Carthage

« V Day and so on | Main | I think that racist blogger should be keel-hauled »

February 15, 2003

After ten minutes on hold:

"Hello, thank you for calling AOL customer service, my name is James, how can I help to make your online experience a magical one this morning?"

"Well, James, I would like to cancel my magical online account."

"Heh. Okay. Let me just pull up your information."

(Takes all my information, prefacing each question with "Now in order to protect your privacy can you please tell me...") "And can I have your reason for cancelling service with AOL this morning?"

"I'm giving up the internet."

"You're...why are you giving up the internet?"

"I'm moving to a commune in Minnesota and they don't have access there."

(Totally floored) "You're...a...commune? Wow, that's a first for me. That's a...really? A commune? Wow. How come...um...they don't...why don't they have access?"

"Well, it just kind of runs counter to the whole belief system."

"And, so, what's the belief system?"

"Oh, you know...getting back to nature, Thoreau, eating lots of dairy. Except the vegans, obviously."

"Right. Right. Right."

"So, do you have a confirmation number for me?"

"Look, are you sure about this commune?"

"Oh yes."

"When do you leave?"

"In a week."

"Okay. Okay. There's no checkbox for this in my 'Reason for Cancellation' section."

"Uh huh."

"Just...okay, well I have your cancellation number ready. And look, if you change your mind, you can always reactivate your account, okay?"

"Sure, thanks."

Gives me my confirmation number. "You know, I'm not going to even bother asking if you want to try our new phone news service."

"That's probably best."

"Yeah. Yeah. Well, okay. Good luck to you."

"Take care, James."

Posted by didofoot at February 15, 2003 02:27 PM

Comments

maybe you'd have finished your paper if you weren't so busy giving up the internet. =)

who am i to talk? back to the new couch!

Posted by: michele at February 15, 2003 04:06 PM

Just for the record. I was sitting in front of her when she had this conversation. This one is not a lie. I was impressed.
-Gene

Posted by: gene at February 15, 2003 05:35 PM

You know, Gene, that was exactly what I was going to ask. I am also duly impressed. All hail Kristen, and Sean Keane - giants of telephone trickery!

Posted by: kati at February 18, 2003 12:21 AM

her reporting of the conversation was not a lie, and yet the whole story is predicated upon a lie. or, as kati more charitably put it, trickery.

i like the word chicanery, myself. it sounds like a devious coffee amendment. mmmm, coffee with chichanery. reminds me of the cafe du monde on jackson square.

Posted by: Ian at February 18, 2003 08:55 AM

Well, I love it! Brava!!

So do tell. What was the REAL reason you canceled your account? Inquiring minds want to know.

Posted by: tracy at February 18, 2003 09:32 AM

the lad found me a better provider called access4less, and it really IS for less. and doesn't try to load new programs onto my computer before allowing me to sign off.

Posted by: didofoot at February 18, 2003 11:03 AM

ahhhh, good for the lad. bravo to him!

Posted by: tracy at February 18, 2003 01:13 PM

Wow Kristen. Once again, I am humbled by your sneaky sneaky ways. You set the bar high.... so high.

Posted by: Jolie at February 18, 2003 02:22 PM

Post a comment