Is This Gloating?

The phone rings. 

Here at the front desk of this dental office, I have specific rules: Don’t answer the phone if a patient is standing in front of me. Well, right now a patient is standing in front of me, so I let the call go to voicemail. 

The phone rings again. A quick glance at the phone’s LED display tells me that it’s the same person; the call came quickly enough that [Caller] must have hung up and called again instantly. The patient is still standing in front of me, so I let it go to voicemail.

[Caller] hangs up instantly and calls a third time. The patient is still in front of me. 

[Caller] hangs up instantly and calls a fourth time. The patient is still in front of me.

[Caller] gives up for about thirty seconds, giving me enough time to discharge the in-person patient and carry out some other duties. As I’m returning, the phone rings. It’s [Caller].

Whatever it is, if it’s not important enough to leave a voicemail about, it’s not important enough to pick up, right? For an instant, I’m tempted to let it go. But then Customer Service Helpfulness asserts itself.

Me: “[Dentist’s Office], this is [My Name], how can I help you?”

Caller: “Hello, this is [Caller]. Remember me? I barged in yesterday and demanded an appointment. I also demanded service in Spanish, as my English is not good, requiring you to pull your coworker out of an ongoing dental operation so that I could get answers I felt comfortable with. It’s also why I’ve been calling endlessly instead of leaving a voicemail. In this way, I have disrupted your office for two days in a row.”

Me: “Thank you for that exposition. Yes, I remember you. We look forward to seeing you in an hour or so.”

Caller: “Can I postpone until next week?”