Rudeness!

aephi alum · #1 11-26-2002, 08:51 PM

Why is the concept of politeness so totally beyond some people??!

As some of you know, I work part-time at a temple. Yesterday I was asked to call a woman who had expressed an interest in joining. As soon as I said where I was calling from, she was like "What do you want?" - very surly.

Me: "You expressed an interest in joining. I wanted to know if you'd like to receive some information."

Her: "Look, why don't you stop promoting your synagogue?"

Me: "Huh? You asked us to contact you."

Her: "Are you the same woman who's called me 5 times this week?"

Me: "No, nobody has tried to contact you yet this week." (It's Monday, lady!!)

Her: "Well I'm sick of hearing from you." This was followed by a stream of profanity and her hanging up on me.

I know her anger wasn't directed at me, and we certainly don't need rude congregants, but it still pissed me off. (a) I wasn't some telemarketer making an unsolicited call - she ASKED to be contacted. (b) I personally had never spoken to her before that moment.

When I receive unwanted calls, either solicited or not, I always politely ask them to put me on their do-not-call list... even if it's the 15th time they've called and I'm in the middle of dinner. Why can't others do the same?

Kevin · #2 11-26-2002, 08:59 PM

It depends on the telemarketer with me... Sometimes I figure that since they are invading my home that they are now here purely for my entertainment.

I'm the kind of person I know they hate.

But if you're in that line of work I guess you should just deal with the fact that it is your job to annoy the rest of the world.

aephi alum · #3 11-26-2002, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ktsnake
It depends on the telemarketer with me... Sometimes I figure that since they are invading my home that they are now here purely for my entertainment.

I'm the kind of person I know they hate.

But if you're in that line of work I guess you should just deal with the fact that it is your job to annoy the rest of the world.

I reiterate that I am NOT a telemarketer... this woman called the temple asking for information, and got pissed off when we tried to provide her with it. This was not a cold call.

AlphaSigLana · #4 11-26-2002, 11:22 PM

I don't think KTSnake meant you personally; I think it was used as a general statement to anyone who may read this thread and is a telelmarketer, but i could be wrong.
Yes, I do know what you mean about rudeness.

DigitalAngel126 · #5 11-27-2002, 01:28 AM

I, for one, am a telemarketer. I have no problem with those people that ask to be taken off the list.. But I do have a problem with those that are rude. I call for a charity, I don't sell anything. Anyone that is on our list is there because we've had contact with them in the past. Seriously, I understand there are a lot of telemarketers out there, but theres no reason to be rude about ANYTHING. A short, yet polite, 'please take me off your call list' will suffice!!! Some people don't even know that they're doing it! In fact, I had one woman tonight that started cussing me out. I very calmy inturrupted her with "Ma'am, why are you being rude to me?" ... She was all over herself stuttering.. She didn't even realize she was doing it. She felt so bad and apologized to me for like 20 minutes. Tone of voice says a lot about people.. You'd be amazed with the variety of assholes out there....

Kevin · #6 11-27-2002, 01:33 AM

Don't get the wrong idea about me.

If you call for a charity I'm polite.. If you're with my credit card company, I ask to be taken off the list.

If you call offering me a free vacation or long distance service or something to that effect that's when I'll really f*** with you.

I just try to keep your time per call up by not saying no and not hanging up.. Some telemarketers aren't allowed to hang up with less than 3 no responses and are not able to hang up on their own.

wrigley · #7 11-27-2002, 01:36 AM

Mean people suck. Try to shake off the bad experience and be glad she's not a member of your temple.

DeltaSigStan · #8 11-27-2002, 01:55 AM

I wish I could do what Jerry Seinfeld did:

Telemarketer: "Hi, we'd like to give you some information on a great long distance company" (or something like that)

JS: "Ok, tell you what, give me your phone number and information and I'll call you back later."

TM: "No, you can't do that"

JS: "So I take it you don't like it when people interupt you with phone calls like this?"

