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Post by saffron on Mar 6, 2012 18:36:25 GMT -5
A very timely thread for me...I had to make "the call" regarding a financial decision. Had several false starts due to nervous (no password handy, couldn't remember my SS#! ) but I got it completed. Then, instead of calling the second person, I got brave and took care of a transaction online. Good job to those who conquered their fears and made the calls!
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Post by snailspace on Mar 6, 2012 20:02:04 GMT -5
Woohoo! Congrats to everybody for all the phone calls! It's interesting that so many have this issue but there can be so many variations on it.
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Post by cando on Mar 7, 2012 17:23:52 GMT -5
Saffron! More yucky phone calls today. One was especially rough. The one that you call and the right arm doesn't know what the left arm is doing. You know... where you get the Royal Runaround. 1 phone call ends up aggravating and 2 more phone calls result from it and then back to the person I originally talked to. All because of the mistake the first person ended up making but still had to make the point that she had done nothing wrong, although she had. But, who cares the fault... I certainly don't. But, nor should I have to go to all the trouble to get information that I already knew was there and done. An apology would have been nice for her snootiness & my having to spend so much extra time and aggravation needlessly... rather than continued snootiness! I just want the info when I need it (and a good attitude with nice sprinkled on it would have been good) and not to have to call all over and undergo the aggravation, frustration, and of course STRESS! Whew! I'm done for now!
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Post by saffron on Mar 7, 2012 17:50:45 GMT -5
CanDo, Sending you a "good attitude and a sprinkling of nice" to smooth over that rough phone call.
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Post by snailspace on Mar 7, 2012 17:53:00 GMT -5
I'm sorry it was stressful, Cando! WTG for taking care of it and hurray for being DONE with it!
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Post by Chris on Mar 8, 2012 11:26:37 GMT -5
What a great thread! I am very stressed about some calls I have to make -- I am going to have to call some agencies to try and find someone to come and give my motherinlaw showers while I am gone for 3 weeks. My husband will be here and he will do her meals and first aid and appointments but she needs someone to help her get into the shower (she has a sliding shower bench), wash her hair, and assist her with getting dressed and hair. Not sure why but just the thought is making me nervous. Our home is ok in terms of clutter right now - but it's very much in need of fixing so maybe that has something to do with it. But I won't be here. And things that are supposed to function like the shower, toilet and sink do work. It's mainly floors, ceilings and cosmetic problems with our home right now. And the mystery smell in the living room but we use fans to diffuse that - it may be mold in the walls or something. So I have 8 weeks before I leave but I have to start making those calls and secure someone to take care of that while I am gone.
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Post by cando on Mar 8, 2012 11:26:39 GMT -5
Thank you, Saffron & Snailspace! Today, I think (hope!) I only have to make one phone call. To the Vet's office. This should be an easier one..... CD
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Post by sidestep on Mar 8, 2012 12:47:20 GMT -5
Congratulations to all who are tackling their phone call anxiety. It really is interesting to see how many of us suffer with this. I ~finally~ made my long overdue (by about ~ 7 mo. ) phone call to get the A/C people back to take care of an issue while still under warranty. In my case I have always hated phone calls, but now that I have developed an adult onset stutter which crops up intermittently it's even more challenging & mortifying! Funny story: I just got a BIG ticket (my 1st--I was in quite a time crunch while in a notorious & ridiculous billboard posted & trip-tik speed trap area). The cop asked the ridiculous question of 'do you know why I stopped you'. That ~really~ exacerbated the stutter & he told me to just nod my head in answer to his questions! He returned to my car & that set off a super fast blinking tic so he asked me if I was wearing my contacts! Hah, bet he wondered what he just got himself into! (Sorry for the long story but it seemed applicable, slightly humorous & illustrative!)
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Post by charis on Mar 10, 2012 11:50:02 GMT -5
Sidestep, that'll show that officer to stop you . I have a high blink ratio myself so I sympathize. This week I did make 3 out of the 5 appts I need to make. Making DS's new doctor's appt necessitated seven (SEVEN!) calls. I also made hair appts for myself and DS I still need to call dentist, which I haven't done b/cause I am waiting out a humongous cold sore I also need to call the eye clinic and try to get A) a follow-on appt and B) a copy of my prescription A new phone call, and the worst one, is that I need to call someone (don't know who) at work (don't know which office) because I was sent a contract with some impossible dates in it with no notations about who is in charge of the wrong bits. The only people I know to call who will surely be able to point me to the right people are people far over my head, which means I have to start lower down on the chain ( but still above me) so as not to upset anyone in case one of them made the mistakes. I foresee a minimum or four or five calls or emails. I know at least one person in this chain who has zero patience with anyone who doesn't know every llittle detail of a project and will heavily insinuate that it is my job to know all this stuff regardless of whether it is in the project plan and my individual contract or not. Sigh.
