Does it Cost to be Polite?
Thu, 1 November, 2007 – 8:20 am
Since I got my business number I've had more called for Natwest's Stockbrokers (one of the leading UK banks) than I have business calls. This is because my number is the same as theirs except that I have an extra zero in the middle of it. I guess it's a fairly simple mistake to make, dialling two zeros instead of one. However, since the set up of our switchboard I'd hoped that we wouldn't get any more of these calls.
After listening to around 45 seconds of my enthusiastic voice saying 'Welcome to Blah and Blah, Press 1 for Hosting and Domain Support, Press 2 for Invoicing Enquiries, Press 3 for Blah and Press 4 for Blah' (you get the picture) you'd imagine that most people would have realised they'd dialled wrongly and hang up. Most do and life has become so much more peaceful without having to constantly answer the phone. Some still get through, mainly through to the invoice enquiries (It's actually Accounts and Invoice enquiries so I can understand the connection), however if no button is pressed then it comes through to me.
This week I had an unknown number call me and after saying hello the first words I heard were 'the file you sent me doesn't work'. Of course this is clearly not how most people greet each other, especially perfect strangers, over the telephone! After asking who was calling I got a long speech about how some guy (who I'd never heard of) had sent him a PDF and he had tried to open the file after downloading and installing Acrobat Reader and it didn't work. When I told him that I thought he had the wrong number as no one of that name worked here he replied 'Oh is that not Natwest Stockbrokers'. I replied telling him who I/we are and that we were a Web Design and Development agency, and this got the response of 'I'm sure that's not who you are *muffled comment*' and put the phone down on me!! I'm used to getting hung up on, well I was before the switchboard was in place. Plus most wrong callers do apologise before hanging up. But this… to be told I was lying to him really wound me up.
I have caller line ID on my telephone, I prefer to know who's calling before I answer. So I redialled this guy's number. On answering I informed him how rude he was, that we were not Natwest Stockbrokers and that perhaps he should dial the number correctly in the future. Of course he hung up again but I think he got a shed load of my anger from what he did hear.
I have to say, what a rude and arrogant man! Just because he couldn't comprehend that he may have dialled the number incorrectly, calling me a liar (who on earth would inform a true customer that they'd called a completely different business?!) and being so rude to just hang up like that. It's time like this that I hate having to use telephones at all. I'd much prefer just emails. I also wish my calls were recorded as I'd happily find out who this guy was and send him a copy so that he can maybe just hear how much of an arrogant idiot he sounded.
I know, it's not worth it, but there's my rant for the day 
Wow, what a pleasant man
I can understand your anger, especially when you've been so polite to explain who you are and not just hang up on him when he was in the middle of his PDF rant. Of the times we've had a wrong number call most people are polite when you tell them they've called the wrong number. But, a couple of times I very politely say "Sorry, you have the wrong number" and they'll just slam the phone down 
Niiice people out there *sarcasm* That's just one of the reminders!
By Sam on Thu, 1 November, 2007
It is a shame that more people couldn't just be polite. Especially when they've phoned your home, wasted your time and it's their mistake!
By Sarah on Thu, 1 November, 2007
Wow, that's amazing, but doesn't surprise me really. I used to work for T-Mobile as a sales representative before my current job in IT. You would not believe what some of the customers said to me in that store. Some consumers really are idiots!
I think I would have had to have the last laugh though Sarah. You should have called him back a second time and not given him a chance to hang up, just hang up on him first. That really burns people up, being hung up on.
By Deron Sizemore on Sun, 4 November, 2007
Deron, I did think about that but I figured I was above that
By Sarah on Mon, 5 November, 2007
hehe, that's good.
actually I probably wouldn't have done it either, but hey, it sounded good, didn't it? hehe
By Deron Sizemore on Wed, 7 November, 2007
To be honest I often wouldn't call back in the first place but this guy had just really wound me up. Most of the time I just refer to those people as idiots, have a moan and then forget. It was probably because I was on my own at the time that I felt the only person to moan to was the caller!
By Sarah on Wed, 7 November, 2007