'Karens for Hire' will do your dirty work for you

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An army of “Karens” is assembling in Pittsburgh to shoulder your next hassle.

From shifty car mechanics to arrogant airlines to outrageous Airbnbs, Karens for Hire will make the assertive phone calls and send strongly worded emails so you don’t have to. 

No consumer grievance is too petty. No hold music is too mind-numbing.

CEO Fallon Zecca and COO Chris Grimm say they’re turning Karenism into a force for good.

I talked to them about the new venture, how it works, what it costs, and what they won’t do. 

Our conversation has been edited for clarity and length.

PA Local: First question: Is this real? 

Zecca: Yes, this is very real. We launched a few months ago. 

PA Local: How do you know each other? 

Zecca: We’re partners. We’ve also had a couple of small business ventures together, mostly real estate stuff.  

PA Local: Are you 'Karens'?

Grimm: We’ve both had jobs before where we had to be that person — and not because we didn’t get, you know, enough ice in a drink. … This is about being assertive because you know something is wrong, like, 'You say your company does this but you’re doing that.' 

You need to get what you paid for and you need to be taken care of properly. Fair is fair. And I’m always looking for a good argument. 

PA Local: Are you rude? 

Grimm: We don’t go in there screaming. We’re not rude or condescending. We’re professional. We have a motto from that movie Road House: 'We’re nice until it’s time to not be nice.' 

Sometimes when we get pushback I’ll say 'Listen, you frustrated someone to the point that they’re now paying me to talk to you.'

PA Local: What won’t you do? 

Zecca: Nothing illegal. We’re not going to be hateful. 

Grimm: We’ve received some dark requests. 

PA Local: Can you tell me about them? 

Zecca: One person wanted us to make someone’s life miserable because that person slashed their tires or something and that was a no.

Grimm: Somebody wanted us to confront a person because of a lawn issue. A few people wanted us to act like intimidators, and we’re not here to create more problems. We might give them advice, like, have you ever just gone to the person and said: 'You know, this is why I can’t cut my grass every week, can you stop calling the cops?' Sometimes we’re just mediators.

If we’re getting revenge it’s against corporations by blasting them on social media. And if they lose clients because of that or someone decides to go to another auto dealership, I feel that’s fair.

PA Local: Do you have any legal training?

Grimm: We’re not attorneys and we don’t give legal advice, but we consult with attorneys.

Zecca: We’re upfront with people and tell them we’re sorry but we can’t help with this issue. 

PA Local: How much does the service cost? 

Zecca: Our average is around $50 but it depends on the size of the ask.

PA Local: How many 'Karens' are there in addition to you two?  

Grimm: We have, I guess you’d call it freelancers on staff, but we want to keep the number to ourselves because we think a little mystery works to our advantage when we’re going up against some of the larger places and companies. 

PA Local: Do any of the businesses you’re talking to think this is made up? 

Zecca: I sent an email for a client to a restaurant chain in Los Angeles (apparently word is getting out) and it came back in all caps reading 'Karens for Hire?!??! Geez Louise.'

—Colin Deppen, Spotlight PA 

Dwarf ginseng at Prince Gallitzin State Park in Cambria County, via Don H. Have a pic you'd like the whole state to see? Send it to us by email, use #PAGems on Instagram, or tag us @spotlightpennsylvania.