118 Clueless Customers That Are Living Proof That Clients Are Not Always Right (New Pics)

While working in the customer service industry, employees encounter a large number of people every day. Unfortunately, not all of them are nice. In fact, oftentimes, they have the ‘customer is always right’ mentality that allows them to get away with all kinds of ridiculous behaviour.

To show how infuriating and exhausting it can get, Bored Panda has compiled a list of clients that seem to have no bounds when it comes to cluelessness. Scroll down to find them, and be sure to share your own experiences down below.

#1 Charge Them For A Cappuccino, VIP Price

Image credits: lisa_anne9999

#2 Scammers Never Take A Day Off

Image credits: back2Boujee_

#3 “I Love To Work In Customer Service”

Image credits: Addison_Peacock

Since this list is blatant proof that customers aren’t always right, let’s look at how the opposite of this phrase came to be and why it’s so important in the realm of customer service. 

The slogan is believed to have been coined by Marshall Field, who introduced this idea when he established Chicago’s first department store in 1893. Then Henry Gordon Selfridge took this concept overseas to London, where he popularized it further.

#4 I Would Have Told Them To Leave

Image credits: afr0m0

#5 I Work Closing At Target, And Every Single Night I Have To Push 3-5 Carts Of Full Shopping Trips Abandoned By Customers

Image credits: SandwichesANDMilk_

#6 Customer Guessed I Was Around 3-4 Months Along. I’m Not Pregnant

Image credits: CryptographerLost407

The original quote was actually longer, saying that “Right or wrong, the customer is always right.” Almost 100 years later, César Ritz introduced this mentality to the hospitality industry when he founded The Ritz Carlton Hotels. 

His was a bit different, stating that “Le client n’a jamais tort,” which translates to the customer is never wrong.

#7 Friend Is A Mechanic. This Was One Of The Cars A Customer Dropped Off

Image credits: TheShadyTurtle

#8 Standing In Line At The Bank, And The Current Customer Chooses This To Be The Perfect Time To Paint Her Toenails

Image credits: BelladonnicHaze

#9 Customer Got Mad Because His Debit Card Wouldn’t Work

Image credits: Cymarga

Before this phrase was introduced to the customer service industry, the client wasn’t exactly treated well. In fact, it was the opposite. The person who bought the product was fully responsible for inspecting its quality and reporting any problems before the item was purchased. It wasn’t up to the seller to reveal anything about the commodities they offered or provide assistance to the customer.  

#10 Someone Is Walking Around The Store Eating Chicken Wings And Tossing The Bones On The Floor

Image credits: CampCrystalLake1980

#11 Why Are You Like This, Target Shoppers?

Image credits: Dork_Of_Ages

#12 Customer Bought Wheels And Tires Online. After Advising Multiple Times That The Tires Are Too Small For His SUV He Insisted For Us To Put Them On

Image credits: EstrangedEncounters

So when business introduced the concept of ‘customer is always right’, they flocked to them, as they weren’t used to being treated with this level of consideration and care. Over time, many variations of this philosophy became popular globally.

#13 Customer States Temperature Gauge Is Reading Full Tank

Image credits: Whyarentyoumadbro

#14 This Person Didn’t Know What A Bay Leaf Was

Image credits: glen107wood

#15 Being A Cinema Worker And Having To Clean Up After These Delightful People. Yes, Sadly, The Boxes Are Still Half Full Of Soggy Cereal And Milk

Image credits: maebyline

In Germany, it became ‘Der Kunde ist König,’ translating into ‘the customer is king.’ In Japan, the slogan reads ‘okyakusama wa kamisama desu,’ or ‘the customer is god.’ Spain has the phrase ‘El cliente siempre tiene la razón,’ implying that “the customer always has a reason.” All of them ensure fair trade practices and build great relationships with clients.

