Some customers seem to think that if they complain long enough, eventually they’ll get whatever they want.

This employee found that out while working alone when a woman decided she didn’t like a drink she had already ordered.

When store policy got in the way of a free replacement, the customer and her friend started demanding the manager  and challenging nearly every answer they were given.

Eventually, the employee felt so overwhelmed that she gave away the replacement just to end the confrontation.

Read on to see how it all played out.

SO to the 2 ladies who thought berating and pressuring the lone server/cashier(me) working was worth the free $7 drink

This lady (Entitled Lady 1) and her friend (EL2) came in with an infant and ordered a drink.

She didn’t ask for any information about it or how it tasted. She simply ordered it and a couple other items. She paid, I started working on it.

Then later she started asking if she could switch it for another drink

EL1: Can I get drink XYZ instead?

At first, it didn’t seem like a big deal.

Me: Oh, sorry! I already made your drink.

EL1: Oh, ok.

She seemed to accept it then, but later she walked up to the register and started complaining about the drink.

EL1: Yeah. Can I get a different drink? I don’t like it.

The women were adamant about a replacement.

Me: Oh. I’m… I don’t know if I’m allowed to give out free replacements just because a customer doesn’t like the flavor.

EL1: I just want a replacement. Do you not have customer service here?

Me: Well, it’s just policy. We can’t give free replacements because then everyone would want free replacements just because they didn’t like the drink.

EL1: Who’s talking about everyone??? I’m talking about me!!!

Then, they asked for the manager.

EL2: Ok. Can we talk to the manager?

Me: The manager’s not here.

EL2: Well, can we talk to her? (points at older kitchen lady in the back who is just kitchen staff)

Me: She’s not the manager.

To appease them, she tried to call the manager.

EL1: I don’t care that she’s not the manager!!

Me: Ok, let me just call my manager.

EL1: Ok, that’s fine. Put her on speaker, and I’ll talk to her myself.

The manager does not pick up.

Frustrated, she agreed to make the drink.

Me: Ok, let me try to message her.

EL1: Yeah, ok. Whatever. Blah, blah bad customer service. (She just doesn’t stop talking, so I didn’t know if she wanted me to listen or stop to message manager or what. And another customer walked in right then, so I was even less sure about what to do.)

Me: Alright. You know what? I’ll just make you the drink, that’s fine. What drink did you what?

EL1 and EL2: DRINK XYZ DUH!!!

Just when she thought they were happy, the friend started complaining.

At this point, she started getting aggressive and loud, and I got scared and overwhelmed. So, I just made her the drink, because she wouldn’t wait until I could contact my manager and there was another customer waiting.

After I gave her the drink, she started talking to her friend about it. She said apparently McDonald’s doesn’t have “this problem.”

I was already crying quietly by this point but it just got worse.

Later, her friend started complaining about her food because it “looked different.”

Apparently, the food looked “different.”

EL2: This food looks different. Are you sure it’s the right sauce?

Me: Yes. What do you mean it looks different? Is it not enough sauce? I can get you more.

El2: Yeah, sure. Put more on cause this doesn’t look right.

Later…

Suddenly, the friend started asking for the manager.

EL2: This still doesn’t look right. Y’know what, can you get me your manager? What’s her number?

Me: I’m not allowed to give her number out, but you can leave your number, and I’ll get it to her hands. Here’s my order pen and a paper.

EL2: Y’know what? I’m just gonna email her instead. (Walks away with pen.)

Me: Could I have the pen back?

More customers entered.

EL2: (Swings it at my direction, hitting the counter with a loud thunk.)

A bit later, more customers came in and eventually this happened.

So there’s the Entitled Ladies, Customer A, and Customer B right?

Me: Order for customer B! (Looks around)

Before she could finish, Entitled Lady 1 jumped in.

A (also starts looking around): They’re outside.

Now I give orders out over a counter, and I would need to walk back and around a wall to get to the customer area, and there were a ton of orders I still had to make. I was working by myself on drinks today, so I politely asked A if she could call for B.

Me: Could you call them in? It’s ok if you can’t-

EL1: No?? No!! She shouldn’t have to do anything, that’s your job!! It’s customer service!!!

Now, she’s not sure what to think.

Now in hindsight I know it could’ve come across as rude that I asked A to interact with a stranger and any other time I wouldn’t have asked A to call for B. But it was because A started talking to me first that I automatically responded.

Either way, I don’t see how this was in any way EL1’s business, I wasn’t raising my voice at A or demanding A to call for B, but EL1 immediately started escalating the situation the first chance she got.

I feel like I was being gaslighted every which way and no matter what I said, they would find a way to get angry.

Yikes! Those two sound like terrible people.

If you enjoyed this post, check out this story about a hardware store employee who lost his cool with customers wandering around after closing time.

Let’s see what the fine folks over at Reddit think about it.

It doesn’t seem like it was alcohol.

This is so true.

Harsh words.

This person doesn’t think workers should tolerate the behavior.

They shouldn’t have gotten their way.

The employee was following the policy and doing her best to handle the situation while working alone. But the customers just kept pushing until they got the answer they wanted.

Unfortunately, that’s exactly why people behave this way. Because sometimes being loud and difficult works.

That’s something we all need to work on changing.