# The customer is not always right **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 4, 2008, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-customer-is-not-always-right/471164 "2008-11-04T22:54:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![MissIntent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/97f17d/32.png) [@MissIntent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissIntent)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-customer-is-not-always-right/471164/61 "2008-11-10T19:47:20Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Really? That timeline sounds a bit different from > > Snapping and shouting is obnoxious, but so is being ignored by store employees when you need help. If I were your manager I’d have fired you on the spot. Thank goodness you’re just some random nobody on the internet then. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-customer-is-not-always-right/471164/62 "2008-11-10T20:13:03Z")
Since when is standing in a store aisle watching somebody stack books a sign that you want _immediate_ assistance? Maybe I’m strange, but if I want a store employee, particularly one who is otherwise engaged, to assist me with something I say something like, “Excuse me, can you help me with [whatever]?” instead of snapping my fingers and shouting “Hey, you girl!” Or perhaps, **Vinyl Turnip** , you’re one of those people who feel that the rules of common courtesy don’t apply when someone of your importance is dealing with lowly store employees? ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-customer-is-not-always-right/471164/63 "2008-11-10T20:16:23Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I ask again, **samarm**. Someone who gets paid enough to take shit from unhappy customers. Thats partly why managers get paid more. More responsibility, more accountability, and ulitimately responsible for dealing with pissed off customers. At least thats the way it should be IMHO. FTR, couple of things I wanted to clarify: With regards to my original post, there was nothing wrong with the bread on sale. The customer I encountered seemed to want to take out his anger on someone, anyone. Also, I’m not a “wage slave” (hate that term) because I think its fun, I’m in this position due to circumstances. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-customer-is-not-always-right/471164/64 "2008-11-10T20:21:22Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Snapping and shouting is obnoxious, but so is being ignored by store employees when you need help. If I were your manager I’d have fired you on the spot. If I were the owner and you had done this, I would have fired you and promoted **DogMom** to manager. If I were omnipotent, I’d turn you into a root vegetable made out of petrochemicals. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-customer-is-not-always-right/471164/65 "2008-11-10T20:23:02Z")
> [@Mellivora\_capensis](#): > > Snopes reckons the story is a little on the tall side. > > [Gordon Bethune Rumor | Snopes.com](http://www.snopes.com/business/consumer/bethune.asp) No, it doesn’t? It quotes the exact passage and even cites it as coming from an interview by Readers Digest. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-customer-is-not-always-right/471164/66 "2008-11-10T20:40:46Z")
> [@LurkMeister](#): > > Since when is standing in a store aisle watching somebody stack books a sign that you want _immediate_ assistance? Maybe I’m strange, but if I want a store employee, particularly one who is otherwise engaged, to assist me with something I say something like, “Excuse me, can you help me with [whatever]?” instead of snapping my fingers and shouting “Hey, you girl!” > > Or perhaps, **Vinyl Turnip** , you’re one of those people who feel that the rules of common courtesy don’t apply when someone of your importance is dealing with lowly store employees? I never tire of participating in the delightfully rational discourse that is the hallmark of the **Straight Dope Message Board**. On other, lesser boards, even the most mundane topics degenerate quickly into polarized thinking, tiresome logical fallacies, and namecalling. But never here, where ignorance is Public Enemy #1. We’re a cut above the rest, and not afraid to show it off. For those of you with at least one hand free, pat yourselves on the back! You’re what makes this place the consummate success it is. ---
**Author:** ![DudleyGarrett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DudleyGarrett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudleyGarrett)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-customer-is-not-always-right/471164/67 "2008-11-10T20:56:06Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > I never tire of participating in the delightfully rational discourse that is the hallmark of the **Straight Dope Message Board**. > > On other, lesser boards, even the most mundane topics degenerate quickly into polarized thinking, tiresome logical fallacies, and namecalling. But never here, where ignorance is Public Enemy #1. We’re a cut above the rest, and not afraid to show it off. For those of you with at least one hand free, pat yourselves on the back! You’re what makes this place the consummate success it is. Yeah, well, you’re either with us or against us, snatchwagon. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-customer-is-not-always-right/471164/68 "2008-11-10T22:24:15Z")
> [@samarm](#): > > Someone who gets paid enough to take shit from unhappy customers. Thats partly why managers get paid more. More responsibility, more accountability, and ulitimately responsible for dealing with pissed off customers. At least thats the way it should be IMHO.. No, he has to go through you to get a manager. It is your responsibility to “take shit” until and when you can transsfer said shit to a manager. **DogMom** , \*\*Vinyl Turnip \*\*has a point, your story has materially changed after I enquired about it it. ---
