How Do I Hate Thee??? Let Me Count The Ways…
May 17th, 2007 at 3:36 pm by DivaTags: asshats, business, estrogen, humor, sarcasm, telemarketers, telephones
I am an office manager for an small biomedical company in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. We are not a million dollar baby. We are not listed as one of the top companies in the Fortune 500. We are of no consequence to anyone, really. That is, anyone but those damn telemarketers, who seem to call more than our customers do. Until the past two days, the last statement was strictly a sarcastic theory.
I have made it my goal in life to give every telemarketer that calls our office so much shit, that they will beg the powers that be to take our multiple phone numbers off of the automated speedy dialer set up they utilize.
I have found out that the low level asshat that initiates this variety of phone call is generally a mega wuss. Scary Diva puts fear in them and they automatically put me through to a supervisor. Which is fine by me, that’s who I’d prefer to bitch at anyway.
The typical call is as follows:
Asshat: Hello, ma’am. I am calling today on behalf of BellSouth.
Me: You’re calling on behalf of BellSouth? Are you BellSouth or some poor schmuck hired by BellSouth to take this ass whipping?
Asshat: We are contracted by BellSouth to contact existing customers with this exciting..
Me: Let me guess, an exciting new plan?
Asshat: Yes, ma’am. We are…
Me: Stop right there. What is the name of your company?
Asshat: (will name off whatever company of the day is)
Me: And what is your name, please?
Asshat: I can not disclose my name.
Me: You can’t disclose your name? Where is your supervisor?
Asshat: I don’t understand, ma’am.
Me: Your supervisor, your boss. Please put them on the phone.
Asshat: One moment.
Asshat supervisor: I understand there is a problem here?
Me: You could call it that. When I get more calls a day from people like you bogging down my phone lines than I do from my customers, that is a major problem for me.
Assshat supervisor: Let me explain why…
Me: No! Let me explain to you. What is YOUR name. I have your company name.
Asshat supervisor: (rambles off a name)
Me: Okay. Now, I would like this to be recorded. Am I being recorded for quality and training purposes, pal?
Asshat supervisor: Yes, ma’am.
Me: Then understand this. I am keeping your name, the name of your company, the time and date that I spoke with you. I would like you to remove our phone numbers from your database. I would like to cease communication from your company. Do you understand?
Asshat supervisor: Yes. We will remove you immediately.
Me: Great. Because we report companies that do not remove us from their call lists/databases after we request it. I now have everything I need to report your company to the FCC for furthering communications after being asked to stop.
So, the story goes. Of course, the FCC doesn’t do shit for a body. You call, register a complaint, and nothing happens. But, it sure is alot of fun to harass the shit out of someone who’s job it is to harass the shit out of me.
The top of my “I HATE THESE GUYS” list is Bell South, followed ever so closely by Birch Telecom.
I also despise all of these shipping companies who try to out screw each other for the tidbit of business they might be able to get. Of which, my response is always, “If I’m gonna get screwed by a freight company, I’m sticking with UPS because our driver is freakin hot. But thank you for calling and trying to win my business! If you’d like to send some hot drivers over here for inspection, I might consider giving you my business, but I warn you. Our UPS guy will be hard to beat.”
Have a great dessert day, pal.
May 17th, 2007 at 4:53 pm
Good job!
You are one step away from perfection. Ask them questions: “you cannot tell me your name. Can you at least tell me what time is it ?” – “Oh it is 3 AM in India, how lovely!”
May 17th, 2007 at 6:44 pm
Just dont bite off more than you can chew there Diva… 😉
May 17th, 2007 at 11:39 pm
As a matter of fact, I do believe that these fine folks were indeed in India.
Thanks for calling, have a nice day 🙂
May 18th, 2007 at 10:58 am
I love it when I get telemarketing calls–I pretend to be someone I’m not and have, at one time or another:
1. Made a gay date with a telemarketer
2. Pretended to be suicidal (that’s really wrong, but funny)
3. Taken the phone into the bathroom and made all the appropriate gunting, wiping and flushing noises
4. Dropped the phone and my redhead and I made sounds like I was beating her
But very few telemarketers call me now so my life is pretty boring.