When is the “customer always right,” and when are they just downright annoying?

Imagine working in retail, and a customer makes a request that you know you can’t do for multiple reasons. Then the boss overhears and decides to let the customer have their way. Would you let the boss know that’s going to create a big problem, or would you do as you’re told regardless of the consequences?

Read how one Redditor succumbs to the owner’s wishes to make the customer happy in a way that ends up hurting the business as a whole.

You should let me take this expensive piece of unregistered, unpaid equipment home!

That moment when you fantasize punching a customer and your boss in the face.

I had a real pain in the neck customer come in today.

We are installing his TV system this Friday. And for months, especially since he signed up last week, he has been coming in 3 times a week to ask me more questions.

That alone is annoying, but whatever.

He came back with another question.

Today, he came in and said that he wanted to build a custom shelf for one of his receivers and wanted to look at the exact receiver we would be installing.

I showed him the store display and explained that it would look exactly like that one.

Customer: Can you give me the unit now, so I can build the shelf?

The OP provided a reasonable response.

Me: I am sorry, but that isn’t possible. The product has not been purchased, is not registered to an account, and is not activated.

Customer: “You don’t LOOK very sorry!”

Sigh.

…That the customer clearly didn’t want to understand.

I explained that I cannot allow unpurchased, unactivated, unattached equipment out of the store. I just can’t.

He told me he would give me $100.

No.

One of the owners was a few feet away helping another customer and butted in. He said that we would be happy to give him a receiver. It wasn’t a big deal.

I pasted a small smile on my face, shot daggers out of my eyes, folded my hands primly in front of me, and walked silently to the back room.

So, like a good worker, the OP followed through with protocol.

I walked back to the showroom and asked the customer to have a seat while I write down the receiver numbers, serial numbers, etc.

Customer: “Oh, I didn’t realize you were going to have to write down any information.”

Me: “Look, I’ll be really straight with you. The main reason why I said no to giving this to you besides it being unpaid and unregistered, is that your equipment is still on order and I don’t have any more stock currently. I stole this off of another customer’s order and now I will have to rewrite their paperwork as well.”

And the customer’s response is stunning.

The customer shrugged and said, “Eh, that’s not a big deal.”

He took his prize and walked out of the store without a care in the world.

My boss came back over to me after finishing with his customer and apologized for butting in.

But, here’s the real twist…

I told him it was fine, his name is on the building and it’s within his right to make that decision, BUT we didn’t have a receiver to give that customer and I had to take it off of someone else’s order.

The blood drained from his face, and he was suddenly very, very contrite and started to apologize profusely.

The co-owner walked in shortly afterwards, and we updated him on what happened earlier. He. Was. Mad.

However, he recognizes that his partner had the right to make the decision.

Serenity now!

So, did the OP do the right thing by doing what their boss wanted? Or should they have told the boss upfront about the other customer’s purchase? Let’s read the comments below to get an idea.

One Redditor spoke the truth.

Another wondered why this person couldn’t just get the measurements.

And one commenter said what being an owner really meant.

Finally, one reader echoed the sentiments of the previous commenter, stating measurements are “normal” for building.

This owner was going to upset a customer one way or the other, but he upset the wrong one!

If you liked that story, check out this post about an oblivious CEO who tells a web developer to “act his wage”… and it results in 30% of the workforce being laid off.