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Cell Phone Store (Vodafone if you can post it's name) Exeter, UK (I purchased a cellphone on pay as you go with a special deal so I can get unlimited everything for £30 per month, the phone overheated on first night while charging and in the morning I picked it up burnt my hand badly and dropped the phone, it will not turn on at all and the back has melted near the battery compartment, this is my conversation with the store) Me: "Hello, I got this phone yesterday but it overheated during charging and burnt my hand" I show them the burns and the damaged phone along with thew receipt and bag/box. Cashier: "I'll need to speak to my manager about this as it's an unusual case" I look over and see her talking to a young guy who's appears to be finding it all hilarious, he walks over and starts a conversation.. Manager: "So you charged your phone and it overheated, melted, burnt your hand and now it's broken?" Me: "Yes, I'm not going to sue you guys don't worry I just want a refund and will pick a different phone" Manager: "Oh well you see as it's damaged that voids the warranty and thus we can't refund you, we do have a line of £400 smart phones just like this one in we could sell you today though?" Me: "But it's a fault with the phone itself, if I'd not have woken up it'd likely have exploded!, so there' nothing you can do?" Manager: "Oh I'm not the manager here, I just started yesterday, you'll need to speak to that lady over there" Me: "But your nametag says your the manager?" Manager: "Look you can talk to her or we can call the police and have you removed" I walk over to her and ask if she's the manager and she gives me a weird look and says "no you were just talking to the manager" so I walk over and tell him and he gets right up in my face and says "look pal, you bought a dodgy phone, it happens but we're not gonna do S*** for you now kindly leave the premises or we'll be forced to call the police, have a great freaking day!" I left and still have the phone and lost myself £300, reported them to trading standards who also did not seem to care as they were a corporate company and thus have a quality standard higher than the "crap" I was feeding them, I called corporate and they claimed the stores are not affiliated with them in any way. Moral of the story? I am back using my old Nokia 3310.. beautiful phone and beats the smartphone on today's market haha

Mall Vineland, NJ, USA (My fiancé and i go to the mall to get me a pretzel from a known pretzel place in our area. Please note I am 8 and a half month pregnent with our first child. We walk up to the kiosk and start talking to the server) Me: Are the pretzels here fresh or have they been sitting for a while? Worker: i dont know and i am NOT selling to you! (I am shocked and getting upset) Fiancé: why not? Worker: shes pregnant and should not be eating this! Its unhealthy and bad for your baby! Me: all i want is a pretzel... Worker: i dont care. I hate my job and I am not selling to you. Fiancé to me: come on (my name) well go to the main store. Worker: I WILL CALL THEM AND TELL THEM NOT TO SELL TO YOU! (At this point i am so upset and we walked away all the while she was screaming that i wouldnt get my food and that it was bad for my baby. After we got my food we had to walk past her again to get to the car) Worker: I am so mad at you for eating this 'food'. Your making bad choices as a mom. (Yes, i reported her after my fiancé calmed me down from being called an unfit mom all because i craved a pretzel.)

