Thursday 27 January 2011

Hanging on the telephone

I hate people who hang up. I don't want to call you and upset you; I don't want to confuse you or worry you with my scripted questions about your banking habits; I don't want you to be afraid. But if you hang up without saying "no thanks I don't do surveys", you're being unforgivabley fucking rude. You are slapping me in the face, fo doing the only job that will take me. You are ruining my day. You are being a total wanker arsehole, and I can't even swear at you, because I'm being recorded, and I'll get fired. Not only that, but if you don't tell me not to phone back, we'll keep on trying!

And you know what? The Data Protection Act actually does mean that I can't tell you which bank I'm phoning from if you're not the named fucking recipient. It actually protects the privacy of the person involved. You saying "well due to the Data Protection Act I can't tell you where they are" is not, in fact, anything to do with the Data Protection Act, it's just you being a dick. The Act only applies to companies, not individuals. You're allowed to say "sorry I don't feel comfortable telling you that if you're not going to tell me who you're phoning on behalf of", that's fine, I understand that. There is very litle I can do to reassure you, after all. But if you're being abusive - which is essentiually what you're doing, abusing me - down the phone to a total stranger who is not, in all likelihood, doing the job because they want to, but because they have to, then you're acting immorally. I cannot respond to you without risking my job. You are hurting me. That is abuse.

If anyone ever reads this, please, please act like a human being when you next get an unwanted phone call. You can be firm, you can interrupt, but don't be rude, don't just hang up, and don't ever forget that there is another human being on the end of the line who doesn't deserve (necessarily) to take the brunt of your pissy  mood.

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