Contention in Middle Eastern culture

It’s odd, but the way Iran responded reminds me of an altercation I has with a gas station manager. I was overcharged and went back to get a refund. The manager demanded the return of the items, and after I explained the ice cream was no longer returnable, he would only concede to refund the difference in price. Given the obvious injustice of being overcharged, and having made multiple special trips to the station to get the refund, I demanded a full refund (similar to the policy they have at grocery stores). Rather than handle it professionally, the manager proceeded to yell things like, "I don’t want your business! Go to Kroger across street!" – in front of a line of customers.

In any case, back to the point at hand: Is there something in Middle Eastern culture which conflicts with customer service? You know, sympathize with the customer, try to keep their business even if it means refunding the cost of an ice cream bar, etc. It may be an incorrect generalization, but it seems there is something either offensive in that culture about taking an issue to a manager (maybe it was because I was young?), or they just tend to deal with things in a more … contentious manner (e.g., the political situation above).