Just another day at work

picture courtesy of (click)

I think they let just anyone manage the phone at offices these days. You know how I regularly go to NotAlwaysRight? Well, here is a real-life, it happened to me, genuine, the customer IS right situation.

Lately, I've been in charge of applying for a grant for one of my company's sister companies. One of the terms of the grant is that the applicant has to provide 3 different quotations from 3 different suppliers for items which it wishes to purchse and claim. There I was, on my search, getting through (on the phone) to really nice people who even offered to get quotations for items they didn't sell, when I came across two such conversations:

Idiot: Hello?! (Bear in mind that good companies/receptionists always answer the phone with "Hello, (insert company name)" and the optional "(insert name) speaking. She obviously did none of these)

Me: Hi, my name is Azurin from ___________.

Idiot: Yes?

Me: My company is surveying some items, and we'd like quotations for them, I wonder if-

Idiot: HAH? SERVING?

Me: Surveying

Idiot: HAH?

Me:... LOOKING FOR. BUYING. We're looking for some items and-

Idiot: ITEMS?! WHAT ITEMS?!
(At this point, I'm thinking, "Wait, maybe I got the wrong number"

Me: This is ___________ right?

Idiot: Yes.

Me: You sell computer stuff right?

Idiot: Yes.

Me: Oookk. So here are the items I'm looking for. Do you have a Dell Server?

Idiot: Yes.

Me: Ok, do you supply Apple Computers?

Idiot: Yes.

Me: What about Adobe softwares?

Idiot: (in very bored tones) YYeeeesssssss.

Me: Okay, so can I get quotations for those items, please?

Idiot: (Without another word, transfers me on to someone else who was nicer, more accommodating and more knowledgable. Thank God)

Ugghh. What a moron. Seriously.

Needless to say, the other similar conversation went along those lines too. Seriously, if you're idiotic enough to not know that computer hardware/software YOUR company sells are considered ITEMS too, maybe you should go back to school. Better yet, maybe you should learn some friggin manners while you're at it.