By Doing Nothing, The Customer Solves Itself

(I work at a call center for an online auction site. The first thing we need to ask when we answer the phone is for their username.)

Me: “Thank you for calling [Company]. May I have your username, please?”

Caller: “It’s [username].”

Me: “Thanks. How can I help you today?”

Caller: “I forgot my username.”

Me: “You mean the user name you just provided me with?”

(There’s an awkward pause while the caller processes what I’ve said.)

Caller: “Oh… never mind!” *click*