Don’t do this
I just got a call that went like this:
Me: This is Sue Pelletier
Her: Stan Pillaster?
Me: No, Sue Pelletier. Who are you trying to reach?
Her: Stan, Stew, something like that. Pillmonger? Pillager?
Me, being helpful: Sue Pelletier, maybe?
Her: I dunno. I guess.
Me: That’d be me. How can I help you?
Her: mumble
Me: What?
Her: mumble mumble press release mumble.
Me: Is this something about a press release?
Her: I guess.
Me: Is there a particular company or topic involved in said press release that you wanted to talk about?
Her: Just wanted to know if you got it and when you’re going to use it.
Me: Well, I can’t tell you that unless you can tell me what it’s about.
Her: It’s that press release that you got. Probably in the last week or two.
Me: I hate to break it to you, but I get more than one a week. Can you maybe look it up and call me back when you have an idea of what it is you want to talk with me about?
Her: Just tell me when you’re going to run it.
Me: Good bye.
I tried to be nice, but I just couldn’t stand it anymore. Please, whenever your organization is communicating with someone important to your business, don’t let it be someone like this. If I had ever gotten a clue who she was calling about, it would have disinclined me to work with them in any way, given the level of incompetence already evident in my dealings with that company. Fortunately for them, she was so bad that I still don’t know who she represented.
October 1st, 2008 at 6:21 pm
“I hate to break it to you, but I get more than one a week” … priceless!
October 2nd, 2008 at 5:59 am
Wow, that’s just appalling. I really hope she realizes that PR isn’t the field for her sometime soon …
October 2nd, 2008 at 9:41 am
Sounds very, very familiar. …
October 7th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
The boss asked her to call and didn’t give her the background information she needed to be coherent. I remember a few times being in that position in my early working days! Especially if you are new to the company or a temp.
Sometimes you just don’t realize what you don’t know until you’re in the middle of it.
Carey
(Anne) Carey, CMP
Meeting & Events Professional
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