# I pit lazy inconsiderate asshole customers. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 25, 2012, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lazy-inconsiderate-asshole-customers/613904 "2012-02-25T01:06:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lazy-inconsiderate-asshole-customers/613904/41 "2012-02-28T14:25:58Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > I’m gonna file this under “Wanted: A Better Proleteriat.” > > I agree that these people are being shits and all. But in the mass of humanity, there’s a nontrivial proportion of shits. The question is, what do you (or in this case, what does your employer) decide to do about them? > > In the cases cited here, it seems that various mass retailers have decided that it’s important enough, in terms of sales, to make it easy for your average Joe or Jane Schmoe to return things, that it’s worth letting the shits out there get away with being shitty as a cost of doing business. > > That’s a simple, straightforward business calculation. I guess you could Pit your employer’s business decision due to your having to bear the brunt of it, but I really don’t see the point. It’s just life. That’s correct, it is a business calculation, and I think the execs who put that in place didn’t anticipate the problem it would become. I remember a manager telling me, “We’ve spent the last 20 years teaching people that certain behaviors are tolerated and they expect it. It will take time to teach them things have changed.” What I’ve noticed is that bad behavior, and exploitation of certain policies increases over time until it requires a policy change , in which case the honest folks are inconvenienced because of the shits. Lot’s of major retailers have had to tighten their return policies because of widespread costly abuse. Rent for free was always a pet peeve of mine. People buy something they only need occasionally, use it and then return it with some complaint. Electronics, lawn and garden, sporting goods. It was pretty predictable. Business decision or not, it’s still frustrating for the people on the front lines who witness the abuse. So..those fuckers still get a pitting. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lazy-inconsiderate-asshole-customers/613904/42 "2012-02-28T14:31:26Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Can’t remember if it was Walmart, Costco, or both that had that sort of ‘anytime return’ policy. Costco finally had to curb their policy to, I think, three months, as they were losing too much money. I sold computers at Sears many years ago, during the Packard Bell days. Their return policy was actually one year, although you only got a decreasing % back after 90 days {I think} Still, we had a few customers in the know who would keep a computer for 6 months, wait for the next big break through , and return /exchange, for an updated model. I noticed in Best Buy a while back that several popular “rent for free” items now had a restocking fee. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lazy-inconsiderate-asshole-customers/613904/43 "2012-02-28T14:37:57Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > I used to work in a women’s clothing store. Most of our customers were all right. However, the few that tried to game everything pretty much ruined things. There was the woman who kept returning fancy occasion outfits…she managed to get a different dress for the rehearsal dinner, the wedding, and then got an office outfit. We didn’t give refunds, just store credit, and she was outraged that she couldn’t return the Mother of the Bride dress for cash. Anyway, we told her that from then on, we would not accept returns from her. Then there was the woman who kept trying to return underwear, and some of it was obviously used. All of it might have been used, but with some of it, it was pretty apparent. Since we couldn’t resell underwear even if the customer swore that she hadn’t worn it, we wouldn’t take it back. There was the woman who had bought some slacks in THE hot color for spring…and tried to return them the next winter, covered in dog hair. The color was out of fashion by then, and of course we couldn’t sell clothing that was covered in dog hair. There were others that still stick in my mind after more than 25 years, most of them wanting to return a special occasion dress, which is why we eventually made a policy of all special occasion clothing being final sales, NO returns. One good thing about small a independent business, is that you can identify problem customers and just tell them to take their business elsewhere. It works until you have a personnel change and the newbie doesn’t know. There are places that rent if you decide you don’t need to own a certain something. That’s what irritated me about the rent for free crap. