17 Employees Who Deserve a Medal for Handling Tough Customers With Pure Class

Working with people is always a challenge, but dealing with particularly difficult clients is a feat. When patience runs out, it’s time for creativity. In this article, 17 people from various industries shared their small victories: how they elegantly, cunningly, and sometimes with humor, put those who behaved unreasonably in their place.

• I teach foreign languages online. Recently, a woman signed her husband up for a trial lesson. I start the lesson, and then his wife chimes in, “I know the whole program, but I’ll sit in too.”
  I sent her on her way by saying, “Of course, but on the condition that we find you a more advanced course. If you’re already familiar with the material, you’ll be quite bored in this lesson. If you insist, I can offer group lessons. I’ll send over the pricing, and we can discuss individual classes with you after the lesson.”
  Needless to say, we didn’t return to that topic. Her husband is making quite good progress.
• I’ve been working in the service industry for about 15 years. The main requirement has always been a genuine smile and friendliness. Now, it’s like a reflex.
  We were celebrating a birthday at the sauna with a large group. We’re standing in the reception area afterward, and the next visitors arrive — a group of guys. Reflexively, I smiled at everyone and greeted each of them. Both my friends and the guys were stunned... and so was I. © Overheard / Ideer
• I’m currently working in the service industry. Recently, a little girl about 7 or 8 years old ran up to me in the morning and asked, “Where can I throw away trash?” I thought, what a well-mannered girl, I offered to help her, held out my open hand and said, “Let me throw it away for you.” At that moment, she spat her gum into my hand and said, “Thank you.” © Overheard / Ideer

• Mom was selling threads at the market. A lady in a lavish outfit approached her. She picked out a spool of thread and started bargaining. She insisted on a small discount, saying she had a principle — if she didn’t get even a tiny discount, she wouldn’t buy it.
  Mom replied that on small items, she only gave discounts for bulk purchases. The lady didn’t buy the threads. © Svetlana Olshevskaya / Dzen
• I’m studying to be a hairstylist. I trimmed my boyfriend’s hair, but it didn’t turn out well in the back. His friend came over, asking for a haircut. He had big pink ears that he hid under long hair. I started cutting, carefully trimming the back, trying my best...
  Meanwhile, that jerk kept mocking me: said my hands were clumsy, I couldn’t cut, I butchered his friend’s hair... I snapped, chopped off the strand over his ear completely, then ran off! He ended up looking like a pink elephant. © Overheard / Ideer
• Lady came in trying to return a box of popsicles, half of them gone, the other half of them melted to hell. She plops the sticky cardboard box and the near-ruined receipt on the service desk. Customer: “I don’t like them. Take them back.”
  Me: “Uhhh, I can take them back. Sure. But I hope you’re not expecting any kind of refund.”
  Customer: “But I don’t like them! I want my money back!”
  Me: “Okay, but see how half of them are missing? I can’t process a return for a half-gone product.”
  © Unknown author / Reddit

• Our firm is small. Recently, a client called and somehow immediately chose the wrong tone for the conversation. When I asked her to watch her tone, she became even more agitated! She started asking for my name and surname so she could file a complaint.
  I calmly spelled it all out and added, “This won’t help you, as the company is mine.” No one has ever hung up so quickly. © Overheard / Ideer
• I work as a sales consultant in a bookstore, and yes, it’s truly a dream job, but it didn’t come without its challenges. There are practically no customers. During these periods, revenues are almost zero, and our management is not shy about reducing our salaries. Then an idea came up on its own, and the director supported it.
  The very next day, I wrote a ton of letters to all the authors who were, let’s say, “more relatable,” and suggested organizing meet-and-greets with readers right in the store. Almost everyone who responded agreed, and we managed to set up a whole month of meetings. People flocked to us, and hardly anyone left without a book.
  After each meeting, I convinced the authors to sign 5 books, then posted an announcement on social media, “5 autographed copies for sale!” and, lo and behold, the books flew off the shelves. As a result, the store made a profit, I kept my salary, and the cherry on top was a raise to my base pay. © Chamber No. 6 / VK
• Old dude came in, used the bathroom. Our break room is on the way to the bathrooms, and we get employee calendars every year.
  Dude comes out of the back room with a calendar in his hands, “Are these free?” “No. Those are for employees only.” “Oh,” as he hands it back to me.
  If they were free, they’d be out on the front counter, not in the employee area. Also, I’m sure you don’t want a calendar that says team spirit and has our team days marked. © GreasyWhovian / Reddit