**Author:** ![MissIntent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/97f17d/32.png) [@MissIntent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissIntent)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-customer-is-not-always-right/471164/69 "2008-11-10T23:11:41Z")
I’ve really never understood the “customer is always right” culture. It’s flat out not true. Sometimes the customer is wrong. And typically, trying to appease that wrong customer just cost money. So you spend money to keep a customer who… costs money? Employees are valuable, and hourly wage employees who have loyalty to the company should NEVER be under valued. Hiring and training new employees is expensive! It is far, far better to build loyalty by sticking up for an employee who wants to work, but doesn’t want to be treated like scum of the earth, then firing that employee and keeping a rude, demanding customer. ---
**Author:** ![ladybug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@ladybug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladybug)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-customer-is-not-always-right/471164/70 "2008-11-11T01:09:07Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > There’s a technical literary term for that technique. It’s called “a joke.” Yes, it was a joke. Not a very good one, apparently. :o [QUOTE=Jelly Roll] I find that I am a much better customer as a result of working retail. But on the other hand, I also have high expectations when it comes to customer service. I make it a point to report excellent service to managers, as well as poor service. [/QUOTE] I’m glad you brought this up. Too often we focus on the negatives and forget about workers who provide exceptional service. I’ve written to managers on several occasions to let them know about wonderful experiences I’ve had with their stores/companies. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-customer-is-not-always-right/471164/71 "2008-11-11T01:18:57Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Snapping and shouting is obnoxious, but so is being ignored by store employees when you need help. If I were your manager I’d have fired you on the spot. I dunno. I can read it in a highly sarcastic tone. “She finally decided she’d had enough of standing there (after an agonizing two seconds :rolleyes:)”. I sometimes word my sarcasm in the same way. Of course, it translates poorly to text on its own. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-customer-is-not-always-right/471164/72 "2008-11-11T02:25:55Z")
What did she say was wrong with the bread? A few weeks ago, I had two girls come in with a few kids. They gave me a membership card, and as is policy, I asked for ID. She rolled her eyes and explained she was the nanny, and when I asked for her caregiver card (also policy), said she had never heard of such thing, that they NEVER asked for it, ALWAYS just took the card, (“2 adults, 3 kids!”), blah blah blah. I tried to politely explain that the higher ups were having us be a little stricter with the membership policies (people have been lending their memberships to friends and such), and she started freaking and screaming and DEMANDING someone else. So I got one of my managers, and she bitched and said I was talking to her, “Like I was a retard,” and blah blah blah. And as he said, “My coworker, as she said, is correct, your boss will have to call the main office to have them issue you an ID card, we can let this go today, blah blah blah” And she was totally fine. Later on, someone else came by, another customer, and said, “I saw that woman-you handled that really well-what a psycho!” Another manager grinned at me and said, “I’ll bet that makes you feel good!” And our boss-who’s usually pretty awesome-once gave free passes to a woman and her teenage daughter after said daughter purposely grabbed and started KICKING one of my coworkers. Security had to pull them away. They were on a field trip at the time, and apparently they obviously couldn’t get their money back when the head of the trip made them leave, so he did that instead. I would have raised holy HELL. (Any other time, he’s a dream of a boss, so this was one major WTF? moment) ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-customer-is-not-always-right/471164/73 "2008-11-11T03:10:40Z")
