When you’re fresh out of college and looking for ways to gain work experience, just about any position will do. Often, one of the most common places to turn to is customer service. Unfortunately, it comes together with nightmarish customers, their nonsense demands, and huge emotional pressure. Whether you worked there yourself or know a friend who has, we’ve all heard at least one horror story.

This Twitter user asked people who work in the service or food industry to reply with the weirdest/rudest experiences they’ve ever dealt with. From ordering something made up, getting furious when it’s not what they expected, to downright insulting the people serving them, more than 14.4K shared their terrible customer interactions.

Bored Panda has collected some of the most ridiculous tweets from this viral thread. Forget the saying "the customer is always right", some of these comments will make your head spin. Scroll down and check them out yourself!

#1

Image credits: SocAwk20

If you have ever worked in customer service in the food industry, you know that it’s a thankless job. Especially if you encounter a rude customer who flips out when you ask them the simplest questions. So even if you deal with clients on a regular basis and already know the nooks and crannies of the job, some of them can be so irrational that it’s difficult to know how to react.

The author of this tweet @phantomparades shared her own experience. Three years ago, she was dealing with a customer that had an attitude with how she folded the clothes. The buyer asked her to stop and @phantomparades assumed that “she would fold them herself like she said she would. Instead, she asked ‘are you gonna help me?’”

The author was left feeling confused and reminded the customer that she specifically asked her to stop folding. Then the woman “got super heated and said ‘Oh no. Get me a manager. I am NOT dealing with this attitude.‘” This story only shows that some customers get mad for no real reason and it’s the worker who has to take it all in. Sometimes it’s hard to manage your feelings and remain calm. And even the widely known American smile might not be able to save you in intense situations like these.

#2

Image credits: JeffFromOhio

#3

Image credits: JacobDavison_

#4

Image credits: TangoJulietPapa

Mainly the questions were about the quality of their sleep, their mood during and after work, and whether they had to fake their emotions while dealing with the customers that day. Research showed how emotionally draining it is to wear a fake smile. Those drivers that felt the need to put on a “mask” were more likely to suffer from insomnia than those who didn’t. “Emotional acting was also linked to reports of feeling anxious or distressed, and also increased the likelihood of feeling emotionally exhausted at the end of the day. These people even reported more family conflict at home.”

#5

Image credits: megan_collett

#6

Image credits: CallMeClaireee

Now let’s talk about the very common saying “The customer is always right.” This phrase is often attributed to Harry Gordon Selfridge, the founder of Selfridge’s department store in London (though some think it was originated by John Wanamaker or Marshall Field—it was a popular mentality among the business magnates at that time). Businesses often use it to make the customers feel special and ensure them that they will get high-quality service.

#7

Image credits: _qunari

#8

Image credits: VelvetLovenotes

#9

Image credits: zoe2901

However, these days more and more companies are turning away from this point of view. According to Alexander Kjerulf, the author of the Chief Happiness Officer Blog, this belief ironically leads to bad customer service and there are a few reasons why. First, it makes employees feel unappreciated. Companies should trust their workers over unreasonable customers because doing otherwise could cause resentment among employees.

#10

Image credits: FromTinyPennies

#11

Image credits: kimberlycurley

#12

Image credits: DJ_Spangles

Also, it gives annoying customers an unfair advantage. If a business is using this slogan, “abusive customers can demand just about anything – they’re right by definition, aren’t they? This makes the employees’ job that much harder when trying to rein them in.” This also means that such clients will get better treatment than they actually deserve, and that just seems wrong.

#13

Image credits: fdowney

#14

Image credits: Shaylarz

#15

Image credits: austinblm

Lastly, it actually leads to bad customer service: “Put employees first, and they will be happy at work. Employees who are happy at work give better customer service,” Kjerulf explained. When “the customer is always right” attitude prevails, “employees stop caring about service. At that point, real good service is almost impossible – the best customers can hope for is fake good service.”

#16

Image credits: ColeLowry

#17

Image credits: LarkofSnark

#18

Image credits: ellysejohnson1

So if you ever end up in a situation where a customer is being rude to you, try to remain calm and don’t take it personally. It sounds hard but remember—they are probably not angry at you. Maybe they have some issues at home or work that keeps building up and even the smallest inconvenience can throw them off. Take a few minutes to yourself, talk to your co-workers and try not to let the stress linger inside of you after the situation is resolved.