#16 Customers Spraypaint Testing On The Floor

Image credits: DoctorBlazes

#17 This Register Will Never Be The Same Again

Image credits: Chrisp720

#18 Scrolled Across This Gem Someone Posted Today At A Local Grocery Store

Image credits: kittycatkylala77

This mentality doesn’t necessarily mean that customers can do no wrong. Instead, it ensures that they receive the services that satisfy their needs (within reason). Customers have the power to make or break a company, so it’s important to meet their expectations. If not, they can quickly take their business elsewhere. That’s why even the most difficult customers deserve to feel seen and heard.

#19 If They Get Bigger, I Would Start Worrying. Possible Food Spoilage Or Alien Infestation

Image credits: ohmygoshaavash

#20 This One

Image credits: alivexinside

#21 Do You Lemonade?

Image credits: funtimezallaround

There seem to be a lot of unsatisfied clients. The National Customer Rage Survey found that 74% of customers had an issue with a product or service in the last year, up by 8% from 2020. A US study found that 81% of customer service employees deal with verbal abuse from clients, and 36% have even received violent threats. 43% of customers confessed to raising their voice when communicating with customer support.

#22 As If Having More Bags Is Going To Make Things Lighter Somehow

Image credits: nomikimallias

#23 I Will Never Understand Some Customers

Image credits: wwwertdf

#24 Customers That Leave Frozen Food In Dry Food Aisles

Image credits: MedicMisko

Hearing out and dealing with unsatisfied customers isn’t easy, as their hostile behaviour can take a big hit on employees’ morale. However, this can be avoided by trying to avoid issues altogether. Business owners should equip their workers and clients with helpful tools and resources to make this happen.

#25 Lady Goes To Self Checkout, Makes Attendant Unload Her Cart, Scan And Bag Each Item

At the grocery store, we crossed paths with the lady in white shopping and loading her cart. We go to check out, and she is there, making the self-checkout attendant unload her cart, scan, and bag each item. Then she had the attendant place the bags in her cart. Note that she had way more items than you should for self-checkout, and a recommendation was made by the employee that she consider going to the standard checkout, which had nobody in line, and she refused. Poor attendant had to stop every so often to go to every other self-checkout and do overrides and I’d checks. The customer was perfectly capable of doing all this herself.

Image credits: snownative86

#26 Customer Accidentally Dropped A Pound Of Screws Into A Box Of Nails

Image credits: WillowWispers

#27 Someone I Know Owns An Independently Ran Store And Works Very Hard To Please Customers. Their Overall Rating When You Google Them Is Down Because Of People Like This

Image credits: TheCopierWarrior

It’s also important to ensure the happiness of employees. If they remain content, they can better ensure that customers are satisfied with the service. In addition, they should receive proper training to handle customer complaints. Learning how to diffuse conflict or when to get management involved can help them better deal with it. Offering aftercare for them can be another great tactic to ensure that workers don’t burn out or struggle emotionally. 

#28 I Hate Back To School Customers

Image credits: Meechflow95

#29 Customer Entered The Store, Peed Himself, And Left. 5-Minute Ordeal

Image credits: GuyOnSofa

#30 Customer Called And Asked If I Could Get A “Spot” Out Of The Carpet

Image credits: mimeofsorrow

#31 All The Lazy Shoppers Who Can’t Afford To Spend An Extra Minute To Put Their Cart Away

Image credits: SudaneseChef

#32 People Who Leave Their Trash On Shelves In Stores

Image credits: ADGM1868

#33 Told The Customer To Pack The Laptops With Care. This Is How That Worked Out

Image credits: xjsred3000

#34 The Entitlement

Image credits: 4ngeIic

#35 He Really Wanted The Full Price

Image credits: Glaciaca

#36 Ever Since Walmart Sold Gaming Keyboards, Here Some Hooligans Kept Stealing The Keys

Image credits: Zechariah_B_

#37 Target Nail Polish Aisle

Kamryn, Finley, and whomever else is in this presumably middle school girl crew decided to claim damn near every display in the nail polish aisle.