> [@DudleyGarrett](#): > > Once you come to this realization, you’re able to put on that smile and happily collect their money. They’re paying you a large premium for being shit heads. Collect it and forget about them. Ah, how it flows like poetry. Such is the joy of owning your own business. You get to write the rulebook. I have already dealt with a handful of “abusers” of the system. I have taken to not presenting myself as the owner just because alot of the same dipsticks that like to bitch about everything start wanting to haggle if they are looking at the guy who they know has the authority. I went out on an onsite call that one of my prior techs complained about the constant complaining that “the guy on the phone” (me) said this or that and that they didn’t want to pay any more than that based on the phone conversations. A few months later he called again…I took the appointment, I rolled on the call myself. He then proceeded to claim that the guy on the phone said it would be less than half of the eventual bill. I had given him a range of prices, the estimate was within that and was on the high end but still well below the max I quoted. The number he “quoted” was less than the low end of the range I told him on the phone. When I pointed out I was the person he spoke to on the phone he then started coming up with a huge list of reasons why I should give him the discount anyway. I declined to offer him a discount, he said he would call the BBB to complain about our “dishonest dealings”. Amazingly enough…no complaint from the BBB came up. Sadly we are still pretty much the lowest priced repair outfit in town even after a price increase. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-customer-is-not-always-right/471164/74 "2008-11-11T03:23:22Z")
I also had another recent customer whine fest over a hard drive. Customer brought in a machine with a service pack 3 that got shut off mid stream, leaving an unbootable machine. We corrected this and sent it on its way. 9 weeks later they come back in with the same machine, unbootable. Hard drive is dead as Hoffa, won’t even spin up. My shop tech, making the correct call in my opinion, told her that we would do the repair for the price of just the part, no labor since she had been in recently and there _may have been_ a sign we overlooked. As it turned out we still had her backups on one of our backup drives so we were able to restore her pictures and music, being the nice guys we are. So the bill for New 160GB hard drive, reload windows, load drivers, all updates, restore all of her digital life from the agony of delete, $70.18. Her reply was to bitch that we didn’t fix it right the first time and it should be totally free. I love how the second we touch a computer its suddenly like there is an implied warranty on every piece. I think some of these people would try to blame a stereo place that added a new deck for a flat tire 2 weeks later. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-customer-is-not-always-right/471164/75 "2008-11-11T04:06:36Z")
> [@Jelly\_Roll](#): > > I find that I am a much better customer as a result of working retail. But on the other hand, I also have high expectations when it comes to customer service. QFT. I’ve worked very little retail but I’m conscious of the concept of “internal customer” (customer=anybody who needs me to do something for them; internal=works for my same employer), so even when I was in positions nobody would rate for “customer service” I tried to give good customer service. But sometimes that means arguing with them (at least most internal customers don’t give you the “I pay your salary, young lady!” line). And I’ve set up CS systems, and I know that the person on the other end of the line can be new, or even still in training, and I know that they don’t set their own protocols. But I also know that sometimes the people setting those protocols need a kick to the ass, as they don’t seem to have any ability at thinking “what would I want if I was the customer” - while not everybody has worked retail, everybody is a customer at some point, it shouldn’t be so hard! I just wrote a “feedback” to a company that’s on its way to topping Telefónica’s record for bad service to me (a Telefónica tech once asked what drugs I’d been taking, that’s hard to top). They have both “complaints” and “feedback” forms: I choose the feedback one because I did, eventually, run into some good people and because I didn’t just have complaints but also some suggestions on how to fix the problems. Saying “your services blow goats through a narrow straw” would be true, but not helpful… and that company is a monopoly, so the “buy somewhere else” option doesn’t exist. ---