Convenience Store Rural OK [I had moved to Oklahama and for many months lived in Tulsa. I traded my old car for a used Volvo. Finally I took a trip to Texas that finally took me out of the city. All of the people in this story were quite sweet, but their pace of life was a bit of a shock. I stopped at a gas-station/convenience-store and went in to pay. The building was nearly all glass with a clear view of the weather.] Clerk [to entering customer]: Hi! How's the weather out they-uh? Customer: Fahn! Jes fahn! [I glance outside at the obviously "fahn" weather, paid, and get to my car where I discover my wife has locked the keys in the car. After some frustrated public discourse between us, we're approached by a sheriff's deputy who is a near replica of Jackie Gleason's character in "Smokey and the Bandit" right down to the mirrored shades and beer-belly. He's got a slim-jim (the tool, not the snack) in hand.] Deputy: Y'all lock yer keys outta yer car? Me: Yes, officer. I was about to try to find a locksmith. Deputy: Well, lemme give y'all a hand. [He pokes around for a while between door and window and gets nowhere.] Me: Officer, really appreciate your help, but I guess I'd better call a locksmith. Deputy: Well, jus tryin' to save you a little money, son. [I thanked him again and call the local locksmith. I get another southern honey on the phone with an even thicker accent.] Receptionist: Hi they-uh! Kin ah help you? Me: Yeah, we've locked our keys outside our car at [location of gas station.] Receptionist: All raht. What kinda car you got? Me: A Volvo. Receptionist: A what? Me: A Volvo. Receptionist: A what? Me: A Volvo. V. O. L. V. O. Volvo. Receptionist: Nevah heard of one of them. Well, he's on his way. He'll be there soon. [The locksmith shows up and he's the epitome of wizened: 3-4 days of gray stubble, coveralls, slightly hunched over, can't weigh more than 95 pounds and is finishing the last drag on a cigarette which is casually flicks in the direction of the gas pumps. I cringed.] Locksmith: Hi, locked your keys out of car, eh? Huh! A Volvo. Never worked on one of them before. [I was thinking he would have some sophisticated locksmith tools like the ones used by the smith who rescued me from lost keys in my previous car, but instead he pulls out a slim-jim. He spends about 15 minutes essentially randomly experimenting with getting in my car. Out of sheer frustration, I offer to take a try even though I don't know what I'm doing . After 10 minutes I give up and he resumes. Another 15 minutes later, by sheer chance, he snags something and we're in.] Locksmith: Heh! Well, there ya go. I was about to give up. [Give up and leave us stranded in Nowheresville! I was thinking "if you gave up I was going to kill you." He didn't charge us very much and we carried on much more enlightened about the part of the state we hadn't seen.]

Retail USA (I've just had a baby a week ago, and we're moving out of state in a month. We're trying to find pacifiers and extra bottles for the flight, as well as some thinner blankets. We go to a baby-specific retail store and start looking.) Employee: May I help you? Boyfriend: Yeah, do you have any pacifiers with clips? Employee: Over in this aisle. But just get regular ones, they're cheaper. Boyfriend: No thanks, we're wanting ones with clips. Employee: Ugh, fine. *wanders off* (We eventually pick out a couple, then head over to look at the bottles. The same employee shows up to 'help'. Employee: You should look at these, they're smaller and easier to carry around. And you can use them with [brand] stuff! (I look, but they're too small for how much my son eats and we don't have any [brand] baby stuff.) Me: It wouldn't work for us, we use [other brand]. And we'd need something bigger. Employee: *groans* Well..there's these [other brand] bottles up here. (She shows us a set of bottles that are clearly too big for my son. My boyfriend and i look at each other.) Boyfriend: ...I don't think those would work either, they're bigger than his arm. Employee: Whatever. There's some normal-sized [other brand] down there. Anything else? Me: Well we're needing some light blankets- Employee: Oh, let me show you some we just got in! (My boyfriend grabs a set of bottles, and we follow the employee over to the bedding section. She hold up some blankets, but they're too thick.) Me: We're more looking for receiving blankets... Employee: UGH! You're too difficult! (She wanders off again. We eventually did find what we needed, no thanks to her!)

school Geneva, Switzerland We've been having trouble with the two school cordless phones for at least two years, but the boss has been refusing to change them. Then yesterday this happens: Me, answering one phone: "Hello, this is XCV school, how may I help you?" Customer: "...... " silence, I can't hear anything I hang up, try to call the customer back, it still doesn't work. So I run up the stairs to get the second phone. Boss, handing me the second phone: "You need to put the loudspeaker on, otherwise the sound doesn't work anymore!" I take care of the customer and then my boss says: Boss: "Ok, so this phone doesn't have sound, but shows the number on the screen. And this one doesn't have the screen anymore, but has sound! So you need both now to answer a call! I'm convince, now, I WILL change the phones!" She goes away happy. I wonder if she'll really change them!