TM: "No"

JS: "So now you know how I feel! *CLICK*"

--------------------------

TM: "Would you like to subscribe to the New York Times?"

JS: "YES! *CLICK*"

Cluey · #9 11-27-2002, 01:57 AM

I know what you mean aephi alum!

As a teacher, I have to call parents sometimes. It's something that comes with the territory. Most of them are very supportive and I enjoy the communication that we have. It only takes one to spoil the whole experience, though.

My first year teaching, I had reoccuring instances with one student. I contacted his parents and let them know. I had scheduled a meeting, but my grandfather passed away 2 days before the scheduled meeting. I had one of the ladies call to cancel our meeting and let them know that I would reschedule the next week. Do you know when I called them back, they dared to insinuate that I made up the death in my family?

I think some people just weren't instilled with the proper phone etiquette.

Yes, we all get annoying calls, but it only takes a second to say, "No thank you, I am not interested."

justamom · #10 11-27-2002, 08:33 AM

When you get 5 calls/night or 15 calls per week, it wears pretty thin and SOMEONE is going to catch hell! I have been expecting important calls and gotten out of the tub (haven't we all) run into the house muddy, or woken from a MUCH NEEDED nap. Yes, I'm sorry, but I'm guilty of biting a few heads off.

Thank HEAVEN we now have a "Do Not Call" registry.
Caller ID- love it!
I have also hit them with a fake accent or or tell them, "They are vacationing in France and won't return for 6 months."

Hnestly, I start the week very nice and polite, but sooner or later if the timing is really bad, I lose it. So, to anyone who may have called me-I'M SORRY, but I just knocked over the paint-tracked it into my house-tripped on my two left feet trying to answer a call I THOUGHT was from my__________ daughter/son/husband, doctor, mother, lawyer, teacher, office...

DeltaSig Stan-I LOVED that scene! Maybe the best example of a situation all Americans can identify with!

valkyrie · #11 11-27-2002, 01:50 PM

Aephi alum, that's terrible!

As for telemarketers, I just don't answer the phone if I don't recognize the number on the caller ID or if it says "unknown number."

Kevlar281 · #12 11-27-2002, 02:22 PM

I used to be a telemarketer and even I enjoy hassling them when they call. My personal favorite is to give them a second chance to pronounce my last name correctly (it’s Italian) and I will buy whatever it is their selling; they never do.

KillarneyRose · #13 11-27-2002, 05:43 PM

Once someone from my alma mater called asking for a donation but I was in the middle of something and really didn't have time to talk. So, I asked her if she could call back another time. Know what she told me? She said that she had X amount of people that she needed to get in touch with and she would call me back if she had the time. Well, she never called and I saved a couple of bucks!

alphaiota · #14 11-28-2002, 01:22 AM

how's this for a telemarketer story......i was at home one day doing stuff when the phone rings. since i was expecting a call and i was away from the nearest phone, i ran to catch it. well as i was running, i fell and sprained my ankle. when i finally did pick up the phone, it was some telemarketer. now you tell me how nice i was to that person. i don't think i've ever spouted off that many profanities at one time.

i also worked as a telemarketer for a short time. i did charity stuff as well. hear it all, got it all. even got some new ideas for me to use.

shelley j
sigma k

crystalline · #15 11-28-2002, 01:08 PM

To everyone who manages to be nice to telemarketers, props to you. I, on the other hand, am not nice. Well, I guess I'm not exactly mean, either. I just pretend I'm having a bad acid trip and refer to them as the voices in my head and why won't they stop??? Other times my brother will slam his hand on the counter, pretending he's beating me, and yell at me. That is a funny way to get rid of them!

I hate telemarketers. (not the people, their job). This is why when I move out on my own, I'm only going to have a cell phone. No regular phone. Anyone who needs me can email me. Spam I can delete, since my inbox doesn't ring everytime someone wants to send me junk.