I work as a tech support guy in a call center, mostly dealing with smartphone problems. For the most part, I’m easygoing at it and, unlike some coworkers, don’t really have a problem with “dumb questions” or people calling us for things we don’t support. It happens.
But it really gets under my skin when people ask me what they should enter into registration forms for services and whatnot. I can’t tell you what your name is. I can’t tell you what your password should be. I certainly can’t tell you your birthdate, social security number, or mother’s maiden name.
It’s doubly maddening when it’s for a service my company isn’t even affiliated with, and I’ve informed somebody of this multiple times. No, I can’t tell you your Facebook password.
I work in an insurance claims office. For reasons unexlained, I brought a steering wheel to work one day. With the proper setup I was able to deliver the pirate punchline, “It’s driving me nuts!”
I recently got my own office. It’s awesome, but the AC doesn’t work properly and it’s always hot in here. I had to buy a big honkin’ fan at my own expense.
Mother getting on an escalator with child in stroller, disregarding the signs saying no strollers.
Me, excuse me but the elevator is just over there.
Mother, No thats OK.
Me, No mam it is not OK your child could get hurt.
Mother, No thats OK.
Me, No it is not your are puttting your child in danger.
Mother, NO THATS OK,
Me, NO ITS IS NOT OK, you see I am the guy who will have to remove the bloody body parts, most common fingers or toes.
Mother, OH.
If you ever have to remove a part of a kids finger or toe or what is left of their shoe with blood on it, then you will understand what I mean.
Or the other one is while work on one entrance door out of a set of 6 the number f people that will try and enter the door your are working on.
Thank God I do not work in the department stores today. What drives me nuts (true a short drive) at work my boss.
People who call 9-1-1 for any one of a thousand stupid reasons.
“Can you give me directions to the closest gas station?”
“Last week, someone at a store downtown yelled at me, and I wanted to report it.”
“I just wanted to make sure my phone was working, and I knew you would answer.”
8 years as a dispatcher/call-taker also taught me that whenever anyone starts out with the words “My emergency is…” there is never a real emergency.
9-1-1 is supposed to be used for life and death emergencies. If most people knew what kind of stuff people called 9-1-1 for, they’d be appalled. And afraid. If I ever need to call for medical attention for anyone I care about, I’ll use the seven digit emergency line for my local fire department. I spent too many years fielding calls to expect my 9-1-1 call to get through in time.
I’d debate the 911 thing. Normally I wouldn’t, but two nights ago I called my police non-emergency number to report a noise complaint, and they forwarded me to 911. I really don’t consider a noise complaint a ‘life-or-death-emergency’, but YMMV, and so did the local police switchboard.
A few years back I got a call from our alarm company that someone had broken in at my place of business. I told them I’d be down in a little while and when they asked what type of car I’d be in (so they could let the police know) I told them I wasn’t sure, but I’d call the police station on my way and let them know.
A few minutes later I was on my way, I called the police station to let them know when I’d be there and what type of car I’d be in. She reamed me out for using 911 to call her…my response (very calmly) “I’ve been in your police station a million times, I know you answer both lines, and just so you know, I called the non-emergency number first, but I got the answering machine, if you want me to use that number from now on, I will, but you need to pick it up…this was my only way of getting a hold of you” (this was after hours)
And since I was about to be pulling into a parking lot full of cops, I’d prefer if they recognized my car when I pulled in, so I did want to get the message to them as to what I’d be driving and when I’d be there.
In fact, a few times, when I’ve had 911 from a different city (from calling on a cell phone) transfer me to that city, they end up getting the answering machine as well.
Might be a regional thing, and dependent upon how busy the dispatch center is in the area. I live and work in a large county. Anyone calling 9-1-1 in my area because their neighbor’s dog is barking or someone is playing the drums is likely to be told that they are keeping someone who is having a heart attack from getting through.
I’m more than a little glad I’m not a dispatcher anymore. It was a thankless job that turned employees into angry, bitter Betties.
That’s the thing with these threads, it all comes down to where you live. For example, in the city of Milwaukee if you call because your house was broken into it could be (literally) hours before anyone shows up. Just a few blocks over, in my city, (as in my above example) if someone breaks into my store, I’ll be met by 4 squads and 5 officers within minutes.
Happens in not-work life, too. I have a housemate who asks what the day, date and/or time is. When I answer her question she always challenges the accuracy of my answer. If you don’t want to hear the answer, then DON’T ASK!
High school juniors and seniors who think the best way to get through life is to be as helpless as possible and blame everyone else. The ones that run to “I didn’t know, no one told me” as their fall back excuse for everything. There are three thousand different types of annoying kids out there and I really enjoy all of them except these.
And whether or not they tend towards or away from common sense in fielding calls. Calling the local police around here after hours or on weekends/holidays gets you forwarded to the local CO Sheriff dispatcher who cannot decipher your location from the display on her screen showing the outdated or conflicting versions of various different street names near your house. This confusion ensues after you give her the street address. Then she takes your number and gives it to the local officer on duty in a squad somewhere while you await his/her callback.
Why don’t they just forward directly to the senior officer on duty, wherever they may be?
But that would be something annoying about their work, not mine.
People who won’t use our library catalog because “I’m computer illiterate.” The only people who are computer illiterate these days are illiterate by choice, though why I have no idea.
It’s a little annoying, when, after you’ve been bagging someone’s groceries in plastic for a transaction, they suddenly demand paper.
I always ask at the beginning of the transaction what the customer wants, but there are certain ones that change their minds halfway through. It kinda slows the whole process down and makes me feel bad for the people behind them in line.
Joey answers phone “Park St Farmers Market”*
Person at other end “Is this…is this the farmers market…the one on park st?”
Yes, that’s why I said that, excuse me while I go put ice picks in my brain.
Honestly, I get three or four of those a day. Why must people call and then not listen. I’ve taken to (and I shouldn’t, I know) to hanging up the phone when I answer it and I can hear them talking to someone else in the room and leaving me sitting there waiting for them, like they didn’t expect me to pick up so quickly.
Oh, and I can’t count how many times I’ve wanted to say “Ya know, you wouldn’t have to ask me to repeat everything if you’d turn the TV down…and your neighbors would probably thank you as well”
*Not the real name
