Annoying calls you deal with at work

[Opti]

I want to rant a bit and hope some of you will join me. What are annoying phone calls you deal with at work? If you have good strategies on dealing with them, please post that too.

Working at the front desk of a healthcare facility, I answer lots of calls of people looking for work. The rare ones that are actually clear on what they want, and concise, I am OK with. Unfortunately most of them are annoying at best.

It amazes me the number of people who call looking for jobs who ask where we are. As in town, not street. Shouldn't you know that before you decide to call? And I wish people would not talk faster and slur their words when they finally get to the part of asking me a question. Which I can't understand. Mr. Illogic today called, wanting to know where we where. I ended up spelling our town because he got it wrong. Later in the called, he got mad when I said I couldn't understand him. He said I can understand you so you should be able to understand me.   Yes, because me speaking clearly from a corded phone line is the same as you speaking from a cell phone with connection issues.  I should totally recognize whatever African or Caribbean nation version of English you are speaking.  

There are certain towns that come up in caller ID and I just want to ignore them. I know they are employment fishing. Badly. At least most of the scammers hang up after I begin the standard greeting.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

My old lab was one number off the surgical center of the hospital.  However. we were on totally different phone systems even though we were in the same building.

So I would receive phone calls from someone wanting to know about their surgery and I had to tell them that they had the wrong number, and xxx-xxxx was the correct number.  They would then ask me to transfer them.  I couldn't do it because we were in the medical center, but we weren't in the hospital.  Then they'd get pissed off because they assumed that I *could* transfer them, but just didn't want to.  We'd go round and round about it, me explaining that they had called a research lab and they needed to hang up and dial the correct number, as there was no way my phone could transfer the call.

They'd call back and do the whole damn thing again.

[Opti]

Sorry Mich. I deal with something similar although less annoying. Recently the facility added Assisted Living. People call asking to be transferred to Assisted Living, but there's no such animal. Management decided there would be no separate reception area, and there isn't even a manned nursing station in that part. All calls have to be parked, and then we walkie talkie for the correct person to pick up the call.

[teen persuasion]

The library's number is one digit off the pharmacy's number, so we often get their calls; one gentleman called over and over wanting to talk to "Steve" and eventually we figured that he meant the pharmacy owner.

The best call I received lately was from another library, in a different state.  Apparently one of our patrons kept calling them, asking them when his books were due, to renew his books, had his holds come in, etc.  They couldn't find him in their system, and he got irate.  Finally that staff member googled the library name and found us - he must have been googling our old name (village; now we use the two towns we serve, changed 4 years ago) and calling a library with a similar location name, but different state!  

He calls us frequently, you'd think he'd have our number saved, or at least look on his library card or checkout slip for it.  Never thought it strange to dial a non-local area code and exchange?  And if you have internet access to Google us, just login and renew things yourself!!!

[Apple]

Any time I get a call on the radio asking me to go do something for someone.  I deal with it by going and doing the job.  It sucks, and interferes with my book/tv time!  But, I guess that's what I get paid for so I go do it.  (I don't have to answer any phone at work.)

[cael]

I work for a city department, so the public calls us all the time and I'll leave that at that.

However, my first job was at a call center for a women's clothing catalog. We had some real doozies all the time there. Some of my favorite characters were the Panty Lady, the Shoe Guy, and Mrs. Nazi (spelled differently, like Nasczi or something - she'd shout at you not to say her name, but we were required to say customers' names, haha) The Shoe Guy would call and ask your opinion on shoes and never order, and the Panty Lady (who might've been a man) would call and ask "Are you wearing any panties, dear??" and if you'd talked to him before, you could start a whole conversation about what color you had on and he'd tell you the color of his. Never got sexual but sooooo weird and hilarious. Had some good and infuriating times there, sometimes I miss that place! If I talked to a few friends who worked there I'm sure we could type up novels of some of the calls we dealt with.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Apr 9, 2016 17:38:53 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

My old lab was one number off the surgical center of the hospital.  However. we were on totally different phone systems even though we were in the same building.

