In my profession, I am confronted with every type of person from all walks of life.  I have created a new category for a group of people I believe are all from a little place I like to call “Crazy Town.”  This special community is home to both genders, all races, and people who have undoubtedly inherited the “screw loose” trait.  I bring to you events, true events, that I have witnessed in the beautiful life of Customer Service.

 Crazy Town Resident #1: Latin Lovers

A few weeks ago, a teenager came in to return 2 pairs of shorts.  Let me preface this by saying that the policy (sitting in front of the register and on the receipt) states that a VALID ID MUST BE PRESENTED AT THE TIME OF RETURN.   Returns can be made within 30 days, tags attached, unworn.  Your payment will be refunded to you in the manner you initially paid with, except cash transactions, you get a check mailed to you.  Sale merchandise can ONLY be exchanged or given store credit for. Easy enough, right?

So anyway, she brings the shorts to the register, one sale, one regular price.  I look at the receipt, within 30 days, good to go.  “Can I see your ID please?”  She tells me she’s 16, and she doesn’t have an ID, but her aunt can come in.  Ok, no big deal.  She leaves, I go about my day.  All of a sudden, this guy walks in and yells “why the f*** won’t you return my niece’s clothes?!”  (Whoa, buddy.  Who the eff are you?) I explain to him what’s going on, it’s just a policy I have to follow, blah blah blah.  I take his information and they read the policy.  She tells me store credit is fine for the whole transaction, so one click, done.  $30 worth of store credit, have a great day, see you next time.  They leave…

…They return.  Now there is a woman with them.  She comes storming up to me and starts yelling.  I’m serious about the yelling.  And in broken English to make it better.  “What the hell is your problem?  You won’t give her her money back?”  I tell her I was unaware of any problem, everything was taken care of, and if she yells at me again I will call security… smile.  She tells me I WILL give her cash for the stuff she doesn’t want.  Hmmm, actually no, I won’t.  “Here.  This is why I can’t do that. Read the policy.”  She tells me her niece is 12 and can’t read, but I’m well aware that she is 16 because she told me, and that she can read because she was reading the receipt out loud earlier.  Then she tells me I’m a bitch, I steal money from children who can’t fight me on their own(??), and that the policy is illegal.  I giggle.  It was funny. (If you don’t know me, I sound like a 5-year old and am far from intimidating).  I explain everything that happened in the 30 minutes prior to her acting like a psychopath.  She then decides that justice will only be served if I mail her niece a check for the $20.  Void, Re-do, process, process, process.  After all that… they don’t know the address, so I have to give them store credit anyway.  Smile on my face, homicide in my head.  I tell them to have a great night and they leave.

Karma is so great.  Being a complete jerk is not the way to get what you want.

Write you soon,

Jenn