Tale of the Telemarketer Gone Sour

I have started this blog because I find myself daily asking the questions, "Really?," "Seriously?," and, my personal favorite, "Are you kidding me?." Encounters with people and situations occur on an almost-daily basis and force me to ask these questions in utter disbelief (though I don't know why I'm still shocked).


*Anything written in italics are my thoughts at the time
Today, for example, I am at work, immersed in the busyness that is my office, and I receive a phone call. Actually the main office line receives a phone call...I am the one to pick it up. A very cheerful telemarketer (that was my first warning sign...the dreaded reading off a script) gushes (and I mean, she is EXCITED) about how she hopes I'm having a great day and then proceeds to tell me I've been thrown in jail and my bail is posted at $1000. Okay, well, interesting marketing technique I guess. She busts out laughing and says, "Oh I'm just messing with you, we're not REALLY going to throw you in jail." Great joke. She proceeds to tell me who she's raising money for and that to get out of jail I have to find people to donate $1000 to her cause.
Feeling like a pro (we deal with telemarketers on a semi-regular basis), I give her my usual schpiel. "That's okay," I said. "I'm going to pass at this time but thank you for your call."
---The wrath of the telemarketer unleashes here---
"Well, do you mind telling me why?"
Okay, is it normal for telemarketers to get so defensive? And wow, she sounds really pissed off at me right now.
"I mean, why don't you want to participate in this? Don't you want to help other people?"
I'm not sure but I think she just called me selfish.
"I didn't even tell you the date of our fundraiser yet and you've already decided you're not going to participate and I'm just wondering why. I mean, can you give me a reason?"
Mayday, mayday, we are going down. Okay, you can't be rude. It is your job to be nice. I have no words right now. No nice words for the sourpuss telemarketer.
The only words coming to mind are...
"Really? Seriously? Are you kidding me?!"
The only reason I can think to give her at this point, being that I have upset her beyond the realms of where telephone communication reaches, is that I was a little uncomfortable being asked such questions.
"But thanks for your call," I made sure to say. "Have a great day."
She slammed the phone down in my face and I sat at my desk for the next 4 minutes without blinking or moving. Just replaying the conversation in my head over and over.
Then I remembered there were brownies in the kitchen and I was over it.
But come on people, really?!