The Phantom Employee

[TruthHurts]

A lot of us have had this happen an SC tries to do something that's against the rules. When told they can't do what they're asking they suddenly bring up this phantom employee who told them they could do it. The employee who's name they don't know and their description doesn't fit a single person working there.

We had a lady not show up for her reservation and was charged for it. She calls up irate swearing up and down that she called to cancel her reservation and that an oriental or mexican guy with a raspy voice said it taken care of.

Fact: There's only three people who work front desk and not a single one of us fits that description. The only person with an accent is the owner of the hotel but he is hardly here and when he is he does not answer the phones. However this woman is 100% sure we are lying and has been harassing us non-stop.

Has anyone else dealt with a phantom employee?

[Getoutofmylobby]

On two occasions, about a month apart, I had a customer try to get a discount by saying our Food and Beverage manager, Wendy, gave him a manager's rate on a room.

The first time the customer called I was too busy to so anything about it, i just told him we were sold out. But the second time, on a weekend, I had the time to tell him that not only do we not have a Wendy that works here, we also don;t have any women who work the front desk and on top of that, we've never EVER had a Food and Beverage manager.

Some people, huh?

[Giggle Goose]

Yes, I've had that. What's great (not) about restaurants, especially where there is a lot of carry-out, is that the person can just say that "The girl/guy on the phone said I could use X coupon or it only costs $X." And they only have to make up a gender and it's not like they're challenged by the employees to describe what the phantom looks like.

[georgiab]

I work at a thrift store and we sell nothing for less than a quarter...well a woman purchases some magazines and I ring here up and she said that they are supposed to be a dime each..No ma'am I say They are a quarter we have never sold anything for less than a quarter ..she insists that they are and I say Well maybe you are getting confused with said competitor because they do infact sell there magazines for a dime...As she goes to leave she nastily states I'll just come back when the other woman is working...Uh I say ma'am I am the only woman who works here.....I was polite but talk about beating a dead horse....By the way i have been at the store since we opened....

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Heck, yeah. I think he still works at Kinko's.

[toolbert]

My problem is that not only has there never been a phantom employee at our store, but that in actuallity I am that phantom employee! Its mainly because I mumble a little bit when I talk on the phone and people sometimes mistake my name for someone else. I always answer with "Palm store, this is toolbert speaking" and it never fails that the person on the other line calls me either Frank, Max, Mark, Will (wth?) or Tom (wth even more >.>). Considering my name starts with a B, all of these people are off their rocker. So whenever an SC shows up in the store and don't like something that I tell them they usually pull the Frank card (But Frank told me x, x and x over the phone). It always shocks them when I tell them that Frank is none other than me (drats, my cover is blown now >.>).

[BookstoreEscapee]

Hey, Toolbert - I often got people who heard "Sally" when I answered the phone. My usual phone spiel was "Thank you for calling BN Mytown, this is ---(my name that starts with the sound 'Ally')", so I understand where it comes from. I have wondered if anyone has ever called saying they talked to Sally. I've never even worked with a Sally. So I may have been the phantom employee as well.

[Blueberry]

Our phantom employee from a phantom store told a customer a certain author was signing at our store that night.
That author had been in the previous night.
The customer complained that she had been in our South Mall location and an employee there had said that night. She swore up and down it was someone from that store and that we should get our acts together, etc.
Then I gently told her that we were the only store of our company in the ENTIRE PROVINCE.

[KamenRiderOsaka]

Yeah, Ive been the victim of "the phantom employee." Some lady was complaining about something, and she turned, pointed at me and said "SHE WAS THE ONE WHO SAID I COULD RETURN IT!!" And I looked at her and said "ma'am, Ive never seen you before in my life. I just started here yesterday." and walked away.

[Dips]

Mysterious Someone: The Phantom Employee strikes again. My theory is that MS:TPE is comic book villain with a secret identity. Perhaps he was arrested for shoplifting as a child and the humiliation twisted him enough that he goes around to various businesses posing as an employee and making ridiculous promises to SCs. It's his revenge on the system.

MS:TPE has hit us many times before. He mostly keeps telling our SCs that we promised them free updates. But sometimes he lies about our business hours, promises that we'll support products made by other companies or tells people that it's OK to install an individual license on twenty computers.

If I could get my hands on that slippery bastard, we'd....have words.

