Tweet
Oh the phone. How I hate you. I understand that you, little piece of metal and plastic are not responsible for the idiots on the other end of the connection... but you represent them, and thus, I have begun to resent you.
A couple quick blips
The Microsoft announcement has just ended, the XB1 has been announced! We have our e-mail summaries, etc etc. Literally 1. freaking. minute. after the announcement, our phone starts to ring.
*GameStore Approved Greeting*
RP1(Random person 1) "Hi, I'd like to buy the XB1."
Me (
): "Well, the announcement just ended, so I'm afraid that we can't sell you a console who's existance was just confirmed..."
RP1: *exasperated sigh* "Then I'd like to PREORDER the XB1"
Me: "The best I can do for you right now is put you on the first to know list if you have a *company rewards card*
RP1: *grumbling noises* "Nevermind then."
3 minutes later
Me: *GSAG*
RP2: "Hi, I'd like to preorder the XB1!!!"
Me: "....I'm afraid all I can do is put you on the first to know list until there's more information..."
this continues for the next hour. In a sudden and recent twist though, a frequent greeting to us at the store has become "MAN F**K THE XB1, AMIRIGHT?" and "So you think GameStore is even gonna sell the XB1?"
A winner is me!
Failed Prank Caller (FPC)
Me
FPC *fairly normal conversation about prices on games and such* when suddenly "Oh, yeah, can you tell me when Battletoads comes out?"
(for those who don't work at a GameStore, this is a long running prank call (due to the fact that there was once, for a very long while, exactly 1 copy of Battletoads in GS circulation, somewhere in arizona), which, oddly enough, actually started at my old store.
Me: *bored, calm voice* "Actually, Battletoads has sold out due to insanely high demand, and a raging group of gamers burned down the factory, so no, I'm afraid I can't."
FPC: "... you know, when I bring that up to other GSemployees they scream and curse at me."
Me: "Eh... heard to much of it."
FPC: "Well... congrats on being the calmest GS employee I've heard?"
A second side note. The prank caller thing is actually so frequent that there's an official corp policy on it, which is "don't do anything that gets us in the news, but so long as there's no custies elsewhere...."
Cranky Customer Creates Corporate Character Charade
CC (Cranky Customer)
CC comes in and stands uncomfortably close to where I'm checking out another customer, staring at me the entire time. Once I'm done, I turn to him.
Me: "Yes?"
CC: *holds out buy two get one free coupon* "I want to know if I can use this."
Me:
"Sure? It'll work on any of our preowned games and accessories" *gestures at our walls*
CC: *stares at walls for a minute* "No. I meant... on the games I've already bought."
(When a customer signs up for our Company rewards card, they get a buy 2 get 1 free coupon about 2 days later. Our 'whatever' return policy is 7 days, so at our store we tend to be nice and if they bring in their receipt, we'll use it for any games they bought that day, since there's nothing to stop a smart customer from doing this anyway. We've even stretched it out to a month in one occasion but that's pushing it and we might get a call from corp for doing anything beyond that)
Me: "Do you have your receipt?"
CC: *stares at me like I'm insane* "No, why would I have that?"
Me: "I need your receipt to do the return..."
CC: "You should be able to do it off my card" *waves card and coupon at me*
Me: *twitch* "Well... I'll see what I can do..." I am SOMETIMES able to do this. However, according to corporate policy, we need to see the games for this to work, which he has not brought in.
*checks files, twitches again*
"Well sir, you have one game on here that's eligible for you to use on that." (one game inside the 7 day policy. The other games on there? at least 3 months old, FAR, FAR outside of our return policy, there's also pretty good evidence that he sold one back to us)
CC: *stares blankly* "NO. I want to use it on the games I've already bought"
Me: (nnnggghhhhhhhhhhhhh) "I'm sorry sir, I'm afraid the most I can do is use *blah game* on your next purchase, the others are too far outside of corporate policy, and without your receipt and the games I can't use them..."
CC: "That's not what they told me!"
Me: *I'm dead certain that's what they told you, since 2-3 months ago we printed out the instructions to put on the cards, and we weren't training anyone new* "I'm sorry about that sir"
CC: *now marching towards the door* "THAT'S NOT WHAT I HEARD." *mumbles something*
Cool Regular who's been there all day trying to decide which version of a handheld he wants "What... the heck."
15 minutes later.
Phone call comes in
*GSAG*
?? "Hi, this is GS Corporate customer concerns desk, I understand you had a customer who just tried to use a coupon and couldn't?"
Me: *FML, corp usually sides with the customer, but I stayed within policy!* "Yes, he was trying to use it on an uneligible game."
??: "In what way?"
Me: *states return policy, states coupon policy.*
??: "And he was not able to use his coupon why?"
Me: "Because he was outside *states corp policy*
??: And your name?
Me: *states nickname* "Any other questions?"
??: ...
Me: ....
??: *click*
Now grumpy and upset, CR has stated he will back me up with manager, whom I call after a minute. As I'm talking with him, it pretty much clicks that this is a 9/10 chance this was CC or one of CCs friends trying to call in and harass us afterwards, since they called in on the wrong line and asked for name, not employee number. Never before, and I seriously doubt ever again, have I been happy to be only a number to our company.
