| Date: | December 10, 2009 / year-entry #395 |
| Tags: | non-computer |
| Orig Link: | https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20091210-01/?p=15703 |
| Comments: | 24 |
| Summary: | Not Always Right is a collection of brief stories told by people in customer service. One of my favorites is from somebody who lives on Catalina Island and had to answer the question, "What time does the island close?" Runners-up: (I've left off the punch lines so as not to spoil the surprise.) The person... |
Not Always Right is a collection of brief stories told by people in customer service. One of my favorites is from somebody who lives on Catalina Island and had to answer the question, "What time does the island close?" Runners-up: (I've left off the punch lines so as not to spoil the surprise.)
The stories have been collected into a book, The Customer Is Not Always Right: Hilarious and Horrific Tales of Customers Gone Wrong. It's almost certainly a funnier and more enjoyable read than my own book. What's more, they have a Facebook group and I don't. Maybe I should start one? |
Comments (24)
Comments are closed. |
Why wouldn’t it surprise me if within the next hour or two a Raymond Chen/Old New Thing Facebook group appears?
Wow. Just….wow.
Are you even on facebook?
I always enjoy the people who dial 911 over wrong cheeseburgers.
Man, and to think I felt guilty calling 911 when my car had a blowout on a dangerous stretch of freeway. I would have called the DOT directly, but it’s not the kind of thing I think of programming into my phone until I need it.
Well, sounds silly. But on the other hand, as a recent immigrant to the USA (many years ago), I was mightily confused by signs saying "beach closes at X o’clock".
How the hell can a geographical feature "close" ?
Some of those I think are pranks or just plain made up.
Raymond, consider starting a fan page. :)
Social networking sucks.
Agree with Brian. Most of them seem to be made up.
For anyone who hasn’t worked in retail or government services, I understand your skepticism. Unfortunately, there are many, MANY people who lack even basic reasoning, logic, &/or lanaguage skills. And you too would eventually have similarly shocking stories to contribute if you encountered these people & their demands on a daily basis given enough time.
Just read Fark and look for the florida tag – lots of inexplicably stupid behavior there.
Very funny, though some are hard to believe.
I love these too: http://www.rinkworks.com/stupid/
"Maybe I should start one?"
Don’t give in Raymond. Keep your high standards!
There is nothing too stupid to be unbelievable if you’ve ever worked in any position similar to the examples.
I do not think those are made up. I’ve had similar myself before in previous employment.
I would totally join your Facebook fans. :0
These people sound like my users. Scary. There’s *more* of them?
Yeah, but this other site has pictures. (http://www.customerssuck.com/strip/) You know, for when you’re too lazy to read(http://www.customerssuck.com/strip/index.php?date=2009-06-07).
Well, your book does not have Kindle version :-)
@James Schend – for that, you dial _4_11.
Captcha: 211.
Reminds me of the stories a friend of mine recounts from his brother that is a Park Ranger at a US National Park (I think Yosemite). Actual questions he has had to answer include:
"What time do you let the animals out?" and
"What time do you turn on the waterfalls?"
JohnFx: If may seem ridiculous to turn a waterfall on and off, but I believe they do just that — at Niagara Falls of all places. The gates that redirect river water to the hydroelectric plant can be set to turn Niagara Falls down to just a trickle (if you can call 50,000 cu.ft/min a "trickle").
So I think it actually is valid to ask "What time do you turn on Niagara Falls?"
"Its flow is turned on and off according to a published schedule, to satisfy the needs of tourists and the power company alike. Tourists try to be there the moment the gates are opened to see the powerful rush of water."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascata_delle_Marmore
>I was mightily confused by signs saying "beach closes at X o’clock".
So what *does* that mean? Lifeguard on duty until that time maybe?