Special Snowflake Stories

[Ginger G]

I guess my answer wasn't acceptable to her as she then proceeded to tell me I was rude, and how the lady she spoke with when she ordered her item was soooo much more pleasant, and if i was having a bad day, don't take it out on her, and that I needed to put someone else on the phone!

Believe me, I know how completely infuriating it is to be accused of being rude when you know you were not!  I remember at one of my first jobs when I was a teenager we had a new young male assistant manager and one night his girlfriend called up wanting to speak to him (this was way before cell phones).  I asked her to hold, but he said he was busy and would call her back.  I politely informed her of that and went back to work.  Later that night, he said she had complained about how "rude" I was to her!  I was so angry, there was no way any reasonable person could have thought I was rude.  It turned out that she was just highly jealous of him working with a bunch of young females and they broke up no long afterwards.

[Cami]

I think the customer I got on the phone tonight at the store was a bit of an SS. We will ship items to customers all over the country, and she is in TX, we're in NJ, and had ordered something Friday, knew Monday was a holiday, and was calling for the tracking number.

Ok fine, but only the managers have access to that info, so I very politely told her I'd be happy to take her info, and have the manager look it up, and someone would call her back. I did say, however, knowing we were super busy, that it might not be tonight,  but definitely tomorrow, that she would receive a callback.  Never once did I use any tone of voice other than my normal one. 

I guess my answer wasn't acceptable to her as she then proceeded to tell me I was rude, and how the lady she spoke with when she ordered her item was soooo much more pleasant, and if i was having a bad day, don't take it out on her, and that I needed to put someone else on the phone! I said "Ma'am, I'm very sorry if you thought I was rude, it was not my intention at all" (I know I wasn't).  she then announced "I WILL get a call back tonight" several times, and hung up on me.

Ok. the only thing i might have done differently was to simply say i would have the manager look up the info, and call her back as soon as possible. The reason I didn't do that was sometimes when they're busy, and I've asked for stuff like that from a manager, they've told me they are busy, and it will have to wait. So i didn't want the customer to get mad if we said we'd call today, and did not. 

I think she wanted us to fawn all over her, and say, oh yes, i will find that out right now, and call you back in the next 10 minutes, or whatever.

and my co-worker who overhead me, said i was in no way, shape, or form rude.

I was so angry, and this was the climax to an already frustrating day, plus i suspect some PMS, she made me cry. In 8 years, that's the first time its ever happened.  but on a good note, we were not busy, had an extra person on, so I got to leave an hour and a half early.

An observation I've made over the years of dealing with the public is that people often throw around the words, "rude" and/or "mean" when they do not get the response they want.  The person called those words is actually perfectly polite and nice, but they get called "rude" and/or "mean" when they cannot give the person what they want right this minute.  As an example, I had someone call me "rude" the other day when I told her that the registration website for the event she wanted was not live yet. Our conversation consisted of this:

Her:  "I'm trying to register for XYZ but there is no link on your main website? The email said to try the  main website." [NOTE: The email also said that the website would not be live until February 15. She was calling on February 14.]
Me: "Yes, that's correct. I'm sorry for any inconvenience, but the website will not go live until tomorrow."
Her: "What do you mean? I wanted to register today!"
Me: "I'm sorry, but as the email indicated, the website won't be live until tomorrow. If you give me your  name and number, I'll call you back and let you know the minute it's live."
Her: "That's not what I want. I want it live now."
Me: "I'm sorry, but it's not live now. I can call you back--"
Her: "You are SO rude!"

I think it's in part due to the "customer's always right" ethos that has taught the irrational and demanding that they can get their way by accusing the employee of those two behaviors. And in part it's due to the entitlement culture that is so prevalent in society today that enables people to believe they can get what they want if they complain, pout or have enough temper tantrums.

