February 3, 2009

You’re calling ME to do YOUR job!!!


I was sitting at work, trying to juggle so many activities and spreading myself why too thin to finish as much tasks as possible before I take tomorrow and Thursday off to relax a bit.

I was writing vouchers, filing documents, talking to colleagues about things I will hand over during my days off, typing emails like a mad woman and balancing the petty cash so that I can re-cash it, all at the same time!!

That was when my mobile rang! Normally I would have silenced it, but I saw a number that looked almost identical to that my sons’ nursery, so I assumed it would be a number I failed to register!

Assuming the worst, I answered to find a Vodafone agent so calmly introducing herself!

Her: Hi, Ms. M? I am R from Vodafone, we have talked before about the USB modems you purchased in the name of your company…
Me (getting really irritated that she called me on my cell and not on my land line! So I decided to develop some attitude especially that she was nowhere to be reached when I tried to resolve a pending matter last week!): *a bit aggressively and impatiently* yes R, I know, I tried contacting you weeks ago about an error in your last bill for those but your company has serious issues letting people get through!
Her: *pretending or not noticing my tone* oh, I was calling to ask you about the number your company bought from us…
Me (interrupting): you mean the original subscription number?
Her: Yes…
Me (really shocked and trying to contain my emotions): excuse me, you have your company database right in front of you, you have my name as a contact person and my personal mobile number which is NOT a Vodafone number, and you’re calling ME because you don’t have the first number my company purchased from yours?!!!
Her: yes, I keep trying to enter the sim no. for the last purchased ones but it doesn’t go through!
Me (practically giving her a shovel to dig her own grave deeper): you realize it’s the second time you do that, last time I assumed you were double checking, apparently you were not!!
Her: yes…
Me (interrupting and trying so hard to not let the victory dose seep through my veins): you mean your system failed to gather all these information when you put my company name?? you realize I had troubles settling the last outstanding invoices because your good ol’ system did not record that my boss signed an authorization in my name to handle all matters with you, that I had to keep calling different people in your company and I eventually had to go down the nearest store myself to meet with your representative because he wouldn’t handle the amended invoice that YOUR COMPANY screwed up, because your system does not read those sim nos.! so instead of fixing all that since the time you first called me a month ago, you’re actually calling me again so that you can issue the wrong invoice AGAIN, so that I can repeat the same vicious cycle AGAIN!!!!
Her (realizing it was TOO LATE to say anything that would fix things): ya fandem, we’re a big company and we have over 10,000 big business accounts…
Me (interrupting): then I would like to think you have the efficient system that supports that much business accounts, and more importantly the efficient employees who know how to correct their mistakes rather than repeat them!
Her: Please give me the number…
Me (interrupting with a cold tone): I am sorry, it’s not my job to help you do yours that way, it’s not my job to help you work around a problem instead of solving it, now excuse me I am having another call on hold and it has to do with my real job
Her: so you won’t give me the number?
Me: NO
*she hung up!*

My Colleague (he was standing there the whole time): *with utter disbelief* WHO ARE YOU?!
Me: *smiling*

I am both overly excited and guilty for torturing her the way I did! I don’t know why I behaved that way, I am usually sweet to people who call for help, but I was really upset she called me too often on my personal cell phone from time to time to ask if I need more lines and that she overlooked my polite request to call on the company number. Or perhaps it was that I kept the erroneous invoices from last month hoping Vodafone would screw up again so that I’d give it all back to them and she just called when I was too busy making me feel interrupted! Bad day for her I guess!

Now, I must really concentrate on how I’m doing my job because I can foretell some serious karma coming my way…

7 comments:

The.I.inside said...

Does it mean am evil that I can't stop grinning about what you did to the poor girl. She so deserve it. I'm sorry I know we all have jobs to do and sometimes we need people to cut us some slack, cause eventually we all screw up at some point. but sometimes people deserve to be treated poorly.

Umslopagas said...

Not necessarily though.

Back in my Maersk days, I had the same problems to deal with, an unearthly load, a screwed up system that requires manual over-ride to allow you to use the loo, not to mention other people being genuine jack-asses.

Luckily, I had my charm to help me, just my advice is, give her some slack, what goes around comes around.

That's my sixpence worth anyway.

insomniac said...

thing is, i have no idea what took over me at that moment... i can think of a few things....

- the fact that i hate when ppl call my personal mob number, she has it because it's in the contract but she shouldn't call it when i am sitting right next to the other phone!

- i was too busy to get her the number

- i had an extra adrenaline rush when i thought the call had to do with my boys

- i have a good memory and i remember how i wanted to kick all vodafone ppl where it hurts the day they made me leave office twice to amend an invoice that THEY screwed!

- and perhaps i was her bad karma for the day ;)

i really felt bad for a while, after all i could have checked the number and told her it's kaza kaza and ended the phone call....

i still think u should never call a client and show them how ineffecient your system is, she should have checked with her supervisor, we besara7a teb2a moseeba law 2alaha howa kalemy el client.... i mean so much for all the cocky attitude when picking their staff

Umslopagas said...

She probably asked the supervisor, believe me, management usually put their staff in the front line of fire.

As Dilbert once said "The least efficient workers are systematically moved into the place where they can do the least damage, Management".

insomniac said...

coming to think of it, ur probably right!

i did my customer care time you see... so i also know the do's and don't's...

anyway, i hope it doesn't get around any time soon, i am taking two days off to recharge!

Gihan said...

Ma3lesh :)
both for you and her!

insomniac said...

well put :)