Sometimes my professionalism is all that saves me.

[Orrex]

Caller: Something's wrong with my system. It's buzzing.
Me: I can help. Press the "Display" button & tell me what it says. It'll beep when you press it.
Caller: (beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep)
Me: Uh, what did you press?
Caller: (beep, beep) The "Display" button, like you said. (beep, beep, beep)
Me: Ok, but just press it once.
Caller: *Sigh* Okay. (beep-beep, beep, beep)
Me: Just once.
Caller: I did.
Me: And what does it say?
Caller: Nothing.
Me: Nothing?
Caller: Yeah. Nothing. (beep, beep, beep-beep)
Me: Well, press it one more time, and tell me if it says anything else.
Caller: (Beep, beep-beep, beep) No, nothing.
Me: That's odd. If it's buzzing, it should say something. It doesn't say anthing?
Caller: Nope. (beep-beep, beep)
Me: The screen is blank?
Caller: *Sigh* It says the battery is low, the phone line is out, and the AC power is off, but other than that, nothing.
Me: ...
Me: Well, I think we may have found the problem.

[BlueJazz]

1. I must heap praise on you. It sometimes takes being a very good actor when you deal with ...

..the public. Your mind is saying: $^%&*# but your mouth and actions say: I like you and you're simply wonderful.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. You are a good person, my dear Orrex.

It's very hard to be professional when you're dealing with an idiot!

[Orrex]

3. Thanks--that's why they pay me the big bucks!

[Wounded Bear]

4. Many, many years ago...

I swore I'd never have job working with the public again.

I was able to do that. Retired now and so, so glad I didn't have to resort to retail or customer service or whatever.

Some can do it, I found I didn't like it in high school.

[mnhtnbb]

5. At least you ARE a person! and not an automated robot

telling press this for this or that for that or return to the main menu and not recognize
what said as the problem.

I was SO frustrated this morning. I opened a store credit card statement this morning to find three fraudulent charges on the card--all the same day (Dec 28)
at Talbot's stores in three different cities. Like I really drove from Asheville to Greensboro to Burlington to buy stuff on sale after Christmas.

First time I called, call back during office hours. Next time, it took me 10 minutes to finally get through to a person, when I gave up trying to get a response
to fraudulent or unauthorized use of the card and just said the card was lost or stolen (it was not, still in my possession). Ten more minutes with that person taking info and then transferring me to the fraud unit, where I waited another 2 minutes for someone to come on the line. FINALLY some action. They will snail mail me (no e-mail) a form
for me to fill out for their "investigation". And I had to tell them twice, no I don't want a new card. I'm not interested in doing this again when they obviously
have a problem keeping credit card info secure.

[Phentex]

6. Yep. Used to be there was at least an option to speak to a representative...

now many of them don't have that option and if you press zero, you can be hung up on "I'm sorry, I don't recognize your response..."


Then I get more frustrated when you get a person, explain the situation and they still have to send you to someone else. Ugh!

[malthaussen]

7. Now imagine having only a rotary phone.

No buttons to press. No way to tell them you have no buttons to press. No "stay on the line and a human will get to you sometime within this century." Just repetition of the menu.

Many automated systems require one to listen to the whole spiel, including advertisements, three times before the "hold on and a real person will talk to you" option comes up, if one exists. So one is forced to listen to these canned menus several times, and hope there is a human to talk to eventually. If not... well, fortunately we still have the U.S. Mail. But that will be gone, too, if the conservatives get their way.

I understand this is called "customer service."

-- Mal

[Skittles]

9. you should cancel that card

[underahedgerow]

8. P.I.C.N.I.C. Problem In Chair, Not In Computer.

IT anacronyms.

[Skittles]

10. ID10T error

yes INDEED