h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I just had this old bloke on the phone I wrote to him for some information to fill in this form he'd sent us.

Anyway, he started shouting down the phone that it had nothing to do do with me, none of mine or the companys business. Then started shouting that he'd explained everything in this letter he'd sent, which i'd not received blah blah

And i had no idea what to do

So after i finally fobbed him off onto someone else i sat trying to stop my bottom lip quivering

I should assert myself more

You should never let some rude git make YOU feel bad. It's not your fault they are a worthless inconsiderate irritable obnoxious piece of human pond scum.

Hey, don't call me that!

Ooops.

Thanks CZ.
He was an old bloke though and i couldn't bring myself to say anything to him!

The best you can hope for is that being polite and considerate yourself they will snap out of their own selfish rant long enough to see what an ass they are making of theirselves.

Oh.. And age is no excuse for being an ass. (Although it does seem to lead to it... Stand in a buffet line on a cruise and you'll inevitably see some old geezer cut the line. )

I'll do that if it happens again.

Still feel pants though

(I still don't know why a loo brush would cheer anyone up.)

Oh dear, well you had the presence of mind to hand him over to someone else.

When all else fails take a deep breath put them on hold (to confer with a supervisor/colleague, tell them)...count ten and figure out, how best to sort his situation out then try again.

When you can't take anymore and the converse is going around in circles, saying your handing them over to a superior/supervisor makes them feel a little better, even if its just the nearest colleague.

Perhaps he had been on hold for ages listening to the company version of Greensleeves and was winding up before he got to you. You never know, callers are probably the most reasonable people on Earth at home and their workplace, but if info isn't received or bills arn't paid then some turn into 's to get things done.

You did great at least you didn't tell him to shove his head where the sun don't shine, or cut him off, or blow a whistle down the phone

Sometimes people need to rant, I used to get that alot.... being sympathetic without being condescending (is hard and not something I could get right all the time), and being as helpful as you can to get this sorted and lots of sorries, even if its not directly your fault, helps to diffuse somewhat.

Again, you did great Footie - just the right thing to do to get rid of a whiny ranting customer, give them to someone else Did your colleague tell you how it panned out after?

Yeh some old peeps can be rude and very set in their ways...

I noticed that at buffets too...AND jumble sales....*yeesh* I went to a jumble sale once or twice and left feeling like I had played ice hockey with the Jersey Devils...

I find a slight pause at the end of a rant, just long enough to imply "Have you finished now?" does me the world of good.

Also, don't forget that with a bit of effort, you can learn to end problem calls with the phrase "F*** you for calling" without the customer batting an eyelid.

Thanks Vix I passed him on to my neighbour who's got loads more experience than me and she calmed him down, he told her that he hadn't mean to sound like he was blasting off at me, it was just that he couldn't understand why we needed all this information. So that made me feel better.

I've just not had much experience with handling clients so to be shoved in at the deepend like that wasn't nice

EV, i may try that when i get to the end of my tether


But I felt even more pants when i finished. I was just walking to the busstop, brolley up and minding my own business, when this kid who was hanging out of a pub doorway, insulted me! Just out of the blue! I'd not looked at him, said a thing to him! I was so gobsmacked that i didn't say anything to him (spotting a pattern?) I got to busstop wishing i'd called him a in little

Then, i got on bus, rang boyfriend, to be told that he was going to his mates tonight instead of seeing me


And to top it all off, it's gonna rain for 40 days and 40 nights!

Yeh next time tell the lil piece of crap to go die somewhere...

A very good reply to something like that is to give a little grin, pause then ask "Do you practice or does being an annoying(rude/obnoxious/pervy/whatever.. insert appropriate adjective) little come naturally to you?"

... Hear Me Roar!

I get days where complete strangers of all ages intimidate me and it's always on the days where I'm undergoing a self-confidence wobble. My theory is this:

Somewhere on earth, there is a Tossers Union Headquarters, where they keep biorhythm charts for everyone on the planet. When they spot someone who is liable to be at their least opportune moment for blasting back at insults, or rudeness, or gittism of some variety, they send off a crack team of Tossers (aka Complete Tossers) to line this person's route to work, to bombard them with unpleasantries at work, to harangue them again on their way home and so on. At the end of the day, when the gitteries have been dispensed, they reassemble at TUHQ for debriefing.

And they look around the dead and soulless eyes of all those there assembled and realise they are purposeless and null and destitute.

Whereas, for you, my friend - tomorrow will be a lot, lot better

I'm a little concerned I have been rude to someone I don't like by calling them names and pointing out their faults. But I was doing it for a good reason, at least. They were talking smack about my friend while they were visiting my room, so I started out defending my friend. It started exactly like this:

Them: "M hates me. She thinks I'm snotty and rich. I'm not snotty, am I, guys?"

Me: "You are. I'm sorry, but M is my friend, an I'm taking her side on everything."

and then thinks got very nasty on my part. They took it well, as I thought they would. And they stayed in my room for a whole hour after this, even when it was obvious I did not like them. And they /are/ a horrible person. I don't feel as bad as I think I should.

?

Oh Trin your hilarious

How do you come up with this stuff, and when is the book coming out?

I forgot to add...coz I were laffin so 'ard.,

Where's that link Trin...the uplifting experience, I think a heavy dose is needed...

Hurrah for Footie.
Footie is the best.
Better Footbacon than Danish.
Footie is fabulous.
Footie is great.
Footie prolly wants me to shut the 'ell up and get out now...

Toodle o!



Yays for Footie!

http://www.cse.unsw.edu.au/~geoffo/humour/flattery.html

Here's the link, Footie. Sorry that happened to you. Customer service can be a real b***h when you're not used to it. Hope you feel better soon.