Here is a question for everyone who has worked a customer service job... About This Page:

[kimberlym322]

Originally Posted by iamgrumpy

Umm....... there are a million things a day I could put here unfortunately either you would have to understand the way my work runs things or I'd lose my job due to confidentiality but lets just say....

I don't think working in a Call Center will be my life's calling.

One thing I can Share is ... Most saturday nights our hotel is Sold out ... SO this is usually the converstation goes with those who call on SATURDAY for a room
Caller: Hi Do you have a room for tonight?
Me: Unfortunately, no tonight the hotel is Sold out.
Caller: So you have No rooms?
Me: No but i have the number for XYZ hotel would you like it?
Caller: So can I have a room for tonight?
Me: Thank you for calling ...no we don't ....goodbye.

I swear i have been asked to sell someone a broom closet because they wanted somewhere to sleep.

Or "If I were the President, or the Pope, would you have a room" my answer "no because they would need the whole hotel and we are sold out"

Oh and I love when you ask them for their name and I get "huh? or dead silence" and I'm amazed at the number of people who don't know their date of birth.

But i have been asked out on a date, proposed too, and had a few death threats come my way but all in all it evens out.

Of course the best calls are when you answer the phone start talking and realize your talking to someone you either saw on TV, heard on the radio, or crushed on for a long time and then realize you can't ever tell anyone who or what was said. (before you ask no i can't tell you who i have met or talked too until i quit my job someday )

Amy I thought I was the only one that had stories like them. You remind me of what I go through at night.


Like Amy, I work the midnight shift at a motel. I could tell you alot of stories but a lot of them are not family friendly so I can't put here.

But some that I can tell you are:

People can't read and understand NO ROOMS TONIGHT!!

I work at an Ocean Front Motel and people will get oceanfront rooms and ask....can you see the ocean from the room? or they will ask if the room is on the water...no you idiot it is not ON the water but it is oceanfront to see the water.

Or I know the boardwalk is a block down, but where is it I dont see it...HELLO walk down a block turn left.

I am on RT 50....how do I get there? UHHHHHHHHHH follow 50 all the way into Ocean City, bare to the left at the second light make a left. well what would happen if I keep going strate??? DUHHHHHHHH you will drive into the ocean.

Can your Fish fly???

And then you got to love the DRUNKS!!

[Jody]

I work at an electric company and after big ice storms, when the power is out, people call and want to know if we are going to deduct the power they're not getting from their bill. Well...if the power is not crossing the meter, it won't be on your bill. Therefore, there is nothing to deduct.

[stefffe]

2 of my favorites from my resturant.....

"how many shrimp come on the 30 shrimp?"

Do you have All You Can Eat? how Much? Is it all I can eat?"

[akleos]

Originally Posted by stefffe

"how many shrimp come on the 30 shrimp?"

Now that is comedy!

[cynholjot]

My first job was as a bank teller. The branch office was in the parking lot of a strip mall. One day a gentleman of advancing years, came in and deposited about 10 dress shirts in my teller window and asked to have them done the same as last week . I tried explaining that this was a bank and that the dry cleaner was across the parking lot. But he insisted he brought them here last week and we did such a great job. He was getting very upset.

My supervisor (whose dd worked at said dry cleaners) took the shirts and his name and took them over to the cleaners. He never did come back to claim them, so we assume he figured out where the cleaners was on his next visit .

I now work as a switchboard operator, had this recent conversation:

me: I'm sorry, I can't make out the name you are saying can you spell it please.

them: K - as in kite... I - as in eyeball, you know the thing you see with

Luckily, I am quick with the mute button, so my burst of laughter went unheard.

[MKBaughan]

Hey, I worked at Suncoast! I loved it! They closed our store... Anyway... I have worked at Toys R Us, as a McDonald's and Quizno's manager... and now I work at Staples.... I couldn't begin to list even half the stuff I have heard or dealt with... however, my favorite story is from McD's.... I had a customer insist I replace her fries with Hot fries... So I dropped a basket for her, she stood there the 4 minutes waiting for them, and watching my every move... When the timer went off, I drained the basket, dumped the fries, salted them and bagged an even bigger box of them for her... she took them, ate one, and said these are still not hot... Now, it didn't take me a whole minute from the time they finished cooking to hand them to her... I just looked at her and said, "Ma'am, the only way you're going to get them hotter is to come around here and eat them out of the oil!" I refused to replace them again... Oh, and the GM and owner backed me! LOL

At Staples I asked a lady if I could help her, and she asked where the office supplies were! I told her the whole store was office supplies and she had to be a little more specific... she blushed....

