Absurd requests/demands

[Clareish]

I was at a large theme park a couple of weeks ago, with my nephew, and we were just playing in a playground area. I had been playing with my smartphone, and was just putting it away, when an adult woman comes up to me, with her arm outstretched towards my phone, and says "I just need to make a call."

Sure, why not have a stranger take my new phone worth a few hundred dollars?

I managed to put it back in my pocket, and she looked incredulous as I said "No, I'm sorry, I don't lend out my phone, but I'm sure there is public phones around here somewhere." I then turned away.

Honestly, I can understand it being an emergency or something, but she acted like it was the most natural thing in the world that she would just take my phone. No "could you call a taxi for me?" or anything of that nature.

She didn't even say please.

[VorFemme]

Counted cross stitch SS - I was sitting someplace with a basket of supplies, stitching away (I am a Gemini - I don't make up my mind what I want to stitch, knit, read, or watch tv until the last minute and have been known to change my mind while doing it - I had a spare project or three with me).  Someone came up to me and wanted to go poking through my basket (I'd made an organizer liner & a quilted "lid" to give people the idea that it was NOT open access to the general public) for "something to do".

I sat on Snarky and told them that I didn't have any beginner's projects with me to teach them how to do the stitching....and as the "other" project that I would admit to having with me was a Christmas present for a relative, I didn't want anyone else "helping me" who wasn't a close relative of the intended recipient.  They only got a little huffy - they got called for "their turn" with whatever was going on - no time to get more than a little huffy.

And I started sliding the basket under my chair, if there was space for it to fit - while working on a NEW project - a "portfolio" type of tote with room for several compact projects that was a lot more obviously "mine".  It also fit between my hip and the side of the chair where I was sitting (in a doctor's office or wherever) - keeping other people out of it was easier.

[greencat]

Quote tree snipped!  I hope I snipped it right...


I had an uncle who, as a student, was forever in trouble, and constantly at war with his principal. In one instance, the principal made a rule that if any male student wore pants that had belt loops on them, he had to wear a belt. My uncle, who hated wearing a belt, cut the loops off his jeans.

I did that to one pair of slacks I had for work.  First, where I was working, a belt would often snag on a piece of equipment when I had to lean over it - which was daily.  I actually pulled the equipment off the track/support/stand/whatever a bit one day trying to escape.  Most of my other pants were designed without belt loops.  Second, that particular pair of pants had evidently come with a very narrow belt, which had gone away by the time I found the pants on the clearance rack, and I didn't own any belts narrow enough to fit through the loops - I could barely fit a finger through, and I have tiny delicate hands.  A minute with a pair of scissors solved the problem quite nicely

I had a boss make a fairly absurd request.  I was the office assistant at a sleep apnea testing lab, and not getting paid very much - I wasn't even full time, and my hours were at constant risk for getting cut.  During the three hours between when the office staff left for the day and  the technicians came in at night, and on weekend days, the phones were forwarded to my boss so he could deal with last-minute cancellations.  One weekend I ended up getting calls from patients all weekend, because the boss and my direct supervisor were both out of town (and expecting to be out of cellphone service).  I was not pleased.  My boss thought it was a great idea for me to be the one to forward the office phones to my cellphone when no one was in the office from then on.  I told him it was a fabulous idea if he wanted to start paying for my cellphone plan and start paying me time and a half when I was "on call."  He back-pedaled after that.  An employee that got hired in another department shortly before my time with the miserable company ended was a bit puzzled when I was so adamant that my personal property not be used for any work-related uses - no, I wasn't going to call patients on my personal cellphone when our office phones were experiencing an outage, because the last time I did that, they would call me on my cellphone instead of calling the office number - at all hours of the day and over the weekend.  She kind of got it when she was complaining about the fact that the boss was backpedaling on getting her a company car and expecting her to drive her own vehicle to market the company, while only compensating her for gas and not mileage.

