Dear dimwit on the phone

Caller: "What channel is truTV?"

Cable company: "We don't carry that."

Caller: "Why the hell not? I pay you like $100 per month and you don't carry it!"

 

Don't know what it's like in other parts of the country served by Comcast, but my mom lives a few hours away from me, also has Comcast, and, except for the locals (she's in a different market), they seem to have all the networks on the same channel as is on mine.

Local office? It's in the next town over. Call center is in Reno, IIRC. A mere 15 minutes from Lake Tahoe.

 

I thought there was a legend that soap fans complained about preemption when JFK was assassinated.

There also was a story about when Cronkite got off the newscast that day, he was wandering around the office when a phone rang. He picked it up, and the caller started bitching about how unprofessional Cronkite was for weeping. Cronkite told the caller who they were talking to, called them an idiot, and hung up.

 

"and that's the way it is......" Great line to close a broadcast.

 

Guy calls up asking if so-and-so free agent signed with the local NFL team, I tell him not yet, and instead of leaving it at that I have to say one extra sentence and tell him it'll depend on what other teams are offering him, so then he expects me to know who the other teams are and how much money they're offering said free agent.

 

So...WHO is the dimwit?

 

;D

There's an African American guy who calls in to complain from time to time who's a racist. Pro team signs a white free agent over a black one, it's racism. Black player attacks white player, it's the white player's fault. It's also wrong to fire a black coach and replace him or her with a white coach. For a couple years he kept wanting the local team to sign Donovan McNabb even though he was clearly done, but if they want to win they have to sign him and get rid of their more productive white quarterback.

I have to shut down and be emotionless when answering his call, only saying the bare minimum so I don't give him any extra avenues to keep talking, because it's the same song and dance for him every time. No matter what his racist complaint is about, he always hits the same talking points, asks me the same questions, and he needs the number of the sports editor (which is also published in the paper every day) even though I've given it to him every time.

 

Every Monday we get a call from a guy in a nursing home. He bitches about why we don't list EVER SINGLE event the Big Ten Network airs. That's it...that's all he wants to bitch about.
Obviously, he's lonely.

 

I've known people in nursing homes. Not always a fun place and, yes, lonely. The ones who still have their brains functioning find themselves with too much time on their hands.

 

People who are not either special interest pleaders or nuts now know enough to look it up on the Internet. So while the volume of calls has decreased, the percentage of wacko calls has increased. Sorry gang, but it's another reason I'm no longer sorry I'm out.

 

Someone actually complained that we were listing the college network that covers our region's colleges... because he doesn't get that station.

What special interests? Who's to say lacrosse/rugby/badminton/ultimate isn't the fastest growing sport in the country? ;D

 

Not on the phone, just dimwittery in the newsroom (and to push this topic closer to 200 pages):

Photog rushes out of their work room to sports: "My girlfriend just told me the Podunk High coach resigned."

Sports guys: "Yeah, we Tweeted it about an hour ago."