I Lost My Cool pt. 3

[emma]

I figure this topic deserves a revival given the Hodgman/Tompkins/Rees show a month ago. Plus I need somewhere to air out my shameful behaviour.

Last night I spilled half a glass of milk on my newish MacBook (extra fun: I did so in the process of trying to get the damn thing out of my kitchen so nothing would spill on it). I called apple tech support and after 15 panic-filled minutes on hold where I googled advice, tried frantically to tip the milk out of it, attempted unsuccessfully to clean up and listened to apple's godawful hold music, was put through to a gentleman named Corey.

The call started with me explaining the problem to him very calmly and ended with me semiprone on the floor of my kitchen choke-sobbing into the phone: 'So what you're saying, Corey, is that I am totally screwed. Right? Right?'

It was the first time I have ever referred to a customer service representative by their first name in conversation. I wish I could send the poor guy a card or something.

[Big Plastic Head]

Oh, Emma. So sorry. That blows.

Not to make light of your horrendous situation, all I can think of is that line from 'Anchorman':

"Milk was a bad choice."

[Gilly]

I work in a call center and from what you wrote that's one of my more mild calls so I wouldn't feel bad. It's amazing how much abuse people are ready to dish out over petty issues even when they are the ones at fault for not paying their bill or not knowing how to work their own equipment. Some cases, I can understand, but being rude or screaming isn't going to make the problem disappear. What's even more amazing is that people think that their problem is bigger than the next persons. One lady called and asked for a sooner appt, and I said we were booked for a few days and she actually asked me to bump somebody else from their appt so she could get a sooner appt. The job has made me question the decency of the average human being because these calls don't come in just once in awhile, I get at least 10-15 awful calls a day.

[KickTheBobo]

unless the spill somehow fried your harddrive, you still have your data. I wouldn't think that a half-glass of milk would do THAT much damage if cleaned up quickly.

Is the laptop dead?

[Reeleyes]

My wife and I recently got cell phones together with Verizon. I was against going with Verizon because they have some of the worst customer service ever in my experiences but they have the best coverage in our area and at the risk of sounding like a sitcom cliche my wife always wins. So we got these phones and were reasonably happy with them until the other day when I was at work and my brother called me to catch up a bit, I told him I'd call him back on my lunch break (which is not long). Lunch rolls around a few hours later and I go to call my brother and my call is redirected to Verizon and a recording asks for the last 4 of my SS#, I enter it and it's rejected (as I realize that when we purchased our phones my wife filled out the paperwork while I entertained our 2yo) so I try to remember hers so I can just take care of whatever issue and call my bro but I can't get her SS# right so without thinking I hang up and try to call her and my call once again gets redirected so I wait 'til the automated system eventually decides to put me through to a person (which literally takes about 30 minutes) all the while thinking that this is far from the best way to let someone know that there's a problem with their account. Finally a human being picks up the call and informs me that we were 6 days late with our payment, when I hear this I proceeded to UNLOAD the filthiest stream of obscenities that I had stored inside me from years of suppressing my anger in these situations because I know it's not the guy on the phone's fault but the truth is I'll never get to talk to the idiot who made the decision to hijack my phone calls rather then just sending me a text letting me know that there is a balance due. I worked in a call center doing customer service for Direct TV and AOL for a few years and I know that when I took calls like that it would ruin my day but it also motivated me to find a job that I enjoyed a lot more. I'm not trying to excuse my behavior, there's no excuse for it. I threw a 10yo tantrum with some more colorful words and phrases and I feel bad for the poor fella who had to listen to it but I stand firm that VERIZON SUCKS! Emma, I hope your computer is OK and Gilly on behalf of belligerent a**holes everywhere, I'm sorry.

[emma]

You guys are all nice.

BPH: i hadn't got that one yet, but my grandma sent me an email with the subject line 'milkbook!'

gilly: I appreciate hearing that. I felt really bad for losing my shit-especially because he sounded totally at a loss as to how to deal with me, though in retrospect i guess he's probably really used to that kind of thing.

ktb: data-wise it's all fine and I bought an external hard drive and got everything copied onto it at the genius bar today. Corey had sort of led me to believe all my stuff was destroyed and dead and gone, which didn't help with the panic. The computer itself is totally utterly fucked, though. I don't even mind paying for a new one, really-well, obviously I do, but getting all my stuff back after believing I wasn't going to is so awesome that I just feel lucky. 

[hugman]

yes, mrs. hugman once lost a hard drive full of data. so i know how you felt in your moment of despair and then some.  back your stuff up, people.

[fonpr]

yes, mrs. hugman once lost a hard drive full of data. so i know how you felt in your moment of despair and then some.  back your stuff up, people.

I just lost a hard drive "half-full" of stuff.  They replaced the hard drive for no charge.  Their fault.  No data was saved.  The original was melted.

[hugman]

 No data was saved.  The original was melted.

too close to the christmas tree? oh, that was too easy.

[Gilly]

I realize that we're the frontline but I guess I don't get what people expect when they go off other than personally letting off steam. The same rules apply to everyone, angry or pleasant and the person you're talking to is there to help... it will be a faster process getting the problem fixed without the ranting. If anything the person on the other end is going to be less likely to give a crap if you're treating them like garbage. Plus, it's not like the screaming is going to fall on any ears who actually need to hear it. It just doesn't help the matter at all so I don't get why people feel the need to do it.

[Reeleyes]

I realize that we're the frontline but I guess I don't get what people expect when they go off other than personally letting off steam. The same rules apply to everyone, angry or pleasant and the person you're talking to is there to help... it will be a faster process getting the problem fixed without the ranting. If anything the person on the other end is going to be less likely to give a crap if you're treating them like garbage. Plus, it's not like the screaming is going to fall on any ears who actually need to hear it. It just doesn't help the matter at all so I don't get why people feel the need to do it.

I agree 100%. I never do that and I'm still trying to figure out why I let myself go that time. Yes, I vented and now all those feelings of anger and frustration have been replaced with guilt for needlessly ruining a stranger's day. I'm not proud at all, I just told an honest account of my goings on protaining to the subject of the thread.

[Gilly]

I know. It's just a subject that gets to me, even before I worked in a call center. I don't think many people who work in one actually want to work there, but it would be a little more pleasant if problems were able to be fixed without having to deal with the verbal abuse. Most of my colleagues are college graduates or more who have been laid off in the past couple years. Not that it should matter but I think a lot of people have disregard in general for people who would take a call center job, but most of us here don't have much of a choice right now

[ChrisRawk]

I used to work in a call center for student loans and, good lord, I've gotten some of the worst calls ever.  The indignity of listening to bozos with awful credit trying to get a credit based loan.  "What do you MEAN I'm not getting this loan??  It's not my fault the credit companies keep sending me offers for credit cards and I keep signing up and maxing them!".  Insanity.

One girl called and actually asked "How do I get out of having to pay my loan back?"

Soooooooo many dumb assholes.

[buffcoat]

Ha ha Canadians are so polite.

[MikefromHalifax]

Ha ha Canadians are so polite.

I absolutely resent that. I am good and steamed now. If I had the means, I'd fly to your city, buy you a beer at your favorite bar and explain to you (without raising my voice, of course) why that is simply not the case.

Sorry I flew off the handle like that.