Then there was the holiday issue.  The stated winter holiday schedule was we got Christmas and New Year's Day off - and if those happened to fall on a weekend, we got the following Monday off as well.  Well, New Year's Day fell on Sunday.  I went to stay with my parents for the day and I wasn't planning on coming back until late the following evening.  My boss called me at 9 PM New Year's Day and demanded that I be in the following morning at the usual time - he'd decided to open the office.  I told him that wouldn't be possible, although I agreed to come in the afternoon for a few hours.  Of course, when my paycheck came around, that meant that I got paid for a half day of work instead of a full day of holiday pay...I was pretty angry.

He was a very poor boss for many reasons - those were just some of the most absurd requests.

[weeblewobble]

Counted cross stitch SS - I was sitting someplace with a basket of supplies, stitching away (I am a Gemini - I don't make up my mind what I want to stitch, knit, read, or watch tv until the last minute and have been known to change my mind while doing it - I had a spare project or three with me).  Someone came up to me and wanted to go poking through my basket (I'd made an organizer liner & a quilted "lid" to give people the idea that it was NOT open access to the general public) for "something to do".

I sat on Snarky and told them that I didn't have any beginner's projects with me to teach them how to do the stitching....and as the "other" project that I would admit to having with me was a Christmas present for a relative, I didn't want anyone else "helping me" who wasn't a close relative of the intended recipient.  They only got a little huffy - they got called for "their turn" with whatever was going on - no time to get more than a little huffy.

And I started sliding the basket under my chair, if there was space for it to fit - while working on a NEW project - a "portfolio" type of tote with room for several compact projects that was a lot more obviously "mine".  It also fit between my hip and the side of the chair where I was sitting (in a doctor's office or wherever) - keeping other people out of it was easier.

I stopped doing cross-stitch a while ago (don't seem to have the time anymore).  But when I did, friends and family frequently asked 'Is that for me?" when they saw me making something.  Without any hint of the project being for them, they were basically just asking for the item in my hands.  And when I said no, that I had other plans for it, they got really huffy.   "Well, when ARE you going to make me something?"

It got pretty annoying.

[LadyJaneinMD]

Way back in the Dark Ages, when those 'Entertainment' books were a new idea, my roommate got one.

There was a coupon in it for bowling - buy three games, get three games free.  She wanted me to go bowling with her and pay for the three games so she could get the free games.   Uh...no.  She was highly offended that I wouldn't do that for her.    After all, it was *her* coupon!

[Jones]

I had to make a dreaded trip to the DMV this week to get a new driver's license. I checked all the requirements online, made a phone call, gathered up all my documents into an envelope and took myself to the DMV. Why all the precautions? Because our local office is notorious for sending people for any extra documents. My SIL, for example, had an experience wherein they refused to take her notarized rental agreement as proof of residence.

So I make it to the DMV and park myself at the end of a line that makes a circle around the room. There are 12-15 people in front of me, if you count those who had finished the written test and were waiting in a separate "front of the line" line. The counter was manned with three personnel, all appeared to be working as quickly as they could. One had a woman who had to dig through her purse regularly for needed information and documentation. Yes, those of us in long and boring line were paying close attention to the counter, as there was little else to do and apparently the court building blocked cell phone internet (mine didn't work anyway)...

At the end of the lady's transaction, when all the documents had been checked, vision testing was done and her photo taken, the DMV worker asked her for the fee. There is a huge sign hanging behind the counter with all the fees on it, the sign is not something easily missed, and the print was large enough to read from the back of the line. The lady started arguing with the DMV worker that she should have to pay. The worker eventually had to look the lady in the eye and say "I am sorry but I cannot give you something for nothing." The lady became irate and stomped out, complaining about whyever she would bring MONEY to the freakin' DMV of all places.

She later returned with a check written for a higher amount and became upset the DMV wasn't set up with a till that could give out change (all cash went directly into a safe that could only be opened once a day). She either had to go get another check for the exact amount or donate the extra to the organ donor's fund.

The fee that caused all the drama? USA $13, slightly more than three gallons of gas locally.

