Store phone =/= information

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Oh, the things our wacky customers will call us up about! These happened sometime in the recent past, as overheard from the service desk ladiez:

Caller: Do you know where (some street in town) is?
Service desk person (who lives someplace out in the sticks and isn't familiar with the city): I'm sorry; I'm afraid I don't
Caller: Well, don't you have a phone book?
Service desk person: No we don't.

(This of course is a total lie, but it beats what service desk person wanted to say: "Don't you?")



********************

Caller: Can you connect me to (grocery store that used to be in our strip mall but isn't any more)?

Seriously, call the grocery store! We are not them. Don't call us!

********************

Caller: Can you connect me to Walmart?

This person is so lucky I do not work the service desk. I would be so tempted to put the caller on hold, have a co-worker answer as somebody at Walmart, and just swear at the caller or berate them or something.

[Food Lady]

People in your town are more clueless than I thought. Even if you could connect them to the competitor, why would you??

[starsinthesky]

I get that all the time. People call us, we aren't allowed to say "thank you for call ____". They reason that custys are smart and listen and pay attention when the IVR brands the call. So when they realize that they called the wrong place the either expect me to connect them or give them the other companies phone number.

[Mr Hero]

I don't get this. If the customers show enough incentive to look for your store's number, then surely they'd have enough incentive to find the number for the store they're actually trying to reach.

[BrenDAnn]

We get this all the time at the C-Store. I don't recall the word 'information' in our phone book listing anywhere, either. I don't understand why people do that!

[CinSim]

If you get calls like that regularly, tape the number for the public library near the phones and redirect people there, since it IS their job!

[Android Kaeli]

I get this on occassion, even when I do the opening spiel that CLEARLY states which store I work for. Then again, I also work in a tourist trap so I can forgive some of the callers.

[Teefies2]

Then there was the woman who called 'my store' in *town* and asked me for the number for 'my store' in *town*.

After I got my jaw off the floor, I said "you are talking to 'my store' in *town*".

"Oh" <click>

[blas]

Even better if there's multiples of the store you work at, and people call the wrong one and refuse to admit their own faults about the matter.

No, this gas station does NOT have a deli. That's the SuckMart by the highway. Yes, I'm SURE this is the SuckMart by Dairy Queen.

[Racket_Man]

People in your town are more clueless than I thought. Even if you could connect them to the competitor, why would you??

that is as bad as some of the "customers" who call my <pizza place>. they suddenly do not like our specials or assume that ALL pizza places (meaning every indie and corp type place) in my town/state have the exact same menu items available or run the exact same special deals/coupons.

we just tell them "sorry that item/dealcoupon/special is not available here. that is another company's product (without saying which other company it is)" and they inevitably say "WELL can you transfer me to <other pizza place>????" OR "Can you give the the number to <other pizza place>???" in a most sincere voice

[Mytical]

Too bad you would get in trouble giving them the rejection hotline number or transferring them to it

[MoonCat]

Oh god, these idiots are asking you to transfer them to a completely different business?? That is a whole new level of stupid.

[Jester]

Even if you could connect them to the competitor, why would you??

Got that just the other day.

Actually, we get asked all the time for recommendations for other bars and restaurants, but when they are eating at our place already and are merely looking for variety, that's perfectly acceptable. Or if they are asking for a place that has stuff we don't, such as oysters or sushi, I can see it.

Yeserday, one of my very first groups was a party of eight from Texas. They came in, ordered drinks, asked to see menus, and after I got them their drinks, they start asking for good places to eat, "other than here." I do suggest they look at the menu, as we have great food, but also recommend a couple places. And then I find out they only have a couple of hours in town before they have to be back on the cruise ship, and they are looking for "really good seafood."

I reiterate my suggestion to look at the menu, as we have FANTASTIC seafood dishes, even though we are not a seafood place per se. They seem doubtful, but decide they will stay, especially after I recommend a few dishes in particular.

After they ate appetizers and entrees, all seafood, they apologized for doubting me, as they were blown away by our food. One of them even said their dish was the best thing they'd had...EVER. (It really is quite amazing.)

But yeah, they would have gone somewhere else for seafood, leaving themselves less time to eat, simply because we didn't seem like a seafood place for them.

People call us, we aren't allowed to say "thank you for call ____". They reason that custys are smart and listen and pay attention when the IVR brands the call.

Clearly they have never taken calls or actually dealt with real live customers. Just as clearly, they are blithering idiots.

Even better if there's multiples of the store you work at, and people call the wrong one and refuse to admit their own faults about the matter.

I got that quite a bit when I worked for the Red and White Stripes chain restaurant here in Key West. Every so often, people would call us, thinking that we were another location of the same chain in the Miami area.

Miami is 150 miles from here.

That was always good for a laugh. Especially when they just asked for directions before we even realized their error.

"Well, get on US1 and go south....and keep going.....and keep going.....and keep going...."