# Why do people.... \[perplexities from work\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 27, 2008, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-perplexities-from-work/469780 "2008-10-27T16:19:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Basandre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@Basandre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Basandre)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-perplexities-from-work/469780/21 "2008-10-27T20:46:25Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > I’ve got one since there’s a bank type person in the thread. > > Why do cash deposits post immediately to my account while checks wait until midnight or even the next night? > > When I can, and have, cashed a check only to turn around and immediately deposit it. That seems needlessly time consuming for both the teller and myself. Having worked at two banks, each with different processes for this, I can tell you that it probably depends on the bank, but when I worked at a big, national bank with branches all over, the way you describe it is the way we worked. The reason checks weren’t credited right away is that they got sent to a processing center for more processing - as far as I know, they were credited once that place was finished with them. That same processing that gets done on a deposited check before it gets credited will be done on the cashed check _after_ its been cashed, which means that if something is wrong, instead of not having prospective money, you have actual money taken out of your account, to cover for the money you were given when you cashed it. The bank I work for now is a small, local bank, and likes to project an image of being friendly. Our processing is done by people in back offices of the same building I’m in, continously throughout the day. Check deposits are credited immediately just like cash deposits, possibly because it fits the image (“We trust our customers instead of treating you like a number!”, that sort of thing). ---
**Author:** ![Emergency911](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/43a26b/32.png) [@Emergency911](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emergency911)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-perplexities-from-work/469780/22 "2008-10-27T21:04:00Z")
> [@XJETGIRLX](#): > > You could always ask, “Can you give me this cell phone number?” for some reason they still want to preface with , “I’m on my cell phone”. ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2008, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-perplexities-from-work/469780/23 "2008-10-27T21:18:09Z")
Remember the “Check 21” big deal from a few years ago? I thought that allowed instant verification and instant crediting of checks. I don’'t see a change at all. ---
**Author:** ![Rack-a-Bones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rack-a-Bones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rack-a-Bones)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2008, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-perplexities-from-work/469780/24 "2008-10-28T00:18:23Z")
> [@Emergency911](#): > > People calling 911 to tell me that they had a wreck on the highway. When I **ask for the phone number they are calling me from** and they say, “well it’s my cell phone…” 😕 REALLY? And here I thought you had a really long phone line for your house phone. (I know this may sound petty, but after a hundred + calls like this a day…it’s irritating.) Huh? Doesn’t your fancy display tell you what number they are calling from? A couple of times I’ve called 911, thought better of it and hung up. In every instance I was called back. The time I called from my cell phone they already knew it was a cell phone and asked for my location. ---
**Author:** ![PastAllReason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2008, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-perplexities-from-work/469780/25 "2008-10-28T02:26:10Z")
> [@Emergency911](#): > > for some reason they still want to preface with , “I’m on my cell phone”. This isn’t intended snarkily, but I think you’re discounting the fact that you are receiving calls from people who are calling in a heightened stress state. Better that they be telling you a bit of extraneous information than not telling you enough. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2008, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-perplexities-from-work/469780/26 "2008-10-28T02:46:38Z")
> [@PastAllReason](#): > > This isn’t intended snarkily, but I think you’re discounting the fact that you are receiving calls from people who are calling in a heightened stress state. Better that they be telling you a bit of extraneous information than not telling you enough. My first thought was this: According to my layperson’s knowledge of how 911 works, the dispatcher can determine my location by landline but not from a cell phone. I’m visualizing the dispatcher attempting to do a search after punching in the number I give, so I would be trying to save time by telling him or her that I’m only on a cell phone. And yes, my car just crashed and my husband is unconscious and bleeding, so I’m not really at my analytical best, and whether I’m irritating the dispatcher with “dumb” statements isn’t my top concern right now. I hope the dispatcher will be patient and reassuring even if I say something nonsensical. ---
