[Rojola]

I had a really bad day yesterday. This lady calls in, I let her know I was occupied with a client and would call her back as soon as I was done with my current client.. About 45min go by I finish up and promptly call her back. She screams on the phone "what took you so long!". I proceed to ask standard fact finding questions to to provide her with the right product. She yells at me: "I just want the basic product! " (which there is no such thing). I ask her a few more questions and she's curt and rude, condescending in her replies, not providing any concrete answers so I can help her. Then she screams: "You're stupid! I want to report you to your supervisor! "

Yes out of the blue like that! It floored me. I thought to myself, report me for what? doing my job? it's uncalled for as I'm a highly skilled, intelligent and educated and successful employee.

I wanted to hang up so bad, but I politely said ... " ma'am how can I help you?"... She condescendingly snaps back.. " It's not ma'am it's mrs. Smith to you. You address me as mrs. Smith!" Her rants and screams continue and I tell her I'd get back to her with a price quote before end of day, and the call ends.

Afterward I was so frazzled and depressed all I want to do is just go home. I don't get paid enough to take that kind of abuse.

I'm sorry folks for saying this but she is just a psychotic *****! Of course I didn't say that to her or ever lose my composure or tone but I sure felt like it.

Why are there so many disturbed people in this world? And why are they intently focused on abusing other people?

[hvert]

It was nice of you not to hang up on her! Does your company have any kind of standard procedure for crazy people, like transferring them to a manager?

[Prism Bunny]

You need to direct people like that to a manager/higher up and if they keep harassing you could ask to put them on some sort of blacklist.

I am sorry you went through that, though. You should go do something nice for yourself, like get a smoothie. Just something to cheer you up in the meantime.

[winter4me]

PB is right. In fact, when someone begins to rant/complain be the First to offer that they be transferred to a manager, if possible. Otherwise, you handled this really well. All you can really do is know this has to be someone who is either chronically 'impossible' or in a state of mind that lets them think it is ok to take it out on someone they don't know. (or whoever is available) Also, if you do have a boss you are ok with, I would let them know of any particularly distressing calls (or at least make a note for yourself so you can't be blindsided be a "complaint" out of nowhere)
You did really, really well.

[Rojola]

Update.. I asked my boss and told him what occurred and let him know I did not want to deal with her again. He understood and said he would take care of it. I followed up with an email to my boss.

There are either a lot of born psychotics or just broken souls in this world, or both.

Thanks for all the support.

[Prism Bunny]

Glad to hear your boss understood your situation and will take care of the problem.

There are some egotistical, entitled people in the world that believe others are their personal slaves. Hence, why they try to beat you down as though they own you. Broken or psychotic, these people make working in any customer service job a nightmare some days.

May you have a great day, Rojola!

[nicoleflynn]

There are SO many angry people in the world. They are angry at their OWN issues; which doesn't/didn't help you I know.

I would have said....Mrs.....as long as you CHOOSE to speak disrespectfully to me, I will not assist you. She probably would have yelled some more, and then I would have said; I will have to say goodbye, if you choose to verbally berate me. Your anger has nothing to do with me. No one could have (boss wise) taken offense at that. We ALL have a right to be treated with respect.

[seesaw]

Wow. That must have been a nightmare of a phone call, yet you handled it with such finesse. I would give yourself a pat on the back for keeping your cool. I know it really triggers you, probably, to deal with crazy people like that, but you really handled it well.

And yes, I would transfer all those calls up to the manager and just wash my hands of them.

Seesaw