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Do you know who I am? (LONGISH)

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  • Do you know who I am? (LONGISH)

    I'm guessing not, since I'm kind of new. Hi! I stumbled on to this site through another forum, and realized that I have quite a lot of SC stories, since I tend to HATE customers.

    The thread title does not just refer to me, it also refers to my least favorite customer ever. I work at a independent pizza joint (i.e. not part of a chain). When I was still newish there, and new to the whole business of answering phones, I had the misfortune to pick up the phone and receive this call:

    Me: Woo!
    SC: Grumpy old man.

    Me: Pizza Joint, how can I help you?
    SC: *mumble mumble mumble*
    Me: I'm sorry, I didn't catch that, could you repeat it?
    SC: *more mumbles*
    Me: I'm really sorry, I still didn't catch that.
    SC: (only just loud enough to be heard) Well, maybe if you weren't paying attention to other people around you and just listened to me, you would hear what I was saying!
    Me: !!!

    I need to say here that the only reason I had picked up the phone instead of letting someone else get it (I hate answering the phone ) was because no one else was around. It was the middle of the day, and the only people not on break/cleaing the dining area/out in the shed were me and another kitchen person, who was washing dishes on the other side of the restaurant. The place was totally quiet.

    Me: Um, I'm really sorry, but I think the phone may not be working right.
    SC: Now, I said *mumble* something involving driver's and talking to one *more mumbles*
    Me: (making a wild guess that he wants to speak with a driver) Uh, let me get one. *flee!*

    I look around, see no one except S (doing the dishes). I ask S if any of the drivers are in. Nope, they're all out delivering. Balls. Seeing the look on my face, he took the phone, and the rest of the call.

    Turns out all the guy wanted was Spaghetti and Meatballs (with just 1 (one) meatball. What he wanted to tell the driver was that his room had changed (he was in a nursing home) and thus they would need to come to his new room. All Perfectly reasonable, except somewhere in the course of their conversation, the man had said to S "Do you know who I am?" S didn't, so the man told him: "My name is BOB*!" We laughed over this, and sent the dude an extra meatball. (In retrospect, maybe we shouldn't have. He was in a nursing home, maybe he could eat more then one without having.... issues)

    But the story does not end here.

    An undetermined amount of time later (a month maybe? It all blurs together). He calls agian, and placed an order with another co-worker. Great. I see the name on the ticket, laugh, and go my merry way making pizza. Phone rings, everyone else is too busy to answer it, so I get it.

    Me: Pizza Joint, how can I help you?
    BOB: *mumble for a minute or two (no joke), all I can make out is somthing about PB&J (I still, to this day, have no clue what the hell that had to do with anything)*
    Me: (Turning to phone volume up, having FINALLY figured out how to do that) I'm sorry, I didn't catch that.
    BOB: Well, then PAY ATTENTION TO ME! (That was the only thing that came through loud and clear)
    Me: I'm really sorry about that.
    BOB: *Mumbles about the driver and ritz crackers*
    Me: You want him to pick you up crackers?
    BOB: *repeats what he mumbled before, word for word (as far as I can tell)*
    Me: Ok, I'll write him a note telling him. Have a nice day.
    BOB: *mumble* *click*

    Later, I found out that he'd call numerous times (my note went on top of a pile) and requested crackers. I think this specific driver does that for him on his own, we certianly don't normally do that.

    I understand that since he is in a nursing home, he may have difficulty speaking loud enough. But, geez, maybe you could not yell at me and tell me that I am ignoring you and chatting with my co-workers instead of listening to you? I would never ignore a customer, no matter how much I hate them, and always try to be as nice as possible. I also tried my damnedest to understand what he was saying, and genuinly felt bad for having to ask him to repeat himself. Really, you'd think after always being asked to repeat himself, he would ask a nurse to place the order or something (although maybe they can't do that). Also, we understood about the crackers the first time, he didn't need to call and speak with every employee on duty. And the fact that I couldn't hear him even after I turned the volume up crazy high was weird (also, the next person to pick up that phone probably got thier ear blasted off).

    Due to everyone complaining about him and his calls, one of my managers has now requested that when he calls, the call be given over to him. I think might just be because he wants to see what we're all talking about. Also, for a day or two after the first call, you could just randomly say "Do you know who I am?" in a crotchety old man voice and about 3 different people would reply: "BOB!"

