I worked customer service for years. First it was in retail, Korbs, Miller's Outpost, pet and feed stores. Then I worked for an international knife company as a customer service rep and got to deal with people like Martin Yan from Yan Can Cook (great guy who was a blast to talk to). I was an executive secretary for American Protective Services in Santa Barbara Ca for a while too and go to deal with some major corporations. In all those years of dealing with people it was the horse people and celebrities that were the rudest! No matter how sweet I was to them I would get my head ripped off for no reason.

Dealing with some of the celebs in Ojai was a challenge most of the time. Ed Bagely Jr. was a putz and wanted everything marked down because he was so special. By far the worst of the worst was Malcom McDowell! He would bitch about the cost of a bag of chicken feed and call us all sorts of horrible names. He was married to Mary Steenburgen at the time and he would yell at her and their kids constantly. My mother dealt with them at the pet hospital as well and she said he acted the same way there. Mary was very sweet and apologized for his BS all the time. Jerry Zucker and his wife Janet came in all the time as well and were always real nice. I had the honor of selling them a horse and a saddle that my husband made back in 86. The owners of Lions Gate were buttheads and a huge pain to deal with.

When I have to call or go into customer service I try my hardest to nice and polite. I remind myself of the years that I worked in their positions and that they deserve my respect. But I have to say that you get what you give. I know that dealing with customers all day long is tiring and stressful and most of the time thankless but you (general you) shouldn't take it out on the next customer. They may be having just as bad if not a worse day and the calmness/niceness of your voice and how you deal with their request may make their day.

sunridge1 wrote:
I love when folks defend true horsemanshit.

Horsemanshit. Just another type barn blindness. It's everywhere.
Never apologize for what you feel.  It's like saying "sorry" for being real!