I asked him why he wanted to cancel services, and in response he asked me how old I was.
"20, sir."
"Oh you young generation just annoy me, you "gen-x'ers or whatever you call your breed."
Yes. He said breed.
"Oh... ok... well... I'm sorry for that. But that doesn't exactly explain why you want to cancel your services."
"Well, if I told you it would be my life story, I'm building a life line here, Nathan."
Pause.
"Ok, so... you want to cancel your services because of Gen-X'ers that annoy you?"
"How many languages do you speak?"
"..... Excuse me?"
"How many languages do you speak."
"Does binary count?"
"No seriously, how many actual languages?"
"Last I checked I spoke one, sir."
"So you are unilingual?"
"Yes."
"Ah ok, you are deficient."
"Oh ok, I'm sorry about that."
"You should be, you are deficient."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Ok, I'm glad to hear that I finally know why I am deficient. It's a relief to know that it's only because I speak one language."
"Well you have a job, so I'll give you credit there."
"Yes well, I do what I can. Ok, I have disconnected your cable for you, however, you need to return your equipment to this service center."
"Yeah, that means I have to go to <that part of town> that I really hate going to."
"Thats right."
"I also have a phone number I need disconnected."
"Ok, for the phone, I do have to get you to our phone area. There are some extra steps you need to do for that one."
"Oh, so you are handing me off? You're what you gen x'ers call a conduit, eh?"
"Something like that. Just stay on the line please."
I had to share this one. It made me giggle.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Was he drunk or just weird?
Posted by T_Smith (Member # 3734) on :
He was 57 and just passed into curmudgeonhood.
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
I like that you asked if binary counted. Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I probably would have said something smart-alec like, "I know enough to cuss you out in 8."
Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
I think you should've made up several languages right there on the spot and said they were all ancient dead languages that nobody speaks anymore, but that they're part of the training you get to be a cable call center staff person, just in case.
thanks for sharing this. I'm taking notes for my incipient curmudgeonhood.
Posted by Speed (Member # 5162) on :
Here's what I'd have said (or at least what I'd have wished I said starting 5 seconds after the opportunity passed)
"So you are unilingual?"
"No, I'm monolingual. I only speak English, but at least I speak it properly."
By the way, hilarious call. I live for idiot customers.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Speed, I was thinking something along those lines myself...
Great minds think alike...and we do as well. Posted by Kama (Member # 3022) on :
Posted by Shigosei (Member # 3831) on :
Why, that Huh choo-shung tza-jiao duh tzang-huo!
Posted by The Reader (Member # 3636) on :
If he had asked me how old I am, I would said "That's none of your business" because it is none of his business. He's a customer, not a parent.
I would have to tell him that I speak several dead languages, too. Then I would have said several non-sensical syllables.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Hey, I offered to teach him ancient greek.
Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
Haha!
I liked where you asked about binary, too. Posted by BelladonnaOrchid (Member # 188) on :
Oh...TS...that was ::sniff sniff:: so beautiful!
No, really, that made my day.
Posted by Epictetus (Member # 6235) on :
Nate, this reminds me of the guy who called you "mormon liberal trash" while you were working for AOL. Such interesting things seem to happen to you at work.
btw, kudos on starring fencing! Rock on!
Posted by romanylass (Member # 6306) on :
What a nut job. Let mack teach you greek, or enough to insult curmudgeons.
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
O_o
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
I cancelled my cable service, too, when I found out that there were 20 year olds working there.
Rotten Gen-X-ers! With their clothes, and their hair and that noise that they call music.
I refuse to do business with any company that hires them.
Hmph!
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I want to learn Ancient Greek.
And geez, I must be in the wrong field. I should go work at the cable company. We never get age specific jerks at the restaurant I work at, they are equal opportunity jerks.
Posted by Sid Meier (Member # 6965) on :
Ochen' zhdu Rozhdestvom!
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[ROFL]](graemlins/rofl.gif)
Nate, this reminds me of the guy who called you "mormon liberal trash" while you were working for AOL. Such interesting things seem to happen to you at work.