Ma’am, You Called Me to Ask—And Now You’re Mad I Answered?

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Working in customer service means dealing with all kinds of people: the confused, the entitled, the ones who think “Google” is a person they can call instead of typing a question into a search bar. But sometimes, you get a customer so mind-bogglingly absurd that you question if reality is even real.

Like this one.

A woman calls in with what should have been a simple question: “Is it okay to take supplements that expired four months ago?”

Now, logic (and common sense) would dictate that expired products—especially things you put in your body—might not be the best idea. So, I give her the standard, responsible answer:

“We advise against taking expired supplements.”

That should have been the end of the conversation. A quick “Got it, thanks” and we both move on with our lives. But no. Oh no.

She immediately cuts me off, voice dripping with hostility. “Why?”

Okay, so now we’re playing 20 Questions. Fine.

“Well, ma’am, because the product is expired. The ingredients may have broken down over time, making them less effective or even potentially harmful.”

And this is where the explosion happens.

“YOU’RE WRONG! You know NOTHING. You’re just LYING!”

Oh, here we go. I am now in a full-blown argument with a woman who—again—called me to ask if expired supplements were safe. She then informs me that this could be a lawsuit because (and I quote) “these should be FDA-approved supplements.”

Now, a rational person might say, “Wow, if I’m this upset about expired supplements, maybe I should just…not take them?” But no, she’s too busy verbally assaulting me for daring to suggest that expiration dates exist for a reason.

Still, I try again. I even reassure her, “Ma’am, we do not sell expired products.”

Her response? “BUT YOU’RE LYING! IT’S NOT HARMFUL! I TAKE EXPIRED MEDICATION FROM MY DOCTOR ALL THE TIME!”

Ah yes, the classic “I do this unsafe thing regularly, therefore it is fine.” (We all know how that logic holds up in court.)

At this point, I decide to approach this from another angle:

“So, just to understand… you called us to ask if taking expired supplements was a good or bad idea, correct?”

“YES! BUT YOU’RE LYING!”

Lady, please. You didn’t call me for the truth—you called me for validation. And when you didn’t get it, you went full courtroom drama.

Eventually, I realize there’s no winning here, so I shut it down:

“Ma’am, it’s ultimately your decision, but we do not advise taking expired supplements.”

And just like that, the conversation ends. No “thank you,” no goodbye—just a loud huff and a click.

So what did we learn today?

  1. Some people don’t actually want answers, they want to be right.
  2. Expiration dates are apparently optional suggestions for some.
  3. Customer service is just another way to experience free psychological warfare—and we’re still getting paid minimum wage to do it.

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