Imagine ordering something, having it delivered to your home and then deciding you want to return it.

If it’s something small, that’s probably not a big deal, but if it’s something large and heavy, you may need to have a company pick up the item to return it for you.

That’s the situation in this story, and the company who needs to pick up the item is having a horrible time getting the item picked up from one particular customer.

Let’s read all the details.

“It’s *your fault* that *I* didn’t answer the phone!”

I work for a company that will pick up returns for you, usually larger freight items. For this to happen, you have to contact the original store, and they set it up from there. Then, we schedule with you.

It is our policy to have a driver call within 30 minutes of your home pick up, and they wait 15 minutes at your house, call again.

If you are not home, or do not answer, we leave. Drivers call the parent company, and it’s documented.

Further since customers will be home and not answer the door and say no one came, they leave descriptions of the house.

If you need something picked up, you have to find a time that you’ll be home.

Well, this customer has been difficult.

I’ve been trying to get the order picked up for two months.

The family has gone on vacations, never returns arrangement calls, doesn’t want Saturday pick up (that would ruin their weekend), doesn’t want any daytime during the week (wife doesn’t work but her husband wants to be there and she has better things to do) except for after 5pm, unless it’s Friday (because that ruins their evening), which is not always possible.

They finally nailed down a day for the pickup, but it didn’t go as expected.

Finally, Thursday, I had the family arranged for pick up. I set the hours for a time window, and told the wife that the drivers will call when they are on the way.

Even though I cannot give out driver numbers, I can tell them it’s a local metro number, and to look for it during these times.

I dispatch the drivers.

The wife never answers her phone or returns calls. I did check this drivers call log. Customers frequently lie and say they aren’t called. She was called twice, and her husband was called also, twice.

Of course she claims she never got a call.

So, Friday morning, wife calls at 8:05am and tells me the drivers never called or showed up.

I told her that she was contacted the night before.

She kept denying it, but I told her that I saw she had just called and spoke with my driver, and the only way she could have had that number is if he called her. I also described her home to her from driver notes.

Of course, that was met with silence, and then a “well, they didn’t come here”.

The husband was even more upset.

I spoke with her and told her I could get it arranged for pick up that day, and I would get back with her shortly.

I thought that was the end of it. Nope.

Not even three minutes later, her husband calls and just rambles on about how he couldn’t get his 800lb, metal crated mower picked up.

He then goes on to tell me that he hasn’t been able to park in his driveway for months, and he wants to be compensated for not being able to use his driveway.

I told him that he needs to contact original store to request something like that.

This guy has a LOT of complaints.

Then, he adds, “it’s almost hail season, and if my truck gets damaged that’s going to cost you more money” and if we don’t get his piece picked up, “I’m going to have to get attorneys involved”.

Uh huh. I told him that I had just spoken with his wife, and made some arrangements with her.

He continues to complain, claims no one called and demanded a copy of the call record.

I gave him exact time of calls, and he just went silent. “I didn’t hear the phone ring. I had to cancel dinner plans with my friends. You should have had your drivers call more. I didn’t answer because you didn’t give me the drivers number! It’s your fault that no one answered!”

Now, the supervisor gets involved.

I then gave him to my supervisor, because he was being ridiculous, and I was ready to refuse him service totally.

My supervisor basically arranges to get a special truck, that was already booked for other things that day, to get this stupid mower picked up.

This was even after the wife called my supervisor three more times and said she needed it picked up and gone by 2:30, before her husband got home, and he was “ready to fight”.

Great.

It still wasn’t over.

I am annoyed by how we have to basically be threatened and harassed by customers, but special arrangements are made for them.

Thought everything was settled. New team dispatched, along with driver from the day before that they lied about.

Nope, she calls AGAIN and speaks to the owner of the company, even after they were wrong and threatened staff.

I am not sure what she was trying to get…probably a free pick up.

That couple sounds like a nightmare. I’d want to drop them as customers too.

Let’s see how Reddit reacted to this story.

This person would’ve handled it differently.

Another person can relate to this situation.

I can see how this would be equally frustrating.

This is a good question.

Coordinating with customers can be a nightmare.

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.