6 ms·

I'm amazed at how calm he remains during this. I would've called the guy - regardless of whether he's "just doing his job" - every name under the sun and proba

I'm amazed at how calm he remains during this. I would've called the guy - regardless of whether he's "just doing his job" - every name under the sun and probably threatened to pay him a visit in person... That said, I guess if I were recording it to share on the Internet later, I might've been able to control myself slightly more than usual.

ekianjo 12y ago
Yeah, this is actually amazing. I don't think I would have lasted more than 2 minutes answering the same question over and over again.
- icebraining 12y ago
  Just because they ask it doesn't mean you have to answer; I'd just say "I'm not continuing this conversation until you inform me you've canceled the service", then put the phone on speaker and do something else until he came around.
  - ceejayoz 12y ago
    "The customer declined to continue with the cancellation process."
    - icebraining 12y ago
      Can they cut you off? In the call centers I know, they need the supervisors' permission to hang up on someone.
      - rickyc091 12y ago
        What usually happens to me is that they'll put me on hold, and after five minutes, I'll get disconnected.
- danielweber 12y ago
  He wasn't answering the question over and over; he was refusing to answer the question. Which is, of course, his right. And maybe it would turn out that the rep would refuse to recognize his answer. And there is some social value in there occasionally being a crank who refuses to play by the rules just to expose them for the silliness there is. But realize he wasn't trying to get through this call easily. He was trying to make a point.
  - atopal 12y ago
    Maybe. But he says he started recording 10 minutes into the call, and that he and his wife (who started the call) were answering the rep's questions, but not getting anywhere. This is a great example for how setting goals can do more harm than good. If you start measuring people, they'll optimize for what you are measuring.
  - scott_s 12y ago
    I don't think that's fair to the caller. He was polite, and was clear in what he wanted. Had the Comcast agent said "Okay, I understand that you don't want to tell me that, let's move on" the call would have moved on and not ended up on the internet. He wanted his service cancelled, and did not want to engage in a conversation about it. How else could the caller have possibly handled it? Also, the caller was not a "crank who refuses to play by the rules." There is no rule that says customers have to fill out a survey upon canceling service. It was clear to me that the Comcast agent was also not asking those questions honestly. He was using them as a rhetorical trick to get the customer to eventually say, "Fine, don't cancel my service."
    - danielweber 12y ago
      How else could the caller have possibly handled it? This is obvious: by answering the question. I'll repeat that he was under no obligation to answer that question. My mother-in-law does the same thing this guy does: stands her ground and refuses to answer any questions. It's completely her right to engage in that manner, but she neither asks for nor gets any sympathy for how long she has to stay on the phone with people. Maximally demanding all your rights all the time is usually not coincident with smooth interactions with other human beings.
alokdhari 12y ago
I was swearing while listening to the conversation.. having one would have given me a hemorrhage.
duiker101 12y ago
This guys have it rough. I used to call them a lot and I can't recall a single instance where I saw someone raising their voice had a better outcome. The only had a more stressful call. The operator pushes it a lot but consider this: he is probably paid like shit and he probably get commission on how many customers he can retain. Maybe if he loses too many he can even lose his job. Knowing this and knowing that their job is extremely horrible(getting called names all day) what I see here is not the operator's fault at all. I see a person crushed by a job that he might be losing taking the blame for problems that he didn't cause(maybe in this instance but they often do). The only thing I have for someone like this is a kind word instead of rage. If you are unsatisfied at the end of the call, send a complaint letter about the service, do not take it on the operator. (Obviously there are exceptions where the operators are just assholes)
- tfinniga 12y ago
  That is a bit like worrying about the innocents working on the deathstar. They know what kind of job it is. They do it anyway.
  - icebraining 12y ago
    It's not exactly working for the Spanish Inquisition. The guy was annoying and wasted 20 minutes of the client's time. I wouldn't say it's ethical, let's not overreact.
  - zorpner 12y ago
    Very few people have the job flexibility that many of us here on HN have. This may be the best-paying job available to this person, or the only job they were able to get that they can effectively travel to -- regardless, given the unpleasant nature of the work, it's unreasonable to assume that they meaningfully "chose" the job without additional evidence.
  - pavel_lishin 12y ago
    Sure, but you're not going to hurt the Death Star by screaming at one of the welders and insulting him. How does that help anything?
aetherson 12y ago
I generally find it's pretty effective to get very briefly loud and angry, and then say something like, "I'm very frustrated with this situation and I'm trying not to take it out on you," and resume politeness at that point. It seems to shock people out of their script a bit. That said, I've never dealt with anyone quite as tenacious as the guy in that recording.

