Nonsense, Lies, Insult.

[taurinejunkie]

Came towards the end of the shift, which was a good thing as it really pissed me off.
BOBG: Payphones get free 411, but we can only do local searches. Caller was in 418, and speaking English.

Me: Good evening, may I help you?
SC: Yeah, I'm looking for the Royal Bank of Canada in Montreal [514 area code].
Me: Alright, RBC, but I won't be able to look up in Montreal. You'll have to
-Nonsense-
SC cutting me off: NOT RBC. THE ROYAL BANK OF CANADA!
Me: Well, RBC stands for Royal Bank of Canada, that's how they're listed in our business files.
SC: No, I want the Royal Bank of Canada. I have some papers here that specifically say they are NOT AFFILIATED.
Me: Well, strictly speaking they aren't affiliated as they actually are the same business.
SC: No they're not. I want the Royal Bank of Canada.
Me, giving up: Alright, I will look for the Royal Bank of Canada. However, I cannot give you a Montreal phone number as you are calling from a payphone for which Montreal is not local.
-Lies-
SC: I'M IN MONTREAL!
Me: No you're not. My computer indicates that you are calling us from a payphone located in the 418 area code. Montreal is the 514 area code. You'll need to dial the 1-514-555-1212 from this payphone, or 411 from a residential or cellphone, in order to get the Montreal directory assistance.
-Insult-
SC in that despicable snotty tone: You know, I understand that you can't help me because of the language barrier.
Me: There is no language barrier sir. I am bilingual. Have a nice day.

I think the Block Incoming Calls and Release buttons on the keyboard I was using might still have my fingerprints engraved in them a week from now. And it took me about a minute of long deep breaths before I could take calls again. *Sigh* I hate people.

[ralerin]

Haha...he got pwned.

Slight off topic: I once heard there is a law in PQ in which any person working with the public (cashier, food service, call center rep, etc) has to be bilingual. True or false?

[taurinejunkie]

Well. Officially only French is required I think (as it is the only official language), though a lot of businesses require you to be bilingual before they'll hire you. Depends on the area and job. In some parts of Montreal (West Island, mostly) I think you could even get a job speaking only English. For my job though, bilingualism is required, as we get customers from pretty much all North America, and English-speaking operators from literally around the world. (I had a Japanese operator online once with the cutest accent ever. But then again, I have a huge bias when it comes to Asian women.)

On the topic of my bilingualism, I've even had a customer think I was from England because of my accent in English. My mother tongue is in fact French. I didn't have enough time to tell her how pleased I was to hear she thought that.

Edit: Late reply, but my internet crapped out in the middle of typing this.

[PepperElf]

My mother tongue is in fact French.

even more pwnage then if the sc was trying to call you biased for not speaking French

[taurinejunkie]

I guess he was only trying to be an asshole, and used the language barrier thing because he was speaking English, and I should know English before I get on the phones. Which I do.

[The Gatekeeper]

As Ree, Raps, and TA will confirm, we found a lot of billingual people in and around QC. The CS annual ski trip went to Mt. St. Anne's 3 years in a row. Everyone from wait staff, to snowmobile rentals, to emergency room staff spoke English.

Being from Ontario I was a little concerned at first (old politics die hard) but found nothing but friendly, helpful people. I can't really speak French well, but I understand a lot more than I can speak.

[Salted Grump]

I actually can't speak French at all. Long story short something got crossed in the language centre of my brainybits so I can't really make out the words in a conversation without looking directly at the person, and, even then, languages like French (Which is generally run-together in Quebec into one long word per sentence) just cause my brain to enter a reboot loop.

[taurinejunkie]

Street-level Quebec French is indeed very hard to understand for a non-native speaker. All exchange students I've ever met told me that. But we have some pretty awesome swearwords, as shown here

[Blade_Raver]

I would have told the customer, "I don't understand your language? Sorry, but stupid isn't a language."

[Rapscallion]

As Ree, Raps, and TA will confirm, we found a lot of billingual people in and around QC. The CS annual ski trip went to Mt. St. Anne's 3 years in a row. Everyone from wait staff, to snowmobile rentals, to emergency room staff spoke English.

Not to forget the chap who helped pull my snowmobile out of the trees when I'd crashed it. I think he was paying back karma in front for his countryman.

Rapscallion

[Can I Help Your A$$?]

Damn. I guess that means I shouldn't say Criss de Callisse de Tabarnack, then.