Azure Jane Lunatic (Azz) 🌺 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
azurelunatic) wrote2004-03-21 04:24 pm
azurelunatic) wrote2004-03-21 04:24 pm
Back from the salt mines
Worked my shift, came home. I sat next to the Chatty Lady, which was a good thing as we were both incredibly bored, and on BTS Replacement, one of the most boring surveys on earth that hardly anyone either qualifies to complete or wants to complete.
By dint of making up little sheets with times written down so I could cross off the time that had already passed and see how much time there was remaining, diligent gossiping, and random writing, I made it through the shift. I didn't get told that I was going to hell, and I only got cussed at the once. No bad Do Not Call List morons (someone is only a Do Not Call List moron if they will not listen to/believe the fact that phone research can call any bloody where they please, pretty much, except cellphones, where we apologize & hang up) and ... not much else. People were at church or leaving for same.
Another day, another $8.50 + $0.50 weekend bonus an hour.
By dint of making up little sheets with times written down so I could cross off the time that had already passed and see how much time there was remaining, diligent gossiping, and random writing, I made it through the shift. I didn't get told that I was going to hell, and I only got cussed at the once. No bad Do Not Call List morons (someone is only a Do Not Call List moron if they will not listen to/believe the fact that phone research can call any bloody where they please, pretty much, except cellphones, where we apologize & hang up) and ... not much else. People were at church or leaving for same.
Another day, another $8.50 + $0.50 weekend bonus an hour.
Do Not Call issues
I find all strangers who call me for purposes unrelated to me annoying, whether or not they're legally allowed to. I also tend to think of all phone-botherers, whether they're trying to sell things, calling to beg money for charities, calling for surveys, calling to talk about the Bible, or calling because the local high school is unable to remove our phone number from its records, as telemarketers. Yes, this is overly simplified, but I don't much care -- they annoy me and I want them to bug off.
I've also found that neither people who accost me over the phone nor people who accost me in person are likely to be trustworthy. It's not worth the energy to figure out if any one particular instance is an exception to that rule. I think the Do Not Call list people are actually being rather reasonable -- after one puts one's name on a list of people not to be bothered, one expects to not be bothered, not to be told "Oh, we're a loophole"; and if one is handed the loophole line, it's easy to expect it to be a lie, because strangers who call and try to talk one into things often lie.
Re: Do Not Call issues
I think that it is unreasonable for someone who is threatening to sue a company for violating a law to not understand the terms of the law, which should have been explained to them when they put themselves on the Do Not Call registry. I remember clearly reading when I signed up that this would not block all nuisance calls, but would block most of the ones trying to sell me stuff.
I think that spending a large amount of time railing at someone for "breaking" a law that you don't understand in the first place is stupid.
Example conversation with annoyed person:
"Hi, I'm Azz from Research International."
"It's illegal for you to call me. I'm on the Do Not Call List."
"Actually, research calls are not prevented by the --"
"I don't care. Don't call me again." >click<
Example conversation with someone who's out to bust violators:
"Hi, I'm Azz from Research International."
"Hi. I'm on the national Do Not Call list, so it's illegal for you to be calling me, and your company will be fined."
"Actually, research calls are not prohibited under the do not call list, most legislators see the need for legitimate research."
"Be as that may, what is your name and company again?"
"Azz, with Research International."
"Your ass is so reported. I hate these calls."
"Have a good day."
Example conversation with someone who's being an asshat:
"I'm Azz, from Research International..."
"It's illegal for you to call me, you moron. Can't you read?"
"Pardon me?"
"Can't you read? I'm on the Do Not Call list. Can you even read?"
"Actually, research--"
"What's your name?"
"Azz, with Research International."
"You are going to get fined with ten thousand dollars for calling me, you illiterate moron. Can't you read that I'm on the Do Not Call list?"
"Again, under the do not call law--"
"Can you read?"
[Continue with variations on the same theme for five more minutes, the acrimony level rising. This was an actual conversation.]
I consider the last in the same category with the person who brought a moldy pie into the store I was working in two weeks after purchasing the pie. Evidently she had purchased the pie, waited, and then the previous night had served it with dinner with guests present. She had claimed that she had baked it herself to the guests, and had been highly humiliated when there had been mold in the pie.
If someone is wanting an annoyance call to bug off, the way to do that is not spend five minutes on the phone with the annoyance call, especially brandishing a law that you have no clue what means, obviously. I guess one of my internal "This is good behaviour" values is that if you are threatening someone for violating some rule, you had damn well better *know* the rule. And if you don't know the rule, refusing to learn more about the rule is just plain idiotic.
Re: Do Not Call issues
Re: Do Not Call issues
Not that any of this makes it easier to cope with from the other side of the telephone.
[1] It's got things like "What is this about?" "I'm sorry; we're not interested *click*" "I'm sorry; [x] isn't home right now. Can I take a message?" and "I'm sorry; I think you have a wrong number." in it, as well as a basic set of instructions for getting into a less automatic headspace if the person genuinely wants to talk to me. If it's something outside of those parameters, I tend to have the sort of mishaps which are amusing only when they're happening to someone else.