Cafeteria USA (My coworker is a little Asian lady about 45, who can get weird. It's Halloween, and she puts on this scary skeleton mask while she's serving and doesn't speak.) Customer: "Can I get a piece of bread?" Coworker: *nods, and gets it* Customer #2: "Hi!" Coworker: *nods* Customer #2: "Are you not speaking?!" Coworker: "*nods* (The customer both look at me, upset, and I shrug. It was kind of funny, but a bit rude. My coworker doesn't speak to me, or anyone for the whole day. Then finally, she takes off the mask.) Coworker: "Whew! It very hot in there!" Customers: "Oh so it was YOU in there?!" Coworker: *nods* (I hid my laughter at the customers' dumbfounded faces, and my coworker's cheerful one.) Customers: "Well, why didn't you say?!" Coworker: *shrug*

Video Game Store Orlando, FL, USA (This was over a year ago. I was very excited for a new game in a popular series to come out after playing the first two. I went into a video game selling chain store to place my pre-order for the game months before it came out. Note, I am a female) Me: Hi, I'd like to place a pre-order for [game] Cashier: For what console? Playstation? Me: No, I'd like it for the PC please. Cashier: What's the product code on it? Me: I'm sorry? Cashier: The product code? Me: I'm sorry, I don't know it (The cashier then gives me this smug look and grabs one of the games from the shelf. He then began questioning my knowledge of the game and how to play) Me: Yeah, I'm totally ready to bash some [enemy] heads in with my [gun brand in game]! (The cashier then gave me a dirty look and I knew it was because I was a female gamer. I ended up switching my pre-order to a different store. The guy there was very talkative and friendly. He also told me that location has had several problems similar to my experience!)

Car Wash Benicia, CA (I work at a gas station that has a service where real people get to wash your car. We recently hired a new manager, and today is his first day on the job. I am currently drying the windows of a car when my new manager steps out of the building.) Me: Hello! Manager: Are you doing your job? Me: … Yes. Manager: Good. (I then proceed to continue drying the windows when suddenly my manager picks up a hose, sprays all of the windows of the car I was drying, and then drenches me and my towel.) Manager: You liar! You said you were drying! But you’re only making the car wetter! I expect you to dry harder, faster, and stronger with a new towel. If you do this again, I will fire you for good. Me: But I didn’t do anything! You sprayed me, the towel, and the car! Manager: Nonsense! Shut up and do your work, or else I will fire you! (I sighed and continued my work. Later that week, we learned he was messing up the jobs of everyone at the gas station, so we told the owner, and the new manager got fired.)

Office Singapore (My manager tends to hire a certain calibre of staff for the admin assistant position. They tend to be a little slow. My manager is also very consious about energy saving and will switch off the monitors etc. of the office computers at the end of the day if she sees that they are on. I am also the most IT-savvy person in the office.) The previous Monday... Colleague: "[My name], something is wrong with my phone. I can't get company emails. What did I press?" Me: "I don't know. You're using a Samsung. I'm not. I don't know how to fix your phone." Colleague: "[Manager], [My name] says she can't fix my phone for me." Manager: "[Colleague], you do realise that IT is not part of her job scope as the MD's PA right? She is just helping out because the rest of us are not IT-savvy at all. She is using an iPhone. You are using a Samsung. They are different." Colleague: "Oh, but [My name] only said that she doesn't use a Samsung." Last Monday... Colleague: "[My name], something is wrong with my monitor! Look! It's blank! But the CPU is on. See? There's a light there." Me: "[Colleague], your monitor had been turned off." Colleague: "Oh." This Monday... Colleague: "[My name], something is wrong with my computer! It's not working!" Me: "[Colleague], your mouse hasn't been turned on. Both the wireless mouse and keyboard use the same USB dongle." Colleague: "Oh." (Monday blues has taken on a whole new meaning for me.)

