I love talking on the phone...

and I hate talking on the phone.

I'm on the phone pretty much all day. A lot of the time I like it. I love chatting to people, helping them out with their problems. Some people can be so nice and friendly even when they're having problems with their phones or internet.

Some people are all business. They just want to get on to you quickly and get the problem fixed or reported and get off the line. I have no problem with that and will do my best to be as quick as I can.

Some people are angry at the circumstances of their problem but they take pains to let you know it's not you personally they're angry with. For those people I will do whatever I can to help out.

Then there are others. Others I really don't want to talk to. Others that are rude. Others that think they're the only person who deserves help and therefore want to jump the 'queue'. Others that hurl abuse at you because they think that making a big stink will get you to do whatever the hell they want and fsck anyone else that is ahead of them. Those I don't want to help at all. For these people I will do what my job requires but I will not go out of my way to help. These people get the absolute minimum I'm paid to do.

I don't understand why people treat others this way. I've been on the other end - waiting for ages in a queue, had problems with services, had to wait my turn and been annoyed by things. Is that any excuse for poor manners though? There are ways to communicate your displeasure that don't leave the rep, you are speaking to, wanting to reach down the phone line and slap you stupid.

It may seem silly but, to this day, I will not get pizza from a certain pizza company because of a customer I spoke to over 5 years ago. This particular guy had his franchise in my area and he was so rude that I decided we'd never buy anything from that chain ever again (and J buys a lot of pizza! He'd have it several times a week if I'd let him). That particular customer may not even be involved with that place any more, but I don't care. I don't care that it's just my little protest and it probably makes zero difference to them.

I do want to say thank you to the nice, friendly, even angry but polite callers out there. Thank goodness you're in the majority or I'd have quit a looong time ago.