I have a panic disorder and work in a call center that gets calls areguarding grocery orders. IE: I picked out my stuff online and paid for it so I can go and pick it up safely outside without leaving my car, kind of call center. If you don’t already know, and at this point if you work in a call center and DON’T know this you don’t really work at a call center, people that call in are IRATE to say the least.
One day, towards the end of my shift (Thirty ish minutes left), there was a guy that called in about his order having been late. At the time he was calling, the order would be delayed overnight at the very least, and I was too afraid to tell him because I knew I’d get screamed at for it. The entire day, and several weeks prior to this call, had been nothing but delayed or canceled orders with nothing but getting screamed at for it. I couldn’t handle it anymore. I told the guy, and of course he started in with the ‘this is bull**** and raising his voice, and I just broke down. Which is NOT something that I do on the phone almost ever. Three years and it’d only happened maybe twice before this. I got quiet, super quiet, because I muted myself so he didn’t hear me breathing and crying while he ranted, and after awhile he asked if I was even still there. Now I knew if I didn’t answer and he got a survey, my manager would see it and I’d get in serious trouble, so I got back on and tried to explain things to him again, but I started sobbing about halfway through this.
It’s humiliating enough to cry because of a call, but on a call is a whole other planet from that. He had the common decency to apologize and sheepishly said he could wait overnight and it wasn’t my fault blah blah blah, and tried to calm me down, but I just couldn’t hold it together. Eventually we ended the call luckily on good terms, but it was one of the worst experiences I’ve had mostly because I felt like I was having a mental break down at the time.
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