**Author:** ![quilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/839c29/32.png) [@quilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quilter)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2008, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-perplexities-from-work/469780/27 "2008-10-28T02:55:09Z")
> [@Booker57](#): > > If you need to get a part for your car, you should know what type it is. Year, make, model. > Not that hard is it. And from the other end, if I give you year, make, model, please don’t try to convince me that my car doesn’t exist. I drive a 2004 Subaru Outback sedan. Yes, I know that Subaru makes Legacy sedans. My car doesn’t have the Legacy mark anywhere on it. Yes, I know that Outback sedans are rare (or don’t exist, according to some people). Heck, the windshield wiper blade company’s “choose the correct blade” thingie is willing to believe that Outback sedans existed briefly – so why does the auto parts store give me grief when I want to buy a new headlamp? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2008, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-perplexities-from-work/469780/28 "2008-10-28T03:00:42Z")
> [@Basandre](#): > > Why do people hold back a bunch of related transactions and give them to the teller one at a time, instead of giving them all to the teller at once? Often the order they dole them out is a needlessly difficult order to do them in. Conversely, why, when I go to exchange an item which is broken or the wrong size, and I want to get exactly the same item, does the store insist on making me return the item, credit the amount back to my credit card, then purchase the new item, rather than just saying, “Okay, here.”? Isn’t that a needlessly difficult order to do it in? ---
**Author:** ![quilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/839c29/32.png) [@quilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quilter)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2008, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-perplexities-from-work/469780/29 "2008-10-28T03:04:09Z")
My apologies. I missed the edit window when I tried to delete my response. While relevant – perhaps only to me – it wasn’t in the spirit of the OP’s request. ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2008, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-perplexities-from-work/469780/30 "2008-10-28T03:26:04Z")
You want a $30000 car with a $300 payment for 60 months? Great, I just need about $15000 down. Hmmm? You don’t have any downpayment except for your trade which you are upside down $5000 in? How exactly did you want me to accomplish that? Now you need $20000 down for a $300 payment. No I can’t just make it $300. I can’t just make it anything other than what it is. This happens every. single. day. It still confounds me that otherwise intelligent people have no clue how car payments are calculated, and are genuinely suprised when I suggest they put some money down or take a look at extended terms or perhaps look at a less expensive vehicle to get them in their budget range. It’s just math! ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2008, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-perplexities-from-work/469780/31 "2008-10-28T03:56:32Z")
> [@Mach Tuck](#): > > Why do people who know their business extremely well because they deal with it every day expect those who don’t to know all the ins-and-outs just as well? As a corollary, why do people who do not know the business at all call me (the one who knows it extremely well) with problems and not believe the answers that I give? I’m the one who works the business day in and day out. I know all the SOPs along with which ones can be bent or broken and in what situations. I am really not making you jump through hoops because I like to have you scream at me for 20 minutes. Trust me, I’d rather be spending my time surfing the Dope. ---
**Author:** ![stanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@stanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stanger)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2008, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-perplexities-from-work/469780/32 "2008-10-28T04:07:39Z")
Individually, these are minor rants, but I go through this almost every single day, year after year … 1. When we talked about shipping me your parts for rebuilding, I specifically mentioned to include a note with a return address and phone number. When the parts come in, there is no note. The shipping label shows it was sent by a Mailboxes Etc or a UPS Store, so I still don’t have any idea who the parts belong to. When you finally call to check on your parts, don’t be surprised that they haven’t been shipped back to you yet. 2. When I am getting credit card information from you over the phone, why are you so surprised when I ask for your phone number? I tell you that I may need to contact you if there is a backorder, or your card information is wrong, or the card doesn’t go through. All I have is your shipping address. If there is a problem, do you want me to mail you a letter? 3. When you call and leave a message on my answering machine, and want me to call you back, please leave your phone number. Not everyone has Caller ID, so you you don’t leave a number, I have no idea who “Mario in Oregon” is. 4. When you call asking me about parts for your car, yes, I expect you to know the year model and other significant information. If you don’t know the exact year of your car, I might be able to determine what part you need if I know what engine you have. Hmm, don’t know that either? OK, can you tell me if it is a standard or automatic transmission car? You don’t know? You drive this car and don’t know if it is manual or automatic? 5. I have a business doing a service that only a handful of people in the country do. I am rather an expert in this particular market. If you call me for advice or information, do not continue to argue with me when I don’t give you the answer you want. I will carefully explain to you why my information is correct, but if you think the kid down at AutoZone knows more than I do, why don’t you take your problem to him? 6. Sorry, but if major steering components have broken and fallen off of your 30 year old car, I do not have a solution how you can fix it for $50. I can’t tell you what is wrong and how much it will cost to repair unless I have it here in my shop. Yes, sir, I realize that those parts are no longer available from the dealer or an auto parts store - that is why I am in business. 7. I will be glad to help you with questions over the phone, but I cannot always diagnose every problem that way. No, I don’t know what could have broken inside the unit. No, I can’t really say what the problem is from your description. Maybe if you hold it up closer to the phone I can see it better … ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2008, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-perplexities-from-work/469780/33 "2008-10-28T08:54:52Z")
