Unfiltered Story #243923

This happened when I worked as an IT technician. I got a call from one of our company directors.

Director: Hello (My Name)! (My Boss) told me to phone you. I’m looking for old laptops. I have a friend who helps people with disabilities learn computer skills, she’s looking for a couple of old laptops she can use.

Me: (Director), I’m very sorry but I don’t know if we have any. Most of our old ones have been sent for disposal.

Director: Well can you have a look? (My Boss) said you would have something.

(I very much doubt my boss actually said this. It’s more likely he said “Phone (my name), he MIGHT have something but I can’t guarantee it”.)

Me: Well I’ll have to check. I’ll see what I have and let you know.

Director: If you would please, I’ll be up this afternoon to collect whatever you have.

I go to our server room. which also doubles as our IT store room, and have a look. We don’t have ANYTHING. We have one that we use as a spare in case anyone needs a short term loan, and we have one that is in pieces because some of my colleagues have been harvesting it for spare parts. I’m about to phone our director back and tell him, but then I get called away to do something more pressing. I end up forgetting about the conversation entirely.

Later that day, the director calls into the office.

Director: Hello (my name), do you have some laptops for me?

Me: No, sorry, (Director), I don’t. We don’t have anything old but usable that we can give you.

Director: (visibly annoyed) Right, so what am I supposed to do then? I promised my friend at least two or three laptops! You’ve let me down.

In hindsight I realise I definitely should have set a reminder in my phone to call him as soon as I got a chance and tell him I didn’t have any laptops to give him. But he shouldn’t have promised something until he knew he’d be able to deliver on it!