Jan 08 2009
And The “Worst Patron Ever” Award Goes To…
Some days, I go through a shift at the library that couldn’t be more boring if it tried. No one really happy, no one really mad, no one screws up - as smooth-sailing as they come.
Tonight was not one of those nights. I had another post all written up and ready to go, but I’ll post that one later. For now, I need to vent - I just finished my shift and I need to let a little steam off.
I’ll start off with the easiest one first: A couple who came in to print off a Last Will & Testament. The gentleman running the mouse got it in his head that the printer only printed off exactly what he was looking at on the screen at that moment. So he went through this 7 page document and printed it off in what he thought were sections. Instead, he got 70 pages of duplicates spitting out of the printer.
By time we figured out what was happening, most of them had already printed, but I ran over and canceled the last two print jobs still pending. The couple were most apologetic, and gave us every last penny they had between them (which totaled to $7.10, several dollars short of what they should have paid.) Because they were so nice, I was nice in return and didn’t put the remaining prints on their account to be paid later, but instead sent them through the shredder and called it good.
In case anyone was wondering, honey really does catch more flies than vinegar. As someone who has worked in the customer service world for 12 years now, I can enthusiastically attest to that fact.
Then we had the patron who called in to renew his items, and while I had him on the phone, I told him that there was a note on his account, saying that there was a picture of his daughter in our lost and found drawer, and that we tried to call him but his phone number was long-distance, so we couldn’t get through.
He was so excited, he could hardly stand it. “I have been looking all over for that picture! My daughter made me a bookmark for Christmas, and I just love it. I’m so glad you have it. Thank you so much! You just made my day.” Fifteen minutes later, he showed up at the front desk, ready to claim his bookmark.
I went to the back and looked through the lost and found. Not there. I searched through again. Not anywhere. I went through another box, hoping I’d find it in there. Nope, nothing. My heart sank to my toes. What was I going to tell this guy? He had been so excited before, and now, I had to tell him that we threw his picture away.
We regularly clear out lost and found, and throw away old items that haven’t been claimed, but whoever did it last was mistaken in not deleting the note off of the account. If only I hadn’t told him it was here in the first place, we wouldn’t be in this mess.
Glumly, I went out and gave him the bad news. I felt absolutely horrid. His face was so sad as he left. When I told my coworker the story, she said, “Maybe he was so excited about having the picture back because he doesn’t have custody of his daughter, and so he carries it around with him all the time so he can always have her picture with him.” I looked at her, more depressed than ever.
“Not helping?” she asked.
“Not really,” I answered drily.
As sad/unfortunate as those two incidents are, they don’t even hold a candle to the true grand finale of the night, when I had a patron chew me out for 20 minutes on the phone. I was so upset at one point that I–
[NOTE: Mom/Dad - please feel free to skip to the next paragraph at any point. Like right now would be good. No really, move along, move along.] flipped the patron the bird. She was on the phone, so she couldn’t see me, and I had my back turned to the rest of the library so no other patrons could see me, so don’t worry, I didn’t offend anyone’s sensibilities when I did it. I have to say, I don’t ever recall, in my 28 years, ever flipping someone the bird. I just don’t do that. But this was quite possibly one of the worst patrons I’ve ever encountered (and yes, that does include the Pompous Old Bag).
It all started when a little girl came up to the front desk with books to check out. When I scanned her card, an $8 fine came up on her account for a book that had been lost but not paid for. I told her she couldn’t check out with that fine on her account, and that she either had to pay for the book or find it before she could check out again. She had a rather funny look on her face as I told her this, but she didn’t say a word in protest, and left quietly to go home.
About 20 minutes later, I get The Patron From Hell. You may think I am exaggerating, but truly, I’m not. She calls and tells me that she paid for a book in October that had been lost, but that our system doesn’t show the item as being paid, which she thinks is “ridiculous.”
I apologized, told her to bring the receipt in with her paying the fine, and we would take it off.
“Why do you have to have my receipt?” she snarled.
“We can’t simply accept everyone’s word that they paid a fine. We need proof, so we need the receipt,” I replied calmly. And I really was calm at this point. Although she had been rude, I get that often enough, and that isn’t enough to set me off.
Usually, the patron would say at this point, “Okay, I have the receipt, I’ll bring it in, good-bye,” and hang up. Unfortunately, this woman was neither sane nor balanced, and she still had more to say. A whole lot more.
“That’s ridiculous! I have the receipt, but I don’t see why I should have to bring it in! This is a money-making scam that the library is running! I am not going to pay eight **** dollars to the library for the **** of it! You guys are just trying to take all the money you can!”
I told her, voice still somewhat level, that we would gladly take the $8 off her account, if she just brought the receipt into the library, and that we wouldn’t require any more payments from her. Of course, this didn’t satisfy her.
***Here, I am chopping out at least 15 minutes of insane ranting and raving - ohhh how I wish I were exaggerating!!!!!!! - for brevity’s sake. Just believe me when I say that this lady needs to take an anger management class, preferably before someone else kills her. Like, say…me.
Okay, back to the conversation. By this point, I am pretty much into sarcasm mode, because I have told the woman 14 times - literally - to just bring in the receipt, and we’d take the money off the account.
“I just don’t understand how this could happen! How could you guys make this mistake??!!!”
Exasperated, I said, “Ma’am, you are going to have mistakes everywhere you go. Wal-Mart, Target - everyone makes mistakes. We are all human, and it is much too easy to make this particular mistake. If you don’t ever want any mistakes to happen, then you’d better constrain yourself to dealing with just robots.”
