Please Share Complaints Made About You

[SallySummerPop]

Hi,

I'm really sad that I've received a complaint against me today. Someone had complained that I lacked empathy in a meeting about their health. I feel others emotions and I am very empathetic but I struggle socially and I'm very aware of it, when I heard the complaint, it made me really punish myself and question if I'm right for the role. At the time of this meeting I was going through a really hard time mentally and so was probably being too process driven and not as sympathetic as I could have been but I meant well. Please share complaints you've received so I know I'm not the only one?

Understandably someone complained (I got fired) when I laughed because when I was helping someone take off some jeans they were trying on, I pulled them off (I had to get on the floor and tug) and their underwear came off too. I got an eyeful. I was 17 and it ended my retail career.

I had a similar complaint a while ago, had forgotten that one

In a similar vein once someone complained I didn't let them in the lift before I got out of it (making room for them and exiting entirely anyway)

A parent complained that my handwriting was untidy and illegible (special school so we do a daily home school diary)
I took it well , maybe my handwriting could be neater BUT... it took three staff to work out what they were complaining about... because non of us could read their handwriting
Same parent also blamed us as a class team, for their sons terrible acne.. poor lad devleoped severe acne over his face chest and back, he'd bleed and ooze through his uniform. I was because we were allowing him to choose chips on fridays. Reader it was not the chips...

One bloke complained because I was too cheerful when I handed over his coffee

A work colleague was a total prat
He lied and bullshited his way through the day and he had zero respect for women
One day,I asked him to stay with the till as I had to go to the office to change some notes into change and if I'd closed it,I would have had to piss about trying to find a manager to open it again
He stood there for a full 15 seconds before wandering off (till drawer open and this was in our busiest time of day)
So of course some thief leaned over and stole about £50/60 out of the till drawer before legging it
Lying colleague stood and swore blind I hadn't asked him to stand and keep guard
Thankfully,the whole lot had been picked up on cctv and I was proved to be telling the truth
Liar then went above us all and complained about me to the top bosses-he claimed I was lying about what had happened (even though cctv proved I wasnt) and threatened to go to the papers if I wasn't sacked
He was let go within the shift
He still comes in and tries to mansplain my job to me
The one I've had since he was in primary school

I once had a bitch of a woman come in,was very rude to me as I tried to help with her order and told me to 'fuck off you thick bitch' once I'd completed her order and given her the receipt
She then complained when I walked away
I'm not sure what I was meant to do-stay and kiss her arse?
Thank her for being awful to me?
Stick around for more abuse?

God knows

Ignore them, sounds like they’re an arse. I know what I’d rather be.

When I worked in a shop...
A customer complained that I was too short to serve her because my mouth was too low for her to hear me. 🤣 I'm 5' 3" so hardly tiny.

I also apparently disapproved of another man's t-shirt choice because I frowned at it as he was paying so that warranted a telling off.

When I worked in an office...
A colleague complained to my manager that I was overdressed because my hair style wasnt suitable for work. I'd made my ponytail a bit poofy. A fancy ponytail for sitting at a desk! The horror! The next day and for a while afterwards I wore sparkly clips and various hair accessories too. 🤣 I enjoyed her fuming at me until it got boring and too much effort.

My truly awful ex manager also told me that I didnt make enough eye contact and did I know what that made people think? Did I? Did I? DID I?!?
I still don't tbh but that vile woman succeeded in making me constantly worry about whether I'm making too much or not enough eye contact. So if you saw someone staring at you without blinking then looking away suddenly and refusing to look anywhere other than the floor today, that was possibly me! Hi!

When I worked in a bank I had a woman screaming at me that I'd stolen her son's wages and I personally was out to get her. Never saw her before in my life. .
She was overdrawn quite a bit and her son got his wages paid into her bank account, wages were just swallowed by the debt. 😞
When I tried to explain, I did say her son could open his own account to stop it happening again. I was 19, so I may not have been as tactful as I could have been. But she kept saying I'd stolen it. I'm not sure if she didn't understand the concept of her being so much over her overdraft limit and the bank doesn't differentiate between her debt and her son's earnings.
I was quite shaken by the entire thing.

I tend to get complaints that I have no understanding of SEND or the adoption/fostering system. This used to really bother me and I would internalise while berating myself. Now I have learned to let it amuse me most when I hear it from other so called professionals. I once had an OT try to explain the purpose and meaning of education. I have a degree in social policy, MA: Education (SEND Policy Specialism), currently undertaking Stage 2 of a Professional Doctorate in Education (specialism SEND & Care Experienced individuals education policy). Alongside actually being Autistic, Deaf, Dyslexic with a rare chronic disease who grew up in the care system during the 1980/90s. However, I no understanding or knowledge of these subjects apparently (strangely this tends to happen when I am not agreeing with what they want). In comparison when I am agreeing with the request it is the opposite response, you are so compassionate and understanding, your knowledge is outstanding etc…

I'm not public facing but once a colleague complained that I was getting above my station (I was an admin assistant) and needed to be reined in. She was on the board of an organisation called Women in [Our Industry] which existed to help women progress in their careers.

Don’t let it get to you @SallySummerPop. I try to let any complaints go over my head unless it seems like a genuinely valid complaint. My job involves an element of pissing people off so I’m used to people having a pop at me. It’s the ‘stealth’ complaints behind your back that you need to be wary of.

