Wherein I am asked to perform a rather delicate task

[Samaliel]

Not This Again...

Me: “and what city are you in?”
SC: “Foenix.”

Didn’t we go over this once already? It’s Phoenix. As in the mythical bird that can rise from the ashes of its own demise. Not Foenix. As in….er..whatever the hell a Foenix is. Could be some form of toilet bowl cleaner. Could be something you’re hooked on. Could be a lightly scented spray that wards off potential foes. Could be one of those vague prescription drugs that doesn’t exactly tell you what it does but according to the commercial will make you happily run down a beach while a narrator quickly rattles off some sort of some horrible list of side effects like “acute sexual dysfunction” and “anal seepage”. Probably at the same time.

I don’t know. But it’s not a city.

Color me confused, but how can you hear the difference between Foenix and Phoenix. I was puzzled the first time you mentioned that. They just sound the same to me. Is there a pronounciation sublety I'm not aware of ?

So?

Me: “The office here gets in at 8am pacific time.”
SC: “In my country it IS morning!”

That’s very nice. But until France conquers the world and forces us to be subservient to their time zone, cheese, deliciously dense bread and abundance of armpit hair the time there will be largely irrelevant to those of us on the west coast of North America.

Now, come on. My own plans to rule the universe set aside, our desire to conquer the world died with Napoleon. And even though, we wouldn't be as silly as to call it 8 in the morning if it's still pitch black and intends remaining so for quite a few more hours. Time zone are too practical to ignore.

But every now and then, you get the sharpest bulb in the box, know what I mean?

[AdminAssistant]

Oh noez, because I won’t sell him a $500 pure cashmere robe for $125 I’ve lost a sale and a customer! Whatever will I do? Hey, here’s a suggestion: Try Wal-Mart. I’m sure they have something more around the price range you’re looking for. Maybe something in a classy baby blue terrycloth.

You just described MY bathrobe. It's soft and warm and fuzzy and I lurves it.

Who on dog's green earth would pay $500 for a flippin' bathrobe?? The things some people would rather have than money...

Me: “Good evening, Gravekeeper speaking, how my I help you?”
SC: “Circumcision!”
Me: “I’m sorry, that’s not a service we provide.”
SC: “…..uh…you don’t?”
Me: “No, sorry.”
SC: “Umm….er….ok. Uh, bye.”

Hm, well, apparently I'm watching Men in Tights tonight. Thanks!

[BookstoreEscapee]

Only 100 weeks? Really? Wow. Even to us it seems like so much more...

Color me confused, but how can you hear the difference between Foenix and Phoenix. I was puzzled the first time you mentioned that. They just sound the same to me. Is there a pronounciation sublety I'm not aware of ?

If I'm reading correctly, the SC is saying FOE-nix. The correct pronunciation is FEE-nix.
And this was my favorite of this week's offerings...

[BookstoreEscapee]

I can't help but wonder what is the source of this...uh...delightful...aroma...

[Gravekeeper]

Yes, yes it does. And thank you SO much for the reminder. Bleah.

Welcome. You can't even drive through with windows up. It seeps into the car. >.>

:raising an eyebrow: Nice to know some of your standards.

Hey, tusks can work. -.-

Color me confused, but how can you hear the difference between Foenix and Phoenix. I was puzzled the first time you mentioned that. They just sound the same to me. Is there a pronounciation sublety I'm not aware of ?

As Bookstore said, he was pronouncing it "Foe-nix".

Who on dog's green earth would pay $500 for a flippin' bathrobe?? The things some people would rather have than money...

In all fairness, it was on sale remember! So only $249. =p

I'm more partial to silk myself. Not on me, granted, I mean on...er....ok nevermind.

Only 100 weeks? Really? Wow. Even to us it seems like so much more...

Well some weeks I'd post more then once over the week. But the final chronicle compilation at the end of the week was still numbered as one. -.-

Now, imagine sitting in a call center with 'air conditioning' that simply recycled Eau de 'Wack...for four freakin' years. And my friends in Victoria wondered why I insisted on washing all my freshly laundered clothes when I stayed with them for a few days before leaving BC. Didn't want to bring that stench with me!

