Good manners can get you far, opening doors that might otherwise remain closed.

For example, a courteous tone and a simple please or thank you can inspire call center employees to go above and beyond, even bend the rules to make your day a little brighter.

But as one story from the subredditr/talesfromcallcentersreveals, some also use politeness with malicious intentions in mind. So be careful not to expose yourself to people too much, especially when your relationship is just transactional.

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Food delivery can be easy or difficult largely depending on the people involved

Man wearing mask and pink gloves, carrying a delivery bag near a brick building.

Image credits:cottonbro studio / pexels (not the actual photo)

And some just don’t care about others

Woman wearing headset, reacting to overheard call, request not approved.

Image credits:YuriArcursPeopleimages / envato (not the actual photo)

Image credits:[deleted]

Scamming food delivery companies, is, unfortunately, a thing

Delivery person in yellow uniform walking through a residential area.

Image credits:MART PRODUCTION / pexels (not the actual photo)

Earlier this year, a spokesperson for one of the third-party delivery giantstoldFood On Demand that while not super common, “the unfortunate fact is that there are people who falsely claim that they didn’t receive their food in order to get a refund.”

The businesses are taking active measures to counter this dirty practice. DoorDash, for example,announcedthat it will require some customers to provide a four-digit code upon receiving their order — mainly targeting those who frequently report problems with their deliveries.

At the Food On Demand conference, restaurant operators expressed frustration over having to issue refunds when they’re not at fault.

“We know there are times that there’s a mess-up on our end where the guest genuinely deserves cash back,”saidSean Thompson, VP of information technology at Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers. “But we know how people have learned to game the system and eat food for free.”

Freddy’s reported that chargebacks are rare in some areas but common in others, with an average of 1.5 to 2 percent of orders resulting in refund requests.

Riskified, a company that provides fraud and chargeback prevention solutions, said that a lot of what we know about food delivery fraud comes from the dark web, where fraudsters brag about their spoils and share tips on how to hustle a hot meal.

Additionally, fraud prevention is somewhat deprioritized because average order values are relatively low. Due to high volume, relatively low values, and easy accessibility, online food is tempting serial fraudsters and random opportunists alike.

People who have read this story are happy that this fraudster got what was coming to them

Comment expressing frustration about people abusing the system.

Comment expressing frustration about customer service experience.

Reddit comment questioning if call centers can hear you while on hold.

Text exchange discussing a 50% reimbursement for an undelivered food order.

Text advising to have a boss listen to recorded calls to understand why a refund request was denied.

Reddit comment humorously questioning hold music privacy, mentioning freestyle raps.

Reddit comment saying, “Ban them until the end of time… and then even longer!

Text comment about manager firing a customer.

Some also shared their own similar stories

Insurance worker overhears a couple’s conversation about a payment denial while on hold.

Screenshot of a Reddit post describing issues with a delivery app and unresolved customer service requests.

Text post discussing experiences with customer complaints and potential store racism issues.

Text describing challenges faced by call center with fraudulent customers and complaint handling.

Text about delivery disputes due to gym equipment sales, affecting shipment approvals, requiring signatures for future deliveries.

Text detailing a woman’s experience with a wrong food delivery order and seeking a refund.

Text describes a woman putting people on hold in debt collection to record their admissions.

Text conversation about a couple’s alleged fraud scheme discussed while on hold.

Text about a call center experience with a humorous take on being on hold and making compliments.

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