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lazy-inconsiderate-asshole-customers/613904/44 "2012-02-28T14:45:51Z")
> [@Mr.Miskatonic](#): > > I’ve worked a lot in management of warehouses. One customer got so upset about not getting a 100% refund on some items since it was something like 60 days since he bought, so he used, ummm, animal excrement, as a packing material. > > When the package was opened we had something of a lockdown from the smell and the biohazard factor. Police, Fire departments were called. It was ugly. > > There was satisfaction in finding out that the local first responders sent him the bill for the actions they had to undertake, the guy also had legal trouble for shipping such material without proper permits, etc. UPS was particularly harsh in their pursuits, IIRC. It meant a lot of phone conversations with various legal departments but I was fine with that. I love that story. It makes me smile just to imagine the look on the guys face when he first realized his terrible behavior was going to cost him. I remember a couple at Sears wanting to return a portable camping toilet that they had used. It was back in it’s box and the salesperson assumed they hadn’t used it and stuck her hand in it for a disgusting surprise. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lazy-inconsiderate-asshole-customers/613904/45 "2012-02-28T14:51:09Z")
> [@biddee](#): > > I didn’t lose the package. Why should I be more than the item is worth out of pocket? If I was in the States, I would have shipped it back in a heartbeat. But then I wouldn’t have had to pay close to the value of the item in customs charges. I spent well over $500US on Amazon over Christmas time. If the item was worth more than $10 I certainly would have returned it but as it stands, it’s not worth my money. > > I know it’s not their fault but at the same time it’s not mine either and I figure I’ve given them enough of my hard earned money and will continue to do so in the future. > > Edited to add: the order status on my Amazon page still says undelivered… While I get your point, companies that do large volume like WalMart, or Amazon, are part of the problem. They are the ones that have such liberal return policies that it abuse will grow and grow until they have to address it. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lazy-inconsiderate-asshole-customers/613904/46 "2012-02-28T14:54:17Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > The worst I’ve ever had is working at a hardware store and people trying to return spray paint. I can’t count the number of conversations that went like this: > > Customer: I want to return this, I bought the wrong color. > Me: OK, We can do that. _\_. Wait, you’ve used this. It’s only half full and I can see the spray on the nozzle. > Customer: Yeah but it’s the wrong color. > Me: The color is the color of the cap. > Customer: I know, but I decided I didn’t want that color. > Me: I can’t give you you’re money back, the can is not defective. It IS the color you chose and it IS half empty. I can’t exactly put this back on the shelf. > Customer: But I don’t want that color now. > > GAAAAH! Just yesterday we had a customer bring back an item that was obviously dropped or hit and broken in several places, insisting {not yelling , just repeating} that nobody dropped or hit it, it just broke, it was defective and should be replaced. Sorry buddy, you lose this one. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lazy-inconsiderate-asshole-customers/613904/47 "2012-02-28T14:57:23Z")
> [@Lare](#): > > You’re talking about the clamshell things? I hate those. I try not to destroy packaging either so my approach to these is to take a utility knife and slit two adjacent sides of the package. This way I can usually pry the innards out and the packaging is usable enough that I could put everything back into it. It could never pass for unopened, but at least the merchant can see that I didn’t dip it in paint, keep the main item, etc. > > Sometimes I try to use scissors instead of a utility knife but I find that I need to use a pretty heavy duty pair to get through the seams. I hate those too but I think I understand why they went there. Cost for one thing, but also to let people see it without losing a fortune on display models. Sadly customers tend to ruin display models which can really add up. I’ve noticed that some of that packaging has little buttons now that will open it without destroying it. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lazy-inconsiderate-asshole-customers/613904/48 "2012-02-28T15:01:50Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > The worst I’ve ever had is working at a hardware store and people trying to return spray paint. I can’t count the number of conversations that went like this: > > Customer: I want to return this, I bought the wrong color. > Me: OK, We can do that. _\_. Wait, you’ve used this. It’s only half full and I can see the spray on the nozzle. > Customer: Yeah but it’s the wrong color. > Me: The color is the color of the cap. > Customer: I know, but I decided I didn’t want that color. > Me: I can’t give you you’re money back, the can is not defective. It IS the color you chose and it IS half empty. I can’t exactly put this back on the shelf. > Customer: But I don’t want that color now. > > GAAAAH! Okay, then paint over it, but you can’t return a used paint can. Period. My favorite was the oft repeated, “I know I’ve had this for 6 months but it never did work right” Why didn’t you return it sooner? Because I don’t get over to this part of town often, or “I live a about an hour away” “When you decided returning it was too inconvenient for you, that’s when you decided to keep it” What? ---
