Coldest call of all

Today’s blog has nothing to do with illness, but something happened that I had to share with you. Sometimes in our high tech, fast pace business world, people are so focused on making money, they sadly forget their humanity. Everyone receives ‘cold calls’ which have become common practice all over the world, trying to sell us things we don’t want or need. Through the years we've received our fair share of such calls, to which I normally politely end the conversation as quickly as possible. Having lost my mother in March 2012, I was surprised to receive a ‘cold call’ from a phone company asking to speak to her. I said that my mother had passed away a few months ago and asked what they wanted. The lady on the line, without a moment’s pause for breath or hesitation, asked if I would be interested in buying a new phone! I was so amazed at the lack of empathy, that I immediately asked the woman if she had heard what I had just said. I was very angry; repeating myself loud and clear, saying: “my mother died a few months ago, and you say nothing except, ask if I'd be interested in buying a new phone?” At this point, the woman understood she had not only been insensitive, but lacked tact and had handled the conversation in a very poor manner. She then had the audacity to put the phone down on me. As if this wasn't enough, to add insult to injury, she phoned back two minutes later, as if the previous call had never taken place, and asked to speak to the owner of the house, to see if I’d be interested in buying a phone! Trying to remain calm, I said to her, “you rang two minutes ago asking to speak to my mother, and I told you she passed away a few months ago, and now you’re ringing me back to see if I would like to buy a new phone?” Again she put the phone down on me. I have a feeling this saleswoman won't be ringing back! I saw a charming film recently called The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel starring many wonderful British actors, one of whom is the marvellous Judi Dench. In the film you see Judi Dench giving some young sales people advice how to talk on the phone, and immediately this scene came to mind, for I think the this phone company are badly in need of some lessons, but I doubt that Judi is available!