[Sca-librarians] Slightly OT - Strange Patrons

[Carowyn Silveroak]

Greetings,

> We get verbally abusive patrons, unbearably smelly patrons, demanding
patrons who can simply never be satisfied no matter how hard you work to
please >them, serial thieves who check out and never return
materials.....you name it, we've got it. 

That reminds me of a situation I found myself in 2 weeks ago, and I'd
like the list's commentary on it.

I work for a jeweler - learning the craft, being an all-around secretary
and general scut monkey, basically a full apprentice in real life.  My
boss is co-Autocrat of a *huge* rock & gem show down the street from our
location, and he's at the site helping to set up the 2 days before the
show starts.  So I'm the phone answerer and door answerer for those 2
days, and though the patrons can be a bit irritated that the boss isn't
there, it's usually not a nastygram fest.

So, the day before the show starts...I get a phone call from this
irritated woman, demanding to speak to someone "associated with the
show".  Well, I'm the only one in the shop, and I'm staff (I work Troll
at the show), so that's me, how can I help you?  She then demands the
schedule of public transportation from Philly to the show, which is in
Lebanon, but she keeps insisting Lancaster, no matter how much I gently
correct her.  I'm sorry, I don't have that information, you'd have to
call the transport people yourself (I was a bit flustered with the
Lancaster-Lebanon mixup, and I wasn't sure if she was talking about
PennDOT buses (public) or Greyhound buses (private business) or train
(also private) at this point).

"Well, you're in charge of the building, you MUST provide public
transport!"

"I'm sorry ma'am, we just rent the show complex, we don't have *anything*
to do with public transport."

"If you're putting on the show, *you're* responsible for public
transport!"

"I'm sorry ma'am, but we're a *private* show, PennDOT would have our head
if we tried to take their place."

"Well, what are you going to *do* about it?!?"

"I'm sorry ma'am, there's nothing I *can* do about it."

"Well, I've already driven up to Hershey once this week, I'm *not*
spending more of my own gas money in this economy!"

[in a chipper voice, sounding suspiciously happy that the situation has
been decided]  "Okay."  

[huffing noises]  *click*


I'm still wondering if she actually though one of the show staff should
drive down to her curbside and pick her up.....(2 hours one way in
Saturday morning traffic)

And I got razzed a lot by the vendors....I laughingly told my boss, and
he told everyone else, so they were all asking for "public transport"
from their homes to the show!

Weird.....and something I'm not used to in my job!  I'm assuming
librarians get a lot of this?  Though I'm on the internet a lot at my
job, usually my only interaction between it and a customer on the phone
is telling them where the price of gold is at that moment!

-Carowyn
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