Are they same?

"Well, you tell me," was my exasperated reply to the annoying call-center lady. But first, let me go over some history here.

As usual it's three O'clock in the afternoon, when I get this call on my landline (deja vu?)

"Sir, I am calling from xyz bank. You have applied for a credit card, eees eeet[sic]?"

"Yes, I have."

"Yeah, OK. This is a confirmation call."

"Well, I got three confirmation calls already, how many times are you going to call me?" I confirm I am annoyed.

"hehe. Sir this is the first time I am calling you!" I get a dip of the intelligence of this alien object.

"Yeah. But---" Signs of give-up are showing.

"Ok. What's your birthdate?" Here you go!

I tell her my birthdate, taking care not to make any mistake.

"Oh. eees eeet?" What do you mean by "oh is it?" but it's a muted moot question that never sees the light of this particular day.

"You're a salaried professional, eees eeet?"

"Yes. I am salaried at any rate"

"What is your residential address?"

"What is your permanent address?"

"What is your office address?"

I address all of the above questions in a professional manner.

A few seconds pass.

"Sir, your office address and residential addresses are different!!!!!!"

"Of course, what do you mean???"

She is amused by my counter-question, and laughs her heart out.

For the next few questions, I can hear a slight laughing undertone in her voice, which irritates me more (I should be proud of the victory, but no.)

At the end of it, she says, "Thank you sir. I'll call you if I need more information".

"Eees eeet?" is what I want to ask, but I give out a feeble smile, and say "Yeah. Anytime!"

Record

Imagine.

I don't think you will do a bad job of it.

Imagine.

It has been a hectic day. Bosses all around you: different bosses asking you to do different things. However, the end goal is the common. Work towards the success of the project. Many ways, one end result. So much for management - you are up to doing your best. You are unaware of the time. Time as the concept, and time as the quantity. You are possessed, so to say.

In the middle of personal record breaking concentration, the phone rings. You wish it isn't another boss or colleague asking 'status' of the work. Status is good, anyway. You look at the display of the phone.

The number is unknown. At least to the software that runs the phone's interface.

You pick up the phone. One eye still on the screen.

And you expect to hear 'hello' a split second before you yourself acknowledge with a friendly 'hello'.

You hear some noise. Noise in such circumstances is bad. You tend to concentrate more at the noise to make some sense out of it. And in doing so, you lose out on the personal record of concentration at work. You feel it. You feel disappointed. In that disappointment, you raise your voice a bit, and say 'Hello'.

Noise continues to create sound waves in the air near your ear drums. Still, nothing is making sense.

You take your eyes off the screen, deciding to have a go at the personal record later sometime. The noise starts making some sense. It is a lady's voice. But she is not saying hello. Why? You raise your voice a bit more, and say, 'HEllo,' blaming the telephone network's poor strength.

Two seconds pass. You allow the lady at the other end to continue.

Alas. And then, at that very moment, you realize the lady at the other end is not going to say hello to you. Because the Lady at the other end is merely a recorded lady. I mean, a lady's voice that has been pre-recorded. She is pleading that you watch out for the attractive contests that will be announced during the commercial breaks at the time of ICC Champion's trophy live telecasts.

You say, almost out of habit, "No, I am not interested," and hang up.

The personal record is beckoning. You smile at the thought of how foolishly ridiculous your 'hello,' 'Hello' and 'HEllo's would have sounded to the recorded Lady; and return to the attempts of breaking your personal concentration record.

Can you imagine?

Match the following!

Hello, good afternoon Sir, I am Rekha calling from ICICI.
Hello? Oh, is it? You have another salesman on hold on your desk phone?
Hello good afternoon, is this miss Ajit?
Hellllllloooooo? Hello.........? This is Uma from HSBC Personal Loans---
Hello? This is personal loans speaking. Are you interested in me?
Hello! Sorry to disturb you sir, but are you married?
Hello? Are you busy? Oh, please call me back once you are done.
Hello? Whhhatttt? You are not interested in personal loans? Why, sir?
Hello, umm, is this not Mr. Ajit?
Hello good morning, am I speaking to Mr. umm. Ajit?
Hello Saar! Did you register yourself for housing loan?
Hello? Hello? Hello? Hello? (click)
Hello. We want to give a bonus credit card to your son. Can I have his full name?
Hello? What?? You mean you are working now?
Hello, good evening Sir, I am Pushpa calling from HSBC...
Hello saar, where have you been? I left a voice message for you three weeks ago...
Hello, can you not fax me your salary slip and bank accounts statement?
Hello sir, Hello? Hello? The voice is cracking sir. Which cell-phone do you own?

***

Hello. No, sorry I can't speak now, my boss is here. Is yours not?
Hello, No, sorry, I have enough money. Thank you.
Hello. So sorry dear, but I am not interested.
Hello. You'll have to wait for twenty five years.
Hello. Yeah, I have a pathetic phone.
Hello. No, sorry I am not interesting -sorry- interested.
Hello. No, I told you, I have enough debts already.
Hello. Ok, I'll call you on your mobile once I am done with my meeting.
Hello. Nice. Your name is familiar.
Hello. No. Thanks and yeah, good night!
Hello, No, sorry I am not married.
Hello. No, my company doesn't pay me salary. They give me Gold bricks.
Hello. This is Ajit speaking from In Tale.
Hello. I am not busy at all. I was missing you honey!
Hello. I shall disclose that your father, not to you.
Hello. Yeah, I have been on vacation to Honoloulouloulou.
Hello. Yes, I am Mr. Ajit.
Hello. Yeah, I have a cracking voice.