[mmswm]

Please tell me if I was SS.  Last night, I went to a church event called "Soup for the Soul."  This event consists of people bringing in various soups to share and then having a mini-lecture and activity that relates to our faith in every day life. I did not want to go, but got dragged there by my parents.  The reason I didn't want to go is because I have a severe food allergy.  Even the tiniest amount of cross contamination can send me into anaphylaxis.  My mother made a soup that I didn't like.  She told me about the event at the last minute.  If I'd had more warning, I'd have made something myself to make sure there was something there I could eat.  Since I didn't like what she made, and since I'm paranoid and don't trust that other people's kitchens are safe for me, I elected to just socialize and eat some boxed crackers that were on one of the tables. I tried to be discrete as possible about the fact that I wasn't really eating. I got accused of being snobbish for not eating.  Was I being a snob?

[MrTango]

Please tell me if I was SS.  Last night, I went to a church event called "Soup for the Soul."  This event consists of people bringing in various soups to share and then having a mini-lecture and activity that relates to our faith in every day life. I did not want to go, but got dragged there by my parents.  The reason I didn't want to go is because I have a severe food allergy.  Even the tiniest amount of cross contamination can send me into anaphylaxis.  My mother made a soup that I didn't like.  She told me about the event at the last minute.  If I'd had more warning, I'd have made something myself to make sure there was something there I could eat.  Since I didn't like what she made, and since I'm paranoid and don't trust that other people's kitchens are safe for me, I elected to just socialize and eat some boxed crackers that were on one of the tables. I tried to be discrete as possible about the fact that I wasn't really eating. I got accused of being snobbish for not eating.  Was I being a snob?

Not at all.  Now, if you'd pitched a fit in public about it, that would be a different story.

[rose red]

I worked on the phones for a bank.  A customer called and after telling her I need to ask security questions for her protection, I started to ask(we only require three).  After the second question, she started ranting and raving and demanded I transfer her to a supervisor to complain about me for asking all those questions.  I don't care since I did nothing wrong.  It's your money lady.  I guess you don't care about security.

A few weeks later she called again.  She must have recognized my voice because she demanded I transfer her to someone else.  I shrug.  There was an over 20 minute wait for another rep to be free  .

The third time she called, she was perfectly nice.  She must have figured out all the reps ask the same questions and I wasn't trying to give her a hard time.  Too late.  I'll be professional and answer your questions, but I will not go the extra step* for you.  It's not revenge.  I'm just afraid to say anything extra in case it'll set her off again.

*I try to save people money, even if it's just by telling you a different type of account draws more interest or have less fees.  Or that you are below your minimum balance but here's a few things you can do.  And those were the minor stuff.

[siamesecat2965]

I think the customer I got on the phone tonight at the store was a bit of an SS. We will ship items to customers all over the country, and she is in TX, we're in NJ, and had ordered something Friday, knew Monday was a holiday, and was calling for the tracking number.

Ok fine, but only the managers have access to that info, so I very politely told her I'd be happy to take her info, and have the manager look it up, and someone would call her back. I did say, however, knowing we were super busy, that it might not be tonight,  but definitely tomorrow, that she would receive a callback.  Never once did I use any tone of voice other than my normal one. 

I guess my answer wasn't acceptable to her as she then proceeded to tell me I was rude, and how the lady she spoke with when she ordered her item was soooo much more pleasant, and if i was having a bad day, don't take it out on her, and that I needed to put someone else on the phone! I said "Ma'am, I'm very sorry if you thought I was rude, it was not my intention at all" (I know I wasn't).  she then announced "I WILL get a call back tonight" several times, and hung up on me.

Ok. the only thing i might have done differently was to simply say i would have the manager look up the info, and call her back as soon as possible. The reason I didn't do that was sometimes when they're busy, and I've asked for stuff like that from a manager, they've told me they are busy, and it will have to wait. So i didn't want the customer to get mad if we said we'd call today, and did not. 

I think she wanted us to fawn all over her, and say, oh yes, i will find that out right now, and call you back in the next 10 minutes, or whatever.

and my co-worker who overhead me, said i was in no way, shape, or form rude.

I was so angry, and this was the climax to an already frustrating day, plus i suspect some PMS, she made me cry. In 8 years, that's the first time its ever happened.  but on a good note, we were not busy, had an extra person on, so I got to leave an hour and a half early.

