MyPE

Community Business Directory, Event Listings, News and Views from Gqeberha, Nelson Mandela Bay

This is a lot of my Day

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Phone rings,

I look at the time,

If it is anytime close to a tea or lunch break I take a deep breath and attempt to place a smile in my voice,

If answering on the first ring gets a surprised reaction then I know what is coming next,

Take this conversation just finished:

Caller: Good morning, is that the Port Elizabeth Traffic Department?

Me: I am afraid not, Mam. Let me guess – you got this number from Google?

Caller: (Probably rapidly disconnecting from the internet and beginning to pack her computer back into the box it came in for a full refund!) Yeeees,

Me: I am sorry, Mam, but Google have the incorrect number, you need to click on the link – it is in blue writing and underlined – that will take you to a web site that will give you the number for the traffic department in Port Elizabeth.

Caller: But I am on Google.

Me: Correct Mam, do not be afraid – click on the link and leave Google for a bit and you will find what it is for which you seek.

Caller: (Warily and still packing her computer for a full refund) Thank you.

Background:

For some strange reason Skype often displays my phone number next to Google Searches for businesses in Port Elizabeth and I field many of these calls. Taking a stab in the dark I once I asked if the caller had had a nice Skype call catching up with her son in Australia and she babbled on about how wonderful it was to be able to talk to him and then realised that she was telling someone she didn’t know from a bar of soap all about her private stuff…. and quietly put the phone down.

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.