Two encounters

Two encounters with the tele-sales-woman:

I said two encounters, because first time when she called I was in a meeting and had to disappoint her by declining to speak any further. Yet, even before I could tell her that she had called me at an unfavourable time, she was through with three sentences,

"Hello, I am Pushpa calling from Airtel" {What are you doing at Airtel, dear? I mean why did you have to go there and call?}

"Am I talking to (a long pause) Mr. Ajit Niranjan?" {Yeah, that's me!}

"Yes"

"Sir, thank you for being a customer for Airtel for last six months. Do you have any feedback to give?"- all these words come at a pace which signifies that she is actually reading it out from somewhere. Maybe her handwriting is too bad.

{Don't ever call me, is the only feedback I have, but this is no time for argument}

"Please call me later- I am in a meeting," I try to keep my voice as pleasant as I can.

"When can I call you, sir?"

"After six," I say this without raising my voice, accomplishing a victory over my angered self!

***
A few hours pass, and I happily forget about this call. But the Lady does not. She calls me promptly at around six. Yet, again, she starts-

"Hello, I am Pushpa calling from Airtel"

"Am I talking to (a long pause) Mr. Ajit Niranjan?"

"Yes"

"Sir, thank you for being a customer for Airtel for last six months. Do you have any feedback to give?"- all these words come at a pace which signifies that she is actually reading it out from somewhere. Maybe her handwriting is too bad.

If you are thinking, I have copy-pasted from the above incidence, you are right. I mean, I am describing the two incidences as they happened, and I have optimised my effort by copy-pasting the conversation. Without making any falsification, that is. And those were precisely the words I heard for the second time around.

Pity her job. And her handwriting, too.

She further asked if I could give her more references so that she could contact them and persuade into buying an Airtel connection. I said no, all of my acquaintances are on Airtel anyway, {and at any cost, I don't want to be the reason of your calling them.}

***
There is no "moral of the story" section. I don't have any good or bad comments about this rather amusing phone call, I wish I don't get any more. And that's that!

Trojan Horse?

If you are (also) frustrated because you keep getting unsolicited calls from financial organisations willing to offer you credit cards for free, petro-cards for free and almost every card for free, you can turn these buggers off once and for all.

But there is some pain involved. You need to access each and every bank's website and fill up registration forms for availing this "service". Yes, they call it a service.

Whatever.

I have filled a couple of forms straightaway.
---

On the other hand, I am worried too. They have asked to fill in all my details which maybe they couldn't have got hold of so easily.

I remember the famous story of trojan horse :)

Interesting

I get these spam calls all the time - credit cards, debit cards, housing loans, personal loans, education loans, telephone companies trying to push their pre-paid cards into my post-paid connection and what not.

I really don't care what they say. I keep humming.

Then today I got this call, [these ladies will give their names without even asking - how nice :)]

"Hello, Good morning Sir"

{Oh no not again} "Yes"

"Hi, this is Sneha calling from ICICI Bank"

{Ok, the name rings a bell - she is calling again!} "OK"

"Sir, ICICI bank is offering personal loan sir"

{Nothing personal here - it's all professional} "OK"

"We have quite competitive interest rates."

{When is she going to hang up?} "OK"

"We are offering you personal loan upto 13 lacs, at 0% interest and 0.05% processing fees."

{That's it. Enough.} "No. Thank you, I am not interested"

"Ok. Thanks. Have a nice day sir!"

{uff. It was easy to hang up this time. She didn't ask why I was not going for the loan.}

---

Bottomline:

Even the call center employee who goes by the name of Sneha can play intelligent prank. And of course, people like me can fall for it!

:)

Good afternoon sir!

It's about three-forty-five in the afternoon. The day has been hectic so far. There are many things that don't work, and sadly, only a few that work are not so significant. I am trying my best to get something up and working. I am engrossed in my thought. The data structure of the program is almost re-created in my own physical memory. I am keeping track of things as they are being linked to each other. I am completely lost in my thought process.

And suddenly...suddenly it rings. The ever sweet ring-tone of my desk phone sounds so irritating at such times. The data structure in my head is a bit shaken but not broken. Well, not yet.

I reluctantly look at the display of the phone which shows an unknown external number. Why on earth did this person have to call me at this time? I shrug off this natural thought and pick up the phone.

"Hello?" I fail to keep my irritation away from appearing in the greeting.

"Hello! Am I speaking with Mr. umm. err. Ajit?" A lady answers my greeting. I fail to sense a trace of sweetness in her voice, if any.

"......Yeah......" I am still trying to link my broken data structure. I try to buy some time by applying a longish pause. I just hope this lady doesn't interpret it as if I have a lot of time.

"Mr. Ajit. Good afternoon. I am calling from ICICI bank." Oh no, not again!

"Yeah" I want to keep this short. In reality I want to hang up on her right away, but alas! I keep the line alive.

"Sorry for disturbing you sir, I just wanted to know if you hold an ICICI bank credit card Mr Ajit?" I have had enough. I have received such a call at least six times before. They just call and ask if I hold a credit card or not. I am convinced they know I hold one.

"Yeah. I do." I have almost lost my data structure by now.

"Thank you sir, have a nice day!" And now she hangs up on me! How's that for a good afternoon?
---

I am sure this is a common incident in all the IT offices around here. I remember an interesting story from my earlier organisation:

Apparently there was an important meeting going on in the office. Some major decisions were to be taken after a long discussion. All the big-shots were present for the meeting. In between the phone rang-

"Sir I am calling from one of the banks around here sir, would you like to go for a free credit card sir?"

And the conference room erupted into huge laughter.
---

TRING TRING. Oh no! Not again...