**Author:** ![3trew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/13edae/32.png) [@3trew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3trew)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-customer-is-not-always-right/471164/76 "2008-11-11T04:47:48Z")
> [@MissIntent](#): > > I’ve really never understood the “customer is always right” culture. It’s flat out not true. Sometimes the customer is wrong. And typically, trying to appease that wrong customer just cost money. So you spend money to keep a customer who… costs money? My employer, a cellular service provider, once noticed this and assigned a special code all of the accounts we were actually losing money on. At the time their plans were very free form, a basic package with a lot of stuff you could add and pay extra for and a lot of other stuff we could add in exchange for a contract renewal. This was very flexible, which was good, but it could lead to you and your neighbour paying the same amount for vastly different plans, and it was subject to abuse and gaming. The handling instructions for the coded accounts were that we were not to offer any of the contract renewal promotions on them, and if the customer was unhappy about that we’d gladly let them cancel their accounts without the termination fee. We were not to advise them of why any of this was happening. The day this policy went into effect I got a call from a gentleman who wanted to know what I was going to do to keep his business. A quick review of the account showed that it was coded, and that this customer called in every time his contract was up for renewal to drive the hardest bargain he could. This had resulted in several incompatible promotions (you could have 100 bonus minutes per month or 200 bonus minutes per month, but not both) being added, and had filled all of the “slots” on his account: even if we had been able to offer something there was no room for it. I’m not saying that he shouldn’t have been negotiating a good deal, but given the fact he had never used some of the things he’d threatened to cancel over it was apparent that this was more of a hobby than anything else. It was with no small amount of enjoyment (I’m not proud of it, but there it was) that I told him that we would continue to offer the excellent service he had been enjoying thus far. He seemed taken aback, recalibrated himself to “I am dealing with an idiot” mode, and said that he wanted to know what special deals I could offer him to keep his business. I explained that there were no special deals available to him at this time. He said he wanted more features, and I told him that he had the maximum number available. He asked if he could trade his 50 extra minutes for 500 extra minutes, and I got very confidential and told him that this was an area he probably didn’t want to get into, since the 50, the 100, the 200, and the 300 weren’t all supposed to be on the same account and the new system that reviewed recent changes for compatibility would probably find that if I did any changes to those (true, by the way, for those who assume the worst) even if my boss didn’t catch me doing it. He ran through a list of recently advertised features, and I explained each time that he had as many as he could get, and that no changes could be made because he was not eligible for any of those features at this time. I could feel the confusion. This had always worked in the past, but it wasn’t working now. He went for the penultimate weapon (the ultimate is when the threaten you personally with their lawyer/the FCC/the BBB/the bomb they planted in your call centre/the rifle they are aiming at you right this minute despite you being nowhere near any windows and several thousand miles away) and asked what I would say if he wanted to cancel his service. I told him I’d be happy to do that if that’s what he decided was best for him, but that it might be a good idea for him to examine what sort of plans our competitors were offering so he could ensure that he was getting something comparable. It should be noted that there was no way in hell he would get anything remotely close. He was silent for a few seconds, then chuckled and said quite sincerely “You’re good” and hung up. For one brief, shining moment, I felt that the company was on the right track. I hadn’t had to screw over the company to save the customer, I hadn’t had to screw over the customer to benefit the company. He had worked hard to get those promotions, and I let him keep them. We weren’t breaking our agreements but had finally noticed that customers should be a source of revenue rather than an expense and were moving to make that happen. Two weeks later they dumped the program as if it had never existed and started paying agents cash bonuses for any contract they could renew, no matter what it took or how much that might cost the company. The easiest way to renew a contract was to add one of those promotions to it. I spent the next year resetting contract dates for people who didn’t remember signing up for the Saint Cuthbert’s Day Free Calling to Pottsylvania promotion so they could have the joy of another two years of our service and the guy I fired three months ago could get another dollar on his bonus. When I was a front line agent, I knew that the problem was customers. When I was the guy front line agents called because the didn’t know anything, I knew that the problem was front line agents. When I became a manager, I knew that the problem was front line agents and customers and the quality of new hires you get these days and those morons in upper management. Now that I’ve been a manager for a while, I just want to get through the day with the least possible hassle, because the problem is everybody. ---
