But I've Never Done This Before

[TelephoneAngel]

Customer is being asked a perfectly easy question, becomes flustered, explains "but I've never done this before"

eg

me - what is your account number?
customer - I've never done this before

This never ceases to amaze me that even though you may have never done this before, I have asked you a question which must be fairly easy to answer (always assuming that you called up with the paperwork in your hand, in which case you must have the account number)

[Pagan]

Oh, hell, I get people on a daily basis that have a hard time with the question, "What is your last name?".

[Salted Grump]

Oh, hell, I get people on a daily basis that have a hard time with the question, "What is your last name?".

Sharing customers with Gravekeeper again?

[Pagan]

Sharing customers with Gravekeeper again?

Sometimes I wonder. Some of the looks, you can hear the cows mooing in their heads....

[Kheldarson]

But, TA, don't you realize that you have to make it special for them? You know music and everything to set the mood?

It is their first time after all.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Oh, hell, I get people on a daily basis that have a hard time with the question, "What is your last name?".

Oh, yeah.

When I worked at the K place, I'd have to ask people 5 and 6 times what name was their job under just to get an answer.

Me: What is your name?
Idiot: I left the job off at four.
Me: What is your name?
Idiot: They said it would be ready now.
Me: What is your name?
Idiot: Is it ready?
Me: Your name. WHAT IS YOUR NAME?
Idiot: It's not ready?

Seriously. And I've had that conversation more than once, that's the messed up part.

[fireheart]

I did a slight oops with this the other day.

I signed up for Direct Debit at the gym at the university. Gave my customer number instead of my account number when I signed up, since every time I have to do a balance check over the phone, I need that number.

[RayvenQ]

Oh, hell, I get people on a daily basis that have a hard time with the question, "What is your last name?".

Ah but are you asking them for their last name or their last name.

[dalesys]

Ah but are you asking them for their last name or their last name.

I don't know. I'm not dead yet.

[nhollywood]

(always assuming that you called up with the paperwork in your hand, in which case you must have the account number)

"Well, there's your problem right there."

[Princess-Snake]

For me, it's telephone numbers. I had one lady hem and haw for six minutes (I counted) saying that she's never done this before and what should she do? Umm... here's a suggestion: GIVE ME YOUR DAMN PHONE NUMBER! She hung up without giving me any information at all. Mind you, before she hung up she asked us to call her the next day. How, by messagenger pigeons?!

[Hyndis]

I get this all the time.

Its not uncommon for it to take several attempts to get someone's address.

If you want something sent to you by mail you must provide your address. An easy enough question, right? Apparently not!

Almost invariably someone will provide me with only part of the address, such just their street number and name. No city, state, post code, or country. Yes we do ship internationally and so yes it is important to know what country someone lives in. We can usually tell if they just provide the rest of the information.

I ask them again and they might provide city. Still not state or post code.

Third time, they just give me an angry rant at how I'm making them jump through hoops and so forth and they wish the process was easier. They do not provide state or post code in this response.

Usually around the fourth time, sometimes fifth, they do provide me this information or simply give up and stop communication.



Oh, and I'm dealing with things over email. Depending on time zones it takes 1 day per response. So because they are in such a big hurry that they cannot even give me their full address in such a way that will allow the package to get to them that if they had just answered the question to begin with they would have already had the package.

Stop arguing and just give me the information! Its easier on both of us.

[arminius58]

I feel for you, you would think that it would be easier to get such a thing as an address from people who want pizza delivered to their house. We have a running tally every day of how many times that we get one of these phrases from customers:

"You were just here the other day."
"You know old X's house, yeah were three houses down"
"We are in your system, why do we need to give it to you again"
"Is Y there, he knows where I live just ask him"

If you want to see customers throw a fit, about 2 years ago we had to switch over to a new system and it was not compatible with the old system, so we had to get new numbers, names, addresses, everything I have never seen people get so mad over such a simple request of where do you live.

Course it always amuses me when people look at you like you just ask them to do advance calculus when you ask them their name and if they've already ordered when they walk into the store.

Sorry didn't mean to make this response this long.

[Pagan]

Ah but are you asking them for their last name or their last name.

No, I'm asking for their last name.

I don't know. I'm not dead yet.

Oh, that's just bad.