**Author:** ![biddee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@biddee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biddee)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lazy-inconsiderate-asshole-customers/613904/49 "2012-02-28T16:51:19Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I’m assuming that you’ll sell the duplicate item at some point, thus gaining profit at Amazon’s expense. If you’re going to steal from a vendor, you probably shouldn’t attempt to justify it. You’ve given them your hard earned money in exchange for goods, so it’s not like it’s a charitable donation. Why would I sell it? I’m keeping it. I don’t want to profit at their expense, but at the same time, why should I be the one out of pocket? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lazy-inconsiderate-asshole-customers/613904/50 "2012-02-28T17:20:02Z")
> [@biddee](#): > > Why would I sell it? I’m keeping it. I don’t want to profit at their expense, but at the same time, why should I be the one out of pocket? Keeping something you haven’t paid for is theft and you are therefore profiting from their mistake. Granted, it’s a minor thing in the grand scheme of life, but you’re either dishonest or you’re not. ---
**Author:** ![biddee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@biddee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biddee)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lazy-inconsiderate-asshole-customers/613904/51 "2012-02-28T19:13:06Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Keeping something you haven’t paid for is theft and you are therefore profiting from their mistake. Granted, it’s a minor thing in the grand scheme of life, but you’re either dishonest or you’re not. But I have paid money for it. Not to Amazon, sure, but I have paid for it at customs/for shipping. If that makes me dishonest, well I guess then I am dishonest. Mea culpa. You are telling me that if you were in the same situation, you would fork out the equivalent of the value of the item to send it back to the company (meaning you have now paid the equivalent of 3 of the item). Remember I have paid Amazon $10US and then paid the shipping company/customs almost $20US to bring the two cards here. I was not expecting the first card to ever turn up (it arrived more than 3 weeks after I ordered it with 2 day shipping). ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lazy-inconsiderate-asshole-customers/613904/52 "2012-02-28T19:18:42Z")
> [@biddee](#): > > But I have paid money for it. Not to Amazon, sure, but I have paid for it at customs/for shipping. If that makes me dishonest, well I guess then I am dishonest. Mea culpa. You are telling me that if you were in the same situation, you would fork out the equivalent of the value of the item to send it back to the company (meaning you have now paid the equivalent of 3 of the item). Remember I have paid Amazon $10US and then paid the shipping company/customs almost $20US to bring the two cards here. I was not expecting the first card to ever turn up (it arrived more than 3 weeks after I ordered it with 2 day shipping). You contact Amazon and offer them the opportunity to pay to pick it up. Then if they choose to, **which they likely will not** , you send the shipping information to customs and they refund your customs charges. ---
**Author:** ![biddee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@biddee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biddee)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lazy-inconsiderate-asshole-customers/613904/53 "2012-02-28T21:04:48Z")
> [@Moonlitherial](#): > > You contact Amazon and offer them the opportunity to pay to pick it up. Then if they choose to, **which they likely will not** , you send the shipping information to customs and they refund your customs charges. That was a great idea, thank you. I did contact them and they said based on my history and the cost of the item I could consider it a gift from them. My conscience is now clear :). ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lazy-inconsiderate-asshole-customers/613904/54 "2012-02-28T21:48:00Z")
> [@cosmosdan](#): > > She stormed out. We sometimes use the phrase, “firing a customer” when a customer has been far too much trouble and you just don’t want their business. > It’s funny when people are put on the spot and can’t bring themselves to just admit a mistake and apologize. I’ve been reading [notalwaysright.com](http://notalwaysright.com) lately (and slowly erroding my faith in humanity) and I notice that a large chunk of the time, the offending customer “storms out”. Or “goes off in a huff”. Is a really bad customer a hurricane? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lazy-inconsiderate-asshole-customers/613904/55 "2012-02-29T01:43:28Z")