An observation I've made over the years of dealing with the public is that people often throw around the words, "rude" and/or "mean" when they do not get the response they want.  The person called those words is actually perfectly polite and nice, but they get called "rude" and/or "mean" when they cannot give the person what they want right this minute.  As an example, I had someone call me "rude" the other day when I told her that the registration website for the event she wanted was not live yet. Our conversation consisted of this:

Her:  "I'm trying to register for XYZ but there is no link on your main website? The email said to try the  main website." [NOTE: The email also said that the website would not be live until February 15. She was calling on February 14.]
Me: "Yes, that's correct. I'm sorry for any inconvenience, but the website will not go live until tomorrow."
Her: "What do you mean? I wanted to register today!"
Me: "I'm sorry, but as the email indicated, the website won't be live until tomorrow. If you give me your  name and number, I'll call you back and let you know the minute it's live."
Her: "That's not what I want. I want it live now."
Me: "I'm sorry, but it's not live now. I can call you back--"
Her: "You are SO rude!"

I think it's in part due to the "customer's always right" ethos that has taught the irrational and demanding that they can get their way by accusing the employee of those two behaviors. And in part it's due to the entitlement culture that is so prevalent in society today that enables people to believe they can get what they want if they complain, pout or have enough temper tantrums.

I totally agree, and that was my assessment of my interaction with this customer. I think she was annoyed she couldln't get an immediate answer, and perhaps isn't used to be told "no" because she complains and whines and in the end, gets her way.  So her way of dealing with her "frustration" at not getting what she wanted was to call me rude, when in fact, the only rudeness was on HER part.

I did everything I could but I simply didn't have the info she wanted at that very moment. I can't help that only managers can access certain parts of the system, which is in the office, and not on the floor.

And I'm right there with you on the entitlement mentality. I hear it every day, both at work, and out and about. It's always someone ELSE'S fault that someone didn't get what they wanted, never mind, sometimes it simply isn't possible or falls within policy to give them what they want.

[doodlemor]

Please tell me if I was SS.  Last night, I went to a church event called "Soup for the Soul."  This event consists of people bringing in various soups to share and then having a mini-lecture and activity that relates to our faith in every day life. I did not want to go, but got dragged there by my parents.  The reason I didn't want to go is because I have a severe food allergy.  Even the tiniest amount of cross contamination can send me into anaphylaxis.  My mother made a soup that I didn't like.  She told me about the event at the last minute.  If I'd had more warning, I'd have made something myself to make sure there was something there I could eat.  Since I didn't like what she made, and since I'm paranoid and don't trust that other people's kitchens are safe for me, I elected to just socialize and eat some boxed crackers that were on one of the tables. I tried to be discrete as possible about the fact that I wasn't really eating. I got accused of being snobbish for not eating.  Was I being a snob?

You were not a snob, nor were you rude to quietly watch out for your diet.

The person who told you that you were a snob was rude for noticing that you were not eating and making a remark about it, and also for name-calling you a snob.

[siamesecat2965]

I worked on the phones for a bank.  A customer called and after telling her I need to ask security questions for her protection, I started to ask(we only require three).  After the second question, she started ranting and raving and demanded I transfer her to a supervisor to complain about me for asking all those questions.  I don't care since I did nothing wrong.  It's your money lady.  I guess you don't care about security.

A few weeks later she called again.  She must have recognized my voice because she demanded I transfer her to someone else.  I shrug.  There was an over 20 minute wait for another rep to be free  .

The third time she called, she was perfectly nice.  She must have figured out all the reps ask the same questions and I wasn't trying to give her a hard time.  Too late.  I'll be professional and answer your questions, but I will not go the extra step* for you.  It's not revenge.  I'm just afraid to say anything extra in case it'll set her off again.

*I try to save people money, even if it's just by telling you a different type of account draws more interest or have less fees.  Or that you are below your minimum balance but here's a few things you can do.  And those were the minor stuff.

I am the same way. Working in retail, I get all kinds. I get the demanding, entitled customers who think they should get whatever they want, even if its against policy. And if they whine and moan enough, we will give in. Sorry, but no.

Then there are some who I will go the extra mile for, or perhaps slightly bend policy. Those are the nice ones. Technically, if someone buys something at full price, then say gets an email or coupon a cuople days later that the store is now 25% off, we are not supposed to do any type of price adjustment. But....we do have a little bit of leeway, in whcih we can return and repurchase their items, giving them the discount.

