I loathe the phones

[Moosenogger]

Background: I work in a law office, and I am the only person on phone duty.

Phone Rings

Me: [Office].

Caller: (Angry) Yeah, [Defendant] has a hearing tomorrow and I'd like to know why no one in your office told me about it. I have a right to go to that hearing! Why didn't anyone call me and let me know? I had to find out from the courthouse!

Me: Do you have the case number so I can look up what kind of hearing is tomorrow?

Caller: No, I don't have the case number. I want to know why no one called me!

Me: What was the defendant's name again?

Caller: It's Princess Smith. (Note: Not the actual name)

I try typing in the name with a different spelling, because the name sounds insanely familiar. I find some cases, but none of them are open.


Me: How do you spell the defendant's name?

Caller: [Spells Name] (Condescendingly) That's the way you spell 'Princess.'

Me: Actually, there's someone else with that name but it's spelled differently, so I'm just making sure I have the right case.

Caller: [Dumb Silence]

Me: Sir, I'm not finding any open cases for that defendant. Is this hearing tomorrow the [First Hearing That Occurs After Someone is Arrested]?

Caller: Yes, and I want to know why no one from your office called to let me know about it!

Me: Because our office doesn't set those hearings, sir. Those are set by the courthouse and it's up to them to inform you of the hearing. We don't even have this case in our system, so no one from our office would have called you because according to us, that case doesn't exist yet.

Caller: [Suddenly Polite] Oh, okay! Thanks for letting me know! [Click]

Me:

[Pixilated]

What ... an ... idiot.

[sirwired]

You already had the defendant in your files from another case, and they were getting hauled in again? Does your office have "frequent arrestee discounts"?

[Moosenogger]

You'd think they were getting something out of it, the way some of these people keep coming back to haunt us.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

You already had the defendant in your files from another case, and they were getting hauled in again? Does your office have "frequent arrestee discounts"?

Better yet, how about a "Stupid Tax" applied to each subsequent arrest? Might make a better impression if you get them in the wallet.

Kinda like with Arga's tower tales: if folks would quit being so rock-chewingly stupid, we wouldn't need tow truck drivers or lawyers.

[South Texan]

I have to wonder whether the caller was a supporter for the defendant/client or was the caller the victim who wanted to show up at the hearing and make a scene.