No not me. Other people doing it. This week’s Ranty Friday is all about people shouting down the phone from the first syllable out of their mouths.
You know those phone calls that start with somebody basically shouting at you down the phone. It has happened to me twice this week and I have had enough of it.
Something goes wrong. Okay, I get that. But why do people think that by phoning somebody who is not responsible but in a small way connected to the issue and screaming at them the issue will be resolved?
How do people think that is going to be productive? One chap phoned me and within two minutes he was swearing at me. I asked him not to and then he told me to not effing interrupt. On whose planet is that acceptable? Why on earth would I want to help him?
Okay so I am ranty. I do rant. I do get cross. Agitated. Even angry. But I do not start a phone call with the person who answers the phone by shouting at them. Even I know that won’t get the result I want.
I have a bit of a track record of getting what I want *raises an eyebrow*, particularly when renewing phone contracts etc, primarily because I don’t phone up and saying “this phone is crap and I want to leave your stinking company”. No. I have called up and said I am unhappy and want to leave because I have a better deal with a rival. Then ten minutes later I have renewed my contract, got a new handset, £10 off a month and a free PS3.
When will people learn that you get far more of a result by being polite and not by screaming at people?
Do take a look at other Ranty Friday’s from bloggers who have linked up this week:
My phones have In-built eejit firewalls.
I hear yelling, they cut off….
They only work when tone is civil. 🙂
He started swearing at you? Wow! Were you able to make a complaint? I hate it when people shout, even if you are furious, yelling at someone on the phone gets you nowhere!
OMG thats awful! i am sure some people were dragged up!
I completely understand – and why don’t people just
apologise anymore?
I am not a patient man when it comes to ‘phoning with a complaint to someone who is PAID for the sole purpose of solving customers’ problems and placating people; I don’t suffer fools gladly!
When I come up against standard rehearsed answers and the mental “brick wall” attitude I often use a silly but often effective line for which “they” are not prepared:
“I’m trying to become (or remain) a customer of yours!” The seconds of silence that follow can be very satisfying.
Ha inv worked in a cal centre for 10 years, it was nothing unusual for us to be shouted, shouted down and sworn at.
We used to ask the customer to modify their language, or stop shouting, and if they refused we warned them we were terminating the call. It was enormously satisfying to cut someone off mid rant.
That’s just dreadful, how appalling
I don’t get phone calls that often, only survey people and the dodgy Windows calls from some bloke in India.I wonder if people think they can get their point across more clearly by shouting? No? Obviously not articulate enough to hold a conversation without swearing.