Tell Me Everything!

[Rattslinger]

A few months ago, I received a rather disturbing call, and I was written up for the call, but HR overturned the write-up after speaking with me.

Me: -Opening Dialog-

SC: I would like to order 100 Blue Widgets please.

Me: Okay, that's 100 Blue Widgets, would you like print on those widgets?

SC: No Thank You, I would like them to be Blank Widgets.

Me: Okay, that's 100 Blue Widgets with no print, your total with S&H comes to $xxx.xx

SC: That's not the price that was quoted to me by my territory manager, I would like this $xxx.xx price that we discussed.

Me: Let me get ahold of your territory manager, and get the approval for that. (Call the extension, I get the voicemail, leave a message, go back to the customer.) I'm sorry but your territory manager wasn't available, I can put this order on a hold for you, and have your territory manager call you back in order to get you the price you would like.

SC: No, I want the order my way now, I don't care what your excuse is.

Me: Ma'am, I am unable to do that for you, I will gladly contact your territory manager, get all the information and call you back myself if you wish for me to handle this situation.

SC: I want the price I was quoted now, what's your name?

Me: Rattslinger

SC: What's your last name?

Me: I'm sorry I don't give that information out.

SC: Give me your last name now!

Me: Sorry ma'am, but I don't give that information out, my extention is XXX, and my first name is Rattslinger.

SC: I WANT TO TALK TO YOUR MANAGER NOW!

So I send the call over to my manager, then about three hours later I get called into the office. I was being written up for refusing to give the customer my last name, because we don't have a policy against giving out last names to customers. I explained that I didn't think it was a good idea to give out my last name to an irrate customer, and that I wouldn't give it out even if she had been the nicest person in the world. Well, a couple of days later I got called into HR, because my old boss thought I had disrespected her, and wanted it on record in front of others. After hearing the story the HR Manager changed the paperwork of my write-up to read that my actions were justified and that no disciplinary action, or warning was to be given for the incident. They then had me leave the office to speak to my old boss about wasting their time with this kind of thing.

[ktopmil]

That would make me so angry. You don't know who that person is over the phone, or what there willling to do if they get your information, even if its a last name.

Good for your HR Manager.

What happend to your manager? Just a "talking too"...?

[allniter]

They then had me leave the office to speak to my old boss about wasting their time with this kind of thing.

next time, give them your boss's full name and phone number instead of yours. Telling the customer your name isn't worth a dime cause you're just a clerk. The real person they wanna talk to is your boss.

We'll see then what your manager thinks about giving out personal information.

[mattm04]

At my store regular PT employees, (most of the store employees) only have the first name on the name badge managers have both names on the badge. I will not give out my full name under any circumstances.

[FenigDurak]

I've always instructed my phone agents not to give out their last name, their first name and state was plenty to identify who they were since we were the only call center in our state, and my team was only 35 people in size.

I've given my last name out though, since I was a supervisor, but people mangle it so badly that the one time a complaint went to the Intuit rep, she was laughing so hard at the mix up I didn't get any flack for it. (A bigoted woman wouldn't give her name and address to one of my agents because she had a HISPANIC sounding name and escalated to me. I listened then informed the woman that as a WOP, I was also unworthy of her personal information as I would likely inadvertantly sell it to the Mafia).

[smileyeagle1021]

well it's not as bad as with my manager... my manager asked why I didn't give out my full name on the phone, and I told her point blank... we are supposed to maintain credible presense and if we have an angry guest who has a mind to do a search on my name (which is a somewhat unique last name... I have yet to see anyone else who spells the last name the same, though I'm sure with 6 billion people on the planet there is at least one... anyway) they will find that I am in fact in Utah and not the hotel they called and then not only will they be pissed for whatever reason they were pissed to begin with they will now be pissed that both I and the company lied to him about him speaking to someone in house. God how I hate credible presence... I am so praying for either the night audit or TSA job.

[LifeCarnie]

My company leaves it to our discretion whether we will offer our last name or not. I usually don't give out my last name. Depends on the instance, but if it's a customer who sounds mentally unstable, there is no way in hell that I'm giving them my last name.

Of course email tends to negate any attempt to withold the information from all of the crazies in my line of business.

[poofy_puff]

When I order stuff for work, I don't give a shit if it is the "price quoted to my boss" or whatever else. Of course, being as it is that I work for an institution with the [highest endowment of any non-profit organization in the world], maybe it's just lucky for me, but WHO CARES if you're spending someone else's money? Just make sure your PO is approved!

[freeatlast]

A rep in my former call center made the mistake of giving a SC her last name. Since it is commonly known what city and state the mail order music club is located in, the SC had no trouble locating her number in the telephone book. He then made it his life's mission to be sure that she received multiple nuisance calls and/or voice mails every day for several weeks. The company finally paid for her to have her home phone number changed and instituted a policy that we were under no circumstances to give out our last names by phone. Of course, that did not prevent them from including our last names on any correspondence we sent to those members as a result of their phone calls.

[Imogene]

"What's your name?"
"Ruby"
"Last name?"
"...HalfElven!"
-or-
"Jamiroquai. Trust me, I'm the only Ruby that works here."

[myswtghst]

I usually remind them that I'm the only one by my name in either call center, let alone just the one I primarily work in.

Some of the places we contact for dispatch request a last name - my coworker got annoyed by their refusal to just type in that she refused to give it, and started giving her full name as "Jessica Rabbit." Funniest part was how long it took for someone to realize it wasn't her real name.

[BlaqueKatt]

we were instructed to give our supervisor's last name as our own when asked-company policy-that's how they identify us on a call. My last name has changed a lot -(8 managers in not quite two years)

[Gurndigarn]

Of course email tends to negate any attempt to withold the information from all of the crazies in my line of business.

No problem. Just change your business email to Studdmuffin69@mywork.

[MiloMorai]

If I give you my name then what am I supposed to use?!?!?

[tropicsgoddess]

My last name begins with a K and has 11 letters and is pretty difficult to boot (it's Dutch, btw). I don't like giving out my last name, so whenever an SC asks me for my last name and I tell them no and they persist, you know what I tell them, it's K. They ask if it's spelled Kay and I tell them yes . So what if I'm being recorded and monitored....at least the SC can't pin me and/or google me or whatever they wanna do to "get even" with me.