If you were here right now I would have you arrested

[AngryFaery]

I've been lurking here a while and figures I'd share this gem of a call I took the other day.

I work in a call center doing product support for store brands for a major grocery store chain. Basically I take complaints and tell people if something has gluten it.

I get a call in and ask them for their name. He tells me he can't tell me because he is a Colonel in the US Marine Corp. Now I'm used to people not wanting to give me their name and telling me completely irrelevant information. But that was a new one for me, but I chalk it up to him old and eccentric and forge on.

So I proceed to ask what I can help him with. He asks about a database with all of our products and dates. We don't have this. I wish we did because it would make our jobs much easier. Those are the position of our suppliers and manufacturers and they often take a long time to respond to inquires. So I tell we don't have anything like that. He then mumbles that someone is about to loose their job.

I pause because I'm a little surprised at his hostility. But I choose to ignore it because my job isn't in any jeopardy from him and I'm not arguing that with him. I apologize and repeat we have no such thing. He then demands to speak with a manager or supervisor. I attempt to tell him I can connect him to our next level of support but he interrupts me telling me not to argue with him. I'm fed up so I just tell him I'll put you on hold while I get you over. He demands not to be put on hold. I can't get anyone else without putting him on hold and tell him so.

He then tells me if I was there he would have me arrested. Huh? I've had enough of him being hostile and uncooperative. I give the speil about not being able to continue and I hang up.

He calls back. Which I knew he would. And got another rep. He treats her just as badly but she manages to get him to our next level if support. Now the agent he gets is male and the old guy is still ornry but doesn't abuse him like he did me and the other rep. I had a talk with the agent afterwards and he felt the guy just responded better to because he was male. Which is funny because I just as capable as the agent is.

[protege]

I had a talk with the agent afterwards and he felt the guy just responded better to because he was male. Which is funny because I just as capable as the agent is.

Unfortunately, that sort of attitude is pretty common. I'd see it all the time at the auto parts store. When I'd go down there and couldn't find something, I'd ask for Peggy. She was one of the managers, had been there the longest, and knew where everything was. She took care of regulars.

Every now and then though, you'd get some twit that wouldn't take her seriously...simply because of her gender. Never mind that she'd been there since the store opened, could find the smallest bag of nuts in the warehouse, and would occasionally help out her mechanics. No, she'd get treated like she didn't know shit, and the customer would actually ask for a man to help them.

At least it took them down a few pegs when the guy behind the counter couldn't locate something...and they'd have to deal with her anyway

[AccountingDrone]

ROFLMAO I wish I was sitting in the cube one over from you, I speak fluent US Milspeak, having been both an Army brat and a spouse of a 20 year US Navy vet ... and just because the jackass is in the military does not mean his name is sooper sekrut ... he has a chain of command he is mired in and there is currently NO military member who is so secret you can't have his name ... Simply ask him what name is on his form DD2 [military ID card, every service member has it and any civilian can request to see the damned thing ... Hell, I have one as a dependent. I use mine as ID all the damned time though properly mine is a DD2765. I can even tell you what my version of a service number is.]

Look, I have more freaking security clearances than a civilian really needs ... and trust me, there is no military job that requires such secrecy that you can't tell someone your name. If your job is that damned secret, you can tell people your name but NOT that you are in the military ... back in the 70s and early 80s people in the CIA that just mopped floors were given a cover job for a company that gave you a name you could say you were employed by that wasn't CIA ... [can't say for prior to that, no experience. I was being actively recruited by the CIA at one point in time while I was in college as my field was political science and sociology ...believe me, being interviewed for an internship was interesting.]

[Grumpy]

Welcome!

he felt the guy just responded better to because he was male. Which is funny because I just as capable as the agent is.

A lot of guys, especially older guys, just can't stand to have a woman tell them something they don't know or don't want to hear. In my experience they're usually guys who are very uncertain of their masculinity and/or sexuality. I very much doubt this guy was ever in the military in any capacity, let alone a USMC Colonel.

[Ironclad Alibi]

I very much doubt this guy was ever in the military in any capacity, let alone a USMC Colonel.

Maybe he was a Kentucky Colonel,

[MoonCat]

Maybe he was a Kentucky Colonel,

Actually he was an idiot.

[wolfie]

Every now and then though, you'd get some twit that wouldn't take her seriously...simply because of her gender. Never mind that she'd been there since the store opened, could find the smallest bag of nuts in the warehouse,

My guess is that it was located in the SC's pants, right below the vienna sausage which failed quality control for being undersize.

[XCashier]

A lot of guys, especially older guys, just can't stand to have a woman tell them something they don't know or don't want to hear.

It goes the other way too. We have a few men working at the fabric store, and some of the women customers refuse to work with them. They're MEN, what do they know about fabric or sewing? (they say as they're wearing Calvin Klein or Bill Blass clothing )

Sexism, whichever way it goes, is just another form of bigotry, and it sucks.

[EricKei]

I can think of one very good reason for him not giving his name -- the fact that, if he was telling the truth -- his CO would NOT appreciate his acting that way to ANY civilian. Makes me wonder...did he give his name to either of the other techs...?

[yeahwhatev]

I wish I could stick up for the Marine Corps and tell you that the person speaking was 100% not a corps member... but when you get higher than Captain there is a definite schism with the personality types. They are either Salt-of-the-Earth nice or flat out abusive scum. Privilege must do something to them. Every encounter I have ever had with high ranking officers went VERY good, or VERY VERY BAD..

[Sliceanddice]

[can't say for prior to that, no experience. I was being actively recruited by the CIA at one point in time while I was in college as my field was political science and sociology ...believe me, being interviewed for an internship was interesting.]

I have nothing to add to the above, I have a whole family of cousins where everyone but one, who had kidney disease as a teenager, joined some branch of the military not to mention most of my male cousins.... so I can tell he's just a sexist crazy jerk.

I did have a giggle at accounting drones post though. My mom tells me that during the spring at one of her colleges you couldn't walk outside with running into FBI recruiters, CIA recruiters or any type of government job recruiters.

Why? She went to BYU and most of the students knew more than one language or had military experience or had travel experience or where unfailingly patriotic who were extremely unlikely to do drugs, drink, have affairs or do anything that would truly compromise them that it was a pretty sure bet recruitment location.

[AngryFaery]

The funny thing is he was calling in for expired cocktail sausages.

I don't believe he is military or at least current military. Most folks who identify themselves as military are polite. He also kept changing his story with the agent. So its hard to take anyone at their word when they don't keep basic things straight.

I was just amazed at how hostile he was towards me. I'm used to people being upset as part of my job is taking complaints. I also have a lot of liberty to fix it for people so I'm used to people ending the call being at least satisfied unless they have unrealistic expectations.

[Minflick]

sometimes, their unrealistic expectation is they want to be a loud and belligerent asshole..

GTFO

[dalesys]

The funny thing is he was calling in for expired cocktail sausages...

My Willie is dead!

[protege]

My guess is that it was located in the SC's pants...

I was wondering when someone would notice that