Those who ask nicely, don't demand, and don't pitch a fit, I'll do it for.  Those who come in with attitude, and demand that I do it, sorry, no can do.  I am still professional with ALL customers, but am just more likely to go a little extra above and beyond if you're nice and not nasty to me.

[Miss Tickle]

I'm not so sure about these, but...

There's a petition site I keep track of, mostly curiosity.  The site is mostly about trying to change human rights/criminal acts etc., and a few cases have been honestly needed, and at least one of them has pressured the arrest of a criminal suspect.

However...

More and more of the petitions coming out of it sound less Human Rights, and more Snowflakey.

There was one fairly recently where a petition was going around because the local Game department was trying to fine them for keeping a deer.

According to them, they had found the young fawn along the road and it was horribly injured, so they kept it in their house to nurse it back to health.  The Game board found out about this and issued them with a fine for illegally owning a wild creature without permit, and I think the board must be right.  They, however, spinned a yarn into a sobstory of how the board was mean and how the animal would've died without them and they put up a petition asking people to sign so the board would back off.

Personally, I think the couple were snowflakey for taking in a severely wild animal and trying to care for it themselves and complaining when they got caught, versus taking it to a local vet or BLM, where it could receive proper care from people who were licensed to handle these kind of situations.  I know my local vet had plenty of injured, wild animals he's taken care of, a red tailed hawn and a bobcat included, who were later released back in the wild.

Weirdly, I know a family who took in an injured fawn. They did take it to a vet and it lost a leg, after they paid up the bill they called the game department (warden?) and told them about it, asking if they could pay a fee or something to keep the animal, since a three legged deer might not do well back in the woods.

They got a permit to keep it provided they had it horn buds removed. (No idea why) They just renew their permit once a year and they rave about how fair the game department is.

If it's anything like goats - the horns get snagged on the darndest things, AND, being animals that instinctively use their heads to fight, defend, play, etc - people get HURT by those horns, even when goats have been hand raised from birth.  They also can kill themselves by getting them stuck places, sometimes at high speed.  Goats have been domesticated for a long time.  I can only imagine how a wild animal, even if socialized to 'those people and that place' could react when startled by something.  Antlers aren't something to mess around with, and a fence and antler intersection could be lethal, let alone what a proddy buckling could do to a person who inadvertently instigated hormonal behavior. Removing the horn buds would be easily done with a disbudding iron, (always assuming the deer is young enough to put in a restraining box such as is used on goat kids).  Goats shown by 4-H children cannot have any horns, and the kids are disbudded usually in their first week of life.  It's a lot harder to do when they get older, as those horns start to come in.  Deer would probably be much the same, I'm guessing.

All the deer talk reminded me of this (I hope this is permitted):
http://www.thunting.com/smf/humour_jokes/how_not_to_catch_a_deer-t2069.0.html

[LibraryLady]

Siamesecat,

did you HAVE to say the SS was from Texas and you were in NJ?  Now everyone will think Texans are SSs   
and we aren't!!!  She was probably from Dallas, they are real spesh-ul there   

LL

[Ms_Cellany]

She was probably from Dallas, they are real spesh-ul there   

LL

Hey!

[siamesecat2965]

Siamesecat,

did you HAVE to say the SS was from Texas and you were in NJ?  Now everyone will think Texans are SSs   
and we aren't!!!  She was probably from Dallas, they are real spesh-ul there   

LL

hahaha - don't worry, I don't think that. I just meant to show that since it was so far, i dealt with her via phone only. She was her OWN speshul SS

And one of my best friends from college lives in the DFW area, and she is MOST definitely not an SS

[Reader]

Ran into one at my local brewery last night.  For background I have hair almost to my waist.  When working I wear it up in a bun secured by two clips.  I also work 11 hour days. So the bun will loosen and need to readjusted. I'm also on the end of a head cold, and been suffering from insomnia. So at eleven at night I was not at top form, just stopped in for a beer to help me sleep, and adding a sample portion of their spicy pepper beer.  So I'm sitting at the bar and slightly readjusting the clips to be tighter, and I have my arms up and bent behind my head.  All of a sudden I feel a poke in my armpit.  Thinking it might have been a friend, I twist in my seat to see who poked me and it's a complete stranger I do not know.   Thinking he might be an acquaintance through someone I know, I ask if I know him.  He replies no.  I tell him please don't touch me.  He says "it was just a tickle or little tickle", to which I respond you should respect strangers personal space.  I get the you are being rude and that I don't like people, and then turns his back to me and ignores me.  Evil Reader at this point wishes I would have not suppressed the urge I normally get when I get surprised, which would have been to probably elbow the person especially since it was a tickle spot on me and I have a tendency to jerk away and in that process he might have been hit  .