I think I know where you worked actually. There's really one big call center there. -.-

[jerkface11]

Natural Selection

Ok, so there’s an fire alarm going off and the intercom system in the hallway is playing a message that says to please evacuate the building immediately, there’s an emergency. Now, the average person with some semblance of self preservation would leave the building immediately. But you? Nah. You called me to demand to know what the emergency was and why you have to leave the building. You know, because potentially lifesaving action is too big of an inconvenience for you.

Just a heads up, you're the kind of person that ends up being identified by their dental records.

I can see it on the news now. The ruins of a huge office complex in the background with a reporter standing there talking about how only one person died. Then them cutting over to an interview with you explaining how they couldn't get out because they were on the phone to you bitching about the fire alarm going off.

[Kara]

As in….er..whatever the hell a Foenix is.

Obviously, it would be the arch-nemesis of a Phoenix.

But don’t worry, I’m sure if you play your cards right you’ll end up with in a more permanent facility

Oh yeah, the drunks who wind up in prison generally get eaten alive by the hardcore criminals. The bright side is that they are so terrified out of their minds that they just sit there and wait for their Hell to end and don't bother anyone.

[Sliceanddice]

Color me confused, but how can you hear the difference between Foenix and Phoenix. I was puzzled the first time you mentioned that. They just sound the same to me. Is there a pronounciation sublety I'm not aware of ?

Foenix- Fa-Own-ix Phoenix- Fee-nix
theres even a UPS comercial where the UPS guy (or was it really fed-ex) and a customer basically tell some guy hes and asshole and its Fee-nix no Fa-Own-ix

[LambChop]

So?

Me: “The office here gets in at 8am pacific time.”
SC: “In my country it IS morning!”

That’s very nice. But until France conquers the world and forces us to be subservient to their time zone, cheese, deliciously dense bread and abundance of armpit hair the time there will be largely irrelevant to those of us on the west coast of North America.

Laughed my ass off as usual, GD. But when I read this one, the first thought that came to mind was:

In Soviet Russia, Customer serve you!

[MoxisPilot]

I'm a little confused. What exactly do you do? Do you provide an answering service? Or do you have multiple jobs?

Once again, I've been given my laugh for the week. XD

[jerkface11]

I think he just works for a call center with a very very wide variety of clients.

[blas]

He sells pink cammo everything, on top of that!

[Samaliel]

Foenix- Fa-Own-ix Phoenix- Fee-nix
theres even a UPS comercial where the UPS guy (or was it really fed-ex) and a customer basically tell some guy hes and asshole and its Fee-nix no Fa-Own-ix

Okay, get it. From the way he written it, I wouldn't have guessed...

But... I know how to pronounce Phoenix, and I don't even live in the U.S. Heck, English isn't even my native language ! How do people get to the age of ordering things over the phone without learning that, even as a byproduct of merely living ?

[Gravekeeper]

Ding Ding Ding! Yep, that would be it. And at the rate they're going with losing contracts all thats going to be left is a big dusty ol' building that smells bad.

Heh heh. I know a few survivors from that place. They'll just keep shifting the contracts over to their call center in India. -.-

I may mock a lot of the callers and what not that I get. But oddly enough my company ismulti-award winning with record high profits the last 2 quarters. Supposedly my branch is the most profitable too. Aside from some quirks I don't dislike my company or my job. Its not who I work for or who our clients are, its who CALLS us that drives me batty. =p

[Gravekeeper]

I guess for me it boiled down to the realization it's not what you know, it's who you blow if you wanted to get anywhere there. There was a lot of internal shit that went down that left a horrible taste in my mouth. And I only stuck it out as long as I did because I'm the sole breadwinner for me and my son.

Yeah, that's about what I've heard from the survivors. One of my coworkers came from there to here and has a variety of wonderful tales about working there.