A couple quick blips
The Microsoft announcement has just ended, the XB1 has been announced! We have our e-mail summaries, etc etc. Literally 1. freaking. minute. after the announcement, our phone starts to ring.
*GameStore Approved Greeting*
RP1(Random person 1) "Hi, I'd like to buy the XB1."
Me (
): "Well, the announcement just ended, so I'm afraid that we can't sell you a console who's existance was just confirmed..."RP1: *exasperated sigh* "Then I'd like to PREORDER the XB1"
Me: "The best I can do for you right now is put you on the first to know list if you have a *company rewards card*
RP1: *grumbling noises* "Nevermind then."
3 minutes later
Me: *GSAG*
RP2: "Hi, I'd like to preorder the XB1!!!"
Me: "....I'm afraid all I can do is put you on the first to know list until there's more information..."
this continues for the next hour. In a sudden and recent twist though, a frequent greeting to us at the store has become "MAN F**K THE XB1, AMIRIGHT?" and "So you think GameStore is even gonna sell the XB1?"
A winner is me!
Failed Prank Caller (FPC)
Me
FPC *fairly normal conversation about prices on games and such* when suddenly "Oh, yeah, can you tell me when Battletoads comes out?"
(for those who don't work at a GameStore, this is a long running prank call (due to the fact that there was once, for a very long while, exactly 1 copy of Battletoads in GS circulation, somewhere in arizona), which, oddly enough, actually started at my old store.
Me: *bored, calm voice* "Actually, Battletoads has sold out due to insanely high demand, and a raging group of gamers burned down the factory, so no, I'm afraid I can't."
FPC: "... you know, when I bring that up to other GSemployees they scream and curse at me."
Me: "Eh... heard to much of it."
FPC: "Well... congrats on being the calmest GS employee I've heard?"
A second side note. The prank caller thing is actually so frequent that there's an official corp policy on it, which is "don't do anything that gets us in the news, but so long as there's no custies elsewhere...."
Cranky Customer Creates Corporate Character Charade
CC (Cranky Customer)
CC comes in and stands uncomfortably close to where I'm checking out another customer, staring at me the entire time. Once I'm done, I turn to him.
Me: "Yes?"
CC: *holds out buy two get one free coupon* "I want to know if I can use this."
Me:
"Sure? It'll work on any of our preowned games and accessories" *gestures at our walls*CC: *stares at walls for a minute* "No. I meant... on the games I've already bought."
(When a customer signs up for our Company rewards card, they get a buy 2 get 1 free coupon about 2 days later. Our 'whatever' return policy is 7 days, so at our store we tend to be nice and if they bring in their receipt, we'll use it for any games they bought that day, since there's nothing to stop a smart customer from doing this anyway. We've even stretched it out to a month in one occasion but that's pushing it and we might get a call from corp for doing anything beyond that)
Me: "Do you have your receipt?"
CC: *stares at me like I'm insane* "No, why would I have that?"
Me: "I need your receipt to do the return..."
CC: "You should be able to do it off my card" *waves card and coupon at me*
Me: *twitch* "Well... I'll see what I can do..." I am SOMETIMES able to do this. However, according to corporate policy, we need to see the games for this to work, which he has not brought in.
*checks files, twitches again*
"Well sir, you have one game on here that's eligible for you to use on that." (one game inside the 7 day policy. The other games on there? at least 3 months old, FAR, FAR outside of our return policy, there's also pretty good evidence that he sold one back to us)
CC: *stares blankly* "NO. I want to use it on the games I've already bought"
Me: (nnnggghhhhhhhhhhhhh) "I'm sorry sir, I'm afraid the most I can do is use *blah game* on your next purchase, the others are too far outside of corporate policy, and without your receipt and the games I can't use them..."
CC: "That's not what they told me!"
Me: *I'm dead certain that's what they told you, since 2-3 months ago we printed out the instructions to put on the cards, and we weren't training anyone new* "I'm sorry about that sir"
CC: *now marching towards the door* "THAT'S NOT WHAT I HEARD." *mumbles something*
Cool Regular who's been there all day trying to decide which version of a handheld he wants "What... the heck."
15 minutes later.
Phone call comes in
*GSAG*
?? "Hi, this is GS Corporate customer concerns desk, I understand you had a customer who just tried to use a coupon and couldn't?"
Me: *FML, corp usually sides with the customer, but I stayed within policy!* "Yes, he was trying to use it on an uneligible game."
??: "In what way?"
Me: *states return policy, states coupon policy.*
??: "And he was not able to use his coupon why?"
Me: "Because he was outside *states corp policy*
??: And your name?
Me: *states nickname* "Any other questions?"
??: ...
Me: ....
??: *click*
Now grumpy and upset, CR has stated he will back me up with manager, whom I call after a minute. As I'm talking with him, it pretty much clicks that this is a 9/10 chance this was CC or one of CCs friends trying to call in and harass us afterwards, since they called in on the wrong line and asked for name, not employee number. Never before, and I seriously doubt ever again, have I been happy to be only a number to our company.
Who at BellCo picked that combination for reciprocal callback?
Comment