[QUOTE=featherlou]
I don’t agree with this at all. We’re not slaves - no job should expect you to sacrifice your basic human right to not be abused. If this is what they are asking of you (to be in a subservient position of having the customer be allowed to treat you badly), then you should not work for them any longer. You say you’re not in a position to find another job, Duffer, but you do have choices, even if you don’t see them right now. Once you make a decision on what you need to do for your health and sanity, the only questions after that are “how.”
[/QUOTE]
I’m with featherlou. No one has the right to, for example, scream so loud that your ears ring afterward (has happened to me), call you a whore b/c they were upset about something you have no control over (also has happened to me), or threaten to come up to the office you work in to hurt you (not me, but happened in the department). When this kind of shit happens in MY call center, I get to lay the smack down, nicely. There is a difference between saying “Fuck you, you stupid customer.” and saying “We cannot continue this conversation if you’re being abusive.” or “I’m sorry. That is all I can do for you. What would you think would be fair in this situation?” or “If you continue to speak like that, I will have to end this call.” Maybe duffer handled it in a less polite way than he could have, but no one deserves to take a beating for a call center paycheck. If it would be verbal abuse outside of work, it is inside too.
I for one grow very weary of people not realizing that I am a person with a family, feelings, and everything else they’ve got except a bad temper.