I feel vindicated.
I had to call Bank One about a new ATM card I received. While I was at it, I wanted to give them a change of address. Now, mind you, I had one of those really unresponsive customer service reps that take for five minutes to answer when you talk to them . They're too challenged by what they do to even say "okay" or "hold on while I look into it". (something that just drove me nuts when my co workers used to do it and something I think is highly unprofessional. You should always at least show enough interest to tell a customer to hold on.). Additionally, there's an incessant beeping on the line the whole time I'm talking to her , which is unnerving. She automatically acts like my question is just extraordinarily stupid. Being that I know how many stupid questions a customer service rep gets, there is no reason for the instant attitude.
I know her well. I know her type well. Her type made my life living hell. They're always being rude to customers, no matter how nice the customers try to be. As a result, said customers approach future calls with an annoyed attitude and the good customer service reps' job is that much harder. These types are the first one to pass the buck and would not hesitate to bad mouth a co worker, either to a customer or to a supervisor, if it means covering their own ass which I can assure you is quite lazy.
That said, I'm not inclined to be overly patient with them. If you hate your job that much, then quit. But they would never do that. They want the paycheck, but they don't care anything about how much work they pass onto their co workers through their laziness and bad attitude. I know the type and so do you.
So, she begins verifying all my information when I say I have a change of address. The checking account number. Okay, I expect that. My mother's maiden name. Well, I don't remember giving that to them, but fine. The last four digits of my social security number. Okay. Then she wants to know the precise date and amount of my last deposit.
Fuck if I know.
Of course, she gives me a hard time about this. Now, the irony is that I can see all my account activity online by just giving my social and a password. But for some reason an address change is such high security that I need to have every transaction memorized in my head? I don't bother balancing my checkbook. I know how much I have in my account, and if I don't, I can check on line. So I tell her I have no idea, and she's still being pissy about this. I demand to know why I have to give all this information out just for a change of address. Like all bad customer service reps, she is absolutely unresponsive. Fine. So I resort to my best friend.
sarcasm.
"What, do you want the name of my future first born, too?" I ask her.
"That won't be necessary." She says. Pause. "Haha!" she snaps. She's pissed now, because not only was I sarcastic to her, but it took her a second to get it, and she knows I know it.
So I tell her the amount was somewhere around two hundred bucks, but fuck if I remember when.
"Well, do you know when? Was it last week? last month? last year?"
Aha. She's trying to be sarcastic back. But see, she's not very good at it, and I am. Plus, revenge sarcasm never works. It just further proves the point that they were got.
"Oh last week sometime." I say. So she takes my new address, seething the whole time.
So, I get off the phone with her. Normally, I end customer service calls somewhat annoyed. But this time I'm not, because I got her back. But good.
Life can be fun sometimes.
Now, I go in search of coffee...