I work at a call center, and the company just recently raised their rates on millions of customers. There has been plenty of backlash and anger, and the call center has been a bit of a personal hell for me. But generally, people respectfully voice their frustration or anger about the price increase, and go off and vote with their dollar.
One man, in particular, did not. Here is our conversation:
Me: "Thank you for calling ...., how can I help you?"
Him: "I've been a long time customer of yours and I've never done this before. I'm calling about the price increase. Fuck you."
...And he hangs up.
Now, I completely understand why someone would be furious about the price change. It amounts to about $6, and while for some people that would not be a big deal, for others who are struggling to get by, that could be the difference between having the service and not (and the service is involved in entertainment, which means it's the difference between the realities of life and all that entails, and the realities of the fantasy life-worlds we engage in when we watch a movie or listen to a record).
The question I'm really interested in is, why did he say "I've never done this before"? It wouldn't matter at all to me whether he's made a call like that before. I am on the other end of it, passive in the sense of being restrained by corporate regulations to a) respond with any kind of authenticity (maybe telling him, "no, fuck you dude") or b) make any changes to the pricing or to his plan that would really please him. Further, since he gave me no ability to respond by immediately hanging up, I was made that much more insignificant to the overall purpose of the call. So, it seems to me he said it for himself, and I can't help but wonder why.
My first theory is that, by saying it, he was trying to justify himself ethically. He was distinguishing his character (the real 'him') from the man on the phone. He might have felt ethically wrong about the call, so he needed to alleviate his guilt by making sure that the person he would tell off would know that this was not really him. He was, in a way, telling me that I shouldn't hold it against him because he is not in control of this call.
My second theory is that by saying it, he was trying to emphasize the effect the price change has had on him. That is, the price change is so significant to his ability to enjoy the service that it has forced an otherwise peaceful man to pick up the phone and do something he really doesn't want to do. Again, this is not the real 'him' calling. This would put an almost poetic emphasis on his role as a victim: his 'revolution' or 'protest' has been forced out of him by a wicked nemesis named corporate greed. Again, in this scenario he is innocent, and his attack is not brought about by his own free will, but rather as the result historical circumstances.
These are all the theories I have, all of which assume his will to remain innocent of the crime, but what do you think?
Also, here's a link to my song regarding the proverbial angry customer, in case you haven't seen it:
The Angry Caller
I propose another theory - shallow people. If you feel sorry for people like him, maybe you will be able to get our of your personal job hell.
ReplyDeleteA Course in Miracles says all our emotions boil down to 2 - love and fear. Other emotions are just offshoots/subsets of the main 2. I feel sorry for people like that guy. He is blindly going through life living on the surface drifting like a boat reacting to every fear. He encounters rapids, shark infested waters, a sand bar, wrecks his ship, or maybe it's a mere ripple, like the price increase. He cannot cope. This drifting, surface level life is not sustainable for most people. Without diving deeper into our consciousness we live in fear and many guys like that abound. Feel sorry not stressed.
Honestly, I hope that it is was one of the two you have proposed and not just another self absorbed, self entitled person that felt like if they called and ruined another person's day, they will end up feeling better. Let's hope that they have taken into consideration the fact that the person that they just said "Fuck You" to probably can't afford the same luxury that they felt entitled to call and complain about. Dude! It is entertainment...you have choices... it's not health care, it's not fuel, it's not milk, it's nothing more than a luxury that you have a choice to continue or not. It's that simple.
ReplyDeleteBut...really, Mike, I choose the Fuck you and hang up guy over the long drawn out 20 minute say the same thing over and over again guy any day.
That should be the new customer service motto just say "Fuck You" and hang up and I get what you mean...nothing more needs to be said...I hear what your screaming and appreciate the feedback and will pass it along. HAHA!
First let me say that I totally love the analogy of the previous 2 people here and liked reading what they said. The guy was shallow and fear filled by probably anything or everything. I can't help but think about all of the hype and sensation that some people buy into that the media incites with the hope of getting a reaction, though. The news feeds, even though they weren't wrong about the the one particular plan, didn't explain or break any of it down. Maybe he read some of it. In my experience so far these kinds of calls(your caller) are a combination of emotionally fueled acts of ignorance that after he brags to his buddies (or to anyone who will listen even though they probably wish he would shut up)about how he told "Greedy Corporate America" where to put it may have made him feel important since no one else would bother to make him feel that way normally. I think the remark that "he's never done this before" (like he's a documented virgin when it came to saying such a bad things to another human being) was totally unnecessary simply because of the words that followed and how he ended the call. The guy's a coward and that explains the fear and may have been a way to get you to not hang up on him before he got to say what he did. I think he will later realize that what he did was a fruitless act of self degradation that didn't do anything but prove what a waste of time it was (okay maybe not!!). I can't wait until one of his buddies reminds him that if he can't afford to enjoy 15.98 of entertainment PER MONTH then he shouldn't be spending the money. I'll bet you any amount of money he did not call Reynold tobacco to complain about the incredible increase in the cost of his cigarettes. "I've nev...hack, cough , hack hack.. done this bef...hack, cough... but I'm cal,,, hackk, ...
ReplyDeleteI would have guessed theory 2 to be correct. On a second note, i'm confused about people's anger over the Netflix price increase. Netflix users are, I believe for the most part, amongst those who praise American capitalism (America, Fuck Yea!). So why do all of these customers seem to think that the price of movie rentals should be regulated, or that they are owed some particular price? Supply and demand baby! Yes, I know that some people purchased special equipment, etc., but that just means we're fools who bought into a marketing scheme. They should just vote with their dollar and go to Redbox. I mean, people do this every day at the grocery store, and don't feel the need to call up Quaker Oats with a slur just because Kirkland brand oatmeal is cheaper. We sure do get worked up over movie rentals!
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