Image credits: reverendsectornine

#38 During Sales, People Touch Clothes And Throw Them On The Floor

Image credits: GeshaD

#39 Someone Bought A New Car Seat At Target, Switched It Out In The Parking Lot, And Left The Old One Just Sitting By The Curb

Image credits: SomewhereExternal855

#40 It Is 11, And Two Closing Announcements Have Already Been Made. Customers Decide To Stop And Have A Reunion

Image credits: DarkestLore696

#41 This Intake Form I Got From A Massage Client Who “Didn’t Want To Fill It Out”

I know you don’t take me seriously, but I do need to know if you have had surgeries or epilepsy.

Image credits: ThrowRA-giantlemon

#42 The Grocery Store Had This Caution Tape Up Because They Are Redoing The Floors And That Is Wet Cement

An old man on an electric buggy lifted the tape and drove straight into the cement and then said, “I didn’t know that was wet cement. They should have a sign-up.” Umm, there was a caution tape…

Image credits: Sea_Panic9863

#43 Customers Are Truly Special. They Didn’t Tell Anyone And Just Left It There

Image credits: Dsoto52

#44 Tell Me You Are Entitled, Without Telling Me You Are Entitled

Image credits: Madame_Spiritus

#45 People Who Do This Are Jerks

Image credits: 420fmx

#46 I Really Hate It When People Do This. Take A Minute And Put It Back Where You Found It

Image credits: Triggered_Ppl_Online

#47 This Customer Decided A Top-Stock Cart Was More Suitable For Her Shopping Experience

Image credits: Asleep_Toe_3651

#48 Homeboy Literally Looked At This And Then Asked Me “Does This Take Card?”

Image credits: -PepperMint-

#49 The Film “Five Nights At Freddy’s” Doesn’t Really Have Jump Scares, So How Does This Even Happen? Last Theater, I Had To Clean And Had To Stay 10 Extra Minutes

Image credits: spystar1

#50 The Aftermath Of A Customer Who Accidentally Got The Wrong Burrito

I was a manager for Taco Bell last year, and we accidentally put red sauce on someone’s bean burrito (they asked for no red sauce), so he punched the drive-through window in, shattered the front door, and smeared his food on all the lobby windows.

Image credits: mangocucumbers

#51 At My Local Walmart… Really, People?

Image credits: kasahito

#52 People At Walmart Are Really Getting Out Of Control. This Was In Memphis

Image credits: Ur_a_adjective_noun

#53 Someone Ate A Pack Of Raw Mussels They Got From The Grocery Store And Left The Scraps At The Cafe

Image credits: hhk77

#54 People Like That Are Absolute Trash

Image credits: EllethOfGondolin

#55 Some People Are Really Clueless

Image credits: katiekml

#56 Customer Service “Sucks” Nowadays

Image credits: TheLatinGerman

#57 Did You Keep It?

Image credits: __BigO__

#58 Customer Mailed Back His Computer Mouse

Image credits: leonvolt28

#59 Customer Complained Having To Put Air In The Tire Every Day. I Wonder Why

Image credits: keptfloatin707

#60 People Who Do This In Stores

Image credits: Xandierious

#61 Customer Blocked 6 Parking Spots In Front Of Our Store And Walked Off

Image credits: reddit.com

#62 How Do You Like My Speaker That Was Returned Last Night?

Image credits: Stone057

#63 Customer Was Involved In A Slight Accident

Image credits: jasonhornor

#64 I’m Being Harassed At Work. There’s This One Customer Who Keeps Coming Into The Store I Work At To Hit On Me And Talk For An Hour At A Time, Coming In Multiple Times A Day

Ignoring my clear requests to stop. Today he came in with perfume. My boss won’t do anything about it.

Image credits: QuirkyAd6642

#65 A Restaurant Review I Stumbled On. The Customer Is So Many Kinds Of Wrong

Image credits: chassepatate

#66 A Customer From Florida Parked In Front Of The Cart Return, So I, The Cart Pusher, Started A Line Beside Their Car, And Now Customers Are Leaving Carts All Around Their Car

Image credits: Awkward_Ad_7981

#67 Customer Dissatisfied With Dishwasher

We had a customer call in and complain that his dishwasher was taking 3 hours to wash and dry his dishes. While this is also somewhat true, he bought the dishwasher with the fewest features, and it was Energy Star-rated, so it does not dry fast to conserve energy. He said if we didn’t take it back, he would shoot it and put it at our front door. This is what we walked into this morning.

