Coffee Table Declarations
Monday, March 01, 2004
An actual conversation that just took place:
Me (answering phone): Good morning, (name of the company)
Caller: Hi, I'm calling in for Tony?
Me: There's nobody here by that name.
Caller: Um, he works there and he's supposed to be coming in but he's really sick and um...
Me (louder and firmer): There's nobody here by that name.
Caller: Yes, he works there...
Me (getting annoyed): This is (name of the company).
Caller: (click - sound of her hanging up on me)
Two seconds later the phone rings again and it's a hang up. I'm a little suspicious about Tony. After all, why is he having someone call in for him if he's sick? Why not call in for himself - afraid of the boss? Plus, shouldn't the person doing the calling know where he works and perhaps ask to speak to his supervisor rather than just telling the first random person who answers the phone? Additionally, isn't hanging up in some way an admission of guilt? If you were honestly trying to call in sick for Tony and things were on the up and up, wouldn't you try to determine where you had called and whether the number was correct, or something? If I were Tony's boss and this youngish sounding girl called and just said he was really sick and wouldn't be coming in, I'd have to question Tony's sense of responsibility and dedication to his job. The whole thing kind of reminded me of that scene in Ferris Bueller when they call Mr. Rooney pretending to be the girlfriend's dad so that she can leave school. But I don't know, maybe it's just me.
Me (answering phone): Good morning, (name of the company)
Caller: Hi, I'm calling in for Tony?
Me: There's nobody here by that name.
Caller: Um, he works there and he's supposed to be coming in but he's really sick and um...
Me (louder and firmer): There's nobody here by that name.
Caller: Yes, he works there...
Me (getting annoyed): This is (name of the company).
Caller: (click - sound of her hanging up on me)
Two seconds later the phone rings again and it's a hang up. I'm a little suspicious about Tony. After all, why is he having someone call in for him if he's sick? Why not call in for himself - afraid of the boss? Plus, shouldn't the person doing the calling know where he works and perhaps ask to speak to his supervisor rather than just telling the first random person who answers the phone? Additionally, isn't hanging up in some way an admission of guilt? If you were honestly trying to call in sick for Tony and things were on the up and up, wouldn't you try to determine where you had called and whether the number was correct, or something? If I were Tony's boss and this youngish sounding girl called and just said he was really sick and wouldn't be coming in, I'd have to question Tony's sense of responsibility and dedication to his job. The whole thing kind of reminded me of that scene in Ferris Bueller when they call Mr. Rooney pretending to be the girlfriend's dad so that she can leave school. But I don't know, maybe it's just me.
