Time-Wasters

By day, I work for a wholesaler. We sell (among other things) televisions.

One of our regular customers doesn't show up in person. Instead, they send a driver to pick their product up three times per week.

Every time he visits us, he asks us, "What do you have in a fifty?" Now, we have close to 30 models of television which are hovering around that 50" mark. "I don't want to spend more than a grand," he tells us.

So - every week - we print him a bunch of spec sheets for TV's that fit what he's looking for. And - every week - he tells us, "I just need to clear this with the Old Lady. I'll be back."

And he is right - he will be back. In two days. To ask us the same questions and get copies of the same spec sheets.

It's a complete waste of time.

We have other customers who call every week, "Do you have any more of them iPods?"

You see, we had refurbished iPods. Briefly. Over one holiday season. They sold like crazy and were then returned like crazy. So we won't be getting any more. Ever. We actually tell customers this using exactly that language. So why, exactly, are you still calling for these iPods? Are you bored? Do you just want to waste our time?

See, not all customer questions are a waste of time. That's part of why we have a customer service department - to help customers who have actual problems and questions. But our customer service team also handles order entry, invoice processing, and a whole lot of filing. The more time we spend answering your repeated questions, the more our other tasks slip, and the further behind we fall.

It's frustrating and annoying, and I strongly dislike it.