Anyone who’s ever worked at a call center, or simply interacted with customers of any kind, knows that some people just refuse to listen.

One call center employee was subjected to one irate “Karen” type who insisted on speaking to their supervisor.

What she didn’t realize was that she was about to speed-run the funniest customer service loop imaginable.

You’ll want to read on for this one!

You want to speak to the supervisor?

While in college, I worked as the escalated transfer supervisor at a call center for a large Canadian pizza chain.

One New Year’s Eve, it was so busy in the call center that the customer service department started taking orders to ease the traffic, myself included.

Suddenly, I get connected with Karen.

It’s clear this Karen isn’t going to be an easy customer.

Before I even have a chance to speak, she is already irate and rude.

K: Why in the heck was I on hold for 30 minutes?

Me: Mme, I apologize for the wait, but it’s New Year’s Eve and everyone in the country is ordering pizza.

K: That is unacceptable, I demand to speak to a customer service agent.

The call center employee tries to reason with her, but to no avail.

Me: I can transfer you if you’d like, but I am in the customer service department and can talk to you about your complaint.

K: Like heck you are! Transfer me to customer service immediately!

Me: Ok, but due to the busy day, you may be on hold for a while…

K: I said NOW.

So this employee does exactly what she asks.

So I added her to my customer service queue, which was 20 calls deep.

After 30 minutes, she is up.

Me: Hi, you’ve reached [company name] customer service, my name is Superfleh, how may I help you?

It takes Karen a second to realize what just happened.

K: (yelling) I was on hold for 30 minutes waiting… Hold on, wasn’t I just speaking to you?

Me: Yes, Mme.

K: (still yelling) This is outrageous, I insist on speaking to the manager.

Me: Absolutely, please hold.

So back in line she goes!

And I add her to my queue once again.

Now keep in mind that the escalated transfer supervisor (me) is the final stage of customer service, so when a customer asks for a manager, the ETS was the end of the line.

I continue to take orders for another 25 minutes or so, then pick up Karen’s call.

Me: Hi there, you’ve reached Superfleh. I believe you asked to speak to a manager, how can I help?

This time, her reaction was even better.

K: (in a desperate tone) You’re the manager too?

Me: Yes, Mme. You see, because it is so busy, I have been taking calls all day to ease the traffic and make things run a little quicker.

K: Oh my goodness, I’ve been waiting for over an hour.

Me: I did tell you that I could help when I took your initial call.

Finally, Karen begins to calm down.

K: You did.

Me: Would you like me to take your order now?

K: Yes…

It was so satisfying to let all the air out of her like that.

Some horrible customers just need to tire themselves out!

What did Reddit think?

This user thought the story was headed in a different direction.

Karen’s first mistake was waiting on the phone for an hour over nothing.

This story works on so many levels.

Karen finally gave up faster than this user anticipated.

Ultimately, she got her pizza order but lost her pride!

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.