Crazy Call Center Custys: An Old Lady and The Stickler

Hey y'all! LaughingBarista here with some funny Saturday stories for you.

It seems to me that Saturdays are the days for all of the crazies to come out at the call center. During the week, people usually call for one of a few reasons:

a) Pay a bill

b) Balance inquiries and/or billing breakdowns

c) Technical support issues

Once in awhile we'll get an interesting call. Every other call on Saturday is interesting. Here are two tales of my crazy Saturday customers:

My first customer is an old lady:

Me: Thank you for calling my name is LaughingBarista on behalf of company, how may I assist you today?

Old Lady: You turned my services off and I paid my check but it was returned! I just want my cable on now!

Me: Ok, let's look into that. May I please have your account number?

Old Lady: *Gives me account number*

Me: Thank you for that. And can you just verify the name and address on the acount.

Old Lady: *Does this* I just want my services on! Why are you wasting my time!

Me: Ma'am, I have to make sure I have the right account pulled up before we can actually see what is going on with it.

At this point I see she has given me an old account that was disconnected last month. I verify the address, name on the account and even the phone number associated with it. All of this checks out with this old account. I ask her when the services stopped working.

Old Lady: Last night! But I'm telling you, they were working then. I've had Comcast for years and you're treating me poorly.

I ask her if she lives at a new location and she says yes, but that this is the account number for that account. I try looking up the account again and still, the same old account pulls up.

Old Lady: I am not lying! My check was returned so my services should be restored NOW!

Me: Ma'am, I believe you but a new account is not pulling up. How long have you been at your new location?

Old Lady: A few months but the account may be under my husband's name. But he's been dead for 12 years.

Now I know something must be wrong because in order to set up an account, the account holder mus present a valid i.d., social security card and proof of residence. A man who has been dead for 12 years cannot do this.

I decide that she needs to get over to customer service because I'm pretty sure she's senile.

Then comes The Stickler.

Me: Thank you for calling my name is LaughingBarista on behalf of company, how may I assist you today?

The Stickler: Why is my bill so high?

Me: Let's look into that for you. May I please have your account number?

The Stickler: *Gives account number*

Me: Great, thank you.

I look into the account and notice that he made a $100 payment on July 30th. His last payment before that? April 13th.  So he has that leftover balance plus May, June, July and August's bills. Even with that payment, he still owed $600. But let's be real, at $150 per month, that makes sense. His services were JUST interrupted today. I explain all of this to him.

The Stickler: So because I didn't pay my services were interrupted?

Me: That is correct.

The Stickler: That's ridiculous! I can't owe that much!

Me: Well sir, you went three months straight without a payment, so you have those three months, plus a leftover balance and late fees.

The Stickler: Well I'm not paying for any of it! I mean, I did use the services but still! How do I disconnect services?

Me: I explain the disconnection process.

The Stickler: Ok, thank you.

People seem to think that they can decide how they can deal with their bill. As if they make the rules. If you owe $300 for services used, you need to pay that. You don't go up to your landlord and go "Hey, I know my rent is $1000 a month but I'm only going to pay $700. Hope that's cool!" 

People are crazy. Until next time!

--LaughingBarista

 

 

Comments

[The Last Archimedean]

Ass someone who conscientiously pays every bill, even if I have to go without food for a week to do it, people who skip payments for months on end and then try to make their own rules bug me beyond all belief.

[Book Baby]

What L.A. said.

[Skittles]

Hell even when I was unemployed for six months I went out to find temp work and would have mowed lawnns to pay bills if it was necessary.

[NC Tony]

That second one just makes me laugh.

"So because I didn't pay my services were interrupted?"

Did he seriously think that he could just keep using the services for free? Maybe in his little fantasy world he can, but here in the real world it don't work like that.

[http://www.amerisleep.com]

Yellowpages is a great resource to see what stores are near you. I do recommend second hand shops ONLY for things without cloth in them (bed bugs and many other things you wouldn't want to think about end up on cloth, trust me, I know).