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Okay, the main point of my job is to answer basic questions, hand out spare keys, check people in, out, etc. Basic hotel desk type stuff. I can't do the advanced things like taking a semester's payment, and I don't have access to the more detailed/important information, as it's protected. There's specific people to deal with things like reserving a space for students, long term guest stays, payment issues, and the like. These people work from 8-4, Mon-Fri.
So, why the bloody-sulphur-raining-flesh-searing HELL do I get people expecting me to be able to tell them what that obscure charge on their account is at 7:30 pm? Wanting to schedule appointments at 8? Wanting me to email them at 6? Asking about their security deposit at 7?
And you know, I could deal with that happily if not for one small thing. I tell them "I don't handle things like that, you want X, who's in during business hours, 8-4 on weekdays."
"Oh, okay, but can you tell me *rephrase of original question*"
"Call back during business hours."
"K, but... *asks related question."
"Call back."
"Fine, but I wanna know *original question*"
"Business hours. I cannot tell you what you need to know! CALL BACK!"
"Okay, can I make an appointment?"
"...Call back. I don't have access to their schedules."
"Okay, can I have a phone number?"
*thinking: Whose? There's about 20 different people in the finance department. Pick one* "Call back during business hours, the people you need to talk to don't give out their number."
Seriously people! Unless you need the address or wanna make a reservation, there's NOTHING I can do for you over the phone! I'm only a lowly grunt! See the uniform! ...okay, you're on the phone, so no. But still! GAH!
Semi-related bonus rant: I am SORRY that I can't understand you. You have a thick accent, you talk quietly, those people are loud, my hearing sucks, and your command of English is similar to my command of Greek. I know it's a language, and I might recognize it if I heard it. Having all this information at your disposal, why do you keep coming and talking to ME, when my co-worker is *right* there.
I'm perfectly willing to try to work with you, but you have to understand that you're not giving me a lot to go on here. The public bathrooms and the bathroom in your room don't have what you need?
unless you can give me some sort of basic description beyond "I not know word" you're going to have a loooong wait. And when I tell you "that bike shop can tell you what you need to know, I don't know how much a bike costs" believe me. There's nothing more I'd like than to save other people from putting up with "Do you *vauge hand gesture* know... have... *unintelligble word* I don't know... *hand move*...like a ..." I'm sorry! I know you're not from around here, but you can't write out what you want, you can't say the word of what you want, and you can't say a word related to what you want. There's lots of people here from your area, and many of them have excellent English vocabularies. Go make friends with one of them, and get them to translate, because I can tell you're getting really frustrated with me. And it's really quite mutual by this point.
So, why the bloody-sulphur-raining-flesh-searing HELL do I get people expecting me to be able to tell them what that obscure charge on their account is at 7:30 pm? Wanting to schedule appointments at 8? Wanting me to email them at 6? Asking about their security deposit at 7?
And you know, I could deal with that happily if not for one small thing. I tell them "I don't handle things like that, you want X, who's in during business hours, 8-4 on weekdays."
"Oh, okay, but can you tell me *rephrase of original question*"
"Call back during business hours."
"K, but... *asks related question."
"Call back."
"Fine, but I wanna know *original question*"
"Business hours. I cannot tell you what you need to know! CALL BACK!"
"Okay, can I make an appointment?"
"...Call back. I don't have access to their schedules."
"Okay, can I have a phone number?"
*thinking: Whose? There's about 20 different people in the finance department. Pick one* "Call back during business hours, the people you need to talk to don't give out their number."
Seriously people! Unless you need the address or wanna make a reservation, there's NOTHING I can do for you over the phone! I'm only a lowly grunt! See the uniform! ...okay, you're on the phone, so no. But still! GAH!
Semi-related bonus rant: I am SORRY that I can't understand you. You have a thick accent, you talk quietly, those people are loud, my hearing sucks, and your command of English is similar to my command of Greek. I know it's a language, and I might recognize it if I heard it. Having all this information at your disposal, why do you keep coming and talking to ME, when my co-worker is *right* there.
I'm perfectly willing to try to work with you, but you have to understand that you're not giving me a lot to go on here. The public bathrooms and the bathroom in your room don't have what you need?
unless you can give me some sort of basic description beyond "I not know word" you're going to have a loooong wait. And when I tell you "that bike shop can tell you what you need to know, I don't know how much a bike costs" believe me. There's nothing more I'd like than to save other people from putting up with "Do you *vauge hand gesture* know... have... *unintelligble word* I don't know... *hand move*...like a ..." I'm sorry! I know you're not from around here, but you can't write out what you want, you can't say the word of what you want, and you can't say a word related to what you want. There's lots of people here from your area, and many of them have excellent English vocabularies. Go make friends with one of them, and get them to translate, because I can tell you're getting really frustrated with me. And it's really quite mutual by this point.
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