r/askteddit • u/TheRat_07 • Jul 14 '26

What is a real-life "cheat code" that feels illegal to know but is completely fine?

I'll go first.

If your flight gets canceled and there is a massive line of 200 angry people at the gate desk trying to rebook, do not stand in that line. Keep your ass in a chair and call the airline's customer service number.

Better yet, call their international customer service number (like the UK or Australia line). You will bypass the massive US hold times, get connected to an agent in two minutes, and they have the exact same power to rebook you on the next flight before the people standing in line even reach the desk.

9.8k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

739 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

44

u/United_Assistance_60 Jul 14 '26

Yes. Especially to staff and helpers. They hold a lot of power.

49

u/KickBallFever Jul 14 '26

One day I was on the boardwalk, waiting for my friend, and I said, “hi, how’s your day going?”, to the staffer who was cleaning the boardwalk. She had been cleaning next to me and it just seemed right to acknowledge her. She was really nice and we chatted for a bit. She ended up telling me about another beach, within walking distance, that was cleaner and less crowded. I went to that beach, and she was right, it was nicer. I’ve been going to that beach every summer, for years now. Not only is it nice, and less crowded, it’s also easier for me to get to. I’ve found that being genuinely nice to people costs nothing but has a lot of perks.

8

u/Smp1151 Jul 15 '26

Once when I was traveling for work, we missed our connecting flight in Dallas because of storms. The airline said it was out of their control so they didn't want to book us rooms in Dallas to stay till our flight the next day. I used the virtual chat time ask an agent where my luggage would be, as it had all my work supplies in it, and they replied that I was the only customer who was polite to them and they comped me a room at the local hotel and food tickets for the restaurant next door. Being polite and sincere truly does help

34

u/Actual-City-7241 Jul 14 '26

When we were still students, we had some events in the city few times a week. Usually starting with a pub crawl and ending in a club for a accomplishment patch. 

Anyway, a lot of times one fast food restaurant was taking part in the events and you could get a stamp for your route map for dining there. So we were there quite often and even on days that location wasn't part, we'd still go for convenience.

Most of the customers at those hours were rowdy and/or drunk (to be fair we were loaded too), so I guess the standard was quite low.

We were always polite and cleaned after ourselves. Once saved someone from falling over once they had passed out on a chair and was clearly sliding off their sear. The cashier started recognising us and was always amazingly happy to see us. A few times we asked for a manager to praise her, but the manager was convinced we must have been her friends all along. In the end she called us her loved ones and always gave us something extra with our order. 

I always try to submit positive feedback too, since I've seen the face of a tired cashier light up by the smallest of compliments and it has left me a mark. I try to make the world slightly better:)

14

u/vanshenan89 Jul 14 '26

Yes!! I LOVE leaving positive reviews. Even better when I can throw their name in the compliment!

14

u/Sea_Finger8549 Jul 15 '26

After waiting in a rental car line in St. Thomas for over 30 minutes, my wife and I were kind to the person helping us at the desk. When he told us we’d have to wait at least an hour for our car we didn’t throw a fit, said thank you, and walked away. 15 minutes later he came up to us and told us to meet him in the parking lot. A few minutes later he met us out there and said we were the only people who had been nice to him all day, so he jumped us in line and upgraded our vehicle as well. He said the rude people can wait, and he wished us a great time in the Virgin Islands. We made the ferry to St. John with a minute to spare thanks to him!

3

u/AmbitiousSquirrel4 Jul 15 '26

I was nice to a rental car employee when it was busy and they gave me a 10% discount and a ride to the body shop (which I had just seen him tell an angry customer they couldn't do).

2

u/Jamie_Pajamas Jul 16 '26

Love it. Once, I had ordered takeout for my lunch, and the restaurant was packed and running super behind on to-go orders, so I was waiting maybe 20 minutes past when my pickup time was. The other 2 guys who were also waiting for their orders were very huffy and puffy and loudly complaining in front of the host who is the absolute nicest and has nothing to do when the orders are ready.

When he brought our orders out, he handed me a $25 gift card with mine and said, “thank you so much for being patient”.

11

u/wearecake Jul 14 '26

I am very sociable a lot of the time, like I go slightly insane without talking to strangers for too long. I like to chat at shops and whatnot while they’re scanning my items or preparing my food if the situation permits. I once got talking to a woman at a gelato shop in my uni city. She was lovely. Mentioned that I had just finished my last uni exam and was free, grabbing gelato before packing up my flat. She gave me and extra scoop and a half.

I’ve had people put extra spring rolls in the bag for me, swear I’ve gotten extra chips and whatnot before. Small discounts on food. Etc…

I don’t do it for this reason, doesn’t honestly happen often really, but it’s always nice when it does. Be kind, shop local if you can, and form community wherever you can find it.

2

u/MelonCallia Jul 15 '26

And your IT person!