Image credits: 14jander

#68 I Love Our Customers

This was less than an hour after we opened. They completely dug out the bottom bay, then used a ladder and dropped down more from the third bay up.

Image credits: daquake

#69 This Customer Return

I’m pretty sure the soup was from the Dollar Tree. The actual item was only $15, so I’m not so sure he really made off with much of a profit.

Image credits: Shortsrealm

#70 A Customer Asked If This Laptop Was Salvageable. They Said They Wanted To Keep The Laptop Since It Held A Lot Of Sentimental Value For Them

Image credits: Yoru_dan

#71 Someone Decided To Make Slime At Target On Top Of The $150 Knife Sets

Image credits: annahare833

#72 Clueless People

Image credits: NatalisaStepan1

#73 Clueless People Who Don’t Know Where They Are Going

Image credits: lolnotdev

#74 But Wouldn’t A Dull Axe Cause More Issues?

Image credits: KnifeNerd

#75 Someone Returned A LEGO Set Because They Didn’t Know LEGOS Came In Pieces

Image credits: mbz321

#76 Customer Wanted The Best Boards In The Pile And Made This Mess

Image credits: Darthmayhem13

#77 Someone Cracked Open Most Of The Tennis Balls At The Store

Image credits: philosophiamae

#78 Because The Weather From Outside And On The Patio Is “Different”

Image credits: x.com

#79 Idiocracy Is Real

Image credits: Best_Photograph9542

#80 Customer States That His Rim Almost Fell Off And It’s All Our Fault And He’s Going To Go To The Cops About It Because We Were Negligent On His Vehicle

Image credits: DarkIllusions

#81 When You’re 3 Hours Into A 12-Hour Shift, And A Customer Does This

The hinge on the door broke last night and was due to be repaired. So when a customer opened the door today, it flew backwards and hit the corner of the brick behind it. Thankfully, only the outer pane was broken. What a way to start the workday, though.

Image credits: Impossible_Sugar_644

#82 When A Customer Hands You Cash Like This

Image credits: redrobin1257

#83 You Shouldn’t Shop If You Can’t Return Your Carts To Designated Areas Instead Leaving Them Near Disabled Parking

Image credits: LoveWineNotTheLabel

#84 I’m A Tattoo Artist, And A Client Just Paid Me In $1 Bills

Image credits: tinawww

#85 Someone Recently Threatened To Shoot Up A Store Near Me On Google

Image credits: Jake-_-Weary

#86 Poor Zippers Just Hasn’t Been The Same Ever Since That Customer Pushed Him Over And Stomped On Him

Image credits: JDarkspanner

#87 5 Minutes Before Closing. Thank You, Beloved Customer

Image credits: TheLegendaryEddy

#88 This Customer Said That She Was A Chef

Image credits: queensnipe

#89 This Is How Customers Storm Through Our Collars And Leads. Don’t Let This Be You. Just Put Things Back Where You Find Them

Image credits: Prospitdaydreamer

#90 Don’t You Just Love When Customers Decide They Don’t Want To Shop Anymore And Leave Their Carts In The Aisles?

Image credits: rxnicole7

#91 The Cart Died And The Customer Left It Plugged In On The Condiments Aisle

Image credits: PolesawPolska

#92 I’m Not Sure What This Was For. The Grown Woman Was Trying Out Different-Sized Tubs. My Husband Said She Had Some “Questionable” Stuff In Her Shopping Cart As Well

Image credits: AegisEater8775

#93 Today’s Dose Of What Did The Customer Do

Image credits: szmuks

#94 At Least It’s In The Corral

Image credits: AnalyticOpposum

#95 A Customer Asked For Their Order To Be Left At Their Front Door But This Guy Was In The Way

Image credits: Terrible-Bell1017

#96 This Customer Is Wild For Not Knowing Such A Thing

Image credits: Lilly13216814

#97 Remarks Like This Make Me Wish Mechanics Could Make People Retake Their Driver’s License Test

Last week, I replaced a battery in a customer’s car, and she is trying to claim the battery is causing weird things to happen to her car now. This morning, she said the red line was never there before the battery was replaced and wants a refund. Lord, help me.