Yes, I actually said that, and I would have said more, involving my own set of swear words, if a part of me didn’t realize that I could get fired for saying the thoughts running through my head. I honestly cannot remember the last time I was this mad at someone. I was shaking. At one point, I told her that there was nothing else I could tell her or do for her. Period.
I then said (again!!) to simply bring the receipt in, we’d take the money off, that this would be the end of it. She didn’t seem to believe me, because she went off (again) about how “ridiculous” this situation was. (If I hear the word “ridiculous” again tonight, I may scream.)
After yet more insane comments made, the lady finally hung up on me. At one point, she told me that after she cleared this up, she was never going to come to the library again, as a kind of threat or something against me. Considering the not-so-nice things I was thinking at the time, I can’t really say that I was all that bummed about the idea of never dealing with this patron again. In fact, if she moved to Canada tomorrow, I think I’d throw a party.
After she hung up on me, I slammed the phone into the cradle, announced “I’m going on break!!!” and stalked off. I grabbed my iPod, headphones, and book, and left to go find an empty chair in a dark corner. Ann from Reference grabbed my arm as I went by and said, “Do you need some chocolate?” I could have kissed her. She led me into her office and gave me some candy. Thank you Ann. I owe you.
After 15 minutes of listening to calm music and reading my Anne of Green Gables book, I was much calmer, and ready to take on the patron world again. I was even able to laugh about it with my coworkers. But I have to say: If I had that happen every day I was working at the library, I’d have my resignation handed in by the end of the week. Patrons like that really take something out of you.
So I guess I’ll finish my post with a plea to all of you: Be nice to your local librarian. She needs kind patrons to help balance out the true jerks of the world.
Hava
Who has vented and is ready to go to bed now…
I understand you. I have been there, long long ago. Okay, maybe not all that long ago (you don’t have to be in the service industry to deal with complete jerks).
I can’t tell you it will all be fine; when I get torqued, I have to work my way through. But I wish you well.
I’m very sorry about the lost bookmark.
Great post, Hava; I’m glad you had a chance to vent about it and I hope it helped.
I spent six years as a Front Desk Clerk/Front Office Manager and I have certainly met guests very similar to the patrons you mention–the nice ones you wish you could do more for, the dumb ones who make you wonder how the world still operates, and the ones that simultaneously make you want to cry, scream, yell, and laugh.
As I used to tell employees in Customer Service Training–just keep reminding yourself that you only have to deal with them for no more than fifteen minutes; at least you’re not their wife/husband/child/coworker/subordinate and have to deal with them all the time!
I’m always nice to my librarian and the landlady at my local pub. They’re the only two places I couldn’t imagine being unwelcome at.
OMG I can’t believe some people. There have been quite a few times that a mistake was made on my card, like I returned a book and it still said it was out or something. But I’ve always been nice and cooperative and they were nice in return and got it cleared up quickly.
Unbelievable, isn’t it, how rude people can be…how awful for you! I used to work in a bookstore and had change thrown at me across the counter, and it makes you so upset and angry (I don’t think those same people would take kindly to what they dish out so easily to others, would they?)
Politeness works so much better, as you say. Hope today is going lots better!
I feel for you. Sounds like she is one of these women that believe that everyone is out to get her. You never now, she may have a diagnosis of paranoia.
It’s aweful how people can react. When I worked in a restaurant I had people throw food and drink at me from across the table or counter.
Usually they were just using me to vent
I actually saw you flip off the phone… It really made me laugh. I’ve been there too, so I know EXACTLY how you feel. And there’s a reason we keep chocolate in our office!
Stephanie >> Thanks for the mention of the bookmark. I still feel horrible about it. Usually guys don’t get that excited about pictures of their daughters, and so to see him go from being so very excited about it to looking like I just kicked his puppy…I felt like the lowest of the low. I wanted to hide in the back and never coming out because I just did NOT want to tell him the truth. Uggh.
Jennifer >> I used to work at a fancy ski resort at the front desk as a front desk clerk, so I know all about that world too! Some of the guests at my resort were absolutely unreasonable, and I was glad to finally leave. Luckily, the library doesn’t normally have patrons like this!
dletus >> Thank you.
May you ever continue!
Callista >> The important part there was that you were nice to them. Some people have it in their heads that if someone makes a mistake, that they are given full rights to just throw a holy fit about it. They can scream, yell, and throw tantrums all they want because they are “in the right.” But as I tried to tell this patron, everywhere you go, you are going to have people make mistakes. You cannot expect perfection 100% of the time.
So please continue to be patient with your librarian - I know that I appreciate it when people are patient with me.
Lidian >> Oh boy - I wouldn’t be happy if someone were throwing money at me! I am glad that at least this conversation happened over the phone (mostly because I might have reached over the counter and strangled her if it happened face-to-face!! LOL!) And no, I don’t think this woman would have taken it well at all if the roles were reversed.
cmaher >> As I told my husband, I think the woman is mentally unbalanced. A normal person would have gotten upset, but would have wanted to come in and do something about it, instead of just yelling for 20 minutes over the phone. This lady didn’t want anything done about it (as evidenced by her not coming into the library last night to take care of it after we talked on the phone) but instead just wanted to use me as a verbal punching bag for 20 minutes. I am just about to write up a new post about that in just a bit, so watch for that.
Ann >> As always, you guys rock.
If I can ever return the favor, just ask!!
Hava
Yowsa! I hadn’t seen this post - but when I saw today’s post I immediately came back to read it. Oh my goodness! Days like that are horrid. I would have hung up on her. There’s a point where you just can’t reason with some people…