Your Urgency Is Not My Emergency
Me: “9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”
Caller: “My phone’s been shut off and the only number I can call is 9-1-1.”
Me: “Are you calling about your phone being shut off or do you have an emergency?”
Caller: “My phone. I paid my bill. It should be working.”
Me: “You’ll have to take that up with the phone company.”
Caller: “Well, can you tell them to turn it back on? I paid my bill.”
Me: “No, you’ll need to contact them. This is the police department and this is an emergency line. I’m going to have to disconnect the call. You need to contact the phone company to get your phone turned back on.”
Caller: “But my phone’s not working! I need it fixed now!”
Me: “I’m sorry. This is the police department. We can’t fix your phone. You’ll need to hang up and contact your phone company. We can’t do anything about your phone.”
Caller: “Well, that’s not right! I need help. My phone isn’t working and what if I need it? What if I have an emergency?”
Me: “You just dialed 9-1-1.”
Did you find this story using our Emergency Services roundup?
Question of the Week
Tell us your story about a customer who couldn't understand the most simple concept.
