Excellent customer service is something every company strives for. But unfortunately, in reality, it can be extremely hard to come by. It seems like when you need assistance, nobody answers the phone, and when you just want to be left alone, they can’t help but bombard you with calls.

So when one business owner attempted to convey to their alarm company that they would call them when ready for installation, the company just wouldn’t take no for an answer. And one day the customer finally just said, “Okay.” Below, you’ll find the full story that was recently shared on the Malicious Compliance subreddit, as well as an interview between the customer and Bored Panda.

One aspect of having excellent customer service is knowing when to take no for an answer

Image credits: RODNAE Productions (not the actual photo)

So when this business owner’s alarm company repeatedly ignored their requests to delay installation, they finally just surrendered

Image credits: WorldSkills UK (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Garry Knight (not the actual photo)

Image credits: PhantomFather88

“It certainly didn’t bother them to keep calling me and interrupting my day, so I decided the opposite approach might work”

To learn more about this situation, we reached out to the customer, Reddit user PhantomFather88, and they were kind enough to have a chat with us. They shared with Bored Panda that they were inspired to tell this story after stumbling onto other Malicious Compliance tales. “I had never posted things online, so I had to create the account and [the story] took off immediately, which surprised me,” PhantomFather88 said.

And when it comes to why ADT was so insistent on installing their alarm system, the customer said, “I’m not sure if ADT had an incentive on their side to get it installed or if it was just lack of communication or laziness. But it certainly didn’t bother them to keep calling me and interrupting my day, so I decided the opposite approach might work, which it did obviously.”

We also asked the business owner what they’d like to say to companies who repeatedly ignore their customers’ requests. “I don’t know if it’s a new level of ‘customer service’ where they just don’t listen to a customer or if they’re hiring inept people, but it seems there is a distinct lack of follow through on customer requests/feedback,” they told Bored Panda. “Having worked for a few tech companies as customer support on the phone, I can tell there is a definite lack of knowledge training these days. They seem to just read from a script, and if the script doesn’t cover that problem, they don’t know what to do.”

PhantomFather88 also shared another story where they used the same method of malicious compliance that they learned from their uncle. “One of the best was dealing with a real estate transaction where a buyer failed to perform on a contract,” they told Bored Panda. “It was supposed to be a private cash sale, then he wanted it to be in a corporation name, and then he’s buying it for his daughter, etc… After 3 month of delays and excuses I realized this was going nowhere, so I canceled the deal.”

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Image credits: Mr.TinMD (not the actual photo)

Readers had no trouble figuring out the company referenced in this story, as it does not have a reputation for having the best customer service

“Of course, he had money in escrow that he wanted back, but according to the contract, since he didn’t perform I was entitled to it,” the business owner continued. “I offered to split it with him since his delays cost me money which came out to half of the 30k, but he wanted all of it. We went back and forth for weeks via email, which culminated it him threatening me saying since I’m not giving him his money back, he’s going to sue me take me to court. It was a long email with everyone involved copied. So I just replied with one word: Okay. About a week later, he got half his money back. Apparently, his lawyers or whoever must have told him that since I had a signed contract saying I’m entitled to all of it, he was going to lose.”

And if you’re interested in reading about yet another beautiful act of malicious compliance from PhantomFather88, they have another post on Reddit detailing an exchange with a sketchy pharmaceutical company right here.

We all know the frustration of dealing with a company that just doesn’t seem to be listening. Playing phone tag and spending hours on hold trying to accomplish the simplest tasks, like deleting an account or scheduling an appointment, can make you feel like you’re losing it. But why is it so hard to find great customer service? According to many of the replies on this Reddit post, it was not hard for readers to determine that the alarm company was ADT, as many of them noted having negative experiences with the company as well. In fact, it’s not hard at all to find examples online of people who were unimpressed with ADT’s customer service.

But providing excellent customer service is something that should be a priority for all companies

On Trustpilot, a site dedicated to allowing customers space to share their experiences with companies, ADT has a 1.3 star rating (out of 5 stars) based on over 3,000 reviews. The vast majority of customers gave ADT one star, noting that the customer service team was “horrible” and warning others not to “waste their money” on the company. Another similar site, Customer Service Scoreboard, echoes the same concerns about ADT. The company has a score of 57.56 out of 200 on Customer Service Scoreboard, with over 300 negative comments, out of less than 400 total comments. So it appears that the exchange PhantomFather88 had was not an isolated incident. But it’s disappointing to hear that so many customers are upset with this company because, surely, there must be something they can do to turn their reputation around.

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Good customer service is an extremely important trait for businesses to have if they want to be successful, or maintain their success in the long term. And according to Remote HQ, our standards continue to increase when it comes to what we expect out of a customer service experience, as they report that 65% of us “expect more from customer service than we did three to five years ago.” In fact, American consumers are even willing to spend up to 17% more on a product or service, as long as they know they’ll be guaranteed excellent customer service. But plenty of companies have some room to grow when it comes to providing service to their customers, as 46% of people note that they’re often frustrated when dealing with customer service representatives. 

Image credits: Antoni Shkraba (not the actual photo)

It not only benefits customers’ experiences, but can increase employee satisfaction as well

So how can companies work to provide a smoother and more enjoyable experience? According to Remote HQ, 84% of customers become frustrated when the employees helping them don’t have adequate information to resolve an issue, over half of us become annoyed when we have to restate our issues multiple times to various employees, and 60% of us become frustrated when our conflicts are not resolved within one phone call. But providing excellent customer service should be a no-brainer for companies, because it benefits both employees and customers.

Providing great customer service can improve employees’ job satisfaction because it can make their days less stressful and more efficient. If issues are resolved quickly, customers are pleasant and agents can get through more tickets in a short amount of time, therefore creating more satisfied customers. Turnover rates are also quite high among customer service representatives, with the average-entry level agents leaving their jobs after just one year due to the stress of dealing with frustrated customers all the time. But when they have the tools and information available to provide a better customer experience, everyone gets to have a more pleasant interaction. Plus, happy customers means increased revenue and a better reputation.

We would love to hear your thoughts on this business owner’s malicious compliance in the comments below, pandas. Have you ever had a frustrating experience like this with a company? And if so, did you find a clever way to get back at them too? Feel free to share your personal experiences, and then if you’re looking for another Bored Panda article to read featuring malicious compliance, look no further than right here. 

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Amused readers shared their thoughts in the replies, with many calling out the company for being incompetent

Some even shared similar, personal experiences they’ve had

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