    Other then him, the only 'bad' customer we have is the lady who always orders lots of pizza, wants it all double cut and well done, and then whines about how last time, it wasn't made right, and we'd better be sure to make it right (or she'll whine next time! Oh noes!) Think about the angry lady from Waiting, and you've got this lady. Luckily, I've never had to take her calls, and have only had to deal with it making the pizza. As retaliation, we once left just one slice of pizza (on a six pizza order) un-doublecut. We are sneaky little beasts, we are.


    *Name changed to protect the crotchety.

  • #2
    Maybe it was Moe Green. (bonus points for the obvious reference)

    Welcome. Check out some posts by unholypet. She has your identical job. Anyway, about the old guy, he could very well be suffering from Alzheimer's or some other form of dimentia. So maybe he should get somewhat of a pass. I once had a regular customer who was a retired general who had had a stroke. It was needless to say, a challenge to help him out. So I understand your frustration.
    I will never go to school!

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    • #3
      As for the lady who whines: I'm always amazed by people, when they are unsatisfied with a service, who will keep using it.
      "This place make me terribly ill the last seven times I came here and ate your horrible disgusting food! Gimme free food!
      Excuse me, good sir paladin, can you direct me to your EVIL district?

      http://www.dywhcomic.com

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      • #4
        Quoth Apathy View Post
        As for the lady who whines: I'm always amazed by people, when they are unsatisfied with a service, who will keep using it.
        "This place make me terribly ill the last seven times I came here and ate your horrible disgusting food! Gimme free food!
        Kind of like the idiots we have in our area. They ALWAYS order 3 large pizzas and ALWAYS want them party cut (squares). Nothing wrong with that but if they are not party cut, they whine and cry and get 3 new ones free because their kids "don't like it cut the normal way". These people had so many foster kids, they would ALWAYS get 6 pizzas. When we did cut it the correct way, they would then have to order and actually buy the other 3 pizzas and pay an extra delivery fee since we had to go out there twice when their little scam does not work. We know their address by heart now and they have not been able to pull that one for awhile now. Seriously, when I was a kid I was happy to get a pizza, I did not care how it was cut. Either it was a scam (yes) or those kids will be the biggest EWs when they grow up.
        I don't have an anger problem! I have an idiot problem!-Hank Hill

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        • #5
          What the ... ? Who in the whole freaking multiverse demand free pizza over the claim that it was wrongly cut ? And, even more worrying, who in their right mind could be so dumb as to give in to that kind of demand ?
          "I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question."

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          • #6
            Meganjo, are you the only one who doesn't understand Bob, or do all your co-irkers have the same problem? I couldn't tell from your post.

            As for the woman in the 2nd story, if the pizza is so horrible and you guys always mess up her order, why does she keep coming back? Are you the only pizza place in town?

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            • #7
              My co-workers agree that he talks really soft, but they have more luck with turning the volume up then me. When I turn it up, the mumbling just gets louder and only slightly more intelligable. They deal with customers more often then me, though, so I think they're just more used to it then I am.

              And we are far from the only pizza place in town. On my way to work alone, I pass a Stavros and a Dominos, and I think a Papa Johns, although I don't know for sure. Plus, it's the biggest town (city?) in the state, she could definetly find somewhere else to go. Also of note: Our prices are pretty high for pizza (or so I hear), so why not just go somewhere else for cheaper pizza if we really suck that bad? Maybe if I pick up for phone next time, I'll tell her that.... hehehe.

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              • #8
                I had a similar experience working at a Hardee's WAAAYYYY back in 1994.

                Some old guy comes up and mumbles, and after I tried a couple of times to get him to speak up he yelled, "You want me to buy you a hearing aid?"

                NOW I can understand him.



                I am SO glad I don't work in any customer services jobs anymore. Last time was in 1998. After that I worked in a factory, now I'm a housewife. And happy to be one!
                Know why it's called the American "Dream"? 'Cause you have to be asleep to believe it! --George Carlin

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                • #9
                  Quoth Meganjo23 View Post
                  And the fact that I couldn't hear him even after I turned the volume up crazy high was weird.



                  When I was workin' in the pizza joint, a customer had asked me to turn down my phone .... well, uhh, because their phone was too loud ....

                  For a moment there, I was actually speechless.



                  "Uhhh, I can turn it down all you want, but it's not going to help you any ...."
                  This area is left blank for a reason.

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