One of my first Paralegal jobs after college was at a scummy law firm that “assisted” people with credit card debt to negotiate debt settlements with their creditors.
When a new client came across my desk, I would send them a packet of paperwork to fill out, and a big part of it was a section where they would explain their hardships. Clients would often call me for updates and stuff, and would sort go off on tangents about their lives. I’m extremely empathetic, so I would let them talk. A lot of these people were old and lonely.
One day one of the lead attorneys sat me down and told me that I needed to stop letting our clients “tell me stories.” It irked me so much because the firm always held itself as being “there for people in their hardest times”…and their hardships were supposed to be a big feature of settlement negotiations.
They didn’t care about people. It was a fucking scam. We charged ridiculous fees and often made people experience more financial hardship. It was so depressing.
Huph: I’m not happy, Bob. Not.... happy?!? Ask me why.
Bob: Okay. Why?
Huph: Why what? Be specific, Bob.
Bob: Why are you unhappy?
Huph: Your customers make me unhappy.
Bob: What, you’ve gotten complaints?
Huph: Complaints I can handle. What I can’t handle is your clients’ inexplicable knowledge of lnsuricare’s inner workings!! They're experts! EXPERTS, Bob! Exploiting every loophole, dodging every obstacle! They're penetrating the bureaucracy!!
Bob: Did I do something illegal?
Huph: [begrudgingly] ...no...
Bob: Are you saying we shouldn’t help our customers?
Huph: The law requires that I answer no.
Bob: We’re supposed to help people!
Huph: We're supposed to help OUR PEOPLE!! Starting with our stockholders, Bob! Who's helping them out, huh?!
I used to work at call centers off and on for about 6 years, I never did the call drop thing. But I do remember coworkers "accidentally" turning the power strip off at 4:59 if someone was on the call. These places are soul sucking, I used to take about 70 calls a day sometimes(which is a call every 6-7 minutes for 8 hours straight) and we were only allowed 15 seconds max between calls.
I am good at finding email addresses and I will email the CEO of a company. This worked great when I contacted the CEO of Subaru, Jacuzzi, and TravelPro.
imawizardurnot | 10 days ago
flashbacks to my call center days. Absolutely soul demolishing work. If you had issue with your Verizon FIOS in uhh.. 2011 and you got me. Sorry.
arianrhodd | 10 days ago
Totally understandable—I forgive you! 💖
Jeffistopheles | 10 days ago
I worked a call center job in college for about a month before being fired. The reason given? I was deemed "too helpful" for the job.
__worldpeace | 10 days ago
One of my first Paralegal jobs after college was at a scummy law firm that “assisted” people with credit card debt to negotiate debt settlements with their creditors.
When a new client came across my desk, I would send them a packet of paperwork to fill out, and a big part of it was a section where they would explain their hardships. Clients would often call me for updates and stuff, and would sort go off on tangents about their lives. I’m extremely empathetic, so I would let them talk. A lot of these people were old and lonely.
One day one of the lead attorneys sat me down and told me that I needed to stop letting our clients “tell me stories.” It irked me so much because the firm always held itself as being “there for people in their hardest times”…and their hardships were supposed to be a big feature of settlement negotiations.
They didn’t care about people. It was a fucking scam. We charged ridiculous fees and often made people experience more financial hardship. It was so depressing.
chrissesky13 | 10 days ago
Huph: I’m not happy, Bob. Not.... happy?!? Ask me why.
Bob: Okay. Why?
Huph: Why what? Be specific, Bob.
Bob: Why are you unhappy?
Huph: Your customers make me unhappy.
Bob: What, you’ve gotten complaints?
Huph: Complaints I can handle. What I can’t handle is your clients’ inexplicable knowledge of lnsuricare’s inner workings!! They're experts! EXPERTS, Bob! Exploiting every loophole, dodging every obstacle! They're penetrating the bureaucracy!!
Bob: Did I do something illegal?
Huph: [begrudgingly] ...no...
Bob: Are you saying we shouldn’t help our customers?
Huph: The law requires that I answer no.
Bob: We’re supposed to help people!
Huph: We're supposed to help OUR PEOPLE!! Starting with our stockholders, Bob! Who's helping them out, huh?!
CallAdministrative88 | 10 days ago
Ah, The Incredibles, the best Watchmen movie we ever got.
Should_Not_Comment | 10 days ago
Did anyone else think his boss looked like Stephen King?
AiReine | 10 days ago
Did anyone think otherwise?
GinAndDumbBitchJuice | 10 days ago
I have never done this, not because I don't want to but because they'd be a million times worse when they called back in.
imawizardurnot | 10 days ago
The secret is the place is big enough not to get the same person again and you could flicker your ready status to reset your timer timer. Allegedly.
GinAndDumbBitchJuice | 10 days ago
Oh god, I wish we had the numbers for that.
tillandsia | 10 days ago
No! Really?
Best way to drop a call is to do it while you are speaking, that way no one expects it to be you who did it.
wugthepug | 9 days ago
I used to work at call centers off and on for about 6 years, I never did the call drop thing. But I do remember coworkers "accidentally" turning the power strip off at 4:59 if someone was on the call. These places are soul sucking, I used to take about 70 calls a day sometimes(which is a call every 6-7 minutes for 8 hours straight) and we were only allowed 15 seconds max between calls.
Powerful-Patient-765 | 10 days ago
I am good at finding email addresses and I will email the CEO of a company. This worked great when I contacted the CEO of Subaru, Jacuzzi, and TravelPro.