Sorry if I offend ...
... but the following joke pretty much sums up my feelings today after being yelled at for 3/4 hour over something totally outside my control - it was a pretty good day apart from that ... but this stupid call had me working an hour past my finish time, and I really didn't need it ... so now I feel fed up and cranky (as well as being tired, which doesn't help!) ... I'm so sorry that I can't put in writing a guarantee of something that is the procedure of a totally different company to me, that I don't even work for ... I'm sorry I don't have a crystal ball to see what the future will hold tomorrow or next week ... I'm sorry I don't have a magic wand to 'make everything better' ... I'm ... just ... plain ... "sorry" :(
I don't know what it is anymore, but complaints these days are getting more scarey and more irrational to deal with - it's like the crazed Postal worker syndrome has got out of control and become a communicable virus. We don't give out surnames anymore due to personal safety issues - and it's really frightening and nervewracking to have personal threats made against you. I just implore people out there to think twice before attacking a customer service representative - think about it rationally before making that attack ... yes, I agree that there are valid issues that sometimes crop up, and we all make mistakes, and for that a customer service role means trying to fix things ... but there are certain things that are outside our control - take, for example, the weather! My employers, nor other companies, are not directly responsible for weather problems - cyclones and hurricanes are not something that are planned just to upset everyone's plans ... so please don't threaten us personally if things are disrupted - yes, we want to help you, and do our utmost to rearrange things for you, but we did not personally make this happen! And please don't get upset at me personally when you need to take 22 people on transport that only has 20 spaces for someone to sit ... 22 does not go into 20 spaces, no matter how hard you try, so there's no point getting aggressive with me, I can't conjure up 2 more spaces out of thin air! Can you tell how cranky I am tonight?? I'm really sorry, but I need to vent ... it's like there's a full moon out, and has been out for nearly two weeks - I'm more than happy to help out and fix things that have gone wrong, but please be rational with things people!!
The reason I also apologise in advance to any of you, is that there are religious references in the following that may offend - it is in no way meant in offence, but rather as a joke - and I was reminded of this joke as I was driving home muttering to myself ... and this is one way for me to vent and get it out of my system ... I promise to get back in my box now and shut up ... (but I'm sure anyone in customer service can relate to what I'm saying!)
LAST NIGHT WHILE I LAY SLEEPING,
I DIED OR SO IT SEEMS.
THEN I WENT TO HEAVEN
BUT IT WAS ONLY IN MY DREAMS
BUT IT SEEMS ST. PETER MET ME,
THERE AT THE PEARLY GATE.
HE SAID, "I MUST CHECK YOUR RECORD,
SO STAND RIGHT HERE AND WAIT.
I SEE WHERE YOU DRANK ALCOHOL,
AND SWORE QUITE OFTEN TOO.
FACT IS YOU'VE DONE MANY THINGS
THAT A GOOD PERSON SHOULDN'T DO."
"WE CAN'T HAVE PEOPLE LIKE YOU UP HERE,
YOUR LIFE WAS FULL OF SIN."
THEN HE READ THE LAST OF MY RECORD,
GRASPED MY HAND AND SAID, "COME ON IN."
HE TOOK ME TO THE BIG BOSS,
"TAKE HIM AND PLEASE TREAT HIM WELL,
HE'S WORKED IN THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY, SIR.
HE'S HAD HIS SHARE OF HELL."
Posted by Anne S at 4:06 PM
13Comments:
Poor Anne! There are days (lots of them) when I'm not too thrilled with my career in IT ... but then I'll remember when I worked in retail/real estate and had to deal with these irrational and sometimes quite scary people and I'll decide that my current career really isn't that bad after all.
Good luck getting this nasty experience out of your system, and I hope that your next thousand clients are the exact opposite of this jerk!
Oh Anne I did giggle... It reminded me of our phone conversations...When are you home??? I think I might need a 'AnneS dose'... You take care my lovely and I will be in contact soon...
Hmmm I can think of a few other words to replace "travel industry"! LOL
Hope you have a better day tomorrow (hug)
Batman looks great!
Sorry you had a bad one, Anne. I work in retail/service, so I understand. You just have to hope 'those' types are few and far between.
Hugs...
I just can't understand people losing their tempers with customer service folks. It just doesn't accomplish anything. My son who used to work for an internet service company would take lots of calls like you describe and he would just chuckle mentally at how ridiculous these people were being. I'm always amazed at how well he handles these kinds of calls. Must come from all the ranting his mother focused his way over the years, lol!
*Hugs* Anne
Working in a hotel, I've gotten lots of weird and unusual yells in my years. Some trickle down from the front desk to housekeeping..and they get even more comical or just plain stupid. If you can, afterwards laugh it off. That's why half the housekeeping staff are a bit wacked. You have to to be able to survive in certian jobs. Some more than others.
hugs
I can't tell you the number of times I was threatened when I was flying. One time was on the ground and I had one of the catering guys cowering behind me while a pax threatened to throw me out the aircraft because I wouldn't let him bring his suitcase on board. Most of the rest were at 30,000ft stuck in that tin can with nowhere to hide and one time I had to get the captain to divert for the safety of the crew and remaining passengers, luckily we had 2 army officers on board who helped us get the pax in question under control, until we landed to safety. I left the industry in 2002 when I was pregnant and even though the money was fantastic and I did enjoy my time flying, I would never go back to it - I know it's far worse than it was back in my day.
(((hugs))) I hope your day tomorrow is better.
My hubby is a nursing supervisor. He gets threatened by patients and just this past weekend by an employee, who was promptly sent home. It seems people are getting very aggressive, doesn't it? I'm sorry it is affecting you so directly. It is no fun to be yelled at, especially for something over which you have no control. Your joke is crazy funny. I loved it. :) I may change it to "nursing" and tell hubby. LOL
I'm sure not offended :-) LOL Yikes, you sure do get some crazies on that phone now, don't you!!!!!!! Sounds like my line of work!
LOL Anne. You are doing well...I couldnt hold it together for an hour without giving someone a rather colourful blast for getting into me. No...I would not make a very good customer service representative. Thats why I do better lurking around in plants and in rivers...but then again that can me in trouble too.
Ahhhh, dear gal, I can so relate. Not to such extremes, but yes, people can get quite irate and irrational when we can't give them what they want.
That was a good poem. I think you should print it out in huge font and post it at your workplace. ;)
I hope that the rest of the week goes much more smoothly for you!
Hi Anne, Sorry to hear that your work day was crap! I have worked customer service jobs before and it really sucks when you have to deal with angry people. Now I work in a job where I have lots of vendors to deal with. Or even in my personaly life--if I have a problem I try and remember that the person I am talking with had no responsibility perhaps with whatever the problem is--they are just here to try and help--so blowing up at them will solve nothing really! Hope things get better!
Danielle (Peacock's Feather)
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