Your IQ is lower than the tempature on Pluto

[Victory Sabre]

At least that's what I'm thinking today about the sucktomers I've been dealing with.

I think that about you when you call up my restaurant and ask "are you open?" No, moron, I'm not open. I love being in my restaurant, answering the phone, when I'm not open. If you'd have any brain cells left, when you hear my voice greeting you, would be to ask "what are your hours today?"

I know, that's asking too much.

Also, special props to the Ronco Do-It-Yourself Lobotomy Kit user that I had to deal with ordering 5 sandwiches. Yes, I can read what little is left in your mind and tell which sandwiches you want.

Maybe you getting a Lobotomy was a bad idea, because there must not have been much horsepower in your head to start with.

Vacation in late February can't come soon enough.

[KatherineB]

Actually, I usually ask "what time do you close?" because, like you, I assume that if someone is answering the phone, they are open.

Shocking, I know.

[RootedPhoenix]

I might not assume they were open, but I might ask about the hours, or when they open or close.

There are those managers that make their employees answer the phone before or after business hours, after all.

[EvilEmpryss]

I actually called a store to hear the recorded hours just the other day only to have someone live answer the phone and tell me they were closed. Seriously, don't assume.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

We have to answer the phone if it rings when we're closed. It could be the security company telling us the alarms are going off because somebody opened a door they weren't supposed to, or somebody calling in sick for their shift.

Occasionally we get people calling to ask about hours or having other questions. Then they get all snotty and ask why we're answering the phone if we're closed. Apparently not realizing there are perfectly valid reasons why a closed store would still be getting phone calls.

[Android Kaeli]

I might not assume they were open, but I might ask about the hours, or when they open or close.

There are those managers that make their employees answer the phone before or after business hours, after all.

There was one manager at Random Craft Store, of whom I could write a novel based on her alone, that would make us answer the phones regardless if we were open or not. Years and years before, when I first started working for that company, I started to say "Random Craft Store Security" whenever we were closed -- we never had a security department or guards or a security answering system. It helped curb a lot of unwanted calls and it didn't take long for everyone else to pick up on it.

This manager hated when someone did it within earshot but the thing is, was that that greeting was SM of the Day approved. So unless one of them had a problem with it, she couldn't do squat about it other then send death glares our way.

[icmedia]

I used to answer the phone before or after hours, in case it was something important...it never was, it was always someone who wanted me to troubleshoot their device or perform some complicated 20-minute long transaction-that could have easily been done by calling regular customer service. So, I now just let it ring-and ring, and ring, and ring.

[Ironclad Alibi]

At one place I worked it was lunch time phone calls. If was an office where everyone brought their lunch and switched desks to eat. The phones could ring for the entire lunch time, but no one answered them. Never heard of any complaints.

[Slave to the Phone]

Back when I worked for Dice Pizza, I would often be in the stores before they opened. I would always answer the phone because it was before cell phone days and it might be boss, might be someone calling in sick, might be hubs...all sorts of important things that needed to be dealt with.

My greeting was "Thank you for calling Dice Pizza, this store is currently closed." Lots of people just hung up and the important callers recognized my voice.

[wordgirl]

Hmm. Don't a lot of restaurants that require reservations have someone to answer the phone during the day, even if they are only open for dinner?* That seems to be the case around here.

Even in a non-reservation situation, I can't imagine a restaurant that didn't have any staff on hand until the very split second it opened its doors.

I guess I agree with the others - it just doesn't seem like that stupid of a question to me.

*One of my favorite restaurants, if you call during certain times, the call is routed to the chef/owner's cell phone. Often it's clear that he's in the kitchen doing prep, but a few times I've called for a res and he was under siege by his giggling, adorable toddlers (who are now in middle school - *sigh* - time passes!)