[dizzy_starshine]

This actually made me laugh but it was also very annoying. we currently have two members of staff at my pharmacy and all week back in Febuary a man would call demanding to talk to Pam. Neither myself or my co worker are called Pam and I've been there 4 years and never worked with a Pam. His call would always go like this:

ME: Hello __Pharmacy how can I help you?
MAN: Hey put Pam on for a moment please
ME: I'm sorry sir you have the wrong number this is ___ pharmacy
MAN : Yeah just put Pam on please
ME You have the wrong number this is a pharmacy and no one called Pam works here.
MAN: Ok I'll phone back when her shift starts then

We'd laugh at first but after 4 days it got very annoying. He finally turned up in the Pharmacy.

MAN: hey get Pam from out back please
ME: I'm the only person here Sir
- Looks over my shoulder and starts calling out Pam -
I waited for him to hear the long period of silence -
ME: As I say sir there's only me here
MAN: This is stupid I'm calling her mobile right now!
-He got out a mobile and held it out at arms length, No phone rings in the shop of course. He finally held it to his ear and said
MAN : Pam! get out here to the front desk your co work won't believe your here...What do you mean you are at the desk! you're not i'm right here....where am I? ___ pharmacy...what do you mean you work at ___ chemist! are you serious!

he then walked out with not even an attempt at an apology >.> It amazes me how people never believe what they're told.

[Kara]

This happens all the time when you work in a call center.

SC: I talked to Mike last month and he said he'd give me X phone for free with no contract / give me (plan that doesn't even exist) / give me $XXX.XX credit!
ME: Well, I don't see that you spoke to anyone by that name.
SC: It' s not my fault he didn't note it in the account, but I expect you to honor this!
ME: Yeah, I see the last time you spoke to anyone was 2 months ago, and that was about (random issue). And if you had talked to "Mike" and he forgot to note your account, it would still show he accessed your account, because the system tracks every time anyone enters your account for any reason.
SC: Well... Your system is wrong!
ME: Hmm, no, it definitely looks like no one has been in your account for 2 months.
SC: Are you calling me a liar?
ME (I'm not calling you a liar, but I'm implying it): Oh no, not at all. I'm just saying there might be some type of miscommunication.
SC: Just give me (offer that I made up)! Right now!
ME: Yeeeeaaaaah.....no.

[CrazedClerk]

This happens all the time when you work in a call center.

SC: I talked to Mike last month and he said he'd give me X phone for free with no contract / give me (plan that doesn't even exist) / give me $XXX.XX credit!
ME: Well, I don't see that you spoke to anyone by that name.
SC: It' s not my fault he didn't note it in the account, but I expect you to honor this!
ME: Yeah, I see the last time you spoke to anyone was 2 months ago, and that was about (random issue). And if you had talked to "Mike" and he forgot to note your account, it would still show he accessed your account, because the system tracks every time anyone enters your account for any reason.
SC: Well... Your system is wrong!
ME: Hmm, no, it definitely looks like no one has been in your account for 2 months.
SC: Are you calling me a liar?
ME (I'm not calling you a liar, but I'm implying it): Oh no, not at all. I'm just saying there might be some type of miscommunication.
SC: Just give me (offer that I made up)! Right now!
ME: Yeeeeaaaaah.....no.

I've just started at a call centre but I already love the notes system for expressly this reason. (I only wish some people could type more legible notes!)

[ArenaBoy]

I love this except seeing as it's an arena instead of just one employee it's "they".

"They let me in here without a pass last time."
"Yeah your supervisor said let me in here."
"Oh come on ArenaBoy, they always let me in here."

So much fun.

[Noelegy]

Yeah, Ive been the victim of "the phantom employee." Some lady was complaining about something, and she turned, pointed at me and said "SHE WAS THE ONE WHO SAID I COULD RETURN IT!!" And I looked at her and said "ma'am, Ive never seen you before in my life. I just started here yesterday." and walked away.

I had something similar happen at the book/music/video store. I was up at the front end for some reason (this was after I no longer worked as a cashier and had become a book department employee) and there was a woman who was trying to scam us for something. I forget what: it may have been a not-quite-kosher refund. One of the managers was helping her, and she claimed she'd been in the day before, and "SHE [pointing at me] told me I could..." [insert scam here]. The manager asked me for verification of this.

I asked the woman, "Yesterday?" and she emphatically said yes, it was yesterday. I said, "I was off yesterday."

To her credit, she didn't try to backpedal or insist it was some other day. She just stood there with a look on her face.