Practicalmadness

Salon is running an essay called Outsourcing rejection, by and about a woman who got a job as a phone recruiter for a company that does that sort of thing for other companies. My favorite part was when she started interviewing middle managers who thought she was the receptionist. Heh heh heh.

I had a very similar position with a company that provided the technical support for Verizon's DSL service. I wrote a very long, poignant essay on the subject which I will probably put on this website at some point. The key things to know about it are:

1. We are paid to lie to you.
2. I *am* the supervisor, bitch.
3. I do hope somebody finally shot Mrs. K.

Ah, Mrs. K. (Name changed to protect the guilty.) Ever hear of 'frequent flyers' who keep going to emergency rooms, convinced they have the latest deadly disease and must be pumped full of drugs, stat? Mrs. K was our frequent flyer. On my last day with the company she called; I checked her service history and found over 200 calls in a six-month period, mostly for issues outside of our service boundaries, but that she was convinced were our fault.

You see, Mrs. K no speak very much Englee. But she want you fix it immedilly!

"Ma'am, I can't fix it. I am not qualified. You will have to call Microsoft."

No call Microsoff! She want speak you supervisor!

"Ma'am, I can connect you with my supervisor. Would you like me to do that?"

No! I want you fix it immedilly!

And the conversation would continue thus for about fifteen minutes before I would hand her to the supervisor, who would talk to her for half an hour and then hang up.