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When you hire an IT guy to come in and handle some work, you can’t expect them to do things that are way outside the scope of their expertise.

That is what happened in this story when a veterinary office hired an IT guy to digitize some files, but then also asked him to help out by answering phones, talking to patients, making coffee, and even providing medical information.

The IT guy did his best, but there was no way that he could live up to their expectations. It is weird that the vets would even want someone doing most of this work if they don’t have proper training.

Read through the full story for yourself and see what you think.

Ex-coworker shared a list of “improvements” he was sent by our old boss for next time he wants to work with us

For context, both me and him have left that job.

New people coming on board sometimes like to give advice, even when it isn’t asked for.

It was in a vet clinic and he was hired as an IT specialist for 2 weeks to digitize their paper documents as well as improve their site and general systems. All of the below happened while I was away on holiday.

Things to improve on:

Let’s look at the complaints.

• Not attentive enough to customer needs and demands.
  • When there were people in the clinic and we were away, they reported feeling sad and out of place. Do more to make them feel welcome when we are on the road so that they don’t leave angrily before we get back.

Ok, this seems like a valid complaint.

The other vets went on a home visit and arrived about an hour after the earliest appointment was scheduled.

During this time, IT guy was the only person in the clinic and essentially running reception, which included answering the phone, organising appointments and accepting customers. He’s never done any of the above before, and it wasn’t in his job description when he agreed to the job.

What else did he have to say?

Conversational topics

• People believe you don’t care about them if you don’t ask about their lives or how their pets are doing. We understand you have tasks to do, but you must show more interest so they remain loyal customers.

Basically the same as above.

Ok, and then what?

Speed and technique:

• When cutting the cats hair with the trimmer, you left a lot of marks, which ended up hindering us more than helping us as we had to spend more time on your parts, cleaning everything up when we expected you to handle it.

We had 2 cats come in while just before my holiday needing medical haircuts. That’s where there are a lot of matts and tangles and we have to shave it down almost completely. Because there were 2 cats, we split into two teams of 3 to sort them out, with each team having one inexperienced person.

Those were also valid, it seems. What else?

Coffee skills

• The people you served coffee to reported that it was terrible. We understand that you’ve never made it before, and it is free so they shouldn’t be complaining, but you must work to improve on this to satisfy our customers

Sometimes if waits are a bit longer, we make coffee for clients who are waiting. Also related to the first 2 parts.

If you’ve never made coffee before, it can be hard to get right. Let’s see what else they said.

People skills:

• One of our breeders said that you were “No use” and “very argumentative” on the phone. He called to ask whether a red spot on one of his puppies eyes was of any concern. You said coldly “Hi there, Unfortunately the vets are out of the clinic at the moment on an emergency visit and will be back in about 2-3 hours.In the meantime I can take a message or leave a note, is that OK with you?” While being factual, that isn’t what people want to hear. People call to receive reassurance and you should have been more kind and sympathetic in the moment, despite not knowing what the problem was, or whether it was a cause for emergency.

He isn’t a vet, so he didn’t want to give a wrong answer.

Again, during the time they were away. Keep in mind, this is a person that has absolutely no vet related or receptionist experience what-so-ever.

Both me and him had other issues with said bosses, but I figured that was one of the more absurd bits that I could share.

The vets really seem to have unrealistic expectations for this guy. You can’t ask an IT guy to provide medical advice about a pet.

Read on to see what the people in the comments thought of this story.

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How did they think this was a good idea?

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This is the right response.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a delivery driver who tried warning his boss the truck needed new brakes and tires, only to find his truck sidelined during their busiest season.

IT guys aren’t known for their customer service skills.

What were they thinking, hiring an IT guy to interact with customers? They should have known better than that.

I’m surprised the guy lasted there as long as he did.

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Author

Michael Levanduski

Senior Contributing Editor, Workplace & Community

Michael Levanduski is a veteran journalist and digital culture specialist with over 15 years of professional writing and research experience. While his background spans emerging technology and complex technical subjects, Michael specializes in analyzing workplace ethics, property disputes, and viral interpersonal dynamics across modern digital forums.

Since joining TwistedSifter in 2024, Michael has authored some of the publication’s most widely read coverage on corporate policy, malicious compliance, and neighborhood relations. Rather than simply aggregating online debates, he brings rigorous research, organizational context, and an empathetic editorial voice to everyday human dilemmas—transforming raw forum discussions into insightful, highly engaging narratives.

When he isn’t covering internet culture, Michael enjoys traveling, keeping up with tech trends, and spending time with his family. Connect with Michael on LinkedIn and Facebook.