At TRU, they would ask where the toys were. But that was one of my favorite places to work... someone mentioned Celebrities... I have met a few at work... Back in the early '80s when DALLAS was the hot show, and JR had been shot by Kristin that season... Mary Crosby came in my store to Christmas shop... Her husband's family is from my area and didn't live far from my store... Our store was packed that day, and the people went crazy! it was almost as bad as Cabbage Patch Kids.....

Then at Quizno's I waited on Tim Reid a few times... And One time Rudy from Survivor came in too... (right after that first season... ) My twins were working with me at Quizno's and they only knew Mr. Reid as the dad from SISTER, SISTER...

[Caldercup]

I used to run a large customer support call center for a cable-based internet company.

We had all kinds of loonies calling us because we were 24 hours. My CSRs actually took to keeping a white board of nothing but the crazy comments they got and the nutty stories they were told by lonely people in the middle of the night.

My favorite of all was the person who told us that she couldn't get out to the internet. The CSR stepped through all kinds of steps to determine the root of her problem before suspecting that the customer's system needed to be power-cycled (turned on and off.) The CSR asked the customer to turn the box around so they could see the on/off switch, which resulted in some scuffling sounds, some cursing, so obvious sounds of moving equipment. Finally, the customer said, "I can't see a blasted thing back here -- it's too dark." The CSR suggested turning on a nearby light and shining it at the back of the box. The customer replied:

"I can't turn on the light... the power went out with the thunderstorm!"





Eileen

[loobyoxlip]

Oh, goodness, I worked for an airlines and this was me half the time I answered the phone:

[RobinKay6573]

I need to make a list and write a book!

My favorites are,

“When is this going one sale??”
“How much is this?”
“How much is this on sale.”

I just love it when people call and ask "What is on sale?"

[Tink and co.]

I worked as the main desk receptionist at a major medical center in college. I occaisionally would get overflow calls from the main hospital number. I had more than one person describe in detail their medical problem (some were pretty funny). I'd always listen patiently and then say, please hold while I transfer you to a nurse. Several times I heard, "You're not a nurse(doctor)?" "Didn't I call the hospital?" Did you really think a doctor is answering the phone? Don't you remember who you called and described your 'sores' to?

[simbarel]

I work for a gas card company and this guy called in to tell me that he needed a new card b/c his expired on Monday....I had to tell him that it expires in October 2008, not on October 8th.

We service a certain demographic that causes CONSTANT, unbelievable problems. I had one today, you just want to say "do you hear yourself????" but you can't. :

[goofy4goofy]

Oh, gosh...I've seen allllllll kinds of crazies. And I've heard just about everything there is to possibly here that is completely insane. Here are some of my favorites:

1. I've had people call the front desk and ask if they could request an ocean view room. Um, Disney is MILES away from the ocean.

2. What time is the 3 o'clock parade? (everyone has heard this one..but I hear this question at concierge/on the phone about once a week)

3. When will it stop raining? (gee, let me just turn off that darn rain for you!)

4. I've heard EVERY SINGLE POSSIBLE name there could be for the Magic Kingdom. My favorite: Mickey's Magical Kingdom

5. I get a lot of people calling to ask if they can extend their stay. I usually have to tell them no...mostly because we are usually sold out. I get this a lot: "Oh come on, you couldn't possibly be sold out with over 2000 rooms!!" HELLO. THIS IS WALT DISNEY WORLD!!! I'm just telling you no for kicks and giggles.

6. I'd like you to book me for the breakfast in Cinderella's Castle for TOMORROW MORNING. hahahaha

7. But I was guaranteed a king bed. "No, sir, I'm sorry. You booked a standard, which is two double beds." But it says right here that I requested a king. "Right, a request can not be guaranteed and we are unfortunately unable to upgrade you at this time." But I REQUESTED A KING. IT SAYS SO RIGHT HERE! "I understand, sir, but again, a request is only a request...not a guarantee." This usually goes on for a few minutes..and usually ends with the guest asking for a manager.

