Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.

Auspice · Mar 8, 2018, 7:30 AM

@sonder said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

@auspice said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

So the other week I dealt with a 'feedback' email from a user that was just laden with abusive language and profanity. I basically said: 'We appreciate your feedback if not the abusive language it was delivered in.'

Got chewed out for doing so and told 'Saying that isn't needed. Just thank them for the feedback.'

Fuck that noise. Part of being a team lead is going to bat for my team and I know it bothers some of them when they get abusive language and threats, even in an email. I was actually downright polite. I've shut people down in the past and told them we'll gladly assist them when they can be polite about their request.

I fucking hate when companies are OK with their front line agents being treated like shit.

As someone who has to deal with this shit and who supervises the people being abused, FUCK THAT. The customer is not always right and that shit should never ever be rewarded. It feels really bad when you get abused at work and your bosses tell you to suck it up.

Fuck that.

The entire reason I will no longer work call center jobs is every single one I have worked in the past required that you stay on the line no matter how abusive the customer got. It didn't matter if I was getting death threats slung at me. I had to stay on the line and 'just try to hear them out. They're just frustrated at the situation, not at you.'

And I'd get lectured on being too sensitive if I was called any number of slurs, cussed at for half an hour, threatened, etc... and begged if I could release the call. Nope. 'Stop being so sensitive.' 'Just hear them out and let them get it off their chest.'

So no. I don't want the people on my team to have to become inured to that like I have. I don't want them to get to where it's just a part of life to be seen as being worth less than anyone else. I can pretty much point to working in customer service for well over a decade as to why I have been utterly incapable of building up any remote ounce of self-esteem. The customers didn't help. Management didn't help.

And while my company, internally, doesn't stand for that (on other projects, they've always supported nipping that shit in the bud)... They so desperately want this client that they're bending to them and their 'just deal with it' on the abusive language front.

I need a new job so bad. They want us to start taking calls 'soon.' I've always said I'd never, ever take calls again. But I'm about to be forced to because I have absolutely no other options if I want to keep paying my bills.

Sonder · Mar 8, 2018, 7:37 AM

Yeah, that's why I left external customer support. I work internally now running an IT Help Desk and I have and will attach call recordings to e-mails and send them to peoples' bosses for this kind of shit.

I really hope you find something soon, dude! I suggest dice.com -- see if there are any good jobs on there.

surreality · Mar 8, 2018, 8:36 AM

Ache everywhere from doing the lion's share of cleaning and organizing at record speed.

Still not even close to even unboxing the new computer yet.

Somehow, in spite of me being the small, frail, 'not supposed to lift things' part of the equation, I have hauled all the heavy crap around there has been to haul for several days now.

My aches are starting to collect pet names, and I think my tailbone is actively planning to murder me while I sleep. (I remember always sitting on the floor and working on stuff until about 10 years ago or so. My mother would always wince and I had no idea why. Now, I know. Getting older blooooooooooooows.)

Times I have almost died in a craft-supply-avalanche: +1.

The last few days have been a comedy of (t)errors.

Actual conversation that occurred:

Bri: "So how did things go at the Apple store? Were you able to get the stuff to hook up the old monitor?"
Me: <just starts laughing desperately and maniacally>
Bri: "...this is gonna be good."

Kanye Qwest · Mar 8, 2018, 5:02 PM

@mietze Height is very weird. My mother was 5'8", my father 6'4". My brother topped out at 6'4" and I'm 5'11". NONE OF US ARE RELATED TO EACH OTHER BY BLOOD. I know who my birth parents were, neither of them were taller than 5'7"

deadculture · Mar 8, 2018, 6:20 PM

@kanye-qwest said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

@mietze Height is very weird. My mother was 5'8", my father 6'4". My brother topped out at 6'4" and I'm 5'11". NONE OF US ARE RELATED TO EACH OTHER BY BLOOD. I know who my birth parents were, neither of them were taller than 5'7"

Apropros to nothing, but if both parents are around 5'6" and 5'7", the child's maximum height will be something like 5'10" or 5'11". There's a formula for that and it's uncanny how well it works at predicting height, environmental conditions (how well the child eats, how regularly, etc.) notwithstanding.

JinShei · Mar 8, 2018, 6:50 PM

Coroners court.
Complaints.
Budget cuts.
Flat tyre.

