has some minor, ridiculous complaint - I always think why do you come so often?!!

oh the regular complainers🙄

we had one woman who would come in all the time. Order the same thing and complain about it every.single.time.

we knew her well, all the staff would be like x is on table 10, make sure her meal is 100% perfect. She’d still fucking complain. We ended up banning her.