When “I Need a REAL Employee!” Backfires: A Tale of Malicious Compliance at the Bank
If you’ve ever worked in customer service, you’ll know the unique pain of being dismissed as “just a newbie”—especially when you’re the most experienced person in the room. Today’s story from Reddit’s r/MaliciousCompliance is a masterclass in letting rude customers dig their own holes, complete with a healthy serving of petty satisfaction for anyone who’s ever been told, “I want to talk to someone else.”
Meet our hero, a seasoned bank administrator who knows the ins and outs of withdrawals, policies, and—most importantly—how to keep calm when a customer’s patience runs thin. The antagonist? A customer convinced she could bend the rules with just enough attitude and a demand for someone “more experienced.” Spoiler alert: It didn’t go her way.
How to Lose an Hour at the Bank—The Hard Way
Our Reddit storyteller, u/iwantshortnick, sets the scene: a busy bank office, where he’s responsible for guiding clients through withdrawals, ATM usage, and navigating the labyrinthine world of banking procedures. Enter “CUSTOMER,” who needs to withdraw a jaw-dropping 600,000 units of local currency. (That’s a lot of zeroes—enough to make any teller sweat.)
The rules are clear: for security, a big withdrawal like that requires five days’ advance notice. But there are options—150,000 can be withdrawn instantly, 300,000 more if she’s willing to pay a fee, or she can wait until the next day when her ATM limit refreshes and take out the lot for free.
CUSTOMER, however, isn’t having it. Despite the logical explanation, she demands to see someone with “more experience.” Little does she know, she’s just brushed off the resident expert.
Malicious Compliance: The Art of Letting Karma Do Its Thing
Here’s where the magic happens. Our hero obliges, hands over a queue number, and watches as CUSTOMER waits her turn. She lands at the desk of “Eve,” the newest employee, barely a month into the job. What follows is a slow-motion trainwreck of identification checks, procedural confusion, and—inevitably—a call for help... back to our original administrator.
But in the true spirit of malicious compliance, he politely refuses: after all, CUSTOMER insisted on someone else. Now, Eve is left to fumble through the same policies, typing frantic messages in the work chat for guidance, while CUSTOMER grows more frustrated by the second.
Still unsatisfied, CUSTOMER escalates to the manager, waiting another 20 minutes for the same answer she could have gotten (for free!) nearly an hour earlier. By the time she storms out, she’s wasted almost 60 minutes—plus her dignity—just to hear exactly what she was told at the very start.
Customer Service Lessons—With a Side of Schadenfreude
Let’s break down why this story resonates:
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The “I Want Someone Else” Trap: It’s a classic! Customers sometimes believe that managers or “more experienced” staff can magically override policies. In reality, most front-line staff already know the rules—and are usually trying to help you avoid unnecessary hassle and fees.
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Respect the Experts: Just because someone isn’t the manager doesn’t mean they lack expertise. In this case, the administrator was the true operational whiz, while even the manager simply echoed his advice.
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Malicious Compliance Is a Double-Edged Sword: There’s a certain satisfaction in watching a rude customer waste their own time. It’s not about being petty—it’s about giving them what they asked for, good and hard.
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Patience Saves Time (and Face): A little listening upfront could have saved CUSTOMER an hour of frustration, three office staff members’ time, and a walk of shame out of the bank.
What Would You Have Done?
If you’ve ever worked in a bank, retail, or any customer-facing job, you probably have your own tales of customers convinced they know better. Have you ever been the “nobody” who turned out to be the real expert? Or the manager who could only repeat what your staff already said?
Share your stories in the comments! Let’s celebrate the unsung heroes of customer service who handle tantrums with grace—and maybe, just maybe, enjoy a tiny bit of malicious compliance when the moment calls for it.
Next time you’re in a bank, remember: the person helping you just might know exactly what they’re doing—and could save you both time and trouble if you let them.
TL;DR: Be nice to your bank staff. Otherwise, you might end up spending your lunch break learning what you could have known in five minutes.
Original Reddit Post: Rude client wasted almost 1 hour to hear same info I told her already from different employee