Just Say You Don't Know

Tonight, I called Sprint because I was trying to transfer my nephew from my line to my sister's line. (That's another blog...) Once I get a customer service representative on the line and verify that I am Heather G, I immediately tell her that my phone's battery is low so I want to give her all he information she needs from me before she calls my sister and completes the request.

The operator, let's call her Sally, proceeds to tell me that my sister and I would have to both go into a Sprint store to show our ID and that we cannot do this over the telephone. I told her that I was already informed this process could be done over the phone. Moments later, after what seemed like an eternity in cell-phone-dying-time, she mentioned that her supervisor said this could be done. Whew! We are now back in business.

I try to get us back on schedule and tell her that I was going to give her my sister's telephone number so that she could call my sister on three way to complete the transaction. Sally tells me that Sprint could not make a three way phone call. Huh??

(Pause break: I want you to absorb this last statement)

I became speechless. Is she serious? My cell phone company was not able to make a three way phone call in 2008? I think I died internally. I completely lost the little bit of patience I was holding on to.

I went off on Sally in the nicest way possible. "Ma'am, you are really beginning to upset me. You keep telling me things that Sprint cannot do but I KNOW this is possible. I have called in the past to verify this process and you are taking me 10 steps backwards. Apparently you are new to this position and I respect that, however, you piss me off when you say that Sprint cannot do this. Please, just say that YOU don't know how to do it. I could have hung up the phone and tried to get a more efficient operator since my phone battery was dying."

Sally: "Can you plug your phone into a car charger so that we may continue this conversation? I am new at this position and I never had to make a three way phone call or transfer a phone line. I do apologize."

Me: "Ma'am, if I had a car charger in my possession, this conversation would be non existent. I just want you to know that when Sprint calls me back for a survey about this conversation, they will be getting an ear full. You could have made my life so much easier just by saying "I don't know" instead of implying that it definitely cannot be done. Please take this as constructive criticism. Have a nice night."

Phone dies.