[siamesecat2965]

Is that quilt show an annual thing? Because I think I may have just planned next year's vacation!

 Yes, it's annual - and "around the end of October" - but you might want to check out the dates for next year before booking a hotel, as the George R. Brown Convention Center's being booked has caused it to run a week earlier or later, at times.

http://quilts.com/home/index.php

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The comment about the people & their water bills reminds me of the people calling about car insurance claims.....there was the guy who commented "we should have solved this by now" when he'd never reported the accident - even when telling us that he was being taken to court over it.  He also forgot to tell us what county in that state or what the court date was - apparently our psychic powers just were supposed to solve that, too.

Turned out that he bought his policy from us AFTER the accident he was being taken to court over, so the lawyer showed up to tell the judge (in proper legalese) that our insurance company was not involved as the event had happened before we had a contract with the defendant. 

Apparently HE didn't think it was absurd for us to resolve a claim for an accident that was never reported and had happened a couple of months before he bought a policy with our insurance company - but we did

I guess we had a GOOD lawyer in that area, because he somehow managed to track down which courtroom to be in on the right day & time...

I worked for an insurance company when I was younger. We once had an insured call the office from the scene of an accident and demand someone come down there right that moment to give him a check.

My friend had her car vandalised and we caught the guys doing it and they were arrested. Try as I might I could not explain the concept of an excess to her. She had chosen to have a $500 excess and pay cheaper insurance and was most aggrieved she had to pay for the first $500. She even went to the police station expecting them to pay her back for it.

Amazing.  I've been in that sitaution, except it was a deer.  Which ran right into the side of my car, in broad daylight.  And to top it off, I was dumb and didn't have rental coverqe though my insurance, even though I thought I did.  UGH. So I had to not only pay the $500 deductible, but the cost of the car rental. 

Not so much an absurd request, although it COULD turn into one.  On the subject of insurance, i have a friend who's convinced that rental insurance is a scam, and not necesary for tenants, since their possessions are covered by the LANDLORD'S policy.  Um sorry, no. they are not, unless its actions caused by the landlord's negligence that damage your stuff.  So if ever there is anything that happens where she's living, she's in for a rude awakening!

[RegionMom]

Ah, the DMV.

We took DD, aged 15, there recently, to get her learner's permit.  We had all the legal stuff, checked the list on-line, and off we went.

They did not like her personal bank statement as proof of residence, nor her school grade card with her address, nor a piece of college recruitment mail, as proof of address.  The lady actually asked, "Don't you have a water or electric bill in her name?"
(How many minors receive family household bills in their name?)

She finally agreed what we had was ok.

But wait, there's more!

She is a summer b-day, so we were careful that the VoE (Verification of Enrollment) form was good for the summer, with her late July b-day.  If it is done in June and July, the form says it is good for 90 days from issuance. 

What is does NOT say is, "valid 90 days from issuance, unless school has begun again and it is August/September, then you need to go back and get another form."  Never mind that our private school started later.  Never mind that we had a paid tuition bill for the upcoming semester. 

The supervisor would not accept the form, saying that we were reading words into the "valid 90 days from issuance."

But there were no other words to be read!   

We were actually told that in August, we were out of luck. 

I guess any student wanting a permit is August is out of luck?!?!

I was not yet ready for her to start driving, so I did not mind that my baby did get her permit that day, but it was frustratingly crazy.

[Pioneer]

I had a job.  I got laid off from the job.  I was offered, and accepted, a different position with the same company, a few months later.  A temporary assignment, with less pay, no benefits, but when you need a job, you need a job.

One day working at my new job, my former supervisor approached and asked, "Do you know Marcia?  We are rehiring for the position we let you go from, and Marcia has applied."  I was stunned and responded, "Are you telling me that you are HIRING someone else to fill the position you FIRED me from, and you are asking ME to provide a reference?"

[gingerzing]

I had a job.  I got laid off from the job.  I was offered, and accepted, a different position with the same company, a few months later.  A temporary assignment, with less pay, no benefits, but when you need a job, you need a job.