Pharmacy Czech Republic, Europe I am 5 months pregnant and currently ill with caugh and rhinitis. Due to my pregnancy, I have very limited options as to what medicine I can take, including non-prescription drugs such as caugh syrups or nasal drops. Since my caugh is very deranging, I opt for save herbal medicines. This happens as I pass by a pharmacy to refill my stock of plantain syrup (one of the few alternatives I can take): Me: Hello, I would like two plantain syrups, please. Clerk: With sugar or without sugar? Me: (knowing that those without sugar contain alcohol based extracts) With sugar, please. Clerk: (brings the syrup) Is this for you? Me: Yes. Clerk: Ok, you should take it three times a day. (The clerk then stops thinking and asks) Clerk: Are you pregnant or breastfeeding? (An alarm of possible trouble goes off on in my head, but I answer patiently) Me: Yes, I am. Clerk: (thinks for a while and then says) I am not sure if you can take this. Me: (thinking that she might be one of those people that generally believe pregnant women should take nothing at all, although it has no scientific reasoning) Well, it is herbal and I know already I can, moreover, it is better to take at least something than wait until my caugh gets much worse and then be forced to take strong antibiotics, right? Clerk: You can still take [name of another syrup I never heard of], that is safe for pregnant women. (Note, that there is nothing written on the box of the syrup I want about it being unsafe to use by pregnant women) Me: Well, this should be just fine, it is only herbs that are safe and sugar. Clerk: (typing something and then reading from the computer screen) The one you want contains alcohol extract! It is not recommended to use any alcohol extracts in pregnancy! Me: (looking at the ingredient list on the plantain syrup packaging) No, it does not. (I read out the ingredient list out loud) Clerk: Well, here in my computer it says it does. Me: Well, here on the box it says it does not. Clerk: (types some more and looks on the screen) I can see that I was looking at the brand without sugar. Me: So, is it fine? Clerk: You should still take the [other syrup], which is safe for pregnant women! Me: Well, what does it contain then, if the one I want is not safe? Clerk: Only herbs! Me: But plantain is also only a herb! Clerk: (goes to take the syrup and shows me the box): See? This one says it can be used by pregnant women. It contains five herbs that are save to be used by pregnant women. Me: (looking at the box) Well, and one of them is plantain, see? So my syrup is also safe. Clerk: You should still take [other brand]! Me: (by now, I am tired, since this conversation already took 10 minutes of my time, so I am giving up) Ok, what is the price difference? Clerk: It is [double the price of the plantain syrup]. Me: OK, so give me one plantain syrup for my husband and the [other brand] for me, please. I pay and leave. On my way back to office I read the ingredient list of the "pregnant women safe syrup". It contains alcohol extracts of two of the herbs, one of them is plantain. So much for the unsafe sugar plantain syrup I asked for! Moreover, when I tried it, it was absolutely disgusting to me - I left it to my husband and kept the plantain syrup - yummy!

Cafe UK (It's seven o'clock in the evening.) Barista: Good morning ... er ... good afternoon ... er ... good evening. Me: (amused) Good morning. Barista: (apparently not noticing my attempt at humour) What can I get you? (I order. As I head for a table, I overhear the next customer, who's been standing behind me throughout this conversation.) Next Customer: Good morning!

Pharmacy Gold Coast, QLD, Australia (I limp into a big discount pharmacy, one similar in size & layout to a small supermarket. I approach one of the staff, who sees me limp in, and check the note my doctor wrote for me.) Me: Good morning, I'm after some half-inch micropore tape? My doctor said I need it to bind a fractured toe. (The sales assistant looks down at my foot, sympathetic.) Sales Assistant: It's all the way on the other side of the store. Hold on. (She takes my note and steps over to one of her colleagues.) Sales Assistant: [colleague], I just want to check if we have any micropore tape? He's got a foot injury and I don't want to send him over to the other side of the store. Colleague: It's this way. (The sales assistant follows her colleague down one of the aisles. I go to join them and the Sales Assistant turns to me.) Sales Assistant: Wait here. (I do so. The Sales Assistant disappears down the aisle, then returns a few minutes later with four different roles of surgical tape.) Sales Assistant: We've got four different types. There's the paper one and the plastic one, in both the generic and name brands. Me: I'll take the paper brand-name one, please. Sales Assistant: Will just one roll be enough? Me: I might grab another one, just in case it's needed. Sales Assistant: I'll be right back. (She goes down the aisle again, returns with another roll of that tape and hands it to me.) Sales Assistant: Here you go. Me: Thank-you. Sales Assistant: Will that be all? Me: Yes. Thank-you for looking after me. I do appreciate it. Sales Assistant: No worries. (She walks off, and I limp over to the checkout, which I was standing next to the whole time. I pay for my items and leave, impressed by the service. If you're reading this, sales assistant, I'd like to say thank-you.)

