Unfiltered Story #93697

(I am a bank teller in 2001. It’s a small grocery store branch with retail hours and so we are open on a Saturday and fairly busy with a constant line of customers waiting. Even so, things are going pretty smoothly.

Our main website had lots of contact information for our branches all across Louisiana but these are still the days of old internet and people still often choose to look us up in the phone book and call in with questions. Because of a quirk of the way the phone listings appear, our little branch’s number not only appears first for branches in the area, it makes it appear that we are the “main” branch in that area. We are also one number off Ticketmaster. This means we get LOTS of phone calls but customers waiting in line should and do get priority most of the time.)

Me: *I hear the phone ring and I stop waiting on customers to answer.*

Me: Thank you for calling [bank name and branch], how can I help you?

Caller: Yes I was wondering if you could tell me the address and phone numbers of all your branches in the New Orleans area.

Me: *I look them up on my computer and list them for her. There’s at least 5 or more. Meanwhile, the other two tellers are busily working helping the growing line of customers.*

Caller: Ok now tell me all your branches in north Louisiana.

Me: *Again I look them up on my computer and list them for her. Again there’s about 5 branches or more. By this point I have already been on the phone several minutes.*

Caller: Ok now tell me all your branches in central Louisiana.

Me: *I pause and look up at the long line of ACTUAL customers waiting with ACTUAL business to do and given that this phone call seems like it’s going to take a while longer and given that there are LOTS more branches in that area plus the surrounding areas (like 20 or more) I decide I need to get off the phone and get back to work.*

Me: I’m sorry ma’am but I have a long line of customers here waiting to be helped. I need to either put you on hold for a few minutes until we have a small break in foot traffic or I can give you the number to our dedicated 24 hour live agent telephone customer service.

Caller: *screaming* WELL EXCUSE THE HELL OUT OF ME!!!!!!

Me: *I jerk the phone away from my ear and look at the handset like it just bit me, weigh my options for a second, decide this person isn’t even a customer and has no intention of being one and hang up without saying another word*

Me: *I look up at the line of customers who have been waiting pretty patiently.*

Me: Ok! I can help whoever is next!

(Yeah I shouldn’t have hung up on her but oh well, I did. I always expected this to come back one day and bite me in the ass but it never did. I have submitted this both to NAW and NAR because frankly I feel like it fits in both categories.)