The Vent and Rant Thread

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Wow. I would probably die from overeating while there...

Over here, a normal price for a main course in a non-expensive restaurant would be between €16 and €20, with drinks between €2 and €2,50 a piece.

There is a restaurant in the next town that is $38 a person and all you can eat.
Several restaurants here are $11.99 & all you can eat.

[Rumpelteazer]

Why don't people LISTEN.

On Monday our store's closed, but we still get a lot of phonecalls. We can't see the difference between someone calling on our private phone number or someone calling our store so we always pick up.

I always pick up and say my name, not the store's name, as I would when the store's open. 99% of the time people don't listen and just start asking if we have items in stock/explaining their problem/etc. Sometimes someone listens and either start stuttering and asks if they called the right number and sometimes someone slams down the phone (and calls right back).

This morning I had someone who thought he was calling a bakery and started rattling out his order as soon as I picked up the phone. The first 3 times I told him nicely he had the wrong number. The 4th time I told him he should look up the number and he called me names.

[Freeshadow]

Yoz see the callers number, don't you? What about calling the police?

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Freeshadow

Yoz see the callers number, don't you? What about calling the police?

Call the police? In the Netherlands? Ahahahaah ahahhahaahaha HAAHAHA HAHAHA AAAAAAA *choke, choke, faints*

The times I have had to deal with the police was an utter distaster. Once I was accused of stealing some stuff from a shop.

Officer: "Did you steal stuff from this shop?"
Me: "No. Here's my bag. Here's the jacket. You have permission to search my pockets."
Officer: "The owner says he saw you putting something in your pockets, repeatedly."
Me: "Yes. I don't have a watch, and check the time on my phone as I travel by public transport. It's in the left pocket of my jacket."
*Officer looks in pocket*
Officer: "Ah, here's the phone... and nothing else."
*Searches jacket, pats me down*
Officer (to shopkeeper): "Hm... looks like there's nothing else to be found, except for a scrached USB stick and some keys."
Shopkeeper: "Uh... bleeeh... buuuh...."

I thought I was done. But NO, the shopkeeper and I had to come all the fracking way into town to 'register this incident.' It took two hours or thereabouts. Never got an apology from either the shopkeeper nor the officer.

Some years later, I was literally pushed off a scooter by the passenger of another vehicle. It was 'all the rage' in the south of the Netherlands, to drive closely alongside someone on a moped, scooter or bike, driving them towards the sidewalk, and then give them a push. (I only found out after I heard that this had happened to several others in my town.) This actually happened to me, about a hundred yards off of a police station, so I decided to go there and report this incident.

The fracking idiot wouldn't believe me and thought I was making stuff up 'to hide from my parents that I had fallen down and scratched the scooter.' Dude, you idiot. You're talking to a 25 year old guy who has a full-time job and lives in an appartment. I don't *need* to hide stuff from my parents. I could crash the scooter into a wall, and if I get off with a bump and a scratch, my parents couldn't care less about the vehicle.

In the end he did take down the incident, but as he used the patent pending 'hunt and peck' method of typing, I offered to type it myself. With a grunt, frown and a sneer on his face he assented.

Officer: click, click... clack, clack... click, clack clack....
Me: RATATATATAAAA clickclickclick RAATTTATATATATATATATA
*Officer turns red in the face*
Officer: "You sure type.... fast...."
Me: "I have to; I have a FULL TIME JOB as a software engineer for the last 4 years" *smile*

'Hiding stuff from your parents...' Yeah, right. Embarrass me in front of your colleagues, and I'll not hesitate to return the favor.

The last encounter was while performing a guard duty (my mom is a professional guard/police dog trainer, and at the time, I was certified to do gard duty using them).

A group of about 15 or so drunken people coming out of town broke into the buildings of multiple stores, and started wrecking things. You don't handle that with only 2 people and one dog, so we called the police (but not on the emergency number).

The police station was situated about half a mile down the road, but they took over two hours to show up; and the entire street was wrecked from start to finish.

Police officer: "Couldn't you have tried to stop them?"
Us: "Uh.... no. We're just two guys and a dog. We can handle 1-4 people, not 15+. We mentioned that while calling."
Police officer: "Hm. Yeah.... makes sense. Let's see if we can fix this mess."

FIX THIS MESS? Replace half of the windows and doors in the stores in that street at 4am? DUDE?

These were my interactions with Dutch police.... FWIW....

[Freeshadow]

Oh - right. Forget about my idea. It's somehow different from Germany.
The problem here would rather be that they have to be all too nicey-nicey...
but if I'd start telling you stories this would end up faster in P&R than you can say
'Politics'

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Freeshadow

Oh - right. Forget about my idea. It's somehow different from Germany.
The problem here would rather be that they have to be all too nicey-nicey...
but if I'd start telling you stories this would end up faster in P&R than you can say
'Politics'

Here in Texas, you don't call the police about annoying callers only if they get threatening.

Now the funniest line I ever heard from a police officer was "How did you come into possession of this child?"
Note, this was in an emergency room.
Very long story but suffice to say the mother was in the safest place that night.
She had been arrested.

[Rumpelteazer]

Originally Posted by Freeshadow

Yoz see the callers number, don't you? What about calling the police?

As Katsunami has mentioned, calling the Dutch police for this will be a useless exercise.

However, I did run his phone number through our "system" and it turns out that on the Saturday before Christmas he ordered a part to repair a light fixture, which is not only a rare part but a rare part with French thread. Despite being told when he ordered the part that our supplier of that part is closed until January 4 and that the part will have to be ordered by them (expected delivery date is end of January) he called four times last week to "ask" (rudely) if his order had already arrived. I send him an email telling him his order has been cancelled, the reason why and that he's not welcome in our store again.

