Some customer service reps make it so obvious they don’t want to take your call.

So, how would you handle it if a customer service rep came across as rude during a call? Would you just ignore the behavior and take what help you can get? Or would you ask them outright if they’re having a bad day?

In the following story, one customer does just that, and it does not land well. Here’s what happened.

AITA for asking an unpleasant customer service rep if they were having a bad day?

We ordered a stove from Costco, and within two weeks, the front burner stopped working correctly. It appears to be a common but simple (well, simple to a professional) issue. I called Costco’s warranty service, and what sounded like a young woman answered.

I explained the issue, and she started gathering the info she needed for a ticket.

Nothing she asked was unusual to me — Costco number, phone number, specific problem — and I thought I was answering politely when she cut in to say, “I HAVE to ASK you these questions. You’ve never called the warranty line before, so I HAVE to CREATE a profile for you.”

When her tone wouldn’t change, she asked the question.

I was like, Um, OK.

It went downhill from there. Any time I answered a question (street name, city), she’d ask me to repeat it with what sounded to me like derision (“WHAT? WHAT is THAT?”).

I finally asked, “Are you having a bad day?” Well, that was a mistake.

“I’m NOT having a bad day, and I don’t APPRECIATE you ASSUMING I’m having a bad day. I was having quite a nice day, and I’m very confused by your statement. And I even asked you about the weather to try to make a connection with you.”

The woman kept going.

She went on and on about how presumptuous, inappropriate, and insulting my questions were. I stayed silent until she asked me the next question she needed for the ticket.

I’ve never directly asked a customer service rep if they were having a bad day, although I’ve asked how their day was going, and sympathetically heard stories about poor experiences with calls or customers before me.

I’ve worked in the service industry before, so I know what people can be like. I was just so taken aback by the rep’s tone that the question just spilled out.

AITA?

Wow! Well, it sure seems like she was having a bad day or something.

Let’s check out what the folks over at Reddit think about what happened on this phone call.

This person reminds her that calls are recorded.

According to this comment, the woman made it worse.

This reader was on the other side of it before.

Here’s someone who thinks she should complain to Costco.

She didn’t do anything wrong, but that woman needs to check her attitude at work.

If you liked this post, check out this story about an employee who got revenge on a co-worker who kept grading their work suspiciously low.