Dublin is in London, isn't it?

[Blue Ginger]

BG/ This happened when I was temping, just before Christmas. I was working in a mail room in a massive bank in London. Mail room was contracted out to a different company.

When sorting outgoing post, I came across an envelope addressed to Dublin with a post-it 'courier please'. No courier requests were dealt with in the mail room. /BG

BM = Bossman
Me
SC = Stupid Customer
AT = Stupid's Admin Team person

BM opened the envelope to find out who it was from and called them. I only heard one side of the convo.

BM - Hi, this is BM from mail room. I have an envelope here that you have requested to go via courier.
SC - ............
BM - Well, to begin with, we don't have anything to do with couriers. You will need to email blahblah to arrange for a courier.
SC - ..............
BM - Ok. Can I just ask what type of courier did you want to book?
SC - ............
BM - A bike courier? As in a bicycle courier?
SC - ..........
BM - Do you know where Dublin is?
SC - .............
BM - No, it is not in London SC. It is not even in the UK. Dublin is in Ireland. It is a separate country. Where are you located in the building SC? I am going to have one of my team bring this back to you.
SC - ............
BM - They will be there in 5 minutes.

As soon as Bossman hung up, all 5 of us burst out laughing. When we calmed down and could breathe, I won rock, paper, scissors to take it back to SC.

First had to take it to Stupid Customer's Admin Team person. SC didn't know where they were located in the building, only the floor number.

Me - Can you point me to SC, I have an item to be returned to him.
AT - I will call them over.
(twiddle thumbs while waiting for SC to answer phone and locate their own Admin Team)
SC - Are you sure this can't be couriered?
Me - Yes, I'm sure. It can go via Royal Mail or DHL but not by courier.
SC - But Dublin isn't that far away.
AT - Why can't it be couriered? It's in London.
Me - Dublin is not in London or the UK
AT - Are you sure? I swear it is. I've been there.
Me - I know it's not. Dublin is not in London. Dublin is in Ireland. Ireland is not in the UK. Ireland is a different country. It isn't even on the same land mass. (rinse and repeat 3 times)
SC - Ok I will have to send it via DHL then. (wanders off)
AT - I'm sure Dublin is in London

I had to walk away at that point before I said something that would get me fired.

As I'm walking away, I hear 'But I'm sure it's in London.'

Bossman had vetoed my idea of printing out a map showing where Dublin is and where London is.

[XCashier]

Bossman had vetoed my idea of printing out a map showing where Dublin is and where London is.

Too bad; that would've driven the point home. Maybe.

[skeptic53]

Kind of a relief to know folks in UK can be as big a geographical moron as some Americans. Brings to mind the post about the lady who wanted the 3-day cruise from New York to Honolulu...

[Beki710]

I think the problem is they don't teach basic geography in school any more. I'm only 22 and my geography lessons consisted off reading an OS map and learning about rivers. Oh and GDP of 3rd world countries. I never had a class where we learnt the location of major cities or countries even.
Proved later on once I was taking my A-Levels, where the majority of my history class though Serbia was in Russia and the very ditsy girl in my English class who came out with the classic after hearing about the Geography trip to Iceland, "Why would they want to go and spend a week in a Supermarket?" (In the UK a major supermarket chain is called Iceland due to the fact pretty much everything they sell is frozen)

[dendawg]

Should've pointed him to Dublin TX, so he could get Dublin Dr Pepper.

[Frantic Freddie]

I know your pain .....I live in New Mexico,as you can see a lotta folks don't know where the hell we are either

[dalesys]

I know your pain .....I live in New Mexico,as you can see a lotta folks don't know where the hell we are either

... isn't the 47th state Canadia? ...

[BeenThereDoneThat]

Damn. That's just sad. But yeah, I guess it happens everywhere...some people just do not like to know things and never take the time to learn anything unless they're forced to.

[bhskittykatt]

Showing them a map wouldn't have helped. Trust me.

I still laugh about the guest who wanted to get to Moses Lake and was utterly appalled that I directed him to head south to Seattle, and then east on 90. He wanted to take the Mt. Baker Hwy over to Eastern WA, which is just north of us. The Mt. Baker Hwy ends at a parking lot at Mt. Baker (which would have been under dozens of feet of snow that time of year).

I pulled out a map, showed him, and he exclaimed that my map was wrong and that I needed a newer one. He insisted that he could cross the mountains there!

I just directed him to the highway and told him good luck.

[Eisa]

I know your pain .....I live in New Mexico,as you can see a lotta folks don't know where the hell we are either

Duuuuuuuuuuude. I have been asked WAY too many times if I need my green card to work in the U.S. Why? 'Cause I was born in New Mexico. Seriously, what the fuck do people learn in Geography?

That's really sad that they still wouldn't believe Dublin wasn't in London somehow. Maybe there's a rip in the universe through which you can get to Ireland?

[Eireann]

My sister, who is older than I am, was thirteen before she discovered that London was in England. She did NOT like the fact that I had known it for years.

[Blade_Raver]

Google maps ftw

[thansal]

ow

Seriously ow.

I mean, my geography knowledge SUCKS. I have this thing where I screw up the names of Pennsylvania and Connecticut (and my friends NEVER let me live it down). However, I tend to at least know what country MAJOR cities are in!

[Dreamstalker]

Too bad; that would've driven the point home. Maybe.

*SC whips out a ruler* "But they're only a few inches apart! See?"

[Chanlin]

But... but... Dublin is in Ohio.... and Georgia... and California.... oh right....