Well you shouldn't have told them that..............

[Quicksilver]

Working at a radio station doesn't make you immune to stupid customers by a long shot. No way.

During winter weather, we have a policy that we only announce the closing of schools, or church events or other non-profit groups or activities. If a factory cancels a shift, we'll announce that too, but not commercial businesses. We'll get calls from people asking us to announce that they are open too. One restaurant wanted us to announce that they were still open and even wanted us to tell everyone what the special was for the day. Um, that is called "advertising" and we charge for that.

Anyways, my favorite was the bank whiner. He called at 7 AM and wanted us to announce that XYZ bank was closed for the day.

"I'm sorry, we can't announce that. We don't announce closings for commercial businesses."

SC-In an astonished, "did you just tell me no?!" kind of voice:"Excuse me?"

I sighed. Nothing like repeating what you just said, but I did anyway.

SC-"Well, we're closed and I need it announced!"

I didn't care......at all but I explained that we DO make a periodic announcement that "some businesses are closed, please check before you leave."

SC-"Yeah, but that doesn't mean our employees will know that means XYZ bank!"

"Perhaps they'll call?"

SC-"THERE'S NO ONE THERE TO ANSWER!"

I almost laughed out loud at this point.
"Well, they'll figure it out then wouldn't they?"

SC-Look, I told them to listen to you guys for the announcement, they'll be expecting to hear it if we're closed and if you don't announce it, they'll think we're open!"

I cannot do that sir, we don't announce commercial business closings.

SC-BUT I TOLD THEM YOU WOULD BE ANNOUNCING IT ON THE RADIO!

I was done, there were other lines ringing and other things to do so I just said:

"Well, it's very unfortunate that you told them that, because it's not going to be on the air."

Then I hung up. He called to complain later but was basically told to take a hike.

See, the thing is, can you imagine if we announced every *&#%$ place that was closed?!

There would be no time to do anything else on the radio besides closings.

Some people.

[MystyGlyttyr]

*clears throat, stretches, holds up signboard*

"Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part"

[Mighty Girl]

What a jerk.

I mean, I could see it if he said- if all the local schools are closed then we'll be closed too, listen to blah blah radio station, but come on!

Here's a tip, call your employees and tell them yourself, and if you're too important to do that, then delegate it to your assistant. Don't have an assistant you say? Then you're obviously not important enough to demand special treatment here either!

It does remind me of this idiot when I worked very briefly as a waitress (like three days). He asked for clam chowder, I said we didn't have any, that minestrone was our soup of the day. He flipped out and said he promised his mother she could get some great clam chowder here. Like that's my problem. In walks the single oldest woman alive with the single biggest walker ever seen- knocking people senseless with it of course, and way too vain to wear a hearing aid, everything had to be repeated at least five times at super high volume. She was beside herself that we wouldn't make her a bowl of clam chowder. Very haughty, condescending and patronizing.

Sorry to go off on a tangent there! I feel your pain..........

[friendofjimmyk]

She was beside herself that we wouldn't make her a bowl of clam chowder. Very haughty, condescending and patronizing.

Gosh, I just loved those folks - the ones that thought you could just whip up whatever their little heart desired because you were sure to have the ingredients back there somewhere - never mind that with taking someone off what they are doign to prep your small special order (especially clam chowder) would slow down the whole entire kitchen and your soup that you have to have so badly would take an hour to get to you which would in turn make you angry ....

Imagine, if you could keep a can of this or that handy - such as a can of clam chowder in the back that you could open and just add milk or water to and serve. I bet they wouldn't know the freakin' difference.

[tenaciousb]

that's what I would do if there was a store right near ya

run over, grab a can of the store brand off the shelf for $1.50, run back, throw it in the microwave for 3 minutes, put in bowl and serve with a pack of saltines and charge 12.99

p.s. I would think anyone should be careful about ordering new england clam chowder anywhere, but a definite no if your fucking with the servers

[ditchdj]

Ahhh yes! A fellow radio geek. Hey Quicksilver you frequent any of the radio boards on the net???? A few of us regulars on one board got together for some lunch at a restaurant in Michigan last Spring and we all had a blast.

[ladylabyrinth]

Umm....ho-kay, don't they have a call line for possible closings due to inclement weather? The last several jobs I've worked at, both retail and call centers, had a phone number to call when the weather got nasty in case it was bad enough to stay closed.

I don't get people.

