Own Worst Enemy

I just got off of a call where the person was speaking at a speed that would have given me friction burns on my tongue and lips. She was upset over a disagreement in the amount of a utility bill she was paying. The representative trying to help her was courteous and very helpful and gave all of the information that was needed, but at no point was I ever actually able to translate the information to the other person because she would cut me off within two words of my translation.

There came a point when the conversation went as:

Rep ~ “She hasn’t let you say a thing, has she?”

Me ~ “No, ma’am.”

Rep ~ “Yeah, it’s pretty obvious. Don’t sweat it. I can see you’re trying your hardest.”

And toward the end of the call, the customer was simply screaming and it was like listening to an engine that was redlining out of control and about to throw a rod clean through the intake manifold. I couldn’t understand her at all.

And then all of a sudden, silence.

The rep comes back on and says, “I dropped her. Man, that was crazy. I recorded the whole call because that’s the second time she’s called in ten minutes, so both of our butts are covered.”

All that had happened is that the customer’s payment and the new bill had crossed in the mail.

That was it.

She’s sitting somewhere, in some living room, having a coronary or embolism or stroke, and she didn’t owe a thing on the account. She just wouldn’t let me tell her.

She was her own worst enemy.