02 September 2005

Calm Down?!?!?!

Before I get to my story I need to impart a little information. I am technical field rep. I work directly with our customers helping them with any and all technical questions they may have about the product our company builds. I work across the country from our home office where all our experts and sales folks sit in their cushy offices and pretend they know our customers. I am good at my job. The customers I work with here in NYC like me and the job I do for them.

One of my customer's VP here in NY had earlier phoned me to inform me of his disappointment with a proposal their received from our company. He wanted some clarification on the proposal. I phone up the Project Manager (henceforth called PMChick) who had sent the proposal to this VP. I introduce myself and let her know the customer is not happy with her proposal and ask her if she can provide the requested clarification for the VP. It is a simple request.

Here is the rest of the conversation after I explain what customer VP is requesting.....

PM: "Are you finished now? If you will just calm down, I will explain!"
Me: "I am calm."
PM: "No you are not!"
Me: "This conversation is over. Bye."

At which point I hang up and proceeded to call her boss. I think I used the words "unprofessional" and "rude" when discussing her actions and told him that I certainly hoped she never talked to the customer the way she just talked to me.

I thought it was only stupid men who didn't value their lives that ever told women to "calm down". You would think PMChick would know better. Is the "will you calm down" line as insulting to y'all as it is to me? I mean, maybe if I actually, you know, wasn't calm during the conversation, I could understand. But I was perfectly calm and thought I was having a normal conversation about our customer's request.


Oh, and when talking with PMChick's boss, we set up a golf outing when I am back at the home office later this month. Do you think I should have let PMChick know that her boss is a friend of mine? Hee.

2 comments:

catherine said...

Nothing makes me madder than someone telling me to calm down. Maybe if I was having a panic attack or something but otherwise it's just the most annoying thing ever.

SC874 said...

Oh I would have killed her. Nothing makes me see red more. Hilarious that her boss is your friend, though.