8. I'm going to Disney World tomorrow. What time does it open? (keep in mind that I work on Disney property at CBR...you are already in WDW...so my answer is usually, "Do you mean a theme park?")

9. When I went to Universal Studios today, they wouldn't take my ticket! "Sir, you have a WDW ticket. Our Disney tickets only work at Disney theme parks. Universal Studios is owned by Universal."


Kelly

[DebiDebiDebi]

I work in the imaging (x-ray) department of a hospital. Many of the test we do require a person to not eat or drink before the test. We get this type of call all the time:
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*
Patient: So, I can't eat before the test?
Me: No, nothing to eat or drink for ___ hours before the test.
Patient: Can I have coffee?
Me: No, you can't have anything to eat OR drink before the test.
Patient: So, no coffee? How about water?
Me: No, water, no coffee, no, milk, no juice...nothing to drink.
Patient: OK, I'll just have my toast without a drink
Me: Sorry, you cannot have anything to EAT or DRINK before the test.
Patient: That's ridiculous! You can't expect someone to go without food or drink!
Me: I understand, and I am sorry, but to get the best results for your test, you need to be fasting for ___ hours before your test.
Patient: What if I have coffee and not add cream, will that be ok???
ME: (picture me now with my head in my hands, head on desk near tears) No, I am sorry, nothing to eat, nothing to drink.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*
Now....usually after this exchange, you might think that the patient GETS IT...nope. I cannot tell you how many show up and are SHOCKED that NO ONE TOLD THEM they couldn't eat/drink before the test (oh, and as an extra added bonus they are now infuriated because they have to be rescheduled because they ate or drank). This really gets me because I know I talked to them at great length the day before about this very subject (in case you have forgotten, dear reader, refer to paragraph above )

Another common one is that a person will come in to pick up their x-rays for an appointment. I will do search in the computer. No films listed. Patient insists they had them taken. I then will ask (after 15 years I have learned to ask this...) "Did you have those pictures taken here?" to which 90% of the patients I have to ask this will say, "No, I had them done at the other hospital." I then have to calmly tell them that they need to go to the other hospital to pick them up. I cannot tell you how many times people will look at you with a confused look and say, "Why can't I pick them up here?" To which I have to politely state that one needs to pick their films up at the facility in which they had them taken. It never ceases to amaze me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[stefffe]

another of my favorites.....

i was answering the phones at the Olive Garden where i worked many moons ago..... and i nthe office with my boss....and the phone rang.....

"Do you have spaghetti???" without thinking....i smarted back.... "no we only sell enchiladas on mondays"

after my boss stopped laughing....she told me that was not the right answer

[revral]

I worked for a stereo manufacturer and for awhile was the receptionist. My favorite was the customer that called in wondering how you turn the amplifier off because he couldn't find the on/off switch and the amplifier stayed on all the time. We're talking about an amplifier that costs over $2000. The reason he couldn't find the on/off switch is because the amplifier does NOT have one; it's designed to be on all time. Of course there's the customer one of the techs told me about. From what the customer said and the questions he was asking the tech figured out that this guy wanted to take several of our subwoofers to Africa and use them to call elephants.

I've also been on the other side where I'm just shaking my head at what the customer service person is saying to me. Quite a few years ago I called my cell phone provider because I wasn't receiving calls. I end up in this conversation with one of the customer service reps (not even a tech mind you) where she's telling me that the only thing designed to be on all the time is the refridgerator. I politely inform that she's wrong and that I work for a stereo manufacturer whose amps are designed to be on all the time. She was practically arguing with me and insisting that I was wrong. I finally told her that I had worked for the company from the begining, that I had grown up with and in the stereo industry, that the owner and designer of our products is pretty much a living legend in the industry and is also my father. So I think I know what our products are designed to do and what they can and can't do and that I refused to argue with her. I didn't bother pointing out that these days there is almost nothing that turns completely off and that for the most part what you're turning off are the user interfaces and displays. If your tv turned completely off the remote wouldn't work because the circut(s) that recognize, process, and respond to the remote's signals wouldn't be functioning.