My situation is very complicated! (long)

[Boozy]

This patient, an elderly man, called the office a few weeks ago. We had the following discussion:
Me: Dr. Blah's Office, this is Boozy, how can I help you?
SC: Where's Mandy?
(Mandy is the other receptionist, and until I started a month ago, she was the only receptionist. Patients have been dealing with her, and only her, for years. Some patients haven't dealt well with someone else answering the phone.)
Me: Mandy is busy with another patient right now. Is there something I can do for you?
SC: No, I really need to speak to Mandy. She is the only one who understands my situation.
Me: I may be able to help. Could you explain to me what you need? Then we can determine the best way to deal with your situation.
SC: Please put Mandy on the phone, young lady.
(I don't like this old fart's tone with me at this point, but we actually have a handful of patients whose situation is genuinely too complicated for me to deal with. Mandy has told me she'll deal with those patients for now. So I figure, no big deal, he can talk to Mandy.)
Me: Okay, but she may be awhile. Could I have her call you back?
SC: No I'll hold.
Me: Sir, she could be over an hour.
SC: I'LL HOLD.
So I put him on hold. Thankfully, Mandy isn't an hour...but it still takes twenty minutes (she's taking history from a new patient), and this guy is still waiting.
Mandy spends literally one minute on the phone with him, hangs up, and starts laughing her ass off. His "situation" involved him needing to reschedule his next appointment from 2 pm to 3 pm. 20 minutes he waited for this!
Mandy told him that from now on, he should feel free to discuss his "situation" with me, because I know what I'm doing. She told me that there is nothing complicated about this guy's situation, he's a typical patient. Problem solved, right?
No.
He calls yesterday. Same shit all over again.
Me: Dr. Blah's office, this is Boozy, how may-
SC: I need to speak with Mandy.
(I recognize his voice, so I'm not about to pull Mandy away from what she's doing to deal with this again)
Me: Sir, does this involve appointment scheduling? Because I take care of that now. I'd be happy to help you.
SC: My situation is very complicated. I don't have time to spend explaining it to you. Please get Mandy.
(Mandy is sitting right beside me at this point, but I was intrigued by his assertion that he "didn't have time to spend"....so I tell him that Mandy is unavailable and it will be a 20 minute wait, just like last time.)
SC: I'll hold.
Damned if that old bastard didn't wait 20 minutes on hold to talk to Mandy. We kept staring at the blinking light on the phone, shaking our heads. Finally she breaks down and picks up the phone. He made an appointment. That's it.
Old people: Too much time on their hands, no sense of perspective.

[Kilamon]

I believe that the BOFH handbook says that these people get transferred to the janitor's office.

[Binky]

hehe they do get set in their ways, but I spose when you get patients like that you'll be flattered...maybe LOL

Next time he calls and does the same thing, put him on hold then pick it up again and pretend to be Mandy, see if he even notices he difference hey..if he does just say "you have a cold today"

[Anakah]

What would he do if you told him it's Mandy's day off? Hold...? JK

[Arachne]

When I took my job, I replaced someone who'd been the reigning expert for several years, and for the first few months, no one wanted to talk to me, they only wanted to talk to her. She wasn't working at my shop anymore, and when people found this out, they wanted her home number! (She'd warned me about this and admonished me not to give it out.)

It went on like this for some time, but now it's only a rare person who demands to speak to her and won't speak to me. Most of the others actually send my co-workers to get me. I'm what they're used to now, I guess. I keep assuring my co-workers that given time, the customers will get used to them, too.

Yes, it's mostly old people who behave this way.

[uthdentroll]

put him on hold, pick up the phone every 20 mins and tell him Mandy is assisting another patients with more complicated situations. such as scheduling an appointment, or reschedule an appointment.

[shenzee]

I've been at my job for four years and this still happens. Alot of time people call asking to talk to Sharon, the office manager who used to answer the phone five years ago. When I tell him/her that she is no longer employed here, they demand to talk to the boss. The funny thing is that since I handle just about every aspect of daily business, the boss will transfer them back to me to handle it!

[karma_gypsy]

Yikes, that guy is definately set in his ways . . .

What would happen if Mandy had the day off or if she was sick . . .

"I'm sorry sir, Mandy won't be here until Monday . . ."

"I'll hold."

[Becks]

What if he...*ahem* enjoys the sound of Mandy's voice?