SC's with Bad Memories

[dougiezerts]

Here's something I really hate!:
Why do some customers call me up for a phone number--when they can't remember it long enough to write it down? It could be old age, lack of English skills, intoxication, mental problems, or a combination of all of these.
An example:
sc--I'd like the number for John Smith. And could you speak slow, please?
me--One moment. . . the number is 123/456-7890
sc--Wait a minute! That's 133
me-No! 1. . . 2. . . 3
sc--123. . . what else?
me--4. . . 5. . . 6
sc--4. . . 5. . . 6
me--7. . .8. . . 9. . . 0
sc--OK, let me see if I've got this. 123/466
me--No! 456
sc--Oh, 123/446
me--No! 4. . . 5. . . 6
sc--I'm sorry, could you tell me tell me the number one more time, please?
ad nauseum

[rerant]

Welcome to my hell.
When I'm volunteering at the food bank (like right this moment ) I do reception, which involves referring people to their local food banks, giving them the address and telephone number, etc.
The number of times I have to repeat myself is insane, and a lot of times there isn't even a language barrier.
Although nothing beats the woman today who called with a mouth full of food. I could barely understand one word, and told her more than once that I couldn't understand her, and could she please stop eating while she's trying to talk to me.
Her response: You're supposed to be HELPING me, you know!

Yeah, I know that, and I can't very well help you if I can't understand you, now can I?

[Brightglaive]

Welcome to my hell.
Although nothing beats the woman today who called with a mouth full of food. I could barely understand one word, and told her more than once that I couldn't understand her, and could she please stop eating while she's trying to talk to me.
Her response: You're supposed to be HELPING me, you know!

Yeah, I know that, and I can't very well help you if I can't understand you, now can I?

Not to mention it is EXTREMELY rude to eat OR drink while on the phone with someone who is trying to help you. Nobody wants to hear the sound of your chewing and swallowing. It's DISGUSTING. If someone wants to eat or drink on the phone they need to be placing me on mute so I don't hear it otherwise I will tell them, " Please don't eat or drink with me on the line. It sounds REALLY disgusting."

I once had someone continue eating and drinking while I was talking with them after asking them to stop. So I began eating and drinking while talking to them. The stopped pretty quickly after that. I think they got the message.

[chainedbarista]

add other bodily functions while on the phone...gah.

can't help the terminally stupid, can we? (within legal methods )

[zigcat]

God I hated that when I worked call center jobs. I had the in ear headset and people chewing or munching on something gets that much more amplified.

"I'd like to (munch munch) check on a (munch, crunch) price of (gulp) a fare (crunch, smack, slurp, sniffle, burp)

A few times I mentioned it along the lines of:

"Wow, you're starting to make me hungry!" NOT!

Of course I was the RUDE one for mentioning it.

Also screaming kids. I mean I'll be more than happy to wait while you go see what's wrong.

SIGH

[Difdi]

When I'm volunteering at the food bank

Ah, food banks. Great bastion of obscure accents, on top of the (familiar to anyone reading this board) curve of people can't walk and chew gum at the same time.

This didn't happen to me, but it was the next guy down the way. A Russian family was at his station, and while the kids were reasonably fluent, only one of the adults knew any English at all...and not much. It took a while, but the general gist eventually emerged. The parents were outraged that they couldn't get margarine, and instead the food bank was trying to fob off some sort of imitation margarine crap, and they weren't having any of it. What was the imitation margarine called, you ask? Butter.