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She Called Me a "Helpful Smart-A**"
I work in the computer department. I sell computers and related stuff. We have a tech department, but that's not me. (Trust me. You want a computer that does a certain thing? Come talk to me. If it's not doing what it's supposed to be doing, find somebody else.) Often, customers are simply not aware of the difference or are not patient enough with the phone menu to wait for the "tech support" option and ask me about their computer problems. If I can help I will, but I usually have to transfer the call. This also happens when customers want to check on the status of their computer when it is in for repair. This is the story of one such phone call.
Phone rings. I answer. A female caller asked about her computer. I said I'd have to transfer her to the guys who'd know if it was fixed and ready for her. No problem. Transfer complete.
About 20 minutes later, the phone rings again. I answer. It was the same female caller, but now she has mutated into the Grand High B**ch Goddess. Here are a few snippets of the conversation.
Me: (Store) Computers, this is HawaiianShirts.
GHBG: (already brusque, but not yet mean) Yes, how do I get in touch with your store's general manager?
Me: Well, you'd have to call back when he's here.
GHBG: (Explosively angry) You don't need to be a smart-a** with me! I was already frustrated, and now you've made me really mad!
Me: I see that, but the general manager is not here right now.
GHBG: See? That's all you'd have to say! I'm so sick of smart-a**es like you trying to be funny!
Isn't that what I did say? That the GM wasn't there?
So she goes on and on about how she needs to "file a formal complaint with the GM" because she's so "pissed off." She claimed that when I had transferred her to the techs, the phone rang 50 times without being answered. So she called back three more times, trying three other extensions, and letting it ring 50 times all without anybody answering (which I find hard to believe, but I wasn't going to argue). So she tried my extension again and got me.
GHBG: I just need to know what's going on with my computer. Heaven knows you've had it for long enough!
She went on about how long it was in for repairs (something big, I guess) and how she called earlier to check on its status.
GHBG: Somebody said it was ready. I asked if they'd done the last diagnostic I'd asked for, and he was like, "Oh... Uh... No... I'll go do that..." He said he'd call me when it was done. It's been two hours, and nobody called me. But I'm not surprised because you don't answer your phones, so why should you ever use them to call anybody?
And complain and complain and complain about how incompetent we must be. Meanwhile, I went to the tech bench to check on her computer. I got one of the techs to find it. He pulled up the diagnostic report, saw that everything was fine, and started shutting down and boxing up her computer.
GHBG: I'm gonna complain about all of you to your manager. Your incompetence is appaling, and YOU are just plain rude! Now what about my computer?!
Me: Actually, while you've been talking to me, I went up to the tech bench and checked on it. Diagnostic shows it's good. Mike is boxing it up now. It'll be ready when you get here.
GHBG: Oh. It's ready?
Me: Yeah.
GHBG: And it's fixed?
Me: Looks fine to me.
GHBG: And the tests are all done?
Me: I've got the report right in front of me.
GHBG: Oh. Well I'm not coming up tonight. I live 20 miles away, and I don't want to drive all that way now. I'll get it in the morning.
Me: Sounds good to me. We'll have it ready for you.
GHBG: But you can be sure I'm going to be reporting you! You may have checked on my computer for me, but you were still rude! You may have been helpful, but you're still a... You're a helpful smart-a**.
There is just no pleasing some people. And, of course, I'm not responsible for what happened, but I have to bear the brunt of Her Highness's fury.
(Now I'm going to go off-topic in my own thread.) And I'm confused about something. At one point during the call, I apologized for offending her and for her inconvenience (partially sincere). She said, "You can apologize all you want, but it doesn't do any good! You still made that rude comment! You can't change it now!" I had a girlfriend once who said the same thing. While it's true I can't take back what I said, what else am I to do but apologize? Why is that not worth anything now?
Phone rings. I answer. A female caller asked about her computer. I said I'd have to transfer her to the guys who'd know if it was fixed and ready for her. No problem. Transfer complete.
About 20 minutes later, the phone rings again. I answer. It was the same female caller, but now she has mutated into the Grand High B**ch Goddess. Here are a few snippets of the conversation.
Me: (Store) Computers, this is HawaiianShirts.
GHBG: (already brusque, but not yet mean) Yes, how do I get in touch with your store's general manager?
Me: Well, you'd have to call back when he's here.
GHBG: (Explosively angry) You don't need to be a smart-a** with me! I was already frustrated, and now you've made me really mad!
Me: I see that, but the general manager is not here right now.
GHBG: See? That's all you'd have to say! I'm so sick of smart-a**es like you trying to be funny!
Isn't that what I did say? That the GM wasn't there?
So she goes on and on about how she needs to "file a formal complaint with the GM" because she's so "pissed off." She claimed that when I had transferred her to the techs, the phone rang 50 times without being answered. So she called back three more times, trying three other extensions, and letting it ring 50 times all without anybody answering (which I find hard to believe, but I wasn't going to argue). So she tried my extension again and got me.
GHBG: I just need to know what's going on with my computer. Heaven knows you've had it for long enough!
She went on about how long it was in for repairs (something big, I guess) and how she called earlier to check on its status.
GHBG: Somebody said it was ready. I asked if they'd done the last diagnostic I'd asked for, and he was like, "Oh... Uh... No... I'll go do that..." He said he'd call me when it was done. It's been two hours, and nobody called me. But I'm not surprised because you don't answer your phones, so why should you ever use them to call anybody?
And complain and complain and complain about how incompetent we must be. Meanwhile, I went to the tech bench to check on her computer. I got one of the techs to find it. He pulled up the diagnostic report, saw that everything was fine, and started shutting down and boxing up her computer.
GHBG: I'm gonna complain about all of you to your manager. Your incompetence is appaling, and YOU are just plain rude! Now what about my computer?!
Me: Actually, while you've been talking to me, I went up to the tech bench and checked on it. Diagnostic shows it's good. Mike is boxing it up now. It'll be ready when you get here.
GHBG: Oh. It's ready?
Me: Yeah.
GHBG: And it's fixed?
Me: Looks fine to me.
GHBG: And the tests are all done?
Me: I've got the report right in front of me.
GHBG: Oh. Well I'm not coming up tonight. I live 20 miles away, and I don't want to drive all that way now. I'll get it in the morning.
Me: Sounds good to me. We'll have it ready for you.
GHBG: But you can be sure I'm going to be reporting you! You may have checked on my computer for me, but you were still rude! You may have been helpful, but you're still a... You're a helpful smart-a**.
There is just no pleasing some people. And, of course, I'm not responsible for what happened, but I have to bear the brunt of Her Highness's fury.
(Now I'm going to go off-topic in my own thread.) And I'm confused about something. At one point during the call, I apologized for offending her and for her inconvenience (partially sincere). She said, "You can apologize all you want, but it doesn't do any good! You still made that rude comment! You can't change it now!" I had a girlfriend once who said the same thing. While it's true I can't take back what I said, what else am I to do but apologize? Why is that not worth anything now?
I AM the evil bastard!
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