Elementary School Mauckport, Indiana I'm chaperoning my daughter's field trip to a local pioneer village. My group has just entered a crowded candle maker's shop. The candle maker is an older lady. There are several small kerosene lamps for sale throughout the shop. Kid: *struggling to see, knocks over a lamp and breaks it* Oops. Sorry. Me: *Picking up pieces* Shop lady: Uh ... *looks at me* Me: Sorry. Shop lady: *continues to look at me* Um ... *tick tick tick* Me: I ... guess ... I'll ... pay for that? That satisfies her and she starts her spiel. And that's how volunteering cost me $10. I'm not sure why she expected _me_ to pay for it, but I did, and gave it to the little boy sans glass.

Office Raleigh, NC (My dad owns a software company. He was recently hired 2 new people, and they have settled in pretty quickly. My dad was also the interviewer. One day, this exchange takes place.) New hire: *Comes in to my dads office* I noticed we're suppose to use [expensive program that's easy to use] for this project. I think it would be best to use [cheap program that causes a lot of problems]. We can't afford the other one. Are you sure this is the right one? (Although it's a small company, it does make quite a bit of money) Dad: No, I can afford and that is the one we use. Please go get started. New hire: Trust me, I've been doing this for 3 years. I know what I'm talking about. We need to use [Cheap program]. Dad: Okay, no. Use the [expensive program] and get started. (My dads a little taken aback by this, but ignores it. This happens a few days later) New Hire: I am sooooo sorry! I had no idea you were the boss! I thought it was [New Hire #2]! Dad: Um... it's okay. Just don't question me again, please. I know what I'm doing. (She made multiple mistakes throughout the time she was there. She didn't last long)

Office Louisiana, USA I have recently taken over as project manager for the creative department of a large non-profit. There is a conference fast-approaching and everyone on my team is working non-stop to create specially requested projects for the event, as well as our normal weekly/monthly projects. Unfortunately, the previous creative project manager wasn't the firmest on deadlines, and it caused lots of trouble. While running an errand, I get a call from an intern from another department. Her: "Hi, I tried emailing you but haven't gotten a response yet. Did you get my email?" Me: "When did you send it? I'm out picking up your banners for [an outdoor event her department is hosting at conference]." Her: "Oh, I just sent it a few minutes ago. You know those videos for [session] your guys are making for us? We had a meeting and [department head] decided we need 5 more. Can we film those tonight?" Me: "You mean the videos that you requested a month after the deadline for all [conference] project requests? The ones [previous project manager] let slide in but that both myself and [my boss] told you would be cutting it tight?" Her: "Yeah... They're only 30 second spots. [Department head] said they should be quick to add in!" Me: *sighs* "As I've explained to you and [department head] before, videos don't take just 30 seconds to film - or even 5 minutes each. Especially with all the cuts and special edits you want. It's taking us several hours just to film them with the unexperienced talent you want in them. We're already cutting it really close with the current number. No way can we do more." Her: "Oh, okay. Thanks. I'll let them know." *hangs up* I thought that would be the end of it, but no such luck. A few minutes later, as I'm checking emails while waiting in line, a new one pops in from the same intern. Email: "We have a thought that might make this work! Can we just borrow the equipment from your team and shoot the videos ourselves? Then you just have to edit them!" I email back to state that no, we can't fit that extra editing work into our schedule. I also tell her that no, we can't loan them our equipment because we need it for other projects and their team (of almost all interns) is not authorized to transport and handle our equipment that is worth thousands of dollars. This email response was sent only to her, as no one else was copied on her original email. A few minutes later, however, I get another email, this one from the department head in reply to the intern having forwarded her my email. Department head: "I'm authorizing it. [Intern 1] & [Intern 2] will be by shortly to pick up the equipment." I quickly shot back another email, copying my boss this time, and reiterated that not only did we not have time to edit more videos but the authorization could not come from her because of cost and training issues, as well as that the equipment was out on a video shoot at that moment. When I got back, I found out the interns had showed up anyway, only to be informed by my boss of exactly what I had stated. Then their department head came by and demanded the equipment as well. My boss just told her what I had stated before - she then went over his head but didn't get anywhere with that either. (Thankfully she quit within the year and wasn't there for the next conference!)

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