Some work encounters can be the funniest and this story is a living proof of that.

Imagine having a customer come in for a refund for a product he claims doesn’t work, but you prove to him that it does work. Sounds simple, but it gets pretty annoying when the customer keeps coming back with the same complaint!

This guy shares how a customer wouldn’t accept his mistake and ended up making a fool of himself.

Check out what happened!

Would you like me to help with that? “NO!!”

Many many years ago, and I still admire the sheer nerves on this on this customer. Pity about the rest of him though.

In the mid 90s, at the beginning of the academic year, we were selling wireless USB dongles more than any other single item.

Each year as the new cohort arrived we’d sell dozens upon dozens of them, just one model we knew were rock solid and never had any problems with.

This is where it gets interesting…

Customer buys one of these, asks a few questions and we say basically plug it in and install the software. Simple.

Apparently not. He brings it back the next day.

Customer: “Hey I need a refund on this, it doesn’t work”

Me: “What’s wrong with it?”

Customer “You said it should just work, it doesn’t”

The conversation went on…

Me: “What happens when you try it?”

Customer: “Nothing, it doesn’t work”

Me: “You plugged it in and installed the software right?”

Customer: “Yeah did all that”

Me: “Ok, one sec”

He tried to show the customer that everything was great…

I try one of our computers. Plug it in, install software. Works immediately. I turn the monitor round for him to see.

Me: “There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with it, here it is working just fine”

Customer: “Well it didn’t work for me, or my flatmate and he’s a computer science student”

Me: “Ok, well I’ve demonstrated that this does work. There’s no problem with the dongle itself” I point again to the screen showing a good connection. “Can you try it again?”

He’s not too happy, but I’ve shown him the fault isn’t with the dongle. Off he goes.

That’s INSANE!

Until the next day he’s back again.

Customer: “I’ve tried it again and it still doesn’t work I want a refund”

Me: “It does work, as you saw. It may be a problem with your computer. If you bring it in we could have a look”

Customer: “I’m not hauling my desktop all the way here just give me a refund!”

Me: “If it isn’t faulty I can offer you a partial refund”

Customer: “That’s ridiculous I want a full refund!”

He simply wasn’t giving up…

Me: “I’ve proved the dongle works. I’ve offered to help you with your computer and you declined. If you want a refund on non faulty items it’s a partial refund” (I posted another story earlier this week if you want to know more about that, I won’t repeat it all here)

Customer: “That’s unacceptable! Even my flatmate gave it a go and he’s studying computing! If he can’t get it to work there must be something wrong with it”

Me: “There isn’t. I showed you yesterday. You saw for yourself”

Customer: “How do I know you haven’t done something to your computer to make it work?”

Me: “By bringing me yours to try it on, as I offered”

Customer: “I can’t be bothered with all that!”

Me: “Ok”

Customer: “????”

It kept getting worse!

Me: “If you change your mind you know where to find us”

On his way he goes again.

And back this way he comes.

Customer: “I want a refund, we tried it again and it still doesn’t work! If even a computer science student can’t manage it it’s obviously broken!!”

Me: “You already know it works and the offer of looking at it on your computer is still open”

Customer: “I shouldn’t have to do all that!! It should just work!!”

Things got way too bad!

Me: “And it does, just not on your PC. Which we can help you with if you let me”

Customer: “My flatmate studying computer science couldn’t even get it to work!!”

Me: “Umm.. I’d kinda stop saying that honestly”

Customer: “What?? Why??”

Me: “You’re kinda just embarrassing him at this point. He’s studying computing and he can’t get this working. We’ve sold hundreds of these, dozens just this week, no one has brought any back”

Customer: “IT DOESN’T WORK!!”

This is not how it was expected to end!

Me: “And I’ve offered to help you. I still am”

Off he pops again.

Until the next day.

Customer: “I’ve come to give you one last chance to do the right thing!!”

And I just burst out laughing. Uncontrolled peals of laughter right in his face.

GEEZ! That is funny!

Why couldn’t the customer understand the issue?

Let’s find out what folks on Reddit think about this one.

This user thinks the hardware must be very old.

This user shares a sarcastic reply for the customer!

This user knows the two fields are extremely different.

This user explains what may have been a potential issue.

This user shares how the customer may have been stuck with the device.

Sometimes the problem is user error.

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.