What is wrong with people??
By II2aTee
@II2aTee (2559)
United States
June 12, 2008 12:57pm CST
One of my responsibilities at my job is to help people get into contact with the specialists they need in order to resolve their issues.
I need to vent.
*deep breath*
WHAT is it with people? Can you tell me? What is WRONG with people these days???
This happens EVERY DAY.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scenerio:
*Phone rings. I answer. Person needs to be directed to a different office*
ME: "You need to speak to Diagnostics about this. I will transfer you to their direct line."
Caller: "Ok thank you!"
*I transfer the call thinking everything will fall into place.*
4 mins later, the phone rings.
Caller: "Hi, we just spoke and you transfered me to Diagnostics. No one answered, all I got was a voicmail."
Me: "Well I know they are there. They may have been on the other line assisting someone else, or out of the office at the moment. Did you leave a message?"
Caller: "No."
Me: "...... How can they call you back if you do not leave a message?"
Caller: "Well I really want to get this resolved right now."
Me: "I am sorry, but I cannot help you with this, Diagnostics is really the area you need to speak to. Would you like me to put you through again?"
Caller: "Ok, thank you."
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Do you SEE? Do you SEE the PROBLEM here????
HOW do people expect to get a call back if they dont leave a message?
Trust me hun, If I knew the answer to your question, I would help you. Gladly! But if you need to be advised by someone else - trust my judgment. I DO spend 9 hours a day here. 5 days a week. For the past 5 years! I kinda know what I'm talking about.
What is wrong with people?
Do you do this? Do you NOT leave voice mails for some reason. If so, do you expect a call back?
***I would like to add that in the time it took for me to write this - some girl just called (twice) and did it AGAIN!
I think I need a vacation.
3 people like this
21 responses
@skinnychick (6905)
• United States
12 Jun 08
You do need a vacation. LOL
I would just leave a message and wait for a call back. I give it the rest of the day and if I don't hear anything, I call back the next day. But not everyone is like me- people want things to be instant these days even when you are dealing directly with people and not machines.
Gotta love, corporate America! LOL
2 people like this
@cortjo73 (6498)
• United States
12 Jun 08
Ugh! Trust me! I feel your pain! I work for a small company. I am their assistant (it is just 3 of us...me and my two bosses). I answer the phones and whatever else they need me to do but, my main job is to direct calls. So, there are a few people who don't understand that they aren't the only important people on the face of the Earth! Now, this is slightly different than the situation you are having. But, the stupidity is still there.
So, we'll call the players in this game: Me, Idiot, and Boss.
Ring!
Me:Good morning, "name of my job", this is Me!
Idiot: I need to speak to Boss!
Me: Boss is not in right now. May I put into his voice mail?
Idiot: No! I need to talk to him right now! (silence)
Me: I'm sorry! The best I can do right now is to put you into his voice mail and he will call you back as soon as he retrieves his message.
Idiot: It is really important that I talk to him right now!
I always have to refrain from telling them to hold on while I go to the bathroom and remove Boss from up my butt which, is the only place that I could imagine he must be since these people are so up my butt to talk to him! Seriously! If he isn't here...how am I supposed to just make him appear and be available to talk to them? I think they give me way to much credit! I am magical as far as my personality! But, I can't actually produce magic!
I have been at my job for just under 6 years now. It will be 6 years this August 5th.
I need a vacation too! Where are we going?
1 person likes this
@bonbon664 (3466)
• Canada
12 Jun 08
OMG, that's too funny. I love idiot and the big silence like maybe you're not sure if Boss is there, or he's perhaps hiding somewhere, and will pop out, and yell "surprise"! People are too funny. I try to remember that 90% of the people I have to deal with are really nice, and it's only that 10% try my patience.1 person likes this
@cortjo73 (6498)
• United States
12 Jun 08
LOL! I'm glad I could give you a laugh! I hope you didn't hurt yourself when you fell out of your chair! LOL! And, we would have a blast working together! LOL! We'd probably have to pad the floors in bubble wrap or styrofoam to keep from hurting ourselves for as many times as we'd fall out of our chairs from laughing at one another! LOL!
I'll be looking for that "vacation" discussion! I can't wait to find out where we end up going!
1 person likes this
@moneyandgc (3428)
• United States
12 Jun 08
I just yelled (well not YELLED) at my husband about this the other day when our air conditioner was broken. He kept calling numbers and getting voicemails, then hanging up. Luckily it was an automated thing and not real people (aside from me) that he was annoying. Finally, I told him to leave a message because if he didn't nothing would get done!
He left a message...but no phone number. Ugh.
I think when people are calling and get a message, they are thrown off. I don't know how many voicemails I have gotten with people stumbling over their words.
I think a vacation is probably a good idea because I really don't see anything else changing unfortunately.
@bonbon664 (3466)
• Canada
12 Jun 08
The mumblers are hilarious! My husband makes fun of me because when I leave a message, I repeat my phone number slowly about 3 times. He says it sounds as though I think the person at the other end has some kind of mental disability. I just know how annoying it is when someone leaves a number, and you either can't understand it, or they say it so fast you have to listen to it about 5 times.
@Amberina (1541)
• United States
12 Jun 08
Oh my gosh! The nerve of some people thinking they can waste your time because they didn't leave a message. I always leave a message when I am directed to voice mail, I think the people who don't just like to be in control and they want what they want right now! LOL I am sorry you are having trouble with all this, better days are ahead you can look forward to your vacation. Hugs to you.
