Do you know how much I'm worth?!

[Redbeard]

Please, good sir, regale me with the tales of how you are personally losing hundreds of dollars an hour by waiting for my tech or installer to arrive.
I'm sorry, but no, we will not be "compensating" you for these lost funds that are apparently bankrupting you.
Tell you what, next time why don't you pay a dirty hobo a roast chicken and a bottle of vino to wait for the tech instead.
toodles!

[rose_metal_nz]

BAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAAA I know *exactly* what you mean. I get so sick of hearing this!
Only slightly less annoying is the account managers (or similar) who insist on repeatedly telling you how much the customer is spending with us. So???

[barainga]

This reminds me of all the people that would complain about cell service being out and how it would 'cost' them thousands of dollars in business.

Of course, I was always thinking at that point that if they made such good money, why wouldnt they have a back up landline as any smart business peson would. Or an email address, or any other form of contact.

Seriously, what kind of business relys only on cell phones as a form of communicate with customers.

[Laund-o-rama Mama]

Haha, it's always the rich bastards who claim they are "losing money". I just want to say to them, whether you are getting what you want or not, you are still here, talking to my poor ass. By your logic, even if I gave you everything you wanted you'd still be "losing money".

[Hyndis]

My favorite is people complaining at losing thousands of dollars a day over a $10 part.

Yeah, we can replace the part for you for free. It'll take about 10 days though considering it has to ship halfway around the world. No, it will not be overnighted. Its a $10 part. Every town of any reasonable size has an electronics store these days, wherein you can buy a replacement part right now.

QQ more!

[mikoyan29]

In that person's simplest form...carbon, water and a couple other base elements....about $8 or so. When you start turning those into the complex enzymes and what not, it was a couple million but I think it's more now. When you add things like brains and what not....priceless.

[Merriweather]

Please, good sir, regale me with the tales of how you are personally losing hundreds of dollars an hour by waiting for my tech to or installer.
I'm sorry, but no, we will not be "compensating" you for these lost funds that are apparently bankrupting you.
Tell you what, next time why don't you pay a dirty hobo a roast chicken and a bottle of vino to wait for the tech instead.
toodles!

Best response is when you work for a place that has tiered service (or are self-employed and can "invent" it) so the minute they go into how much they're losing while down, you can thank them for letting you know they're running a business, and the increased fees for a business account will be $xx

[Crossbow]

My answer to your title:
"About as much as a fart in a windstorm?"

[Redbeard]

Best response is when you work for a place that has tiered service (or are self-employed and can "invent" it) so the minute they go into how much they're losing while down, you can thank them for letting you know they're running a business, and the increased fees for a business account will be $xx

Oh yeah, I LOVE using that one.
"you do realize that it's a violation of our ToS to be running a business using the residential services?"
Honestly, we let it slide as long as their usage doesn't put them over the insanely high usage limit, but at that point we also suggest that they sign up for a commercial account which apparently DOES ave provisions in place for loss of use.

Also: We tell our customers the time slot the tech could arrive in and approx how long the job can take. If they can't plan around that perhaps they're not quite the business genius as previously thought, no?

[Chromatix]

As an aside, there are router/modems on the shelf at my local computer retailer which plug into a phone line for ADSL2+ service, and also have a USB port which can drive a 3G broadband dongle. That way, if the landline goes down, the mobile connection can be used as a backup automatically.

This ties in nicely with the fixed-rate subscriptions available for 3G broadband service in this country. Perfect for mission-critical business use.

[BeenThereDoneThat]

We get quite a few calls from people who don't inspect their merchandise before making the appointment for the installers to come, or they order replacement/extra parts then have the installers come out before the parts arrive. Then, of course, it's our fault if something goes wrong and they have to pay the installers to come back another time when they have all their ducks in a row, so we should pay them for the inconvenience. Currently a woman is pissed because she ordered extra chain for a chandelier to be hung from apparently a monumentally high ceiling, somehow missed the part about how the chain was backordered until January (though the notes on the order say the CSA told her), and her installers are there so we have to get her the chain RIGHT NOW. Sure, okay...let me look in the "back".

[heyheadmaster]

Hear this all the time. Generally only drop in the line about it being against the T&Cs if they get arsey about it.

Losing lots of money but too cheap to pay for business phone and/or broadband service!

[wagegoth]

Seriously, what kind of business relys only on cell phones as a form of communicate with customers.

Mostly illegal ones.

[blas]

Rich people aren't the only ones who whine.

When we go through tough times at work (layoffs and whatnot), there's always one or two newbie nuts who go begging and pleading to management to not have to be laid off or have their hours cut, cuz they are "days from being evicted" or "days from having my car repo'd" and you "can't deal with unemployment!"

Yeah, you and the rest of us, ding dong. You think you're the only one who's going to be missing out on cash and is going to have to go through the headache of calling unemployment?