ekianjo 12y ago

Yeah, this is actually amazing. I don't think I would have lasted more than 2 minutes answering the same question over and over again.

icebraining 12y ago
Just because they ask it doesn't mean you have to answer; I'd just say "I'm not continuing this conversation until you inform me you've canceled the service", then put the phone on speaker and do something else until he came around.
- ceejayoz 12y ago
  "The customer declined to continue with the cancellation process."
  - icebraining 12y ago
    Can they cut you off? In the call centers I know, they need the supervisors' permission to hang up on someone.
    - rickyc091 12y ago
      What usually happens to me is that they'll put me on hold, and after five minutes, I'll get disconnected.
danielweber 12y ago
He wasn't answering the question over and over; he was refusing to answer the question. Which is, of course, his right. And maybe it would turn out that the rep would refuse to recognize his answer. And there is some social value in there occasionally being a crank who refuses to play by the rules just to expose them for the silliness there is. But realize he wasn't trying to get through this call easily. He was trying to make a point.
- atopal 12y ago
  Maybe. But he says he started recording 10 minutes into the call, and that he and his wife (who started the call) were answering the rep's questions, but not getting anywhere. This is a great example for how setting goals can do more harm than good. If you start measuring people, they'll optimize for what you are measuring.
- scott_s 12y ago
  I don't think that's fair to the caller. He was polite, and was clear in what he wanted. Had the Comcast agent said "Okay, I understand that you don't want to tell me that, let's move on" the call would have moved on and not ended up on the internet. He wanted his service cancelled, and did not want to engage in a conversation about it. How else could the caller have possibly handled it? Also, the caller was not a "crank who refuses to play by the rules." There is no rule that says customers have to fill out a survey upon canceling service. It was clear to me that the Comcast agent was also not asking those questions honestly. He was using them as a rhetorical trick to get the customer to eventually say, "Fine, don't cancel my service."
  - danielweber 12y ago
    How else could the caller have possibly handled it? This is obvious: by answering the question. I'll repeat that he was under no obligation to answer that question. My mother-in-law does the same thing this guy does: stands her ground and refuses to answer any questions. It's completely her right to engage in that manner, but she neither asks for nor gets any sympathy for how long she has to stay on the phone with people. Maximally demanding all your rights all the time is usually not coincident with smooth interactions with other human beings.

alokdhari 12y ago

I was swearing while listening to the conversation.. having one would have given me a hemorrhage.

duiker101 12y ago

This guys have it rough. I used to call them a lot and I can't recall a single instance where I saw someone raising their voice had a better outcome. The only had a more stressful call. The operator pushes it a lot but consider this: he is probably paid like shit and he probably get commission on how many customers he can retain. Maybe if he loses too many he can even lose his job. Knowing this and knowing that their job is extremely horrible(getting called names all day) what I see here is not the operator's fault at all. I see a person crushed by a job that he might be losing taking the blame for problems that he didn't cause(maybe in this instance but they often do). The only thing I have for someone like this is a kind word instead of rage. If you are unsatisfied at the end of the call, send a complaint letter about the service, do not take it on the operator. (Obviously there are exceptions where the operators are just assholes)

tfinniga 12y ago
That is a bit like worrying about the innocents working on the deathstar. They know what kind of job it is. They do it anyway.
- icebraining 12y ago
  It's not exactly working for the Spanish Inquisition. The guy was annoying and wasted 20 minutes of the client's time. I wouldn't say it's ethical, let's not overreact.
- zorpner 12y ago
  Very few people have the job flexibility that many of us here on HN have. This may be the best-paying job available to this person, or the only job they were able to get that they can effectively travel to -- regardless, given the unpleasant nature of the work, it's unreasonable to assume that they meaningfully "chose" the job without additional evidence.
- pavel_lishin 12y ago
  Sure, but you're not going to hurt the Death Star by screaming at one of the welders and insulting him. How does that help anything?

aetherson 12y ago

I generally find it's pretty effective to get very briefly loud and angry, and then say something like, "I'm very frustrated with this situation and I'm trying not to take it out on you," and resume politeness at that point. It seems to shock people out of their script a bit. That said, I've never dealt with anyone quite as tenacious as the guy in that recording.