Accusing me of incompetence...

[RottenFruit]

I can accept being accused of incompetence, I do not like it, but at least accept it and improve. However, at least give me chance to show it at least. But situations like this just bug me (my thoughts in brackets):

Me: Hi $Tier1, what's new?
T1: This person asked for a supervisor almost instantaneously. So yeah,... I wrote down what I found out about the issue.
Me: {just effing} great, I'll take over!
T1: Great, I transfer!
*Music* *sips coffee*
Me: Hello, you are talking to RottenFruit *rest of the spiel*
Cst: I think I am wrong here. I wanted to talk with the second level.
Me: You are {a chauvinist pig} talking to a level 2 representative.
Cst: *expresses disblief*
Me: *ignores such expression and attempt to help him in the most stilted, technical terms*

Seriously, guy, you are in the twentyfirst century, do not assume that I adhere to your deprecated gender stereotypes. (And, yes, so far I have not experienced anyone treat me like that, I always thought it was an urban myth)

[AngloSaxonViking]

SC: You are a woman, you can't be competent.
You: Please note that I am the one who can fix your problem, YOU are the one who can't, without your ickle widdy hand being held by mummy-wummy.

[Crossbow]

SC: You are a woman, you can't be competent.
You: Please note that I am the one who can fix your problem, YOU are the one who can't, without your ickle widdy hand being held by mummy-wummy.

Almost got a Rule 1 violation out of me. Well done. I'll have to refer that one to Mrs. Crossbow (tech support, programming, training, etc...)

[RottenFruit]

I've come across this when doing tech support and it drives me nuts. But I found a way to shut one guy up:

SC: Hey there little lady, wanna put a man on the phone? (should be noted that the caller was male)
me: I will as soon as you do.

At the time I was a tier 2 support tech but was taking regular calls to help ease the queue and I got this lovely douchebag on the line. It was a case of brain-to-mouth filter fail but it stopped the SC in his tracks - we got the issue fixed in no time flat and the SC was singing my praises by the end of the call.

Wow, that is so epic!

[earl colby pottinger]

Drive crazy

Had a very few customers who did not want me to repair their computer because of my skin colour. That did not work out well for them since for the first three years I was the only tech in the computer store all else were sales people. And the store was the only authorized warranty repair center for some of our suppliers within 60KM.

But what frosted me were the women who did not want a female tech working on their machine! But at that time Lorrie was 20 times better than any of the rest of us with graphic devices (her original background was photography).

A woman would come in with a high end monitor and tell us that she did not want the female tech working on it.

We would then tell her that the repair would take 2-3 weeks as we were all busy.

SC would complain that they were told it could be fix in 1-3 days.

And we would reply "Right, if Lorrie does it, it will be fix that fast because she is the expert in that area. I will that a couple of weeks because it will take up hours (which are chargeable) for me to fix it and I have other work too. Lorrie if she gets it probably will have it done in an hour so she can easily find a time slot if you need it fast. Who do you want to work on it?"

Amazing but most change their mind then.

Other times we just gave the work to Lorrie and acted pleasant as the customer read the tech's name on the paperwork. We would do that if the work was for a larger company. No company was going to back their employee demanding to control the sex of people doing work for them.

[rose_metal_nz]

I'm 3-rd and 4-th level support (don't ask... layoffs mean we're doing several departments' work...) and I still get this behaviour.

[Seshat]

Seriously, guy, you are in the twentyfirst century, do not assume that I adhere to your deprecated gender stereotypes. (And, yes, so far I have not experienced anyone treat me like that, I always thought it was an urban myth)

Unfortunately, it's not an urban myth.

I was once accused of sexual harassment because I stood up and in my firmest, most authoritative voice, told the person harassing me that I was busy, working, and would he please leave me and my team alone to get on with our work.

Fortunately, the entire office heard exactly what I said. (I'm told people in the other office on our floor stuck their heads out the door to try to see what was going on!)

But yes, I've had both the 'you have tits, you can't be the tech' and the sexual-harassment problems in my (short!) working career.

[MistressOfTangents]

I've come across this when doing tech support and it drives me nuts. But I found a way to shut one guy up:

SC: Hey there little lady, wanna put a man on the phone? (should be noted that the caller was male)
me: I will as soon as you do.

Ahahaha oh my god that is fabulous: Do you accept fangirls?

[raudf]

At Ward's, it wasn't uncommon to get the "chauvinistic hick" on the line demanding a "man" talk to them. We developed a fun, stress relieving way of handling the issue.