• I work in a small town as a manicurist. A new client came in. She was telling me how she finally met “the one.” She described this prince in detail: his name, where he lives, what he does, and more.
  She was glowing with happiness, and I felt a bit awkward telling her that I’ve been dating this “prince” for several years now and was even planning to marry him. © Overheard / Ideer
• I work as a manicurist. My main task is to make beautiful nails. Photographing them is a secondary thing, and sometimes there’s just no time for it. But it turned out that it’s very important for my clients.
  They think if I don’t take pictures of their nails, then they’re not pretty. I solved the problem in the easiest way: I asked the girls to photograph their nails afterward and send the photos to me. Honestly, I wish I hadn’t done that.
  Now I have photos of my work against the backgrounds of their boyfriends, food, or playgrounds, and only a few really good photos that I can show to other people. I even thought about making a webpage with these funny photos, but I haven’t dared to take that step yet... © Caramel / VK
• I’m a cashier at a grocery store. This young lady comes to my register with attitude out the gate. I say hello, that’s it.
  After I hit the the total button, she reaches into her purse, grabs some receipts and coupons, throws them at me (they bounce off my face and chest) and yells at me, “You’re going to throw those away.” I smiled, picked them up, handed them back to her and said, “There’s a garbage can by the door.”
  She comes around screaming, “I hope your attitude changes soon” and throws them in my compost bucket. I proceed with the next customer, only to be told by a coworker that she was at the customer service desk screaming that I was rude.
  Even though other coworkers told the mod what really happened, I got called out and told, “I understand and agree with you, but next time you need to be the bigger person.” © Flimsy-Stomach-4739 / Reddit

• I’ve been working as a manicurist in a salon for several years. Once, a woman came to me. She was constantly asking about our sterilization processes, mentioned that our color palette was limited, and said that the gel polish didn’t seem reliable. In the end, she was dissatisfied.
  It’s hard to accuse me of being irresponsible as I always take my work seriously. 2 weeks later, she booked an appointment with me again and once more criticized my work. It put me in a bad mood for the rest of the day. I asked the receptionist not to schedule her with me again.
  But the client requested a manicure for the third time and insisted on having me, and no one else. Again, she was displeased with everything. Finally, I couldn’t take it and asked, “Excuse me, I see you are clearly dissatisfied with my work. Perhaps I’m not the right manicurist for you, maybe you should try one of our other girls? They’re talented too.”
  The client smirked and said that she had never liked any manicure in her life, claiming that no one did it the way she envisioned. She continued coming to me just because I’m the best of the worst. © Caramel / VK
• I’m a plumber. We had several houses undergoing major renovations at the same time. Naturally, we took on any job: installing washing machines for some, replacing toilets for others, and so on. I promised one pretty lady to hook up her new washing machine, and she even paid me in advance at my request, but I couldn’t find the time to get to her for about 2 weeks.
  Then, I ran into her in the street, and of course, she asked me when it would be done. I gave her a couple of compliments, asked for her phone number, saying I would call. She said, “Let me call you, and you’ll have my number saved.” I saved her number.
  The next day, she called, and I heard a man’s voice on the other end. It was her dad, complaining. A little later, another old lady from the same building called, I could never get around to installing a towel rack for her. In short, the lady taught me a clear lesson not to ask for advance payments and to remember my clients.

• Being a manager is when you ask a client, “Did you choose a classic shirt or an oversized one?” and they reply, “White!”
  You slam your head against the keyboard a couple of times (because it has already happened today), put on a smile, take a deep breath, and write again, “Great choice! Would you like a shirt with a relaxed fit or a more classic, straight cut?” And then you get the answer, “What shirts do you have?” Just love it. © Overheard / Ideer
• I used to work at a chain book store, and during the midnight release of one of the Twilight books, one customer was being obnoxious and crossing all of the roped off areas. When he threatened to come behind the cash register, I informed him that if he did so, policy advocated use of a tazer. The "tazer: was actually a hand held scanner we used for bar codes, but he fell for it anyway. © ErrantWhimsy / Reddit
• I know perfectly well that tipping is not a guest’s obligation. I never expected a tip, nor did I get upset about its absence. But what really annoyed me were those who talked their husband or boyfriend out of tipping.
  And they weren’t shy about their expressions. “Are you crazy? Why are you leaving that? They’ll be fine without it!”
  Respectable guests clearly forgot that waiters are also people, and just because they wear a uniform doesn’t mean they’re part of the decor. When I was quitting my job, I even had a word with a person like this. © Overheard / Ideer

These 17 stories are not just amusing incidents; they are masterclasses in how to keep your composure and find witty answers. And here are restaurant stories that deserve a tip on their own.