My father was very happy to lose this customer, apparently he has caused trouble in the past (my father is of the generation that believes the customer is always right).

I suspect the light fixture will not get repaired unless he goes to France; our supplier is the only one left in the Netherlands that has a good selection of light fixture parts and we're one of two customer who they order items for they don't keep in stock. The other special order customer is a friend of ours who makes and repairs light fixtures. Coincidently, he will be coming by today to pick up a couple of things and I'll pass on the customer's details and warn him (he's a lot easier with refusing customers than my father).

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Now the funniest line I ever heard from a police officer was "How did you come into possession of this child?"

LOL...

"Why, officer, I made it myself. Would you like to help making another?"

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

LOL...

"Why, officer, I made it myself. Would you like to help making another?"

Alas, it was not my child.
The cops were there because emergency rooms are required by law to call on abused children.
The child's leg was the only explainable injury. She had been hit by a door.
Luckily the child was not seriously injured.
Did make for an interesting night and if the cops went through the waiting room, bet that made the other patients wonder what was going on since one had his SWAT vest on.
He was most relieved that the child just had a badly bruised leg and the actual concerned relatives did not blame him. He was the one that had opened the door.

[wodin]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Ever do a wedding and wedding reception as a non-drinker? Jesus wept), so...nyet.

Hitch

Yup, carbonated ("sparkling") apple juice just sux!

[wodin]

Originally Posted by Rumpelteazer

Why don't people LISTEN.
...

This morning I had someone who thought he was calling a bakery and started rattling out his order as soon as I picked up the phone. The first 3 times I told him nicely he had the wrong number. The 4th time I told him he should look up the number and he called me names.

I'd have politely taken his order, then thrown it in the waste bin.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Rumpelteazer

Why don't people LISTEN.

This morning I had someone who thought he was calling a bakery and started rattling out his order as soon as I picked up the phone. The first 3 times I told him nicely he had the wrong number. The 4th time I told him he should look up the number and he called me names.

Getting a wrong number is excusable. Calling back the second time was not.

You should have been rude right then.
Also if they call you names say "thank you" and they will probably stop if they *think* you are enjoying it.

Yes, I am a terrible person.
People like that caller really deserve to get some frustration of their own.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Getting a wrong number is excusable. Calling back the second time was not.

You should have been rude right then.
Also if they call you names say "thank you" and they will probably stop if they *think* you are enjoying it.

Yes, I am a terrible person.
People like that caller really deserve to get some frustration of their own.

Yesterday a computer called. I said Goodbye, adios, sayonara, and ciao. Then I heard a click.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Getting a wrong number is excusable. Calling back the second time was not.

You should have been rude right then.
Also if they call you names say "thank you" and they will probably stop if they *think* you are enjoying it.

Yes, I am a terrible person.
People like that caller really deserve to get some frustration of their own.

I've had some people get the wrong number more than once. Especially for some older folks, it's...vexatious but not "inexcusable." What's inexcusable is the rudeness. Now, THAT, that's inexcusable, IMHO.

Somewhat related: there's a bookstore out there in the world with a name not dissimilar to my company's name. And of course, we're both in the "book" business, albeit in different ways. Apparently, Dr. Phil or one of those guys wrote a book that is ONLY available in digital format. This book is about aging in perfect shape, or something. (I should pay attention. I'll need that sucker soon!) In addition to that, it's advertised or pimped on one of the TV shows that older folk watch, by a bookstore called "The Book Nook."

I've lost track of the angry elderly folks that call us to rant to me (some have been really angry-rude) about how I should convince Dr. Phil to release that book in print. Initially, I tried to explain--sorry, I understand why you'd think it was us, but it's not--and now I just give them that bookstore's number, and tell them that that's the "department" that they have to call to complain. {shrug}. I mean, it's easier than arguing with them.

Hitch

[Rumpelteazer]

Originally Posted by Hitch

I've had some people get the wrong number more than once. Especially for some older folks, it's...vexatious but not "inexcusable." What's inexcusable is the rudeness. Now, THAT, that's inexcusable, IMHO.

Somewhat related: there's a bookstore out there in the world with a name not dissimilar to my company's name. And of course, we're both in the "book" business, albeit in different ways. Apparently, Dr. Phil or one of those guys wrote a book that is ONLY available in digital format. This book is about aging in perfect shape, or something. (I should pay attention. I'll need that sucker soon!) In addition to that, it's advertised or pimped on one of the TV shows that older folk watch, by a bookstore called "The Book Nook."

I've lost track of the angry elderly folks that call us to rant to me (some have been really angry-rude) about how I should convince Dr. Phil to release that book in print. Initially, I tried to explain--sorry, I understand why you'd think it was us, but it's not--and now I just give them that bookstore's number, and tell them that that's the "department" that they have to call to complain. {shrug}. I mean, it's easier than arguing with them.

Hitch

We've had a law firm that had our number printed on some of their stationary. The biggest problem was they were specialized in immigration law and seemed to cater mainly towards Turkish and Arabic clients. Those people did not speak any Dutch and when you picked up the phone they started to talk in their own language, it was very hard to make clear they were provided with the wrong number.

Several times a year we would have to call the law firm and ask if they would not use that stationary any more. They would be rude, but we wouldn't get any phone calls from their clients for a couple of months. This has been going on for over 10 years, until last year I got someone from the government's immigration on the phone, who was very confused about getting a electro technical store on the phone. I explained the problem and he agreed with me that it was an awkward situation and not handled well by the law firm. He assured me he would personally make sure it wouldn't happen again (I got the impression it was a Very Important Person in immigration). And since then we haven't had a phone call from someone trying to reach the law firm.