Changes

I got fired two days before Thanksgiving.

I am to blame. I lost my cool--although I have to say I thought the guy was off the phone--had hung up--when I said under my breath something I would never have said if it hadn't been such a bad day-- and I'm ashamed of it. Actually not long after the incident I went home in tears because I just couldn't take being called names anymore. They fired me the next day. And I was glad. I'm sixty years old. I really don't think a 60 year old woman ought to be forced to listen as people call her every nasty name in the book just because they couldn't pay their electric bill and got disconnected. I don't call anyone names when I get disconnected. And I've been disconnected a number of times in my 60 years. Believe me--I never once called the person on the other end of the line a name. My anger was reserved for myself and myself alone.

I have worked in customer service for over 20 years. When I began no one would have dreamed of calling me names. It was truly customer service and people just didn't do that often. In the 90's it changed. Men began to call names and by the end of 1999 women were ruder than the men. I mean I've watched it go from only creeps with no self control calling you a name when they don't get what they want to every Jack and Jill having breakdowns and finding new and more disgusting words to call you at customer service. I have worked for companies where you did NOT have to take it. They felt that their employees deserved to be treated civilized and decently. And I've worked for companies that say you'll take it. I don't work for them very long.

But this one is a record.

However--

It was that company's (the agency that works for the electric company answering phones)policy-you were not allowed to say anything or do anything about swearing and name calling. "We pay you to take it." Well--I won't take it I guess. At least not for $9.00 an hour and insurance.

Actually I can't think of an amount I would take to spend my eight hours of work being called names.

I shouldn't have said what I did.
And it was bad. Really bad even if it was in a whisper and I thought he was long gone. But he heard me.

You see--he hadn't paid his bill--three months and nine notices --it was over $1300.00. It was a business account. And his business was out of business without the electricity
He was Middle Eastern, heavy accent, screaming at me and swearing and calling me woman hating names and it wasn't the first call like that that day --by no means was it the first like that that day. Woman hating names, he called me.

And after I got his money and stated thank you for calling -----------I waited and started writing my notes on the account screen and when I was done I thought he was gone--but noooooo--I whispered something the Homeland Security people would have had a hey-day with--something to do with --oh--racial-- security harming and well--the company could be sued--unless he is one--but hey! he heard me!

So they fired me. I could have called him any number of other things that would fit him quite well, but I chose one that scared the dickens out of the company. Which is from England by the way.
But if Homeland Security WAS listening to this Middle Eastern, woman hating creeps phone calls--maybe they should look in to him. He works with water pumps for city water tanks. Think about it.

So if anybody is offended and thinks I'm horrible--go with that cause getting fired was exactly what I should have happen to me for such a stupid loss of temper.

But nobody has called me names in weeks and I finally feel clean.

I'll live.
And I swear if my power gets turned off I won't swear at the woman who answers the phone. In fact she may even think I'm nuts--I'll be laughing.