> [@XJETGIRLX](#): > > Aren’t deposits always processed after withdrawals though? So even if I gave you a deposit first, if I had a withdrawal on the same day, the withdrawal would show up first on my bank statement? That’s the way most banks I’ve worked with do it, so it seems understandable to me that someone would present them in that order. But then again, I would probably at least ask to make sure. It depends on whether your banks’ procedures were written by a human being or by a sonabitch. I’ve been in the situation of getting my salary and two bills on the same day: one check got paid (put me in red, for which I got charged)), the second was bounced (another charge, plus I had to fix it), then the salary was put in (back into four black figures). Most of the banks I’ve worked with would have done the deposit first, though. ---
**Author:** ![WPA-Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a6a055/32.png) [@WPA-Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WPA-Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2008, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-perplexities-from-work/469780/34 "2008-10-28T14:17:39Z")
> [@Mach Tuck](#): > > Why do people who know their business extremely well because they deal with it every day expect those who don’t to know all the ins-and-outs just as well? Since I am the paying customer, why isn’t your business set up to make my life easier? You are in business because of me. ---
**Author:** ![rhythmonly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee59a6/32.png) [@rhythmonly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhythmonly)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2008, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-perplexities-from-work/469780/35 "2008-10-28T16:33:12Z")
Ladies and gentlemen, we haaaaaavvvve a winner! ---
**Author:** ![runcible\_spoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc29f/32.png) [@runcible\_spoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runcible_spoon)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2008, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-perplexities-from-work/469780/36 "2008-10-28T21:30:54Z")
> [@Cyros](#): > > As a corollary, why do people who do not know the business at all call me (the one who knows it extremely well) with problems and not believe the answers that I give? I’m the one who works the business day in and day out. I know all the SOPs along with which ones can be bent or broken and in what situations. I am really not making you jump through hoops because I like to have you scream at me for 20 minutes. Trust me, I’d rather be spending my time surfing the Dope. Allow me to play devil’s advocate for a moment… I think some of this can come from the customer not knowing terminology as well as the expert. I’ve often acted far, far denser than I like to think I am, because I can’t really parse what the expert’s telling me, and I don’t necessarily know what questions to ask to get up to speed. For instance, when I was taking the GRE’s, I wanted to send scores to a few different schools. All of the school websites I went to gave Institution codes, some of them gave Department codes, and I think a couple gave Faculty codes as well. Of course, when I got to the testing center, I wanted to know what I needed, and if I could take it in with me. Well, as it turns out a) you can’t take anything into the testing room with you, and b) it doesn’t matter, because you pick schools from a list, anyways. So there I am asking if I need my Faculty code, and the lady working there is looking at me like I have three eyes because Faculty code isn’t anything they’ve ever heard of (it’s Department code, the school was just weird), and I’m thinking whaddayamean I don’t need the code? Why’d they give it to me if I don’t need it? And that was five minutes of my life, and I want them back… Never mind, I would have just wasted them anyway… ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2008, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-perplexities-from-work/469780/37 "2008-10-28T23:31:35Z")
> [@Basandre](#): > > Why do people hold back a bunch of related transactions and give them to the teller one at a time, instead of giving them all to the teller at once? I find this happens in any situation where there are multiple things to deal with and the service provider does not give any clear indications of how they want to handle the situation. For example, at the deli counter. In general I’ll only try to do two or three items at one time, because I assume the other person is not going to be able to remember more than that. Sometimes if I know there’s too much to dictate at one time I’ll warn them first “I have 5 things to deal with today” and let them indicate how they want to deal with it. As a service provider, if I was worried about this, I would consistently ask “is that your only transaction today?” before proceeding. > [@Basandre](#): > > Why do people in a drive-through all line up in one line, usually the line immediately next to the building? We have three other lanes and a walk-up window, and idle tellers, while the cars go through one … at … a … time. How does this work? Do you have one of those pneumatic cylinders? Best solution for this is better signage to make it clear which lanes are open and for what purpose. But