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I got stuck doing the phone advice again today.
It wasn't actually too bad - some decent enquiries, an old lady who I think I helped encourage to claim around £70 a week she's missing out on, a few too many people from outside the area, a bit too much of acting as a switchboard because people who should have the office line kept ring the (much harder to get through on) advice line. There was one person who was pretty impossible to advise because (a) he wanted certainty when life and the law doesn't work that way, and (b) he kept coming up with new "what if"s and (c) he was maybe not so bright and had trouble understanding. But he was nice enough - no real complaints.
Except this guy :
Me - Good Afternoon. [My organisation]
SC - Can I speak to [African sounding woman's name I've never heard before]
Me - I'm sorry, can you repeat the name please
SC - Can I speak to [African sounding woman's name I've never heard before]
Me - I'm sorry there's no one here of that name, I think you must have the wrong number
SC - No
Me - This is [my organistation]. You must have the wrong number.
SC - No. I want to pay my council tax.
Me - You have the wrong number.
SC - No. I want to pay my council tax. Just let me pay my council tax.
Me ....
Me - We are a small charity. We are not the council. We cannot assist you with that.
SC - Oh. What's the number for the council ?
Unfortunately that kind of counts as advice so I didn't feel I could say no. I started looking up the number and I'm talking at the same time - just saying I'm looking it up and explaining that you have to ring a central number and then go through a press button phone tree system. When I get the number I realised he'd just put the phone down.
I wish I'd just taken the idiots bank details now...
Victoria J
It wasn't actually too bad - some decent enquiries, an old lady who I think I helped encourage to claim around £70 a week she's missing out on, a few too many people from outside the area, a bit too much of acting as a switchboard because people who should have the office line kept ring the (much harder to get through on) advice line. There was one person who was pretty impossible to advise because (a) he wanted certainty when life and the law doesn't work that way, and (b) he kept coming up with new "what if"s and (c) he was maybe not so bright and had trouble understanding. But he was nice enough - no real complaints.
Except this guy :
Me - Good Afternoon. [My organisation]
SC - Can I speak to [African sounding woman's name I've never heard before]
Me - I'm sorry, can you repeat the name please
SC - Can I speak to [African sounding woman's name I've never heard before]
Me - I'm sorry there's no one here of that name, I think you must have the wrong number
SC - No
Me - This is [my organistation]. You must have the wrong number.
SC - No. I want to pay my council tax.
Me - You have the wrong number.
SC - No. I want to pay my council tax. Just let me pay my council tax.
Me ....
Me - We are a small charity. We are not the council. We cannot assist you with that.
SC - Oh. What's the number for the council ?
Unfortunately that kind of counts as advice so I didn't feel I could say no. I started looking up the number and I'm talking at the same time - just saying I'm looking it up and explaining that you have to ring a central number and then go through a press button phone tree system. When I get the number I realised he'd just put the phone down.
I wish I'd just taken the idiots bank details now...
Victoria J