Me: (opening spiel)
Jerk: I wanna tawlk to a man about parts for/issues with my mower/appliance/electronics.
Me: I can help you with that, sir. What's the product doing/not doing/model number?
Jerk: No, I wanna real man.
Me: (bite tongue - My mom's response, would be "Sir, I'm more a man than you are, apparently.") Hold just a moment please.
*pops head up and yelps for one of the males, explains and here's where the game begins*
MC: Hi, how may I help you? Really? I'm sorry, I'm rather new here (a lie, but hey.) and I don't know much about that. Let me ask my female co-worker who knows all about that product! Hey, Raudf, pick up the phone for a moment and see if we can't get this part/basic trouble shooting done!

(If it was my manager, he'd do it, but... he didn't know the system for parts and hated trying to figure it out, so I got the call back anyways. My dad, when he got injured and was on "light duty" got great glee outta doing it, because he was the one that taught ME )

Needless to say, it was even split between an instant hang up or a marriage proposal.

The ones that really ticked me off where the "ladies" that called in wanting to speak to a "man." Way to set equality back a few decades!

[Shalom]

I am reminded forcibly of a scene in Diana Gabaldon's latest book. Background: Mrs Brianna McKenzie, who graduated in the late 60s from MIT with a degree in engineering, is looking for a job in the Scottish Highlands, which is still mired in older attitudes. She applied at the electric plant for a job as an inspector.

"You're in luck, lass; we've an opening at Pitlochry, starting in a month," he'd said.

"That's wonderful." She had a folder in her lap, containing her credentials. He didn't ask to see it, which rather surprised her, but she set it on the desk before him, flipping it open. "Here are my . . . er . . . ?" He was staring at the curriculum vitae on top, his mouth hanging open far enough for her to see the steel fillings in his back teeth.

He shut his mouth, glanced up at her in astonishment, then looked back at the folder, slowly lifting the CV as though afraid there might be something even more shocking underneath.

"I think I have all the qualifications," she said, restraining the nervous urge to clench her fingers in the fabric of her skirt. "To be a plant inspector, I mean." She knew damned well she did. She had the qualifications to build a freaking hydroelectric station, let alone inspect one.

"Inspector..." he said faintly. (. . . ) "I'm afraid there's been a bit of a misunderstanding, my dear," he said. "It's a secretary we're needing at Pitlochry."

"Perhaps you do," she said, giving in to the cloth-clenching urge. "But the advertisement I replied to was for plant inspector, and that's that's the position I'm applying for."

"But . . . my dear . . . " He was shaking his head, clearly appalled. "You're a woman!"

"I am," she said, and any of a hundred men who'd known her father would have picked up the ring of steel in her voice and given in on the spot. Mr Campbell unfortunately hadn't known Jamie Fraser -- but was about to be enlightened. "Would you care to explain to me exactly which aspects of plant inspection require a penis?"

His eyes bulged and he turned the shade of a turkey's wattles in courting season. . . -- An Echo In The Bone, page 147.

Love to see someone try that line on one of these MCP callers, but you'd probably get fired for it. Still,

[rose_metal_nz]

The ones that really ticked me off where the "ladies" that called in wanting to speak to a "man." Way to set equality back a few decades!

Or say "Let me get a guy to do that, that's too technical for me!" Things like, do you have power, is X plugged in, etc. I mean, you're the one that uses the damn phone/computer/etc all day, how is it suddenly too technical for you?

[lordlundar]

And of course. I'm reminded of this whiteboard comic.

[raudf]

Or say "Let me get a guy to do that, that's too technical for me!" Things like, do you have power, is X plugged in, etc. I mean, you're the one that uses the damn phone/computer/etc all day, how is it suddenly too technical for you?

Dear mercy, I've had those too... "Oh, this is too technical for me! Let me get my husband and he can handle it." What did I ask the woman? "Does the little light show up when you press the power button?"

The ones that amused me the most are the guys who want to appear sooo macho. They'd call in wanting a part for their mower, but don't even know what the part is called. These are special because they want a male since they think "I wouldn't understand the technical term for an item." The few times there wasn't a "man" around to play the game.. so they had to deal with me. *wince* I've had the spindle assembly of a lawn tractor called everything from the thingamajig that spins the blades to the spinnythingy. *sigh* Yeah... a "little lady" knows more about lawn tractors and mowers than the macho man.

Not that it mattered, all I needed was the model number (or part number if I was damned lucky), description of the part and I could find it. If I couldn't, I'd ask my dad or the tech for that type.