Phone call

Speaking of phone calls....

Last week I signed up to some online search web site for new and used cars that is available to team members who work for my company. Supposedly if we bought a car using the web site, we'd get some tiny discount. I was just using it to check out prices of random used cars to see what we're going to face next fall when we look for a new/used car to replace my dirt mobile.

When I signed up, I had to give my info, and since we might actually use the service, I felt it was better to give them my real info instead of making it up. I almost put my cellphone number down instead of my home phone number, but I've read in the news that companies are now sending out text messages to people in lieu of actual phone calls, and this just causes an extra charge on our bill, so I put our home number down. I then clicked the box for "e-mail" as how I would want to be contacted. I really do hate the phone. And I'm not very nice when I am on the phone, if I don't know you.

So there I was, happily working away at home, when the phone rang.

"Hello?" I said.

For a good 10 seconds or maybe even 20 seconds, there was no sound. I really do enjoy these types of phone calls because I know it's someone trying to sell something or it's a wrong number or something odd is going to happen. And that means I have every right to be the biggest jerk ever because they're calling me, not the other way around.

"Hello?" a girl said, finally.

Now, I hate this most of all. I'm not calling them, so why should they say "hello?" like I'm the one calling them. This just fuels my fire even more.

"Hello?" I said in monotone.

"May I speak to Janine?" she asked.

"You're speaking to her," I said.

She then went into her friendly spiel about how I just signed up for the car search web site and she wanted to know which models of cars I was looking for.

Oh, lordy, I thought.

"I was just looking," I said.

"Oh, that's great! You should just look, but you know, if you have any particular models in mind, maybe I can help you research...," she began.

"I was just looking, and isn't the point of your web site so that people can do their own research? And can't I just do that on the internet in general, without your site?" I said.

"Oh. Well, yes, but..." she started.

"Thanks, bye." I hung up.

I was annoyed because I don't get why web sites have to call you about stuff, even if they proclaim it's not a sales call, although it always is, deep down.

Then I remembered that I had clicked the "e-mail" button as the way I wanted to be contacted, and I got fuming mad even more. Why can't I remember these things when I'm on the phone with the web site people? And if she had only screwed up my name, which is in my top 5 unsolicited phone call pet peeves. If only.....