For reference I once had coworkers that though it would be funny to have one hide under the counter at a previous job, then call me up, have employee #1 distract me, while from his hiding spot employee #2 grabs my leg.  His arm received many bruises in trying to defend myself following the  immediate adrenaline rush of get it off get it off reaction I get when grabbed/surprised.  It took employee #2 3 times of saying my name before it registered to my brain what was going on.  All while employee#1 is laughing his bacon fed knave off. 

[mmswm]

Please tell me if I was SS.  Last night, I went to a church event called "Soup for the Soul."  This event consists of people bringing in various soups to share and then having a mini-lecture and activity that relates to our faith in every day life. I did not want to go, but got dragged there by my parents.  The reason I didn't want to go is because I have a severe food allergy.  Even the tiniest amount of cross contamination can send me into anaphylaxis.  My mother made a soup that I didn't like.  She told me about the event at the last minute.  If I'd had more warning, I'd have made something myself to make sure there was something there I could eat.  Since I didn't like what she made, and since I'm paranoid and don't trust that other people's kitchens are safe for me, I elected to just socialize and eat some boxed crackers that were on one of the tables. I tried to be discrete as possible about the fact that I wasn't really eating. I got accused of being snobbish for not eating.  Was I being a snob?

You were not a snob, nor were you rude to quietly watch out for your diet.

The person who told you that you were a snob was rude for noticing that you were not eating and making a remark about it, and also for name-calling you a snob.

Okay, good.  I was surprised at the remark and thought maybe I was being snobbish and being off putting by not "joining in the community." I was there.  I was socializing.  I was trying really hard not to make it obvious that I wasn't eating.  I got a little unsure of myself after that comment.

[mmswm]

Ran into one at my local brewery last night.  For background I have hair almost to my waist.  When working I wear it up in a bun secured by two clips.  I also work 11 hour days. So the bun will loosen and need to readjusted. I'm also on the end of a head cold, and been suffering from insomnia. So at eleven at night I was not at top form, just stopped in for a beer to help me sleep, and adding a sample portion of their spicy pepper beer.  So I'm sitting at the bar and slightly readjusting the clips to be tighter, and I have my arms up and bent behind my head.  All of a sudden I feel a poke in my armpit.  Thinking it might have been a friend, I twist in my seat to see who poked me and it's a complete stranger I do not know.   Thinking he might be an acquaintance through someone I know, I ask if I know him.  He replies no.  I tell him please don't touch me.  He says "it was just a tickle or little tickle", to which I respond you should respect strangers personal space.  I get the you are being rude and that I don't like people, and then turns his back to me and ignores me.  Evil Reader at this point wishes I would have not suppressed the urge I normally get when I get surprised, which would have been to probably elbow the person especially since it was a tickle spot on me and I have a tendency to jerk away and in that process he might have been hit  .

For reference I once had coworkers that though it would be funny to have one hide under the counter at a previous job, then call me up, have employee #1 distract me, while from his hiding spot employee #2 grabs my leg.  His arm received many bruises in trying to defend myself following the  immediate adrenaline rush of get it off get it off reaction I get when grabbed/surprised.  It took employee #2 3 times of saying my name before it registered to my brain what was going on.  All while employee#1 is laughing his bacon fed knave off.

I had a boss try that carp on me once when I was still at university.  He found himself on his back at my feet because my first instinct was to take down the attacker coming at me from behind.  I'm a little jumpy. He tried to get angry at me, saying he was "just having fun" and said he was going to write me up for violence in the workplace.  I told him "You do that.  Let me go find that sexual harassment report line."  He dropped it, but I put in my two weeks notice that day.