New
Old
Cast
Email me
Guestbook
Diaryland
budgie.diary

July 31. 2001 - 1 pm

Y'know, the last time I visited Rat (Jesus H. Christ, a year ago at the end of next month!), she was looking through job ads in a paper and contemplating a new job as a telemarketer. Doc discouraged this, saying that it was the worst job EVER, and he wouldn't wish it upon his worst enemy.

Until today, I never really cared about the annoyance of telemarketers.

I answered the phone just now, and told the caller that the person she was trying to reach was in a meeting. She said, "Well, maybe I can talk to you, because this pertains to you as well."

"As well"? How scripted. Oh god, I thought.

So she starts off by telling me that I'm entered in some Visa sweepstakes, and I get a bunch of perks, including a nice watch and some free magazine subscriptions. But to help "them" out, they'd like me to pay $3.75 a week for the Rolling Stone. That's four magazines for less than the price of one weekly magazine, but...

I'm at work. If these magazines are for the woman who couldn't take the call, *I* don't have the power to make that decision. So I said I didn't want to pay for the magazine.

So she babbled about I was paying for one to get three free, so I would *have* to pay to get those three free. I said to forget about the free magazines entirely, then.

WHAT PART OF 'NO' DO PEOPLE *NOT* UNDERSTAND?

I swear I spent *ten fricking minutes* simply telling this woman that I wasn't interested. I didn't care if they could be delivered to my house, or split between home and business, or that I could change from Rolling Stone to another subscription that I like. I was tempted to ask about payment - when it would start, who it was going to (the woman the call was for?), etc. But y'know, I just didn't feel like getting into it with her.

I said that I didn't want a subscription to a magazine I wouldn't have time to read anyway, and she started feeding me BS about how magazines are better that way because you *want* to read them and can put them down whenever you feel like it. (Um, don't tell me what *I* want to read, okay?) She wanted to introduce me to an offer that would encourage me to read, like I'm some plebian who doesn't get enough Brad Pitt news in her day. I was tempted to say, "If I want to better myself by reading, I'll fucking pick up Shakespeare, NOT Rolling Stone."

By the end of it *I* was having to get bitchy, she was sounding snottier than ever, and I was like, "I know how great an offer this is. I just. don't. want it. Can't you just accept 'no' for an answer?"

So after some back and forth shit-throwing, she finally said coldly, "Alright, thank you for your time." I said, "Uh HUH" all sarcastically, and hung up while she was saying goodbye.

Note to telemarketers: do *not* make me out to be the bitch. Do *not* act bitchy to me if you want to sell me something. When I have to tell you, "I'm getting close to hanging up on you right now, and I don't want to do that because it's rude," accept the fact that you're pissing me off and *do* something about it rather than piss me off even more.

Dumbfucks.

A long time ago I saw some interview with the world's best telemarketer, or something. He was all high and mighty, and said, "*I* think it's rude when people DON'T hang up on me, because they're wasting my time when I could be selling to someone else."

How arrogant is *that*? *We* waste *his* time?? It's his job to sell, dammit. If he doesn't like the way he has to do his job, he can change it. What about the 15 minutes *I* just wasted on the phone talking to some bitch (Robin) from International Marketing Association.

My mom got fucking *livid* about the tv guy. She was *yelling*, "My parents raised me to be polite, and NOT to hang up on people!" She could not *believe* that this guy was saying it was rude to NOT be rude. You have to wonder about the people who see the world the way that guy does.





||previous|| - ||next||