When you buy a mobile phone, you sign a contract saying that you’ve read all of the fine print.

Honestly, most customers probably don’t read any of the fine print and don’t even remember signing the contract, but the customer service rep in this story is all too happy to remind them of what they signed when they call to complain.

Usually customers are understanding, but one customer was argumentative.

It really backfired.

Let’s see how the story plays out.

Want your contract upheld? Okay.

About 2 years ago I had a customer complain that we had raised the price of his phone contract.

I work for one of the main UK mobile phone companies here as a customer service rep.

I’ve had my fair share of terrible customers, and ridiculous requests.

But this was the straw that broke my back.

So every year, we have a price increase in March.

It’s the rate of inflation as published in november +3.9%.

They inform the customers ahead of time.

This is in all contracts.

Has been for as long as I’ve worked there.

Every year we send a letter out in Feb to let people know.

And every year we get calls asking “what is this?”.

Most of the time I deal with these fairly well.

I explain they agreed to it in their contract, and occasionally read the exact part of said contract.

What makes it more delicious is if they’ve bought it in store, they have a physical copy.

Here’s how it usually goes…

So I ask

“do you see where you signed your name in the box that says ‘I have read and understand the terms and conditions of the contract’? Well. Just above there the box above that says ‘I understand that as of March the price will increase by the rate of cpi +3.9%’?”

And that normally ends those arguments.

One customer was different.

Well. One day I’d spent ALL day dealing with these calls.

And I get a guy call. Let’s call him Kevin.

He complains about the price increase.

Saying how he never agreed to it in his contract.

That his contract says its (let’s say) £30.

And thats what he agreed to.

No more. No less.

He would never agree to something where the price was going g to change.

After s The normal back and forth of explaining it, how all companies do it not just us, petrol, food shops, books.

Everything.

But he was having none of it.

This guy was not giving up!

Around about the time most people accept and give up he was still going strong. Going in loops repeating the same arguments I’ve shot down already.

At one point t he says he never read it, so it shouldn’t apply.

I asked him “Sir, if you dont read the 30mph speed limit sign and do 70mph there, you will still get stopped by the police. Just because you didn’t read it. Doesn’t mean it’s not correct. Besides, you signed the box saying that you HAD read it, so. I’m afraid you were aware of it.”

Now, that was perhaps me allowing my emotions to get in the way, but he did not like that at all.

He said, if he doesn’t get the contract reverted to what he agreed, he would cancel his direct debit and “see us in court”.

He took a look at the contract and noticed something interesting.

Cue malicious compliance.

I noticed earlier during the conversation that his contract was ACTUALLY £60 and that his first 3 months were half price.

But the agent who added the discount, added an undated 50% discount. Instead of the 3mhp discount that auto removes.

Well. Given the call was an hour long and I was overdue my break, I finally said.

“Okay sir. On this occasion. I am willing to waive the price increase for you and revert your plan to its origional, agreed upon price. Because I can’t stop the increase, I will add a discount of [his increase here] to the line, and as you’ve stated, your ant your plan to be put back to what you agreed to. So the 50% discount you have has now been removed, the plan is back to £60. [He tries to talk] but don’t worry sir. We won’t be making you repay the back dated discount from the last 12 months. That’s not how it works here. So I can confirm that your plan will remain at the agreed price, of £60.”

The customer wanted to get the discount back.

After a stunned and silence he recovers and asks what do I mean £60?

I explained that he agreed to a contract at £60 per month, with 3m half price.

But that the wrong 50% discount had in fact been added and had been left on longer than was Intended.

He told me to leave it alone not do anything but it was too late.

He had already confirmed he wanted it.

And even if he hadn’t, we have a system in place to report excessive or incorrect discounts which I would have been reporting him on.

But this was much MUCH more enjoyable.

Escalating the issue did not help the customer.

In the end it was escalated to manager, who stuck by my actions to remove the incorrect discount, and in fact, removed my discount for the CPI as its policy NOT to discount these.

It went above her to the Executive complaints team, who I followed up with and noticed he was given a letter of deadlock that he could try taking to ofcom.

It felt great, the guy had an incredibly poor attitude spoke to me like I was his to do with as he wanted, and wanted to spit his day out in a tantrum.

I claimed the victory in the name of those who work in a role with direct customer interactions, when they’ve treat you like nothing and we’re truely horrible people.

The customer really messed up by not reading his contract and by assuming he was above the rules.

Let’s see how Reddit reacted to this story.

This person has sticker shock.

This is interesting!

This is a good point.

Not all contracts increase every year.

Does anybody actually read the fine print?

Apparently not, but that’s probably on purpose.

If you liked that post, check out this story about a customer who insists that their credit card works, and finds out that isn’t the case.