Photo lab, Pharmacy same thing....

[Aislin]

I work at a large, painful chain store. We have 5 main lines, then phone lines for all the specialty areas like photo lab (Waves) where I work. Now, we all get calls in on our main lines but we also get calls in on our specialty lines, some where on the internet some idiot has listed the photo lab as the MAIN line. Most times folks accept that and move on with their lives, other times we give out the lines to the other specialty areas to save the poor main line operator from going on a murderous rampage and killing us all.

this call came in today.

LR: me the lovable techie/lab rat left alone with the flood of morons whilst every one else took a break.
SC: little old lady who left her brain at home while going to the Dr.'s office.

LR: Thank you for calling your <store name> one hour photo lab on <street we are located> this is Aislin speaking how may I help you?
SC: I keep calling your pharmacy and the number I am dialing is invalid...
LR:Ok no problem the number is <insert proper #>
SC: No No NO that is the number I am dialing and it is not working!
LR: I am sorry, maybe you could try the mains store # and they can transfer you? the store # is <insert store #>
SC: I called that # and they are not answering either.

I can see the store lines from my phone because i can pick up the lines at my phone and my phone is the off hours call center when they shut down the store system for the night so... I know she is lying about them not picking up because I can see calls being picked up and transfered as I talk to her and 3 lines are free so....

So we venture deeper into the b.s. level up to my knees....

LR: I am sorry it is entirely possible that the Pharmacy has closed for lunch (given that it is 1:25 and the pharmacy closes for 30 minutes from 1:30 to 2 daily) please try calling them back at 2:30 (because I know right after lunch they are so swamped they are not going to get to your call I think to myself)

Sc: *huffs* but my Dr.'s office closes at 2 and they are trying to call in a prescription for me and the line keeps saying they are busy with other calls and to please hold so I called you because I thought you could make them answer my call!!!

wow
amazing leap of logic there. I, a mere photo lab tech... college student... can make a pharmacy manager hang up on other customers and doctors so he can take your very precious call.... because i have white lab coat? because I am the only one here and am very busy with customer of my own? because if i call I will get the same message even though I am in the store?
.... wow. and I would do this how? bat, dental floss and a warrior princess yell?

LR: I am sorry but you will just have to call back hold. if you keep hanging up and calling back you will put to the end of the line each time.

and i would like to point out, making you wait is the not the same as not working. The phone line works you are just unable to figure out how to use it...

SC: What am I supposed to do!?! I need my meds. You are putting me between a rock and a hard place, it is a catch 22, do you want me to use another pharmacy?!? Don't you care if I get my MEDS.

(1) I told you what to do.
(2) yes I can see you need your meds...um... but not the way you think..
(3) um.. did I mention I am a photo lab... I am not doing anything to you... I could sell you a camera so you could take pictures of your undoubtedly cat butt face but i think that would not help and then you would develop them with me and I would be forced to hear how I was not working just because it takes more than 3 seconds to print your pictures...
(4) I could careless if you don't use our pharmacy. I don't use it why should you?
(5) I am pretty sure I would prefer you not get your meds, particularly if it is something life threatening so maybe you would stop calling me...

LR: *repeats suggestion about not hanging up and then wish her a nice day and says bye*

SC: F*CK you, you little b*tch

k
bye bye.

[bainsidhe]

Please don't hate me, but I can somewhat sympathize with this SC. From your explanation, she could have just been patient and would've been helped in a timely fashion.

Speaking from experience dealing with a Big Blue Electronic Retailer, that isn't always the case. I used to call photo labs for the "click counts", which is how many photos have been processed on a particular machine brand. This was for billing purposes and was a legitimate call. The stores I called didn't have a photo lab extension, which means customer service would need to redirect me. That is, if customer service EVER answered their phone. If I just wanted to kill time, I could nap for a good ten minutes before becoming impatient and redialing. I'd usually dial some random extension for appliances and act all innocent, "oops, I'm sorry, I was trying to reach the photo lab". Amazing how quickly I could suddenly get connected. My point is, the main line can sometimes be impossible to get through on. I'm not talking one store here, this was the entire east coast of this one retailer. They never picked up.

[marty]

I hate it when people who obviously haven't read the damn book throw out "Catch-22!!!111" like they know something. Hate.

What an idiot.

[fish3k1]

I hate it when people who obviously haven't read the damn book throw out "Catch-22!!!111" like they know something. Hate.

What an idiot.

Well, I've never read the book, but I'm still aware of what Catch-22 means.