in general people are sheep. If they see a long line and an empty lane, they’ll assume the people on the long line know something about the empty lane that they don’t (maybe it’s not open). They’d rather wait on the line then go in an empty one and find out it’s not open and have to circle back around. > [@Basandre](#): > > Why do people, when asked for an ID at a bank, respond with “I’ve been banking here for 50 years!” (Do I even look 50? I’m 27.) It’s not about how old you are. It’s about that in the last 50 years, you’re the first to bother them about an ID. You’re messing with their routine and throwing their universe into chaos and unpredictability. If you can’t be secure in your banking routine, what in this precious world can we consider safe? > [@Basandre](#): > > Why do people so rarely listen to what I tell them when they need some kind of special endorsement on a check? Once you get past seven or so words, only the key words are retained in memory. Best to write down an example for them. If they screw up but the bank still accepts it, then they have no motivation for paying attention. If the bank will make a big deal out of it, try using a buzz word like “mandatory”. > [@Basandre](#): > > Yeah, I’m not really looking for answers. What do your customers or co-workers do that’s just perplexing? I never understood why customers would wait until the order is completely rung up to start opening their purse and looking for their credit card or cash. Or why, given change, they wouldn’t move away from the counter to put it all away nicely. Not really workplace related, but I don’t understand why people honk most of the time. If someone is an asshole, they deserve a big honk, and if someone doesn’t notice the light is changing, a toot is fine. But if traffic isn’t moving, your horn is not going to have some magical power to eliminate whatever obstruction or delay there is. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-perplexities-from-work/469780/38 "2008-10-29T10:55:39Z")
I have never seen a drive-thru bank. I can’t even imagine it. So I sit here stupefied into silence. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-perplexities-from-work/469780/39 "2008-10-29T11:10:18Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I have never seen a drive-thru bank. I can’t even imagine it. So I sit here stupefied into silence. There used to be one in Cheltenham (Melbourne) a few years back, I think it was the ANZ…dunno if it’s still operational or not. Never saw anyone actually USE it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2008, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-perplexities-from-work/469780/40 "2008-10-29T11:48:14Z")
> [@Mach Tuck](#): > > Sure, you’re allowed to wonder. But it was that example in your OP that rang a bell with me, so I commented. I used to be a teacher, and it’s often a big no-no in that profession to assume knowledge on someone else’s part. > > I realize you’re not a teacher, so I don’t mean to hold you to an unreasonable standard. But I notice this sort of thing a lot, and it annoys me. People who are very good at their jobs (which I’m sure you are) sometimes lose perspective when the non-anointed slow them down in some way. > > To be sure, some customers are morons. But it really irks me when someone is simply ignorant (in the literal, non-pejorative sense of the word), and is then treated rudely for not knowing the drill. > > Not saying you’re doing that, just remarking. Word. Last week I found myself in the airport at Frankfort, Germany on a several hour layover. It’s a huge and weird airport. At some point I decided to find a lounge somewhere near the gates where my next flight would be and so I walked down a few halls, carefully observing any “do not enter” signs and ropes along the way. I didn’t find what I wanted and started walking back in the nice big hallway. I was all alone at this point in the hallway. Then some older airport guy said to me “You can’t go this way. You have to go there…” and motioned vaguely to an unknown part of the airport. I looked at him, puzzled, and said something like “But I just came from here a second ago. What is over there?” Another guy off to the side immediately said in a rude tone, “You heard the man. Go through security. Over there. Don’t you listen?” He then turned to the first guy and laughed as he said something about “sometimes I think we should have cattle prods here…” Now I did exactly what he said and entered a strange room where there was a security checkpoint that (in my mind) had no business being there. I was in the secure part of the airports and still had to cross yet another checkpoint anyway at the gates, so this one was just baffling to me. I then was let out on the other side of the rude fellow. You see my problem? I had no clue about the layout of the Frankfurt airport, the security policies, and I thought I just strolled down a big hall and turned back. There were no signs telling me not to turn back though all of the other security areas had clear signage. This one had nothing. Just a guy telling me to go in a room off to the side. Can’t I be clueless without receiving rudeness? Just because they had to say the same thing to a thousand people per day doesn’t make each individual an idiot or stupid or any less than an average person. We all encounter places where the workers know things inside and out, and everything is obvious to them, but we are just bumbling about. Workers shouldn’t yell at folks because they are tired of dealing with people who don’t have prior knowledge of the place of business. Boy did that guy’s attitude get me upset, but I fought the urge to even kindly defend my point, since I try to avoid annoying airport security in a foreign land. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-perplexities-from-work/469780.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-perplexities-from-work/469780.md?page=3)