[Ryu]

what is this closing for inclement weather of which you speak?
I've been at work when it was snowing horribly, possibly although i dont know if it was a blizzard, and it was very dangerous driving, yet we stayed open
we couldnt even go out to get food or get food to come to us it was that bad(it wasnt THAT bad but people freak out in snow and it really was hard to drive in even for rreally careful drivers like myself and even harder due to wreckless drivers or those who freaked out)
we had like 5 people come, yet we were open...
the joy of a movie theater...

[HawaiianShirts]

Closing due to bad weather? I don't think that's EVER happened to me.

When I was working pizza delivery, we were like the post office. Come rain, come shine, come snow, come sleet. Six inches of snow on the roads and the plows too busy with the freeways to bother with even main city streets? Sure, we'll still deliver!

I'd take phone orders on almost-blizzard-condition nights and ask if the customer wanted delivery or pick-up. Their response was some variation of: "Oh, definitely delivery. I'm not going out in weather like this! I'd have to be crazy!"

We used to play games called Creative Parking. That's where you hit your brakes and spin the wheel really hard on snowy roads, attempting to make your car slide to a stop on the opposite side of the street facing the opposite direction as if you had parallel-parked it there. I did it once.

But you've got to love those customers who plan out something that you are going to do for them before finding out if it can be done. Like the customers who tell me that they'll pay for the computer they want AFTER the security set-up they also want is complete. We can't do that; we have to have payment first. But of course they demand to talk to a manager because they didn't bring money with them, planning to go make a withdrawal between selecting the computer and picking it up. Or like the lady who tore up her carpet and brought it into the place that rents carpet cleaning equipment thinking that it was more like a dry-cleaning service.

Those people are what this site is all about.

[lordlundar]

*clears throat, stretches, holds up signboard*

"Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part"

I think this should be "Lack of good planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part"

[Quicksilver]

It does remind me of this idiot when I worked very briefly as a waitress (like three days). He asked for clam chowder, I said we didn't have any, that minestrone was our soup of the day. He flipped out and said he promised his mother she could get some great clam chowder here. Like that's my problem. In walks the single oldest woman alive with the single biggest walker ever seen- knocking people senseless with it of course, and way too vain to wear a hearing aid, everything had to be repeated at least five times at super high volume. She was beside herself that we wouldn't make her a bowl of clam chowder. Very haughty, condescending and patronizing.

What a great story!

I also had some lady call once when we were running an NFL football game and want me to announce that some 8th grade bus trip from DC at a local school was returning a little early because they were ahead of schedule and that their parents could pick them up blah blah blah.

Well, they were arriving at say 5:30 PM, it was just after the start of the game and we simply weren't going to get time to make an announcement during the game and we told her that and she was aghast because "how else are people going to know?"

Yes, that's our problem. I am sure the audience would appreciate us interupting the big game to say "We interrupt this ball game to bring you this important bulletin!!!!!!!!!! A bus of kids is coming................."

Hello, McFly?!

[AFpheonix]

We get maybe one or two icy/snowy days out of the year here these days. However, when they DO come, it's like the apocolypse has come. All the news stations sit at the bottom of big hills and get video of cars sliding down or into stuff, blah blah, expound upon the whopping 1/2" of snow that we got, and totally gloss over everything else that happened that day.
Then on the other hand are the trogs that get out their SUVs, convinced that they can drive everywhere, and come and slide into the side of our drive through and put nice little dents in their doors, all to pick up their prescription toothpaste that's been sitting ready for 6 days already. (brick building 1, pathfinder 0) I look out and laugh, and toodle back home after my shift in my little subaru, who can do no wrong.

[CrazedClerk]

"You are listening to KDCB FM, still no let up in the snowstorm currently pounding the city, but I have just been notified that Bebe's Gentleman's Club will be closed until further notice..."

[ArenaBoy]

My arena closing during a blizzard especially in my cold hand state? No way, we stay open even if our employees get into freak accidents. I've been called for snow crew numerous times on my days off and I've always refused because A. Trying to get there on the main road is dangerous B. I'm all nice and curled up in my bed and am not getting out.

The worst snowstorm of the year I had to work, I didn't punch out until 2 AM and just as I start my car my cellphone dies and there is nobody out because its 2 AM. That was the worst night I've ever worked.

[DesignFox]

Last year we had a huge blizzard. Mall policy is to wait until 3 of the 5 major department stores close before officially closing the entire mall. Don't know what stupid f*** companies were waiting til the last minute, but the mall opening kept getting delayed and delayed until finally one last store admitted defeat- I waited on the phone with my Store Manager for 2 hours until it finally happened...of course, there was no way in hell I was going in even if the mall DID open. My car was buried under a foot of snow...I didn't want to know what the roads looked like.