In my previous job, I was recruited to deliver some work for an organisation that they had tried to do it several times previously and failed. Apparently it couldn’t be done. My boss disagreed and hired me. OMG just me existing pissed people off! In my first week, one of the Board accused my boss and I of it being “a jihad” against his area. Seriously. In my first 3 months, I averaged one serious complaint about me per month. By the end I was just laughing and making jokes about needing to keep my average up. 😂 They were all such bullshit complaints. Basically people wanted us to fail. Two of my early complaints were from people (women actually) who’d been ‘leaders’ in the previous failed attempt at this work and didn’t like my different approach / wanted to make damn sure it failed again. My particular favourite (apart from the jihad!) was the senior female who went to a Board member and complained about me (this Board member was my work’s sponsor but he hadn’t met or spoken with me yet as he was based in another country and I was so new). Her complaint to him was that I was “excluding people from meetings”. Of course by “people’ she meant her. Except she missed that it wasn’t actually my bloody meeting (I was just on the invite list), it was actually set up by the Board member! And she was as much use as a chocolate teapot so no wonder she wasn’t invited.

Big sigh. Some people.

That I put some passive aggressive comments on the team chat board. 1 was laughable, other I wasn't pass agg I was pissed off, 3rd can't remember. Irony is my accuser then, not 24 hours later posted an incredibly pass agg remark and a complaint was made against them

A client once said i was a heartless bitch.

I was, and still am, a solicitor. He had used our services, not paid, so i sued him for possession of his multi million pound mansion which was leveraged to the hilt.

My boss is quite upset that I can touch type, he has to stand where he can't see me so he can pretend to himself I'm looking at the keyboard 😅

A patient complained that I had "eaten all the food".

It's an A and E department, mate, not a restaurant!

I once called somebody a VERY BAD INSULT on Twitter.

They tagged my work account and the company CEO.

He replied "But you are a VERY BAD INSULT

Narcissistic boss ( tiny person) accused me and my colleague of bullying her. This was her modus operandi to distract from her own bullying and behaviour. Up to this point she had accused 8 other colleagues from different departments over the years of bullying as well. She didn't like when people disagreed with her. She would tell one colleague lies to cause division with another. We ended up having a full blown investigation. The optics didnt help, how could such a tiny person bully these tall people. (Lol) She was very smart and knew how to work the system, we were usually on the back foot. When my senior manager approached me about the accusation I said I was looking forward to telling my side of the story and had documented so much about her behaviour toward me. Suddenly she withdrew her complaint against me but pursued her complaint against my colleague although I still had to be interviewed. Despite her history, our management did nothing. She got away with murder. I eventually left because every day I went into work it was like always being on high alert for the next accusation, attack, lie. It sffected my mental health and i carried alot of the negativity into my next job. I retired early as a result as i knew i wasnt in a good place. Best thing I ever did.

I had a complaint made to the headteacber from a parent that when it unexpectedly started raining during sports day I waited to check we had all the 4 year olds before walking to the classroom, I should have just taken this specific child and hoped the others would follow.

I also had a complaint about the fact a perfectly able 6 year old put blue tac in his ear.

I'm in hospitality so a fair few, usually because I've said no to something and I could have fairy dust coming out of me and be laid prostate at their feet, kissing them, and apologising in 15 different languages and they'd still say I was rude because I have said no.

I once got complained about for cleaning up a mess then washing my hands, that a customer had made the other side of the bar, before I served the next customer. There was broken glass everywhere and liquid and it was dangerous, but apparently I should have left it and served the customer that was waiting. It took about 3 minutes to sweep up the glass and wipe the floor with paper and then wash my hands. But it was the hand washing that really seemed to tick them off, when I said 'I'll just wash my hands and be with you, sorry for the wait" I was told to 'Just hurry up and stop wasting time!' I mean if someone has been wiping a floor, do you really want them serving your drink without washing their hands?!

One guest a fair few years ago complained to my manager that she'd seen me in the supermarket closest to the hotel, and that we shouldn't be allowed to shop there where guests could come across them, and I shouldn't have acknowledged them. That one was really odd.

Working in retail, my regional manager complained that I’d transferred a large amount of stock to another branch without asking first. She apologized to them on my behalf. The stock was still on our shelves, it hadn’t been transferred anywhere so no apology had been necessary. She didn’t bother to apologize to me though…

It wasn't specifically about me but my place of work and was batshit hilarious.
We received a letter from a grandparent complaining bitterly that we (the school) had lied to OFSTED and needed to rectify the situation immediately.
Her reasoning: OFSTED had accurately described the area as an area of high deprivation, FSM etc. But.... she owned her own house! No amount of explanation that the inspector doesn't just rock up and take our word on the area made any difference. Or the fact that she was a grandmother and the child didn't live at her address. We suggested she write to OFSTED eventually.

Thank you to all who have posted tonight! I have read every message and laughed at many. Whilst I'm sorry you've all had these experiences, I thank you for sharing them. I feel a lot less upset about the complaint I received today💪

In my annual performance review with a new boss, he told me that I couldn't be considered for the promotion I had applied for as it was considered I had "serious communication issues". I had been working FT for nearly 30 years and had never been informed of any such concerns before so i asked him to elaborate. Apparently I had walked past one of the managers one day and not said hello. That was it. I was totally dumbfounded.

I worked for a phone company and someone rang specifically to complain they didn't like the music they had to listen to while waiting to get through...

They complained cos I wouldn't sell booze to their kids for them. Actually wrote a letter to my boss