So I would receive phone calls from someone wanting to know about their surgery and I had to tell them that they had the wrong number, and xxx-xxxx was the correct number.  They would then ask me to transfer them.  I couldn't do it because we were in the medical center, but we weren't in the hospital.  Then they'd get pissed off because they assumed that I *could* transfer them, but just didn't want to.  We'd go round and round about it, me explaining that they had called a research lab and they needed to hang up and dial the correct number, as there was no way my phone could transfer the call.

They'd call back and do the whole damn thing again.

Happened to me all the time in the COP. I had one guy cuss me out and threaten to report me because I was clearly lying about not being the doctors office.

Then I had another !day, who after answering "hello college of pharmacy this is dqs lab", proceeded to launch into a very detailed description of her gynecological problems.
I stopped her and repeated that she called the college of pharmacy this is the wrong number!

She got mad at me.  Who the hell starts sharing their medical business without first making sure they are talking to the right person?

Not enough brain bleach in the world...

[ners]

I work at a college and the students who answer incoming calls think I know everything (do not want to let know this is not true). Because of this every time the cannot figure out who should get the call it ends up on my extension.  Most of the time these people are already angry because they have been bounced from person to person before I get the call.

At one of my previous jobs (car dealership) the person asked for the underwear department.  Listen to the greeting.

My parents receive phone calls for an optometrist on a regular basis.  One time the person was so insistent she had the correct number, my sister just verified she had the correct time for her appointment. 

[Opti]

She got mad at me. Who the hell starts sharing their medical business without first making sure they are talking to the right person?

Way more people than you'd think. Hope you had one of these later. -->

[Deleted]

I get calls/emails from people/organizations trying to sell software or business solutions, I simply say we are not looking at this time and don't let them get to the sales pitch.

I have also received calls from people looking for work that are trying to bypass the HR process, I simply give them the external website and hang up.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

I'm a teacher. Can't even begin...

[Sharon]

Apr 9, 2016 18:56:07 GMT -5 cael said:

I work for a city department, so the public calls us all the time and I'll leave that at that.

However, my first job was at a call center for a women's clothing catalog. We had some real doozies all the time there. Some of my favorite characters were the Panty Lady, the Shoe Guy, and Mrs. Nazi (spelled differently, like Nasczi or something - she'd shout at you not to say her name, but we were required to say customers' names, haha) The Shoe Guy would call and ask your opinion on shoes and never order, and the Panty Lady (who might've been a man) would call and ask "Are you wearing any panties, dear??" and if you'd talked to him before, you could start a whole conversation about what color you had on and he'd tell you the color of his. Never got sexual but sooooo weird and hilarious. Had some good and infuriating times there, sometimes I miss that place! If I talked to a few friends who worked there I'm sure we could type up novels of some of the calls we dealt with.

The underwear guy sounds like Jim.  Jim called me about once a month for over a year usually very early in the am, like 2-3am.  I was working a 4 10's swing shift at the time so I was always up.  The calls were really predictable. 

Jim:  Hi this is Jim I'm wearing women's underwear.
me:  That's nice, Thank you for calling.

Then I would hang up.

[Deleted]

Boy, does this bring back memories. I used to work at a small consulting firm and if someone wasn't listening closely the name sounded like "NBA". All I can figure is that people would call Directory Assistance (don't even know if that exists now) and ask for the NBA and get our number. As the most recently hired, I had to pick up the one phone line that served all 4 of us. (Maybe I'm paranoid but I was also the only female, and they hoped people would think we were big enough to have a secretary.) So I got to field calls about basketball.