Image credits: Kingtripz

#98 When Customers Do This And I Have To Clean It Up

Image credits: DirectorMAN

#99 Customer Didn’t Know How To Drive A Manual, So She Just Drove Her VW Transporter Everywhere In 3rd Gear. We Only Put A New Clutch In It Last Year

Image credits: illlogic

#100 An Angry Client Came Into The Store, Claiming That We Didn’t Do A Proper Repair On Their Fully Automatic Coffee Machine 2 Months Ago. This Is What The Inside Looked Like

Image credits: Killmeplizzz

#101 A Mixed Blessing

So, one of my customers came in today with the gift of a bag of morels. I was pretty happy and grateful for their finding and thinking of me. I gave him a free dessert and my thanks. As he was leaving, I got a gut feeling that he’d picked them up on my property! I work a lot, so I was waiting until my weekend to get them myself. I don’t even want to think about how many I could have had, but I’m still grateful for the gift. Truly, a mixed blessing.

Image credits: route66

#102 Customer Said That Their Computer Is Running Slow

Image credits: l33ch842

#103 Customer Complained That I Left 30 Cases Of Fries Out And Didn’t Put Them In His Freezer. How The Heck Am I Supposed To Do That When They Have Kegs Blocking The Freezer?

Image credits: Electrical_Taro4559

#104 What’s Your Favorite Stupid Question That Customers Ask? Here’s Mine: Is This A Discount Bin?

Image credits: Reasonable-Web-8370

#105 What If You Just Saved Their Marriage?

Image credits: AnthonyLaFauci

#106 “Ah Yes, Just As I Suspected'”

Image credits: amerpipedream

#107 Definitely Infuriating

Image credits: indigojxss

#108 Stack The Baskets Properly. It’s Not Hard, It Takes 3 Seconds, And If You Leave Them Like This, It Just Infuriates The Other Shoppers

Image credits: freckledfrida

#109 Things That Customers Do To Annoy Me

As you might guess from the title, customers doing this annoy me so much. Is it really that difficult to put the basket back where you got it before you leave the store?

Image credits: ChargersFan4Life13

#110 The Audacity

Image credits: 42_words

#111 I Work For A Canadian Cable Provider, And A Customer Brought In This Remote Today, Saying They Had No Idea Why It Stopped Working

Image credits: cadenzo

#112 This Keyboard I Picked Up From A Customer. That’s Not Just Sticky Dirt Between The Keys. There’s Hair, And I Don’t Think They Had Animals

Image credits: cowboyfromhell324

#113 People Who Think That It’s Ok To Open Products In A Store

Image credits: Grannatz

#114 Texas Requires The Front Tint To Be At 25% Or Greater To Pass State Inspection. This Customer Was Upset I Couldn’t Just “Let It Go”. Also, You Can Barely See Through The Windshield

Image credits: fidgetspinnerz

#115 Customer Complains His New Chevrolet Suburban Engraved A Chevy Logo On His Driveway

Image credits: PurveyorOfSapristi

#116 “No Tax On Tips. Vote Donald Trump”

The lady comes in and makes a big fuss about having just left church. She yelled at our host to the point where she left the floor in tears. She got mad that we had her big top set for the inside table they reserved and that she had to set up a patio table and didn’t have it ready for them. In the end, she signed a check with this.

Image credits: mazzimar7

#117 So Many Stickers

Image credits: _nikkiponce_

#118 This Is My Number One Pet Peeve

Image credits: whoisradiohead