1 person likes this
@Lock_Heed (210)
• United States
12 Jun 08
yeah, take a good break. One were you can get away and be yourself with noone there expecting something from you.
GO, go and demand a martini from the waitor and don't be stingy with the little paper umbrellas.
I used to work customer service and had to deal with that. I now do online ventures, those people drove me nuts.
1 person likes this
@rantingqueen (495)
• United States
12 Jun 08
Unfortunately, the answer is the Human Race. We all want instant gratification of our problems, instant resolutions to our issues and someone to immediately listen to those problems.
I leave voice mails, but I tend to call back 30 minutes later if I have not received a call back. This is due to the fact that it has been proven time and again, people do not listen to their voice mail, they use every excuse in the book to deny ever having received the voice mail and most employees just don't care about your problem because they are too busy discussing their own problems with their co-workers.
After having worked in a busy call center for 10 years, I feel your frustration. Take a deep breath and realize though, that people have caused this lack of trust and need for instant fulfillment of whatever need they have at this exact moment.
And a vacation sounds great! Where are we going? lol
@II2aTee (2559)
• United States
12 Jun 08
I think your exactly right! Its a vicious circle and really, everyone is at fault.
Its the employees fault for not returning phone calls, and its the customers fault for expecting instant gratification. Your 100% right.
Thats why I always try to return my voicmails in at least 24 hours. I personaly think that is a reasonable amount of time for most things. Emergancies of course take priority but I am a person too... with obligations and responsibilities that take me away from my phone.
But as a consumer, I also know how it feels to be ignored.
I dont care where we go for vacation as long as there are NO PHONES!! haha.
1 person likes this
@lovespecialangel (3632)
• United States
2 Jul 08
Take a deep breathe. Now relax. Some people are extremely impatient. And the ones you are talking about fall into that category. Me? I leave a message with my number. If someone directs me to somewhere else that means that person can't help and the place they sent me can. If they aren't there I leave a message and wait for a call back. End of story. If I don't hear back from them within a day or two I will call back, but that's all. When was the last time you had a vacation? Might be time for another.
@rosey2006 (945)
• United States
19 Jun 08
What I hate is when you leave a voice mail and no one calls you back. I have come to the point to were I will leave a message and then call back in every hour or two until I get a reply.
@cortney09 (1345)
• United States
21 Jun 08
It all depends on who I am calling, whether or not I leave a message. It also depends on if it's something important or not. If it's important I will leave a message, otherwise I will just call back.
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
12 Jun 08
LOL...I'm sorry, I know how people can be. What if you added "If they're on the other line and don't answer just leave a message and someone will call you back"? Then you can be even MORE irritated when they call you back to tell you that no one answered the phone.
@Bananaman (74)
•
13 Jun 08
Do what I'd do, shout at them down the phone and hopefully they'll see some sense because they clearly don't as it is.
@spiderhunter (46)
• United States
12 Jun 08
Yes, honey. You need a vaction.
People can be a little silly about voicemail and getting things resolved in a hurry. I agree with you
1 person likes this
@honeydew82174 (1720)
• United States
12 Jun 08
I think people think they are the only one's that need to be helped and expect it right that minute. Take a vacation and you will fill better about how silly people act instead of getting frustrated
1 person likes this
@lingli_78 (12822)
• Australia
12 Jun 08
i can understand your frustruation... it is really annoying when people do that to you, isn't it??? i also work in the customer service department in a large retail company... we have so many impossible customers with stupid questions (sorry for the language) and even after i tell them what to do, they still don't do it and ask the same questions again... grrrr... my head is about to blow off... i am dealing with almost 300 customers per day and i have the high risk of having a high blood pressure if this continues... we definitely need a break... take care and have a nice day...
@bonbon664 (3466)
• Canada
12 Jun 08
Isn't it fun dealing with the public? People are really funny sometimes. I think people figure they'll call back instead of leaving a message because they don't think anyone will ever call them back.
@Latrivia (2878)
• United States
13 Jun 08
I don't think I've ever called a business and gotten a voice mail. Usually when I call and no one's available, I'm put on hold and forced to listen to boring music until someone finally picks up. I know that some very small businesses use voice mail, to handle missed calls, though.
The only times I ever get voice mail is when I call my friends. I don't leave messages unless it's important, and I usually expect to be called back because I always contact the people I know on their cell phones, which always come with caller ID and missed call listings. They've got no excuse for not calling back, save for not wanting to talk. However, if I were calling a business and got the voice mail I would leave a message, because I know from experience that if you don't, you're not getting called back.
Some people are just relentlessly stupid when it comes to making calls. I guess all you can really do is act nice until you get a chance to hang up, then you can strangle your phone and pretend it's the customer.
@vera5d (4005)
• United States
13 Jun 08
Sure sounds like you need a vacation!
I have been on both sides of the equation - in the customer service part going crazy about people like you are and lately as the disgruntled customer where nobody will answer their phone or call you back no matter how many messages you leave and finally you get a person and you think hey this might be my chance to finally talk to someone and get somewhere.
Either way, it's no fun...so get a vacation asap!
@jewelenterprises (1996)
• Australia
13 Jun 08
LOL... poor Tee... dealing with the public can be a real pain in the butt can't it?
I remember years ago I used to hate leaving messages on answering machines. In fact most of the time I wouldn't do it. But then that was in the days when answering machines weren't so common. I used to feel silly talking to a machine.
Now, however, I don't hesitate to leave a message on an answering machine.
Definitely sounds like you need a holiday bro!
