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... we would have been done a whole lot faster.
I have a sighting and a story from work. I will start with the work story.
Is this thing on?
Small bit of background: I work in a call center for a prepaid cellular service. I had a customer on the line who was calling in to transfer his current phone number to a new handset.
Company policy for this is to verify the ESN (electronic serial number) or MEID (mobile equipment identifier) or in laymens terms the phones serial number for both the old handset and the new handset.
Me: Ok, do you have the ESN or MEID from the handset your phone is currently active on?
Customer: Well let me see here, I have model number, ID, SN, FCCID... what do you need?
Me: (double checks records) ok, it should be an MEID according to our records. It should start with the letter A and the number 0.
Customer: I don't see anything like that.
Me: Ok, it could also start with 268.
Customer: I see an ID that starts with 01352
Me: Ok, it should either be A0 or 268. If it doesn't start with one of those two things that's not it.
Customer: Well I don't see either of those. I have the battery out and everything.
At this point I notice on the caller ID that he is calling from the phone number he wants to transfer.
Me: Ok, you are calling from the phone number you intend to transfer right now correct?
Customer: Yes.
Me: Ok, what I'm asking you for is the serial number currently attached to that phone number.
Customer: I know, I have the battery in my hand right now and am looking at the back of the phone.
Me: And you're speaking to me on the phone?
Customer: No... this is the phone I want to transfer it on, of course I don't have the battery out of the phone I'm speaking on.
Me: Ok, what I asked for originally is the serial number that the phone number is attached to now, not the one you want to transfer it to. In other words, the serial number to the phone you are speaking to me on.
Customer: How am I supposed to get that if I'm speaking to you on the phone?
Me: It can't be pulled up while your speaking on the phone. I can help you to pull it up on the phone without removing the battery, but I would need another line I could call you on.
Customer: All I have is this cell phone.
Me: Then all I can have you do is remove the battery, write the serial number down and then call us back.
Customer: But... thats a terrible inconvenience.
Me: I realize that, but I need the serial number to complete this transaction. It can't be pulled up while your speaking on the phone. Unless you have another line I can call you on I have no other options for you.
Customer: (repeats previous statement with some swearing)
Eventually he hung up on me as at this point we got locked into the phone call tug of war with each of us repeating the same thing. I don't know what happened to his situation, and I frankly don't care anymore.
Who are you again?
So my friends and I are heavily into playing magic the gathering right now. So Thursday I was over at my friend's place helping him out with an issue on his computer after which we sat down to play a few hands. We both decided after a bit we were hungry, and wanted to go and check out some cards at the local comic/gaming store. So we hit up the comic store, bought our cards and headed to the nearby apple bees for some food.
The food was great, our waiter was not. Now, I don't mind a waiter being friendly, thats cool, its part of the job. So after our food arrived we were talking about deck strategy and my friend was telling me about one of the recent local tournaments he had played in. All around we were very much making with the geek talk.
Anyway, right in the middle of our conversation our waiter just sits down at our table and says "So what are we talking about." Our conversation ground to a complete halt. Now my friend is a bit socially awkward, as am I at times. We generally don't do well around complete strangers. Anyhow, the fact that the first minute or so after he sat down was dead silence should have clued him into the fact that he was intruding on a private conversation. Anyway, I answered first in a somewhat terse manner. "A game."
Waiter: What kind of game?
Me: A card game. Look, I don't mean to be rude, but this is a private conversation.
Waiter: Well, I was just trying to be friendly.
Me: Right, by sitting down with two total strangers and butting in on a private conversation?
With that he walked away. No apology, nothing. Anyway, after that we never saw him again. About 5 minutes later when we needed refills the manager took over our table. In retrospect I should have complained, but I just didn't feel like going through the effort of doing so.
I have a sighting and a story from work. I will start with the work story.
Is this thing on?
Small bit of background: I work in a call center for a prepaid cellular service. I had a customer on the line who was calling in to transfer his current phone number to a new handset.
Company policy for this is to verify the ESN (electronic serial number) or MEID (mobile equipment identifier) or in laymens terms the phones serial number for both the old handset and the new handset.
Me: Ok, do you have the ESN or MEID from the handset your phone is currently active on?
Customer: Well let me see here, I have model number, ID, SN, FCCID... what do you need?
Me: (double checks records) ok, it should be an MEID according to our records. It should start with the letter A and the number 0.
Customer: I don't see anything like that.
Me: Ok, it could also start with 268.
Customer: I see an ID that starts with 01352
Me: Ok, it should either be A0 or 268. If it doesn't start with one of those two things that's not it.
Customer: Well I don't see either of those. I have the battery out and everything.
At this point I notice on the caller ID that he is calling from the phone number he wants to transfer.
Me: Ok, you are calling from the phone number you intend to transfer right now correct?
Customer: Yes.
Me: Ok, what I'm asking you for is the serial number currently attached to that phone number.
Customer: I know, I have the battery in my hand right now and am looking at the back of the phone.
Me: And you're speaking to me on the phone?
Customer: No... this is the phone I want to transfer it on, of course I don't have the battery out of the phone I'm speaking on.
Me: Ok, what I asked for originally is the serial number that the phone number is attached to now, not the one you want to transfer it to. In other words, the serial number to the phone you are speaking to me on.
Customer: How am I supposed to get that if I'm speaking to you on the phone?
Me: It can't be pulled up while your speaking on the phone. I can help you to pull it up on the phone without removing the battery, but I would need another line I could call you on.
Customer: All I have is this cell phone.
Me: Then all I can have you do is remove the battery, write the serial number down and then call us back.
Customer: But... thats a terrible inconvenience.
Me: I realize that, but I need the serial number to complete this transaction. It can't be pulled up while your speaking on the phone. Unless you have another line I can call you on I have no other options for you.
Customer: (repeats previous statement with some swearing)
Eventually he hung up on me as at this point we got locked into the phone call tug of war with each of us repeating the same thing. I don't know what happened to his situation, and I frankly don't care anymore.
Who are you again?
So my friends and I are heavily into playing magic the gathering right now. So Thursday I was over at my friend's place helping him out with an issue on his computer after which we sat down to play a few hands. We both decided after a bit we were hungry, and wanted to go and check out some cards at the local comic/gaming store. So we hit up the comic store, bought our cards and headed to the nearby apple bees for some food.
The food was great, our waiter was not. Now, I don't mind a waiter being friendly, thats cool, its part of the job. So after our food arrived we were talking about deck strategy and my friend was telling me about one of the recent local tournaments he had played in. All around we were very much making with the geek talk.
Anyway, right in the middle of our conversation our waiter just sits down at our table and says "So what are we talking about." Our conversation ground to a complete halt. Now my friend is a bit socially awkward, as am I at times. We generally don't do well around complete strangers. Anyhow, the fact that the first minute or so after he sat down was dead silence should have clued him into the fact that he was intruding on a private conversation. Anyway, I answered first in a somewhat terse manner. "A game."
Waiter: What kind of game?
Me: A card game. Look, I don't mean to be rude, but this is a private conversation.
Waiter: Well, I was just trying to be friendly.
Me: Right, by sitting down with two total strangers and butting in on a private conversation?
With that he walked away. No apology, nothing. Anyway, after that we never saw him again. About 5 minutes later when we needed refills the manager took over our table. In retrospect I should have complained, but I just didn't feel like going through the effort of doing so.
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