This is Mrs. Grumpy. I dragged the kids to the dentist today, to learn Craig has a cavity. So I went up to the gum-chewing-queen to make an appointment to deal with that.
Gum Queen: "Waddya need?"
Nurse Grumpy: "I need to make an appointment for Craig."
Gum Queen: "Okee dokee li'l smokee, when'ja wanna come back?"
Nurse Grumpy: "Next week works. What do you have then?"
Gum Queen: "We got all day. You pick."
Nurse Grumpy: "Um... How about 8:00 on Wednesday morning?"
Gum Queen: "We don't open till 9:00."
Nurse Grumpy: "Okay, how about 9:00 on Wednesday?"
Gum Queen: "We're closed next Wednesday. Doctor is out."
Nurse Grumpy: "What about Tuesday at 9:00?"
Gum Queen: "On Tuesdays we don't open until noon."
Nurse Grumpy: "Look. What do you have? Tell me when, and we can be here."
Gum Queen: "Whenever you want to come in."
Nurse Grumpy: "I've given you 3 times, and you said I couldn't. So pick a time next week, and I'll bring him in."
Gum Queen: "I don't know when you should. I'm off next week, so it's not like I'm gonna know what's going on anyway."
Nurse Grumpy: "Will someone be here next week?"
Gum Queen: "Schedule says so."
(long pause)
Nurse Grumpy: "I think I'll just call next week."
Gum Queen: "I ain't gonna be here."
Nurse Grumpy: "Yes. Have a nice day."
Are you sure you weren't trying to make an appt. with my husband? The person who works with him is exactly like this-but I suppose you weren't trying win a govt. contract so I'll go with no. This may be why my husband comes home with patches of his hair missing-he is pulling it out in frustration!
ReplyDeletehow do people like this actually remain employed?????
ReplyDeleteOooh, I hate the "guess? you'll never guess!" game. Gum Queen sounds like a soft-headed relative hire by a soft-hearted dentist.
ReplyDeleteWonder if she has a Double D in attention span?
ReplyDeletewv, ingro, for those annoying long toenails...
I think it's a dentist office thing. I've dumped 2 for incompetant staff - not dentists.
ReplyDeleteSounds like my vet's office.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately Gum Queen is very common in my geographic area. I try to console myself that when the offices were hiring these were the best of the lot at the time. There are worse out there, lots of them, and they make Gum Queen look like super secretary. They and the Gum Queens add to MY frustration, aggrevation,time, energy and cost, not to mention a demise of my mental well being. All the while they are happy as clams Go figure. I had surgery (outpatient) scheduled for when i had leave time that had to be used and someone to help me at home. This was scheduled in late Oct for the first week of January. For some reason I called the day before to ask a question and they had no idea what I was talking about, no appointment, no records of me at all. I had the instructions for surgery, and appointment card with date on it. I was told whoever gave me all that did not enter it into the computer.
ReplyDeleteWell, maybe you shouldn't expect so much. I mean, she was chewing gum, AND talking AND thinking about her week off. You can't imagine she could also say something like "Would 2:00pm on Tuesday work for you or would 9:00am on Thursday be better?" Jeez! Minny
ReplyDeleteThe stoopid, eeet burrrnnsss!!!
ReplyDeleteSounds like the Dept of Human Services.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately people like that are very common here :(
ReplyDelete*facepalm* I think I've worked with her before. She'd actually turn the ringer off on her phone so she wouldn't have to answer it. So, when you do call in and you have a hard time getting through? I'm willing to bet the ringer is turned off.
ReplyDeleteUgh, I feel the urge to apologize for all of those boneheaded receptionists out there. Oy.
I have a friend who's son is a doctor. His last name is rather unusual. Let's say it's WEISELDOR. My friend calls his office one day to speak to him telling them this is Dr. Weiseldor's mom, Mrs. Weiseldor. The receptionist who has worked there for years takes her number and says, "And how do you spell Weiseldor?"
ReplyDeleteSounds like the Monty Python cheese shop routine to me.
ReplyDeleteI overheard a similar interchange at a clinic recently that went on for a while.
In this case though it appeared to be due in part to a new computer system the receptionist was attempting to use.
I finally interupted and asked "well do you have any chesse at all then?"
The older woman trying to make an appointment cracked up laughing and the poor receptionist just got a blanker look on his face.