As she launched into her spiel, she told me she was calling for the North Carolina Special Olympics and assured me that she knew that I know the great work done by the Special Olympics. I hung up.
I never hang up on anyone. I sometimes say, “if you can’t speak to me like a human being [whatever that means] then I’m going to hang up and we can talk later.” That’s not a line I use on telemarketers; usually I tell them I’m unemployed (which, most importantly, is true) and while I would love to buy five or six magazine subscriptions, this is just not the right time. Actually, there is no right time since I have about a dozen subscriptions and read only two.
I sit here—clicking away on my keyboard, drinking my Snapple, eating my string cheese and French twists—steeped in guilt. This is patently unfair. I felt insulted by the call (whether I had a reason to is immaterial), and I feel guilty. The guilt makes sense, though. After all, the woman was calling for a good cause, she was just doing her job, she didn’t know I’d react badly to her false friendliness, Special Olympics is such a good cause—and, most of all, how would I like it if someone hung up on me?
Here I sit, guilty guilty guilty. And worse yet, I’m not a nice little girl. Darn! This day had started out so well.
Article comments
1 - Lynn Voedisch
Where did my comment go?
2 - Miss Bob Etier
You must have said something awful...you DO know personal attacks are not allowed, don't you? ;-)
3 - Lynn Voedisch
It's just like Facebook, I swear. I wrote a long thing about how I'm not polite to telephone wheedlers. I hang up on 'em and I'm not a bit guilty. So my politeness has its limits. I went on a bit, being funny (in my own mind). I looked at it in preview and then hit Post Comment. I thought it posted.
I came back and nuttin' there. I think everyone and everything is against me today. I'm taking a cat and going to bed.
4 - Miss Bob Etier
I think the cat cure is a good one--I've got four AND a dog in my bed! I think the gremlins were out to get you today. Tomorrow will be better.
5 - Yellow Pixie
Don't feel guilty. Well, try not to. Telemarketers will go on forever with their scripts and instructions only for money. I know this sounds bad, but they're probably used to all kinds of reactions already. Anyway, hope your next day is better! ;]
6 - Jordan Richardson
Telemarketers will go on forever with their scripts and instructions only for money.
You mean there aren't any passionate telemarketers doing it just for the love of it?
Christ, next you'll be telling us that fast food workers do it "only for the money." And here I was thinking those burger flippers really loved the scorn and abuse and low wages and lack of benefits!
I do feel a little bad hanging up on telemarketers because I realize that they're just doing a job in the end. One of my teenage cousins is a telemarkter because it's one of the few jobs she can get. The amount of abuse she puts up with on a daily basis is shocking and she's actually grown to appreciate the hang-ups. It's better than being called all sorts of names or cursed out relentlessly.
7 - Joanne Huspek
Ms. Bob, I think you're being too hard on yourself. It's easy to become majorly peeved at telemarketers. I mean, here you are, on a nice clip trying to accomplish something and some jerk calls you from across the country (or world) trying to line up suckers to donate to the police guild. The cops have more money than anyone, except maybe firefighters, so I don't venture down that road.
However, since coming up with my strategy for asking THEM questions, life has been considerable better and my mood has improved. I really want to know if Deepak - I mean, Steve - is making a decent living and how many kids he has. I want his address and need to know his current time and what he had for dinner.
This is the ultimate in politeness.
8 - Miss Bob Etier
Joanne, that's hilarious. Chip does something like that; he either cross-examines the caller (including where he's calling from; if it's a survey, who is sponsoring it) or says "hold on" and puts the phone in another room and walks away from it. I'll bet there are a lot of articles about handling telemarketing frustration.