Thanks for questioning my integrity!!

[Marxfan]

Why do customers think we're all out to get them? Seriously, everyone seems to think that if something goes wrong, it's not only my fault, but I'm some shifty scammer! For instance:

I used to work at Barnes & Noble, and we're supposed to sell our discount cards. We also offer teacher's discount cards, but we're not supposed to just offer them all willy-nilly, because anyone could just pull a fake teacher's ID out of their ass and get one. I mention this because it plays an important part in my story later. Lady buys books, I offer the regular discount card, and she decides to buy it. Cool. So she fills out the form, I sell her the card, life should be good, right?

WRONG!! She sees an ad for our teacher card and starts accusing me of not telling her about it and that she's a teacher and she started demanding a refund and a teacher discount card. I had to call an MOD and it held the line up horribly, and the bitch didn't even apologize to me for accusing me of cheating her.

Okay, let me just point out that I'm not a fan of BN's discount card, but I was just doing my job, and I would never, NEVER cheat anyone. I can't believe a teacher wouldn't have caught wind of our teacher discount card on her own, but there you go.

Anyone have any stories where your integrity is questioned?

[Rolling Star]

I bet that she wasn't really a teacher. She was just looking for a big discount.

[Andara Bledin]

I used to work answering the phones for a small commercial real estate firm. There were three brokers in the office, total. One was only in half the time, and none of them ever made it in before 10 unless the guy that ran the place stopped halfway home and came back in the morning because he couldn't manage the 70+ mile commute.

Anyway, I was alone in the office one morning as usual. I didn't have any work at the time, so I was sitting there reading a book when the phone rings.

I answer as usual and the SC asks for the boss. I let him know that the boss isn't in and offer to take a message. He then asks for one of the other two brokers and I inform him that they aren't in yet, either, but I can still take a message.

That's not good enough for this guy. Oh, no. He tells me flat out that I must be lying to him because there is no way a receptionist would have the keys to the office.

Ooooh... I still get steamed thinking about that jerk.

For the record, I had answered an ad that had been put in the paper by one of the other brokers who was planning to start his own firm to specialize in property for the next county over but since the regular receptionist had broken her wrist while walking to her front door after a camping trip, the owner hired me as a temp on the spot. He then handed me the keys, told me what time to show up and said he'd probably see me the next day.

So, yeah, Mr SC, bosses sometimes will hand over the keys to the receptionist.

^-.-^

[AFpheonix]

I had someone accuse me of shorting her son on his ADD meds. When I explained how we fill and double or triple count those types of meds, she accused us of perhaps nicking a few after filling. I pointed up at the many cameras pointed on us.
No one here would risk that.
Frankly, I suspect that one of her son's friends, or perhaps even himself had been nicking them. But the script had been registered on the scale as having been weighed out, the quantity on the bottle had been circled, indicating it had been counted twice by the tech, plus the pharmacist had signed the hardcopy and indicated that they'd counted it to the correct count. My on-hand quantity was right on the money. Sorry lady, try again.

[Kiwi]

At the firm my boyfriend works for the receiptionist does EVERYTHING!!!

She opens/closes the office, writes the cheques, screens employees for interviews and decides the firms christmas gifts to its clients. Thats in addition to her "regular" duties, she has more power than any of the CAD monkeys and even more than the senior designer. The only people who outrank her are the two architects who own the firm.

Hint: when theres a 6 month waiting list before your project even gets looked at, dont be rude to the woman who makes the appointments for new projects.. you wont get one.

[draggar]

I thought receptionists did everything? We all know the place would fall apart without them (well, the good ones, that is)

[Andara Bledin]

Well, of the three office jobs I've had, they've been pretty much "whatever we need done, you'll handle" sorts of jobs. Two of those included full receptionist, and the third had me fill in for a week while the regular receptionist was on vacation.

At the real estate place, I was the only one there other than the three agents, so I did do pretty much everything but sell land. I even got to help when the office moved locations.

^-.-^

[Delphae]

Receptionists, secretarys, assistants and janitors rule the world. Don't piss them off becuase your messages will be lost, you won't get that appointment and no one will clean your office. Be nice to them and your life is soooo much easier.

[Bluenomi]

Everyone knows in my office not to annoy the admin staff, otherwsie you might find yourself in some trouble. My boss keeps telling me I can't leave until he retires since he doesn't know how the place would run without me

[air914]

Has anyone never heard of the "receiptionist/ assistant is the gatekeeper"? Anyone watch Ace of Cakes on the Food Network? Mary Alice is the receptionist there and she says "I am the gatekeeper - no one gets past me". People call and try to talk to the owner and such and she says "I make the decisions. Talk to me".

Do not pass go - do not collect $200 you are stuck with the gatekeeper.... of course the receptionist has the keys...... der they usually get there before anyone else anyway to answer the phones.... what an idiot. Or maybe he'd had some really bad experiences with some receptionists before.......still a jerk though.

[Noelegy]

Receptionists, secretarys, assistants and janitors rule the world.

Just see the janitor on "Scrubs" in action if you need proof of the above statement.

[Dips]

One of my jobs is screening the company president's calls. He's quite clear that he doesn't want to talk to sales people, free subscription offerers or marketing surveyors.

For the most part, it's very easy. But every now and then I get to have some fun...

Caller: You mean he's there and doesn't want to talk to me?

Me: Yes. I just told you that.

Caller: I'm just going to keep calling until you let me talk to him. It would be easiest to just let me talk to him now.

Me: Sir, Keith and I have a deal. I keep random people from bothering him and every other week he gives me a nice paycheck. All you're doing for me is giving me a hard time. Who do you think I'm going to to let have his way?

Caller: Well. It's just rude.

Me: I can live with that, sir.

Caller: <click>

Me: Heh. He didn't even let me wish him a good day.

Keith:

[Andara Bledin]

Yeah. I actually love to be able to stonewall cold call salespeople or annoying outsourced free-subscription renewal people.

I am the gatekeeper. Unless I decide that you have a legitimate reason to talk to the boss, you don't get through. And the boss likes it that way. He has enough on his plate most days without those people.

^-.-^

[JustADude]

Heh... and during my brief period in Telemarketing Hell as one of the Sales Demons I used to hate people like you. People who knew what they were doing were so much more annoying than the pathetic, lazy SCoWs that just give whatever info is asked for to people who call up and sound official.

Yes, that was a compliment to you and a rip on exactly how scummy telemarketing is at the same time.

[Shengirl]

There's questioning integrity, but there's also questioning intelligence. An old woman bought 6 little frying chickens on a raincheck. You scan the paper, put in the weight, and then put in the price per pound, so I had to either add up the 6 weights or do each chicken separately. I tried to do the former, and she wouldn't let me!

"Make the computer do it!"

"The computer CAN'T add it up; I'd have to put it in separately! Just let me add these up real quick."

::repeat that exchange ad nauseum::

Finally: "I don't TRUST you to add those numbers!" I about came across the register. I mean, I'd just finished a calculus II course at the time; I can add 6 3-digit numbers. But since I'd get fired for violence, I just put the chickens in one-by-one, as sloooowly as possible.