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The original was posted on /r/maliciouscompliance by /u/sarcasticallydances on 2024-03-03 09:50:55.
I work at a hotel as front desk, not revealing who or what company. But we have a policy of "give the same energy as your guest is giving you" so we are allowed to be sassy within reason. We can easily tell the customer to come back when they're feeling nicer when they're being unpleasant or rude and refuse service until they want to behave.
I got my first Karen in this industry tonight. I let her inside the locked doors with a child after seeing her and her partner exit the vehicle that just pulled up to the doors. The door relocks behind her automatically. This is how I knew they were together. There is a landline outside that connects to the front desk so people can ask to enter when the doors are locked. I can also see everything on camera and watched them pull up to the doors.
The woman complains that her mobile check in didn't work. As another note, our policy is to take a deposit in case they wreck the room. It'll be returned to them after their stay as long as they haven't destroyed or taken anything. It's possible mobile check in didn't work because she didn't have a card on file that was operational. For mobile check in, you get a mobile key, so of course if the deposit didn't take during mobile check in, she has to be checked in by me. We don't want them wrecking the room if the deposit can't be taken, so no mobile key for you until I get that deposit.
So I'm checking her in and of course it declines her card. She jammed her card in again and the card reader fell over and started restarting. I tried to go to another computer but it was pointless as it took 30 seconds for it to come back online. The entire time she was complaining about how long it was taking. It rejected her card two more times. She was pissed and kept saying "there's money on it, I don't know what you want me to do". I told her she would need to use a different card. She got mad and put the new card in way too early so it didn't charge her card. She kept saying it was ridiculous and how she was so tired and this is taking way too long in a very rude tone. I was pretty fed up at this point. Then she said "this shouldn't take this long this should be quick".
At that point, the front desk phone started to ring signalling that someone was at the door needing to be let inside (we lock the doors at night for safety reasons and have to let those without a hotel door card inside ourselves). She asked me "are you going to get that?". She wanted me to stop checking her in and go answer the door for her husband, even though she had just asked me to check her in quickly moments before.
I was fed up. So I told her "I'm sorry ma'am, you wanted this done quickly. It'll have to wait." I said in a very firm and final tone. She was sputtering, making random syllables as she didn't know what to say to that, as I "quickly" coded her card keys, put them in her hand, and then answered the door for her husband who had no idea what was going on.
I told them to have a good night and they quickly left the lobby. She seemed embarrassed.
Please be patient with your hotel staff, they can't control when your card declines or if the card reader messes up because you're jamming your card in like a tired toddler.
Edit: For those who don't understand, I made Karen wait on me to check her in before I answered the door for her husband, thus making her husband wait on me and making her too embarrassed to form words because she kept saying making random syllables like she was shocked I wouldn't do as she asked the minute she asked. I'm not going to run around at the snap of her finger. You just asked me to check you in quickly. I'm going to comply with that maliciously and make your husband wait. I'm not going to stop doing that just to unlock the door.
The whole thing took less than 2-3 minutes. It was a quick check in, I complied with everything she said, and my tone of voice greatly pissed her off which is why it's malicious. I'm not going to let her order me around just because she's tired, and can't use a card reader properly. She didn't like that I made her husband wait at the locked doors. When I told her I wasn't going to stop checking her in just to walk 40 feet over to the doors, stand in front of them, let the doors open, and then come back.
It wouldn't be very quick if I did that, now would it?
Edit x2: I knew it was her husband because she handed him a key card and he was driving the car they arrived in. I watched them drive in via camera. And it was completely visible from the lobby him getting luggage from the car she just exited.
For those who don't know, there is a landline in the landing area, which is the place right before the entrance (with a bench) but technically inside because it is between two automatic doors (the innermost is locked). It's there so that anyone who can't get in (because they don't have a key card) can connect to the front desk and ask for entry. I can view them on the cameras before opening the doors. So I watched them arrive together, which is why I can safely conclude he was her husband, or brother, though I'm pretty sure that was her husband because they had a child with them. That is usually the case. This is how I know the two were related in some way and staying together.
Also, this is compliant because she knew her husband was on the landline. If not, why would she demand I go get it? She also wasn't specific in what I should get because she could be referring to two things; the door or the phone. Both of which were connected because it was her husband calling to get inside because again, the doors don't just unlock when I went to get the door for her when she first entered. I can let people in without unlocking those automatic doors, it's a safety feature we have.
The husband was handling the luggage which is another reason I know they were staying together in some fashion. And why he needed to call the front desk to get inside.
Edit x3: thank you all for asking detailed questions so I can tell this story better, I just worked 8 days with 8 hours shifts so I'm not entirely coherent.