I've wasted my entire lunch hour calling you!

[greensinestro]

Don't you love these people? Why do they get so upset with us for choosing to spend their lunch hour or break at work talking on the phone? In my call center, we are open until 8pm, and the recording even says this before a customer is connected with a real person. And, usually, if a person calls at a high peak time with a ton of customers holding for other reps, it tells them this. So, why is it my fault that a person did not get to eat their lunch because they chose to call during this time period? Do these people work so much that they can't call at a later time?

[Polaris]

I always tell them "Well, we are open 24/7 for YOUR convenience." That usually shuts them up.

[KatL]

One time a lady went on and on complaining about having to give me her credit card info because she was in a hurry and didn't have time, blah blah blah. So I very politely asked her if she'd like to call back when she DID have time

I don't understand why people call if they're in a hurry. Sheesh.

[greensinestro]

One time a lady went on and on complaining about having to give me her credit card info because she was in a hurry and didn't have time, blah blah blah. So I very politely asked her if she'd like to call back when she DID have time

I don't understand why people call if they're in a hurry. Sheesh.

I've had that happen on more than one occasion. I had a call once where this customer went on and on and on, but was "in a hurry" and had "no time to talk". After she finished and did the famous, "Hello! Are you still there?", I politely advised her that in the time it took for her to vent her complaint to us, it was time that could have been better spent solving her issues.

[SnapAddict218]

I can relate to doing buissness on the lunch hour. I haven't got a phone at my desk, and often times I don't need people in the other cubes listening into my calls. Somethings can't be completed after work. I realize that its going to be busy @ noon, but since that is the only time I (and everyone else apparently) have to get my things done, I'm not going to waste time.

Thats still no reason to bark at the rep. While YOU are on lunch making calls the rep is working.Ah ha! never thought of that one did you Mr or Mrs SC?

[AFpheonix]

My favorite is when they drop off a script they've been sitting on for several weeks and want it before they go back to work.
How 'bout you pick it up after work, champ? We'll be here.

[powerboy]

I can relate to doing buissness on the lunch hour. I haven't got a phone at my desk, and often times I don't need people in the other cubes listening into my calls. Somethings can't be completed after work. I realize that its going to be busy @ noon, but since that is the only time I (and everyone else apparently) have to get my things done, I'm not going to waste time.

Thats still no reason to bark at the rep. While YOU are on lunch making calls the rep is working.Ah ha! never thought of that one did you Mr or Mrs SC?

That is the same with me.

[Crazyredhead]

When I used to work the call center and I had to make a call for lunch, I usually had an hour in which to do it in. I knew it was going to be a hold, since I am not the only one to call on there lunch break. I would just gather up my lunch and eat while I was on hold. If someone would answer while I was in mid chew, I would excuse myself, finish my bite and commence with business. I would usually end up on hold anyways, for research, and I would finish up.

I never understood how anyone can take an hour to eat, unless they are going to a restaraunt. I'm usually done in 20 min, unless I'm watching the news or talking to someone, then it is around 30 min.

[BdwayBabu799]

Hi! This is my first time posting, I have been reading many of the posts for a while and have a bunch of stories I can share. I wanted to mention that my mother gets this a lot too in retail. She works for a clothing store and she always mentions that people shop in a hurry and get very impatient, they also tend to come in 10 minutes before her store closes and state they are in a hurry! Why would you go clothes shopping with no time..it doesn't make sense!

[Dark Psion]

I never understood how anyone can take an hour to eat, unless they are going to a restaraunt. I'm usually done in 20 min, unless I'm watching the news or talking to someone, then it is around 30 min.

It is an aquired skill, because if you eat at work and finish in 20 minutes, you will have to spend the next 40 minutes listening to "If you already done eating can you ____?" or "Are you at lunch ?"

I learned that as long as there is food in front of me I get, "Oh, you are eating lunch."

[myswtghst]

It is an aquired skill, because if you eat at work and finish in 20 minutes, you will have to spend the next 40 minutes listening to "If you already done eating can you ____?" or "Are you at lunch ?"

Exactly. I like to stay in the office and order in, bring a lunch, or run quick to the Subway next door, so I can catch up on reading/emails on lunch. This tends to backfire when we're busy, as I have a really hard time ignoring the queue lights, and tend to log back in if we get calls in queue. Granted, today I didn't take a lunch, but that's a story of crappy scheduling and sick coworkers for another time.

[Best Made Tacos]

The worst I had was when I worked at a call centre and I sold car insurance. Inbound calls only, yet the customers expected a verbal contract and detailed quote should take about, oh, 5 minutes. I got a lot of snooty "yes, yes, I don't have time for this" or "Just skip this part" when I got to the boring legal declarations. I would respond with "Your contract is not valid unless I read this to you and you respond truthfully to the questions. So if I skip this, your car is NOT insured, even after you pay the premium".
That usually brought forth a rather subdued "Oh" and a much politer attitude.

I still had one woman who bullied me into skipping the scripting and calling her back with the price (because she didn't have the 'TIIIYYYYYMMME' - all of 10 mins - I was VERY new and nervous. That would never happen now), only to bark "No! I don't want it! That's too expensive!" and hang up on me when I did.

In fairness, though, a lot of call centres that have restricted opening hours also have bad queue times. Esp. the essential services with no competition, eg, the taxation offices. I try not to take it out on the staff, but it is unfair to ask ppl to wait 15 minutes or more on hold when they don't have the option of calling back at a later time.

[Andara Bledin]

I've been doing a lot of calls from work recently relating to my phone and internet stuff. I usually wait until I'm clocked out at the end of the day and the only time limit I have is when the manager locks the place up.

As for lunch, I never go out for it, and always eat in. The way I got people to stop asking me (especially since I take irregular breaks) was to make myself a "at lunch" and "at break" sign with a sharpie and a bit of card stock.

^-.-^

[icinii]

I have this fellow who comes in once a week (Friday afternoon, busy time) to the bank. He'll wait in line (it's usually under a five minute wait), dart to the window when it is his turn, take a few minutes to fill out his paperwork (he never has it prepared and he is notoriously slow because he has to quadruple check EVERYTHING) and then in the thirty seconds it takes me (or my coworkers) to process his work, he'll complain about how much of a rush he is in and that the transaction is taking too long.

I never understand this. If you're in a rush, the least you could do for yourself is prepare your transaction while you're waiting.. or simply not come in when you're in such a rush.

[greensinestro]

I have this fellow who comes in once a week (Friday afternoon, busy time) to the bank. He'll wait in line (it's usually under a five minute wait), dart to the window when it is his turn, take a few minutes to fill out his paperwork (he never has it prepared

The bank I deal with does not tolerate this. They have a huge sign that you cannot miss in their lobby saying that all paperwork, forms, etc. must be filled out completely before approaching the teller. The same goes for cellular phones. One sign says for people to end their cellular phone conversations before approaching the teller.