The partner who owned the firm had cardiac problems and always took a very long nap after lunch in his La-Z-Boy. Since I wasn't supposed to wake him I had to lie and say he was out of the office and no, I wasn't sure when he'd be back. Then there was the guy trying to get him to invest in a film he was making. He was SO pushy- called at least daily. Once the FedEx guy showed up at the office to pick up a package (presumably with a check) that the partner was going to send to the film guy. Partner knew nothing about it.

I was SO glad to get out of that place.

[swamp]

Apr 9, 2016 22:43:59 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

I'm a teacher. Can't even begin...

Same for a lawyer. 

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Apr 9, 2016 21:10:07 GMT -5 Opti said:

She got mad at me. Who the hell starts sharing their medical business without first making sure they are talking to the right person?

Way more people than you'd think. Hope you had one of these later. -->

Oh, yeah......despite the fact I'd answer the phone X's lab, I'd get a litany of complaints/problems prior to or after their surgery.

I'd try to stop them, but still managed to hear more than I want!

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

blems and always took a very long nap after lunch in his La-Z-Boy. Since I wasn't supposed to wake him I had to lie and say he was out of the office and no, I wasn't sure when he'd be back. Then there was the guy trying to get him to invest in a film he was making. He was SO pushy- called at least daily. Once the FedEx guy showed up at the office to pick up a package (presumably with a check) that the partner was going to send to the film guy. Partner knew nothing about it.

My first boss was an oncologist at Harvard.  His office was a fishbowl, so you could immediately see him there and what he was doing from the lab.

One of his patient's mom got the lab number and would call looking for him.  Her kid had a dozen crisis in a short time, but regardless what she told us, we had strict instructions to tell her he was not there.  I hated lying to her, but I had gotten yelled at once for trying to pass the phone off to him.

I hated that lab, the whole system left a very bad taste in my mouth because that was the very least of the crap that went on there. 

[Phoenix84]

Thankfully, I don't work with the public, so I don't have to deal with that crap.

I get calls from commands asking questions, but most of the time it's routed through the frost desk.  Sometimes I can't answer off the top of my head, and have to research stuff, but it's not a big deal to take down their information and get back with them later.

The only annoying calls are when we get questions not related to what we do.  But that's not a big deal.

[hoops902]

I deal with most of my annoying calls at work the same way (they aren't from the public, just internal). "Yeah, I'm pretty busy and getting ready to run to a meeting, can you just send me an email with exactly what you need from me?"

The only real exception is one particular person who has no idea what's going on but loves to "talk it out" with me even though I don't report to them and really have nothing to do with their area.  I just try to be the biggest jerk possible, but it doesn't seem to be working.  "Nope, you're wrong...no, I know what you're saying, you're just completely wrong.  Here's the correct answer.  Yes, you can do it the way you want to do it, I'm just suggesting you do it the intelligent way.  It's your team, you can do whatever you want, all I can do is tell you how to do it right, I can't force you to make good decisions." 

I don't really get it honestly.  She calls and asks a question, I answer it.  Then she tries to convince me that her opinion is right...but she doesn't have to convince me...she's the manager of her area that I'm not a part of.  She could just make her own decisions, I got get asking me for the answer only to argue with me about that answer.

[sarcasticgirl]

Apr 10, 2016 8:46:20 GMT -5 swamp said:

Apr 9, 2016 22:43:59 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

I'm a teacher. Can't even begin...

Same for a lawyer. 

 I work for a huge law firm 

[flamingo]

Years ago, when I had a home phone, the last 2 digits if transposed were that of a doctor's office (think me: 1234 doc: 1243). Anyway, I used to get calls for the doctor's office ALL.THE.TIME. The worst was when I explained that no, they had the wrong number, I was not Dr. Z and the person on the other end would say, Well, can you transfer me there please? Ummmmm, you didn't reach someone else in the practice, you reached a private home number!!! No amount of explaining could get some people to understand that I couldn't just transfer them. One guy called multiple times so I started saying sure, I'll transfer you, then just hanging up on him. I was quite ecstatic when I got rid of that number!