ok, i swear that the bizarro world thing is spreading....
i just got a phone call from someone who was trying to sell me a hospital clown. or at least a sponsorship of a hospital clown. i could not make this up people, this is a true story. i had a rather hard time understanding what he was getting at and he thought i couldn't speak danish, but i think that my ears simply couldn't believe that someone was trying to sell me a hospital clown. what is a hospital clown, you ask? apparently, it's a clown who goes around to hospitals, trying to ease the fears of children who are facing surgery. frankly, i find clowns deeply disturbing and i would imagine that what really happens is that the children end up preferring the surgery to the clown.
anyhow, this guy said that my clown would be at my closest hospital, which he said was the big main hospital in copenhagen, which is definitely not my closest hospital. he also mentioned another hospital that's nowhere near where i live. since i have an unlisted phone number, i asked him where he thought i was. he then said, somewhere in jylland (which is the bit of denmark that's attached to germany and definitely NOT where i live and REALLY far from the hospitals he had named). he actually said this right after he READ OUT my address, so he knew the name of my town and didn't know where it was in HIS OWN COUNTRY. please people, the place is the size of wisconsin, it's not that difficult.
i know he was just doing his sucky telemarketing job, but i told him i thought clowns were scary and there was no way i was going to play any part in paying one. then, i suggested that he try to know something about the people he's calling, otherwise he shouldn't really call. i also asked him to remove my unlisted number from his call list. i pointed out that it was unlisted so that i wouldn't get calls from people who didn't know who the hell i was or where i lived and that if i wanted to purchase something or sponsor something, i would seek out that information on my own, but it would never, ever, under any circumstance be a friggin' clown!!! and then i hung up. seriously, WTF?
this is the second telemarketer who has called in as many weeks. they never used to call, so i guess it's a sign of the GEC that they are resorting to this technique. telemarketers are something i most decidedly do NOT miss from the US. in fact, the only thing i really miss is the Gap. and really good fajita salt. oh, and proper mexican restaurants.
p.s. i looked for clown pictures to go with this post, but they were all too friggin' scary to share. which only proves my point.
12 comments:
clowns are really scary - I can't stand them either. the gap is in trouble - soon we could all be missing the gap.
char--that's because the gap is in one of their phases where they have forgotten that what they DO is the best hooded sweatshirts on the planet. there weren't ANY for kids or women the last time i was there (in manila in november), things always go downhill for them when they forget that. i would find it tragic if they disappeared. :-( they make the best jeans.
I've never been creeped out by clowns, but I would never send one to a kid about to go into surgery because what are the chances that this already scared kid would be terrified of the ginorm shoes and face paint! Chances: Good. Clowns: Bad.
xox
Actually, it almost sounds like a scam! I agree with you about clowns..even my kids thought they were scary.
First and formost, I hate the phone with a passion, I'm almost phobic! I let my phone bill go, and it was cut off for a two week period last month. Wouldn't you know that no one could call out, no one could call in...except the teleamarketrs. It seems they are routed differently through the phone co.!...Figures!!!___=^..^=___
I guess that means we're not gonna watch Freaks together when we hang out, huh? ;-)
I was wondering... what's the point of having an unlisted number if it's not really unlisted? What's the phone company have to say about this?
I am sad for you about the Mexican food. Especially in light of a certain photo that I'll be posting tomorrow on The Julie Project. Can I send you some refried beans? Some salsa?
As a counsellor I was hounded by dozens of charities, and still am, all thinking that I had a heart of gold and was a soft touch. One day I queried the caller and he let it out that my name , as do all others, gets passed around call centres. Often the callers do not even represent the charities. I asked him to delete my name but still find I get calls, now once a week or more.
In addition I found that once I supported a group they automatically assumed I would again and would either go ahead and send out paperwork or get really indignant on the phone when I turned them down.
Once I was asked to sponsor a manual published through a police organisation, for school kids dealing with sexual abuse. I agreed, only to find out I was paying $200 towards the publication costs of the Policemen's union magazine!!!!!
I'm making mexican food tonight! I am also from the midwest... I do have a jamaican drawl though... I digress. Ahh.. Mexican food.
xo
I totally went a different way, when I read 'sponsor a clown'. I thought it was a 12 step program for clowns. I don't mind clowns, it's the freaking mimes i cant stand.
Yes, clowns are definitely scary. Good for you for pointing those things out to the telemarketer. We get these calls ALL THE TIME in France. So annoying. Usually I shut them up by telling them I don't speak French.
We have the Gap here, but no decent Mexican restaurants. And the thing I miss most about the US is the time-and-energy efficient washing machines and dryers. :)
Clowns are scary AND they are sad. Telemarketing: worst job ever. I, who am usually polite to everyone, can be unbelievably snarky with telemarketers. We've definitely been getting more telemarketing calls . . . but nothing this interesting.
I never had a clown while I was in the hospital.
Post a Comment