I'm going to DD this later, so please don't quote it--thanks.
So, backstory: I work in an office in the transportation industry. A week or two ago, I sent an email to a family member of a customer who'd left his cell phone on one of our vehicles.
He responded over a weekend and asked if he could get the phone. The office was closed, of course, so I wrote a very apologetic, polite email saying that we could ship it if he liked, and that I would look into shipping costs when I was back in the office.
He replied with an address where he wanted it sent. I wrote back politely, relaying the cost of shipping the phone (a very reasonable $3.25).
Here's what I just got back (edited for internet safety):
"For Christ’s sake, [my name]. My extended family, and friends that we’ve told to take the [mode of transport], have probably spent thousands of dollars with [name of company], and you don’t think you can spent $5 to send me a phone? If that money is so important to you just throw the phone away…and we’ll encourage people to [take competing transportation]."
Uh...what?! Does this guy think I make the rules, or that I actually see any of that money personally? Does he realize how much time I've now spent tracking down the owner of the phone, contacting him, and trying to arrange for its return? Does he not understand that this really isn't our problem; that I'm just following up to be nice? Does he think I magically know that he and his family have supposedly spent all this money with us? And even failing all that, what about a nice, polite email saying he's disappointed with this policy and is considering taking his business elsewhere?
WTH?! Honestly, I know I shouldn't take anything this a$$hat says personally, but this has thrown me for a bit of a loop tonight. BOO.