When customers can't pronounce words properly...

[Hon'ya-chan]

Bookstores have the problem where if you even omit one letter, you can't find authors or titles.

C: "Excuse me, do you have Paying for Pizza?"
Me: Playing for Pizza?
C: Yeah, thats it!!

[ImadeYouACookie]

Ahahaha *nods knowingly at these common mistakes*

We sell a brand of printers called Lexmark. They always end up being called "Leimark" or "Lesmax".

And Sony.. quite a wellknown brand. Why do so many people call it "Sonni"? Where's that extra 'n'?

And Packard Bell somehow ends up being Packbell or Packebell.

And do not get me started on USB products! "I'd like a BUS" whaa.. wrong store mister!

[cinema guy]

And do not get me started on USB products! "I'd like a BUS" whaa.. wrong store mister!

But isn't USB Universal Serial Bus? So technically he's correct.

[ShinyGreenApple]

While we're on the subject, another one that bugs me is Reese's. Maybe I've been saying it wrong all these years, but I take that it's pronounced Reese's as in rhymes with 'leases'. Yet everyone else says it as rhyming with 'species' ><

It just goes against everything I learned in grammar.

[Andara Bledin]

Well, Reece's rhymes with pieces.

But I will sometimes say that I want some "Ree-cee's pee-cees" which sounds funny with the way I say it.

^-.-^

[chops]

Well, Reece's rhymes with pieces.

But I will sometimes say that I want some "Ree-cee's pee-cees" which sounds funny with the way I say it.

^-.-^

My folks used to say "Ree-cee's feces"

[gunsage]

Here's my favorite thus far:

Link-skeez root-err.

One of my coworkers didn't believe me initially when I said I got that all the time at my last call center...until it happened. Basically put, the way we "train" at my current job is you READ THIS HYUGE GODDAMN'D BOOK, then you split jack, then you splitjack but the veteran lets you fandangle the tools, then you get to talk AND fandangle the tools but have a veteran splitjacking with you, then you're on your own.

Anyway, one of the first days I was actually semi-in control, this happened...

Me: "Right, so, is your computer directly connected to the modem?"
SC: "Nah, I got a Link-skeez."
Me: "I see. Well, if you could, please disconnect the power from the Link-skeez for me, wouldya?"

The vet was DYING. He wanted to pull me away and tell me I should've said the correct pronounciation, but unless it's something critical, I don't worry about it because most likely...

1. The customer doesn't care and/or would get embarassed about it.
2. The customer isn't likely to change his/her habit with the word anyway.
3. IT MAY END UP CONFUSING THE CUSTOMER AS 90% OF THE TROUBLESHOOTING DOES ANYWAY.

Best to just roll with it, I say. For example, if a tool is taking a while to load and I'm talking to a tech, I will most likely tell the tech exactly what's going on...

TC: "...Hello?"
Me: "Yeah, I'm here. Man, Tool X is loading like crap today, sorry."
TC: "Oh, no problem. I'm not surprised, honestly."
Me: "Heh, yeah."

But a customer?

SC: "...Hello?"
Me: "I'm here. I'm just running some diagnostics right now and looking over the notes. I apologize for the wait."
SC: "Oh, no problem. I thought maybe we got disconnected."
Me: "Nah nah, I'm here."

I guess the funniest part is for the rest of the call (and not meaning any insult to the customer, of course) I referred to the router as a Link-skeez rooter. Fun stuff.

[edible_hat]

Spoonerism: the act of switching consonants or vowels. Named for Reverend William Archibald Spooner.

Best Rev Spooner quote ever: "You kids just want me to say one of those... things!"

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

About the funniest mispronunciation I ever heard was when a guy in one of my college classes pronounced the word "paradigm" as "para-dig-em"

Probably an understandable error, but it struck me funny.

[XCashier]

Best Rev Spooner quote ever: "You kids just want me to say one of those... things!"

My favorite was, "Mardon me padam, this pie is occupewed. Can I sew you to another sheet?"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Archibald_Spooner

[TNT]

About the funniest mispronunciation I ever heard was when a guy in one of my college classes pronounced the word "paradigm" as "para-dig-em"

Brother, can you paradigm? Of, the John Simon book, "Paradigms Lost."

At any rate, we use Scientific Atlanta equipment... yet most customers and way too many employees call it "Scientific Atlantic." It's like, "wow, that's way too long of a name. I'll read it until I get overwhelmed and then I'll just make up my own ending."

I've heard customers call equipment all sorts of things... but the weirdest was the guy who said, "My brain box don't work." To this day I don't know what he was talking about... but I fixed his problem.

[fattie20xl]

my favorites from back in the home theater days....

wifi= "whify"
crestron= "crestor" (a home automation system)
remote= "clicker"


or when they don't know the parts of a computer?

me: what operating system do you have
them: Dell/HP/Acer etc

or

me: what brand of computer do you have?
them: Windows..

[Gravekeeper]

My favourite of all time is still from the 867 crowd:

Graphite = "Grape Hit"

A lot of the clothing lines that company sells have absolutely ridiculous names for common colours like Celery, Fern, Fossil, Periwinkle, Peridot, Chalk, Manvinilla, Sunset, Camel, Pebble, Yam ( Yes, YAM ), Bluesmoke, etc.

and all they are is just a light or dark shade of blue, green, white, yellow, etc.

But every time they ask for an item number and I see colours like that on the list I just wait in glee for them to try and pronounce it. ;p Yes, I'm a bastard. But I take what amusement I can get.

My favourite "Colour" in the entire catalogue however is "Raven Herringbone". I love that one. It sounds like an extra from a Harry Potter book.

[JustADude]

My favourite "Colour" in the entire catalogue however is "Raven Herringbone". I love that one. It sounds like an extra from a Harry Potter book.

And I'm officially stealing it for the name of my first character in Hellgate: London!

[Dreamstalker]

Ocean State Odd Lot

Heh, hafta tell my mom I found a new moniker for our family down that way (they're a bit nuts).