> [@biddee](#): > > That was a great idea, thank you. I did contact them and they said based on my history and the cost of the item I could consider it a gift from them. My conscience is now clear :). See, that wasn’t so hard now was it? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lazy-inconsiderate-asshole-customers/613904/56 "2012-02-29T02:49:47Z")
> [@biddee](#): > > That was a great idea, thank you. I did contact them and they said based on my history and the cost of the item I could consider it a gift from them. My conscience is now clear :). \*\*\*The Pit: Sneer At Humanity AND Clean Your Karma At The Same Time!\*\*\*™ ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lazy-inconsiderate-asshole-customers/613904/57 "2012-02-29T10:38:22Z")
> [@Moonlitherial](#): > > you send the shipping information to customs and they refund your customs charges. HAAAAAAAAAAAH! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHA! :pAh I needed that, thank you! Please keep in mind this is customs and excise of Trinidad and Tobago we are talking about, you’ll need to spend at least four full business days of your time before someone emerges to give you a firm NO. When I went to cash in a T&T government bond, they said they would mail me a check…in a little over six months! To get a copy of a birth certificate one must show up at the time the doors are unlocked which means waiting in the dark in a line in a rough area(good luck getting there without a car) and if you are lucky you get a number. Now at some random point during the day this number will be called at random, hope you have a full day to wait and have good ears. Then you can go to the counter and present your filled out form for a birth certificate…um it says bring T&T government ID but only citizens can get that so…hope your clerk has a brain and will accept your passport or get ready to argue the blindingly obvious. Customs will refund the money ahahaha. Oh yea I forgot there is a magic thing that cuts through all this crap, its called “knowing people” so if you do well none of this applies. ---
**Author:** ![biddee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@biddee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biddee)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lazy-inconsiderate-asshole-customers/613904/58 "2012-02-29T11:00:05Z")
> [@grude](#): > > HAAAAAAAAAAAH! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHA! > > :pAh I needed that, thank you! Please keep in mind this is customs and excise of Trinidad and Tobago we are talking about, you’ll need to spend at least four full business days of your time before someone emerges to give you a firm NO. My hubby is Trini, we got married here at the registry office. So they tell us to go collect our marriage certificate in 3 weeks (after we got married) - totally different building. Reach, take a number, wait 2 hours, get in line when they call your number to go to one windoew only for them to tell us that we have to pay $25 and come back in 5 working days to collect the certificate. Wait another hour in another line for the cashier and we were out of there. We still haven’t gone back for the certificate. Can’t face it! Oh and even if Amazon would have picked up the tab to ship the memory card back to them, I wouldn’t have bothered with the customs thing. I know it would have been totally futile LOL\> ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lazy-inconsiderate-asshole-customers/613904/59 "2012-02-29T14:02:09Z")
> [@biddee](#): > > Oh and even if Amazon would have picked up the tab to ship the memory card back to them, I wouldn’t have bothered with the customs thing. I know it would have been totally futile LOL\> Okay I’ll take a half right/half wrong on that one 🙂 Glad it cleared your conscience though. ---
**Author:** ![Gedd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gedd/32/4938_2.png) [@Gedd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gedd)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2012, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lazy-inconsiderate-asshole-customers/613904/60 "2012-02-29T21:44:45Z")
We were buying a tent at a store once and found that a customer had done a bait-and-switch return. They had bought a small tent and a large tent (difference of about $75), and then returned the small one in the bag of the large one. I guess it would be hard to tell the difference between them without taking everything out. We only noticed something was amiss because we know tents are normally packed very tightly and this one wasn’t. > [@digs](#): > > \*\*\*The Pit: Sneer At Humanity AND Clean Your Karma At The Same Time!\*\*\*™ I wish, normally the opposite happens due to the thoughts I have here. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lazy-inconsiderate-asshole-customers/613904.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-lazy-inconsiderate-asshole-customers/613904.md?page=4)