Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Wha?

Has anyone else ever had this problem?

I work at a small company and, among other things, I answer the phones and route all calls from the main line. A few months ago I got a call from a telemarketer (you know how you can hear that they are calling from a giant room with other telemarketers around them talking on the phone?).
Anyway, he asked me for someone who's name I did not recognize and I told him there was no one by that name at our company. Then he was all "well, maybe it's his wife." ???? And kept pushing me to find someone who I had no idea about. So I asked him "Who's calling please" because maybe I could figure out where to route him so he could be better helped. And he said "Well, who are you?"

???

WHA????

And this went around in circles until he finally mumbled his supposed name (Jerkface McBoogers, I presume) and of course I couldn't hear him and asked him to please spell it and he said "It's spelled exactly how you spell you name. WHAT IS YOUR NAME?"

Uh. So I transferred him off to someone who is way better at dealing with jerks and she told him off and to not call back. End of story, right? RIGHT?

NO.

I got a call just now from a telemarketer who asked me for another person I didn't know of. Usually when I tell a telemarketer I don't know who they are asking about, that is the end of things because they realize they will not get anywhere. But no. This guy got pushy with me and then was all "Who are you". At which point I realized who I was dealing with (why did he call again!) and responded "Who's calling please?" because, really, any legitimate person is going to identify themselves, right?

This went around in circles for a while until he blew up at me and YELLED (seriously, he actually yelled) "OH, COME ON!!!! BLAH BLAH SOMETHING SOMETHING..." Bitch, please.

I disconnected him.

Now I realize that I may be getting a call from this idiot every few months.


My question to you is:

What the hell is he doing?! Does this creepy-aggressive routine really work on people? Is that the best way to do business? What makes me the MOST angry is that I get the feeling that these scary intimidation tactics are how he approaches the people he calls if they are women. Like I'm stupid enough to transfer him to the president of the company when he won't even identify himself just because he yells at me. Which makes me wonder how he treats the women in his real life, assuming there are any (Probably not!). And all this makes me feel very Second-Wave Feminist and I also want to smash his sexist face down hard. But as he never tells me WHO THE HELL HE IS or WHAT THE HELL COMPANY HE WORK FOR I cannot GET HIS ASS FIRED for being an incompetent boob.

Crafting post to come, I swear.

4 comments:

julie said...

http://jezebel.com/5050790/hey-ladies-know-your-money-know-your-limits

Anonymous said...

When he turns around and asks who you are...thats just wierd!!
Here if you enter a contest at a mall for like a car or something you get rung months later by a woman whose accent you can't understand saying you have the opportunity to buy into a time share and whats your income? Then she tells me I don't earn enough and thanks for my time. WTF is up with these phone wierdos?? At least its nice to know its international.

Anonymous said...

Years ago I had a boss, a woman, who I observed answering the phone and barely responding, just hanging up. It was some such bogus call and she just re-cradled the phone without a further word once she knew the game afoot. I felt shock--no polite words, no gentile pulling away, just 'click.' Not the way I was brought up. Now I've come to respect her approach--not wasting precious energy.

I recognize that this woman was the boss, doesn't have to answer to anyone and patience isn't part of her job description.

Anonymous said...

<3