One day working at my new job, my former supervisor approached and asked, "Do you know Marcia?  We are rehiring for the position we let you go from, and Marcia has applied."  I was stunned and responded, "Are you telling me that you are HIRING someone else to fill the position you FIRED me from, and you are asking ME to provide a reference?"

Ouch.  My eyes rolled too hard. 

[HorseFreak]

Ah, the DMV.

We took DD, aged 15, there recently, to get her learner's permit.  We had all the legal stuff, checked the list on-line, and off we went.

They did not like her personal bank statement as proof of residence, nor her school grade card with her address, nor a piece of college recruitment mail, as proof of address.  The lady actually asked, "Don't you have a water or electric bill in her name?"
(How many minors receive family household bills in their name?)

She finally agreed what we had was ok.

But wait, there's more!

She is a summer b-day, so we were careful that the VoE (Verification of Enrollment) form was good for the summer, with her late July b-day.  If it is done in June and July, the form says it is good for 90 days from issuance. 

What is does NOT say is, "valid 90 days from issuance, unless school has begun again and it is August/September, then you need to go back and get another form."  Never mind that our private school started later.  Never mind that we had a paid tuition bill for the upcoming semester. 

The supervisor would not accept the form, saying that we were reading words into the "valid 90 days from issuance."

But there were no other words to be read!   

We were actually told that in August, we were out of luck. 

I guess any student wanting a permit is August is out of luck?!?!

I was not yet ready for her to start driving, so I did not mind that my baby did get her permit that day, but it was frustratingly crazy.

When I was 16 I went to get my permit on my birthday (learner's permit age is 16). I was turned away by a polite lady at the DMV saying it was actually the policy that you had to be 16 + ONE DAY since they didn't know when you actually turned 16 that day. I waited in line for 45 minutes in a terrible section of a crowded city to hear that bizarre rule? There was no mention of this in the handbook and this was before everything was on the internet.

[violinp]

I had a job.  I got laid off from the job.  I was offered, and accepted, a different position with the same company, a few months later.  A temporary assignment, with less pay, no benefits, but when you need a job, you need a job.

One day working at my new job, my former supervisor approached and asked, "Do you know Marcia?  We are rehiring for the position we let you go from, and Marcia has applied."  I was stunned and responded, "Are you telling me that you are HIRING someone else to fill the position you FIRED me from, and you are asking ME to provide a reference?"

Ouch.  My eyes rolled too hard.

Mine too.

[pearls n purls]

A receptionist at work had a caller ask if she had a credit card. Confused, the receptionist replied that she did.  The caller then demanded that the receptionist give her the credit card number and became quite irate when she wouldn't.  I really don't see how that scam could work, but we were all amused by the nerve of the caller.

[elephantschild]

I had a job.  I got laid off from the job.  I was offered, and accepted, a different position with the same company, a few months later.  A temporary assignment, with less pay, no benefits, but when you need a job, you need a job.

One day working at my new job, my former supervisor approached and asked, "Do you know Marcia?  We are rehiring for the position we let you go from, and Marcia has applied."  I was stunned and responded, "Are you telling me that you are HIRING someone else to fill the position you FIRED me from, and you are asking ME to provide a reference?"

Ouch.  My eyes rolled too hard.

Mine too.

Ditto. What did she say??

[Kimblee]

gold & platinum hand quilting needles that won't tarnish or etch from the acids of your skin - I am not kidding

For some of us, these kinds of needles really are a necessity.  My hands perspire a fair amount, especially when doing needlework (where the hand is often semi-closed, which can make the problem worse).  This causes a reaction with steel needles, leaving tarnish and even corrosion, which could ruin the fabric.  Many years ago, my mother, who was part owner of a needlepoint shop, recommended the gold needles, and I've used them ever since.

I can use just about any needle, but I had a set of gold plated needles that I adored. Not because I needed them, but because they're SO pretty.

And I agree... I wanna go to a quilt festival.