**Author:** ![Mellivora\_capensis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mellivora\_capensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mellivora_capensis)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-customer-is-not-always-right/471164/77 "2008-11-11T07:49:49Z")
> [@Santo\_Rugger](#): > > No, it doesn’t? It quotes the exact passage and even cites it as coming from an interview by Readers Digest. Hmmm, on fourth reading, you might be right. Although the headline Bethune story is listed as false, the page lists other stories, one of them being Kelleher’s, which seems to be based in truth. And then to add to the confusion, the last paragraph suggests a concoction, but I guess that actually refers back to Bethune’s story, not Kelleher’s. Thanks for the heads up, **Santo**. ---
**Author:** ![DogMom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9c0ed/32.png) [@DogMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DogMom)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-customer-is-not-always-right/471164/78 "2008-11-11T13:37:50Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > No, he has to go through you to get a manager. It is your responsibility to “take shit” until and when you can transsfer said shit to a manager. > **DogMom** , \*\*Vinyl Turnip \*\*has a point, your story has materially changed after I enquired about it it. Well, yes, I realize that and that’s why I apologized for not being clearer in the initial post. > [@Bosstone](#): > > I dunno. I can read it in a highly sarcastic tone. “She finally decided she’d had enough of standing there (after an agonizing two seconds :rolleyes:)”. I sometimes word my sarcasm in the same way. Of course, it translates poorly to text on its own. And therein lies the problem. My initial post wasn’t clearly marked as sarcasm, and i should’ve been more clear. I typed it how I’ve told it in the past - only you can’t _hear_ me so you can’t hear my tone saying, “yeah, she was REALLY STANDING THERE FOR **AGES** …not…” And, FTR, even if she’d been standing there watching for five or ten minutes, we were told that we were _not_ to approach people if they were in the aisles between departments. That was labeled “accosting” or “harassing” customers, and was therefore Not Allowed. If she’d actually walked into the department, I would’ve stopped stacking books and asked her if I could help her. \ Believe me or not, I don’t really care. It happened as it happened, and my STORE MANAGER saw the whole thing in its entirety, and said I handled it just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2008, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-customer-is-not-always-right/471164/79 "2008-11-12T01:07:02Z")
Today I had a guy come over and start bitching at me because his credit card was declined in the gift shop, even though he had then called the bank and it was fine, and he wanted to talk to someone higher up. I told him that it was a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT DEPARTMENT, and that he HAD to deal with the store-we had NOTHING to do with it. No no no, not good enough, blah blah blah. A coworker finally had to give him the number of the store main manager-not really telling him it was the woman in charge of the STORE. Dude, sometimes cards decline. We can’t make your card magically work. We also can’t call and find out WHY. That’s YOUR responsibility, and they wouldn’t tell US anyways. And I also cannot get MY boss, to do anything about the store-again, totally different department-they don’t have anything to do with us. Then I had someone bitch to me because they drove aaaaallll the way here, and the movie that on the website at a certain time was different from the one actually playing (the times were wrong on the website). Blah blah blah, we drove ALL the way. Gah. (I advised them next time, in the future, to call ahead.) And don’t even get me started on the group chaperones who try and INSIST on changing their scheduled lunch times, then bitch because this isn’t an option-because others have that lunch time. _sigh_ Oh, and by the way? You say you pay my salary? Well, if you’re going to be such an asshole, then I think I deserve a raise for dealing with all this abuse. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-customer-is-not-always-right/471164/80 "2008-11-13T00:32:55Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Then I had someone bitch to me because they drove aaaaallll the way here, and the movie that on the website at a certain time was different from the one actually playing (the times were wrong on the website). Blah blah blah, we drove ALL the way. Gah. (I advised them next time, in the future, to call ahead.) So, they shouldn’t check the website because it’s not reliable, but they should call ahead? Should they send a registered letter in case the person who answers the phone has the wrong info, too? I’m not saying that their complaining was reasonable. Perhaps it was excessive. But “You should call ahead” is a pretty dumb suggestion to make to someone who _already_ checked an official source of information. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-customer-is-not-always-right/471164.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-customer-is-not-always-right/471164.md?page=5)