Hey everyone, hopefully you guys enjoy my story here. Also, sorry if the format is weird I'm writing this on a phone.

So a bit of back story, I work as a manager for a major cellphone carrier. The amount of times we see customers who don't pay their bill and get mad that their service is shut off is crazy, like yeah we aren't going to continue to provide you service if you don't pay what you owe, but I also do understand that people run into financial issues and I will do what I can to help them out just don't be an asshole and we will see what can be done.

So recently I had a Karen show up to my store in a huff, when I see customers looking angry or annoyed come in I take them instead of giving them to one of my reps because I feel like ultimately I'll get asked to help anyways. So I see her walk in with her kid and I look towards here and smile.

Me: Hello, how are you guys doing today?

Karen: Not so good

Me: Oh I'm sorry to hear that, what seems to be wrong?

Karen: well you guys cut off my service and I'm mad cause I talked to your customer service yesterday and they said that I should be fine with service until I can make my payment next week.

Now when it comes to situations like this all I can do at the store is have her pay her bill to restart her service, when customer service(CS) makes promises like this (which happens a lot and customers can have the extension due to a promise to pay service) we can try to contact CS and have them turn their phones back on. Now the issue with contacting CS for a customer who has a past due bill is that the call will just go straight to billing to make them pay, if we enter another customers number CS will just hang-up and report the store. So knowing this I tell the customer exactly this to give her the right expectation but I assure her that I'll do what I can to get in touch with CS. She didn't like that

Karen: what do you mean you can't restart my service or contact CS? It's your guys fault that my service is shut off.

Me: It's not that I can't it's that it will be difficult to get someone on the line due to your account status. I'm just setting the right expectations.

Karen rolls her eyes: Just get my service running again

So I guide her to my stores phone and call the number we have to call CS, on the phone I chose the options to speak with a CS rep and the automated machine asks for the number I'm working with. I dial her number and we get sent to billing, we then hear "you have reached the billing department, to make a....." then Karen interrupts.

Karen: That's the message that i get when I call them

Me: Yes, like I said before this will be the only department you'll be able to contact due to your account status.

Karen: well use your direct CS number

Me: this is that number, if you want we can call back and try another option but I think it will lead us back here.

Karen agrees, so I hang up and call again. I try this time to reach a different CS department beside the general department that we call, but again as soon as the system recognized her number we hear the billing message again.

Karen: This is bullshit

Me: Ma'am please no swearing in the store

Karen: I'll say what I want, you can't tell me what to do

Me: you're absolutely right but I can have you leave with no resolution to your problem

Karen: well then use someone else's number to get someone to answer

Me: like I mentioned before I won't be doing that, I won't get my store in trouble for doing that

Karen: you have to listen to me. Now use your own number to get someone

Me: I'm not using my number. I've done all that I can do for you, If you want to use someone else's number then you can call CS from a different phone

Karen: then give me their number

Me: Gladly

I start walking to the back to write down the number for her, as soon as I open the door to the back room I hear her say "that guy is an idiot", I stop in my tracks and walk right back to her.

Me: you can leave now, I understand you're mad about your service being shut off but that doesn't give you the right to insult me or my team. So leave

Karen: Well I'm sorry (she said condescendingly) please get me CSs number and I will

Me: no you can google it

Karen: how am I suppose to do that? My service is shut off

Me: not my problem, now leave

Karen after she notices that im not going to budge for her picks up her stuff, grabs her kid and marches towards the exit. She says as shes almost to the door "you're an asshole", which one of my reps reply "well at least he pays his bill".

Probably not the major melt down most people expect from retail stories but I felt like it was good to share.