Customers are Ignoring You (Photo credit: ronploof)
I have blogged about cold callers before, and the fun the Hub has with them. He found a new one yesterday.
An automated call came in. He usually hangs up straight away but this one was about lower phone prices. He listened to the whole message and then was extremely irritated to hear, This service is not available to cable customers. All other customers, please press 2.
The Hub pressed 2 and was connected to a sentient being. The sentient being, reading from her script, was thrilled to have a new customer. She patiently asked lots of questions, and the Hub patiently answered.
After fifteen or so minutes, she asked what service he used now.
Hub: Virgin Media
SB: Oh, I’m sorry, sir; cable customers cannot apply for this service.
Hub: Yes, I know.
SB [Clearly thrown off-script by this]: You know? But…why…?
Hub: I got that automated call which made me sit through it for the information I should have had first, so I thought, if you can waste my time, I can waste yours.
SB: … … …
*
The Hub is a minx.
The Laughing Housewife 
Brilliant …. like Hub’s thinking *smile I hate this automatic answering with sometimes 8 different choices/options. I don’t have a clue how elderly people (elderly than me) can manage get in contact with any service today. It drives me nuts .. at least some places over here you can press a number and they call you back.
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It is the bane of modern life.
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Don’t blame him, it is very irritating. But still, think of the poor people who are making the cold calls – who’d want to do that unless they were desperate for a job? Must be one of the worst jobs in the world, apart from picking lobsters out of ……….. No, I mustn’t go there. 🙂
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I agree. I was going to poke fun at them but then I thought about how much I’d hate that job.
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that was a good laugh… I acn only think that people must be really really desperate to do cold calling or like those girls you see on X rated TV adverts…yuck!
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I agree. Dreadful.
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The Hub made an excellent point and since all calls are recorded, he may have changed the future of those automated calls, they may be reprogrammed in the near future! I have an excellent career for the Hub, he could be in charge of quality control for any phone service company’s use to lure more customers in or collect debts or whatnot. He would be using his wit and intelligence and doing the public a huge service.
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You may be on to something…
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I love it!
Once when staying with friends in France my hostess had an incoming sales cold call. Much as she tried to put them off they kept on talking. Elly, realising what was going on, piped up with “Give the phone to mum and she can talk in irish to them”! I did. The guy was flabbergasted and didn’t understand the utter rubbish I spouted at him, he soon gave in and hung up!
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Hehe! The Hub does that with Afrikaans sometimes 🙂
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Give that minx a kiss from me.
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I did. You enjoyed it 😉
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I think the Hub and I would get on together!
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I know you would! Naughty minxes together 🙂
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Hub deserves a couple of your maltesers for that. 😉
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Oi! Oi! Oi!
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Thanks for the laugh! Brilliant!!!
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Always a pleasure 🙂
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i doubt if she quit her job and looked for a more satisfying one, haha, hub did good!
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haha. Not sure I would have done that. After all, you are wasting your time TWICE.
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He spent the fifteen minutes savouring his punch line 🙂
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Now that strikes me as quite funny!
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Hooray for the Hub! I’m going to remember this!
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I’d laugh but I once worked for Verizon and know the folks who handle those calls are not the guilty party. Usually, they are kids who can’t find any other work, bored house wives, or pensioners who need money for their prescription drugs. Still not laughing. Dianne
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I know they are just trying to do their job, but the daily intrusion into our home, several times a day, becomes too much to take sometimes. Especially from those who refuse to take ‘no’ for an answer.
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Good for hub! 🙂
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Wicked! 😉
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So like my husband. I pinned it as an Emotional Fitness Exercise. Laughing is a big one. http://pinterest.com/pin/147141112795927103/
You keep me strong Tilly.
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Thanks, Emotifit 🙂
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Haha, good for the hub – serves ’em right! Let them see how it feels to get cold calling like that.
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Love the naughty hub 🙂
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No wonder those call centre workers have one of the highest stress levels in the workforce. They”re on the frontline getting mauled while their backroom bosses are raking in the dough – I’d rather clean toilets.
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It’s true; but the Hub always pokes fun politely. He is never abusive.
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Good on him I say!!
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My mother-in-law opens junk mail, shoves it all in the postage-paid return envelop, and mails it back to the junk mailer. Making them pay for the postage is sweet revenge. Tell the hub about it. I think, given his love of torturing cold caller, he might like to try it.
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He’s done that one 😉 Great minds!
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Yeah for hub – somebody should take those automated callers to task. I hate that they don’t give you the information up front so you can hang up on them.
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I know they’re just doing their (underpaid) job, sigh, but I despise them; the calls, anyway.
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