The SC obviously didn't though :P

[Aislin]

Please don't hate me, but I can somewhat sympathize with this SC. From your explanation, she could have just been patient and would've been helped in a timely fashion.

Speaking from experience dealing with a Big Blue Electronic Retailer, that isn't always the case. I used to call photo labs for the "click counts", which is how many photos have been processed on a particular machine brand. This was for billing purposes and was a legitimate call. The stores I called didn't have a photo lab extension, which means customer service would need to redirect me. That is, if customer service EVER answered their phone. If I just wanted to kill time, I could nap for a good ten minutes before becoming impatient and redialing. I'd usually dial some random extension for appliances and act all innocent, "oops, I'm sorry, I was trying to reach the photo lab". Amazing how quickly I could suddenly get connected. My point is, the main line can sometimes be impossible to get through on. I'm not talking one store here, this was the entire east coast of this one retailer. They never picked up.

well that is legitimate reason to try a random line but she knew that she was calling a line for a specific service not the one she was asking for and second she was lying about the main store line, they were picking up and transfering calls, she was being transfered back into the same mess as calling the main line aka we are busy please hold... but i forgot to mention, this was on a friday so EVERY damn clinic and dr's office was trying to get their scripts in for the day so they were legitimately busy, not slacking off or not answering the phone, her call was just more important than all the other calls coming in... second if i transfered her it would lock up my line for incoming calls and every time the pharmacy failed to pick up her call it would redirect back to me so I would get her back... and deal with her whining all over again.

[Apathy]

SC's are impervious to logic. Reasonable suggestions just don't work. Only swift and total satisfaction works. Which is, of course, usually impossible or improbable.

[mattm04]

I get SCs who try to call the Customer Service desk or a dept but because the store is really busy they will try some random extension. Usually it does like this:

Me: *greeting*
SC: I tried calling <dept X> but they didn't answer their phone
Me: I can transfer you, but it it really busy so theri may be a small delay before they can answer.
SC: ....
Me: Do you want me to transfer you?
SC: Will you make them help me?
Me: All I can do is transfer you to the dept. you requested. I can't guarantee the hold time or the response to your question.
SC: I want a manager.
Me: Pleas hold (pages MOD)

The SC hung up before the MOD took the call.

[Megg]

Sc: *huffs* but my Dr.'s office closes at 2 and they are trying to call in a prescription for me and the line keeps saying they are busy with other calls and to please hold so I called you because I thought you could make them answer my call!!!

<snip>


SC: What am I supposed to do!?! I need my meds.

I would have had a VERY hard time NOT saying, "Well, you could ask your Doctor to not leave his office before HIS job is done." With a sickeningly sweet tone of voice and a big, friendly smile.

Luckily, my boss loves me and I can get away with saying darn near anything, as long as I smile.

[draftermatt]

I would have had a VERY hard time NOT saying, "Well, you could ask your Doctor to not leave his office before HIS job is done." With a sickeningly sweet tone of voice and a big, friendly smile.

Careful there. If she suggests that then SC would come into her photo lab at close with film to be developed and say "Your job isn't done yet, so you have to stay and finish it"

Most Dr's offices will call in a Rx, leave a message, etc. then go home as they did their part I find it hard to believe that the Dr's office told her that they "couldn't get a hold of anyone at the Pharmacy" and asked her to call. If the Dr has to call it in, then the patient isn't getting anywhere with the Pharmacy anyway.

She pulled that trying to get sympathy I'm betting.

[Naaman]

Me: *greeting*
SC: I tried calling <dept X> but they didn't answer their phone
Me: I can transfer you, but it it really busy so theri may be a small delay before they can answer.

Used to get that when our (non-customer facing) department was picking up overflow from the Receptionist.

Me: *Speil*
SC: I'd like to speak to *Director* 1
Me: Putting you through to their phone now...<transfer>

Repeat two or three times

Me: *Speil*
SC: I'd like to speak to *Director* and I don't want to be put through to their voice mail 2
Me: I apologise *checks Directors calender* they're in a meeting, you can leave a message on their voice mail or I can take it and pass it along to them when they're free.
SC: I want them to call me back the minute they're free
Me: I'll pass the message along
SC: That's not good enough! I want you to guarantee me that they'll call me back!!
Me: I'm afraid I can't do that, I'm not allowed to tell the Directors what to do. But I will pass the message along.
Rinse and Repeat

SC: Vague threats before hanging up


1 - Small company, so we were allowed to speak to the directors - generally cool guys

2 - All of the people who interacted with the customers were scrupulous about picking up their voice mail and calling back