40 People That Had The Audacity To File Complaints For The Most Stupid Reasons, Only To Be Shamed Online

Bored Panda wanted to know what had inspired the redditor to create the thread on r/AskReddit in the first place. "I posted it as I was thinking about how I had a complaint filed against me during my first week of one of my jobs," u/InfiniteCalendar1 told us.

"A lady made up a false story that I berated her for wearing a Confederate flag shirt. This 100% didn’t happen so I assume the customer made it up for validation. I found the situation ridiculous mainly because it’s weird someone went out of their way to try to get me in trouble over something that didn’t happen."

Meanwhile, they shared what they did next. They started off by explaining their side of the situation to the boss. Specifically that what the customer had said happened never actually happened.

"Although, apparently, the person who filed the complaint sounded very believable based on the emotions she had. Luckily, the situation was dropped though. In my case, the complaint was defamatory so my first instinct was to defend myself, especially since I was worried about a violation of privacy as the customer claimed to track down my Instagram," they opened up to Bored Panda.

"I just expressed that the situation made me uncomfortable given it was false, especially considering someone claimed to track down my social media. With complaints over small stuff, they’re usually addressed then swept under the rug."

We also wanted to get the thread author's opinion on why some people file complaints for such weird or even made-up reasons. "In my situation, the woman wanted validation as she knows many people today view the Confederate flag as a racist symbol given the history, so she made up a false situation to try to ruin someone else’s day and probably threaten their source of income," they said.

"I remember making a Reddit post about this same situation on another subreddit and a lady told me the same thing happened to her but with a customer in a MAGA hat. The commenter was nice to her when using the fitting room then the next day the customer with the MAGA hat made up a false story that she denied her and her daughter service and a bra fitting when the store didn’t even do bra fittings. With that situation, there was an obvious lie so her manager blew it off."

According to u/InfiniteCalendar1, it's probably people who are "pretty unhappy" and want validation who file wrongful complaints. "They're following the philosophy of 'the customer is always right,'" they said.

"I will add that I am pretty left leaning so I definitely don’t support the use of the Confederate flag, but when I’m working I’m focused on my job and not my views. I’ve had customers hold views I disagree with, but I don’t engage on that with them. And I definitely believe that if someone gets fired over a ridiculous complaint—especially if it’s defamatory—they should seek legal action."

The most important thing in these sorts of situations is not to panic! If you did nothing wrong (and odds are that in these cases you’re just a confused victim), then you have nothing to worry about. Of course, it’s yucky and mucky to have someone try and ruin your job or life with false accusations, but the world can be extremely chaotic at times. 

Slow down. Breathe. Detach yourself from the situation. What you need to do right now is to figure out what the heck is going on. Go talk to your direct superior, your boss, your HR reps and put all the puzzle pieces together. Explain the situation and be honest. Once everyone’s on the same page, they’ll realize that someone’s just trying to provoke you with weird complaints.

In some cases, however, the situation gets totally out of hand. If someone genuinely has it out for you at work, for whatever reason, then odds are that they’ll go to practically any lengths to try and hurt your career.

In some fringe cases, it’s actually a good idea to seek legal help. Especially if someone’s trying to destroy your reputation and hurt your financial stability. It’s possible to get some free legal consultations. And some lawyers actually do take on cases on a pro bono basis. Know the law. Know your rights. Have someone solid in your corner. And, hopefully, this entire ridiculous situation will be receding in your rearview mirror.

While these stories shared by redditors are amusing and confusing, they also highlight an important problem: taking up everyone’s time with these weird complaints means that genuine complaints can get lost in a pile of documents for a long, long while. 

And, let’s face it, there are real things to complain about at work and as a customer. If someone’s harassing you, making inappropriate jokes, and bullying you in a workplace setting, it’s essential to put a stop to this. Filing an official complaint is a good initial step, Chron writes. First, put it in writing, submit it in person, and schedule a meeting with the head of HR.

Meanwhile, if you’re complaining about unfair pay, bad working conditions, and unequal treatment, then it’s best to contact a government organization about what’s happening. If you’re a member of a union, they can help you with this. 

From a boss’ perspective, it’s essential that you don’t immediately dismiss an employee's complaint right out the gate, according to Traliant. Don’t be too quick to make judgments either way. Take the time to understand the situation so you can respond appropriately.

Something else to keep in mind is discretion. Try to keep the information contained for the sake of everyone’s privacy. That way, you’ll prevent gossip from circulating in the workplace. Lastly, keep in mind that complaints are simply one type of communication (albeit carrying some potentially serious consequences). So don’t actually punish employees for filing them! Otherwise, you’ll end up creating a massive gap between management and all the other workers. And that’s not something that leads to a healthy workplace environment.