Fuck today. I'll be over here with the gin and the chocolate.

Kanye Qwest · Mar 8, 2018, 6:55 PM

Oh look, a Women's day email from my employer. Oh, look at that second line.

I would also like to thank all of MEN in our WWS&S organization that support the hiring and retention of women at XXXX. Your dedication to diversity has not gone unnoticed.

Wow.

Thenomain · Mar 8, 2018, 7:37 PM

@kanye-qwest

Here, did you want me to explain what he meant to you?

...

I am kidding. Don't hurt me.

That guy clearly needs to stop.

Kanye Qwest · Mar 8, 2018, 7:42 PM

@thenomain it was a woman. An old ass woman, but STILL

Thenomain · Mar 8, 2018, 7:43 PM

@kanye-qwest said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

@thenomain it was a woman. An old ass woman, but STILL

...

Wow.

Auspice · Mar 8, 2018, 8:06 PM

My company's too busy sending its execs to cons (Extra Life, SxSW, etc) to say or do anything at all.

Despite its CEO, most of its executive staff, etc being women.

So hey, enjoy using all the money you don't pay your staff with to run around at conventions, guys!

Thenomain · Mar 8, 2018, 8:08 PM

@auspice

It's called networking.

Auspice · Mar 8, 2018, 8:10 PM

@thenomain said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

@auspice

It's called networking.

tek · Mar 8, 2018, 8:10 PM

@auspice said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

My company's too busy sending its execs to cons (Extra Life, SxSW, etc) to say or do anything at all.

Despite its CEO, most of its executive staff, etc being women.

So hey, enjoy using all the money you don't pay your staff with to run around at conventions, guys!

Does he call it "South-by"? If so, set him on fire.

Auspice · Mar 8, 2018, 8:13 PM

@tek said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

@auspice said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

My company's too busy sending its execs to cons (Extra Life, SxSW, etc) to say or do anything at all.

Despite its CEO, most of its executive staff, etc being women.

So hey, enjoy using all the money you don't pay your staff with to run around at conventions, guys!

Does he call it "South-by"? If so, set him on fire.

She and I'll probably find out within the next week. They'll be in and out of the local office.

Which, we found out that almost all of the non-desk furniture we got in January? "SxSW props" so they got pulled out of the office yesterday.

Oh and "they'll probably just be going back into storage."

This includes the seating in our lounge area.
Our kitchen table/chairs.
etc.
because they decided (our little, barely known company) to shell out for the largest possible floor space one can get.

Yeah.

Thanks, guys.
Really appreciate that.
Give us, y'know, furniture, and then take it away to use for a few days at SxSW and then put into a storage unit for a year.
Super awesome.

surreality · Mar 8, 2018, 8:15 PM

@auspice It would legit be cheaper for them to return it to your lounge rather than pay to have it stored.

What in the actual hell.

Auspice · Mar 8, 2018, 8:19 PM

@surreality said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

@auspice It would legit be cheaper for them to return it to your lounge rather than pay to have it stored.

What in the actual hell.

We went from a nice, cool kitchen table with 4 chairs to a folding table someone dug out from god knows where and a desk chair ganked from an unused desk.

I shit you not.

Again, they'll have the same sized 'floor space' at SxSW as major media corporations and almost no one knows who the fuck they are.

They do this at every gaming/media con, worldwide, because... yeah, as Theno said, 'networking,' but I honestly think it's because they just like that they get to feel special doing it.

Meanwhile, they pay their employees $9-10/hr. $12/hr if you're lucky enough to work in a local office because 'We like to do well by our office people.' No benefits beyond health insurance.

And they wonder why so many of their employees have such a low opinion of the company in general.

surreality · Mar 8, 2018, 8:22 PM

@auspice The level of ridiculousness is seriously beyond.

Ganymede · Mar 9, 2018, 3:15 AM

@surreality said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

The level of ridiculousness is seriously beyond.

Why, I'll bet they also believe it wise to furnish you with handguns, in case there's ever an active shooter on site.

Derp · Mar 9, 2018, 4:16 AM

@ganymede said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

@surreality said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

The level of ridiculousness is seriously beyond.

Why, I'll bet they also believe it wise to furnish you with handguns, in case there's ever an active shooter on site.

To be fair, if someone wants to -give- me a gun, I am all the way good with this.