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Post by casper on Mar 10, 2012 13:14:14 GMT -5
Since I first learned to speak I have had a very bad lisp and I also spoke too fast for human ears to understand anything I said. Had a wonderful speech therapist and now I speak just fine unless I am under any kind of stress. When I start sounding like Sylvester The Looney Tunes cartoon Cat again I have to take a deep breath, slow down and repeat.... "Sammy saw the slimy snake slithering through the grass" until I can talk normally again.
My Father had a stutter as a child and as an adult it always returned when he was too excited. He would recite... "He pounds his fists against the posts and still insists he sees no ghosts" to stop the stutter.
When I have a migraine I can't find the right words and use the wrong ones but to me they seem like the right ones.
The phone and I have never gotten along well at all.
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Post by sleepymom on Mar 10, 2012 14:49:11 GMT -5
Lately I`ve been having trouble making calls to doctor`s offices. I know when I call I`ll have to leave a message for them to call me back, and I just can`t figure out when would be a good time to be waiting around for that return phone call. Either I have errands, or a nap, or something that will make it impossible or at least inconvenient for me to get to the phone. It`s such a pain! I wish more doctors would use email, I`d so much rather email back & forth a couple of times than play phone tag.
I have 2 other phone calls I`m really nervous about. A couple of years ago, I reconnected with some old school friends (grade school!). We`ve been going out every couple of months and always are looking for more former classmates to get in touch with. Last week, I got phone numbers for 2 girls from our class. One I haven`t seen or talked to in almost 30 years, the other I stayed in touch with longer, but still haven`t talked her in about 20 years. We were friends, but not real close ever. I`m hoping they`ll be happy to hear from me, but don`t have any idea what their lives have held & I`m nervous about how to sum up my life too without sounding like a whiner. I`ve been procrastinating about this all week, but determined to at least try this weekend sometime.
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Post by charis on Mar 14, 2012 18:45:13 GMT -5
sleepymom, good luck with your phone calls. How exciting to reconnect with friends from such a long time ago.
Casper, I like your dad's tonguw twister--had never heard that one.
Progress (of a sort) They wouldn't give me my contact prescription, but I got an appt so get a new prescription.
I talked to one person to sort out my work problem who pointed me to another person who will probably have answers
Tomorrow: the dentist and one more call about work
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Post by sleepymom on Mar 15, 2012 13:42:12 GMT -5
I finally made my phone calls the other nights. One of them, her mom hadn`t told her I might be calling, so it was totally a surprise for her. I had nice talks with both of them, catching up a bit, without going into much detail about my situations. One of them for sure is coming when the group goes out next week, the other may, but will try to come sometime & made tentative plans to get together otherwise. I`m really glad I did, but it was so hard- it took me a week to work up my nerve I still have a doctor`s office that I can`t seem to connect with- leave a message, then they don`t call or call when I`m not home, and a bank guy I`ve been calling for 2 weeks without him calling back. I think in my next message I`m going to have to say if he doesn`t call back in the next couple of days I`m going to a different bank. I`m tired of waiting on this!
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Post by charis on Mar 15, 2012 13:57:30 GMT -5
I am so glad your phone calls for your reunion went well.
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Post by Chris on Mar 15, 2012 15:58:43 GMT -5
What a great thread! I am very stressed about some calls I have to make -- I am going to have to call some agencies to try and find someone to come and give my motherinlaw showers while I am gone for 3 weeks. Well I did it!!!! And it came out good. I found that the agency that I have felt was the best one does do private pay -- and they can take my motherinlaws case for 4 weeks in May/June -- and the cost is reasonable since they only require 2 hour minimum visits -- so they will come out 3 days a week to assist her with her shower and do light housekeeping as needed to help her. She does not have to enroll in the Medicaid (redtape) program! This is wonderful because now we will have this in place for other times perhaps and if my husband can travel with me there may be more openness to try something which allows him to leave too. Everyone agreed -- DH and MIL and myself to go with this -- so what a relief. It was all fear in my head -- all the what ifs which caused me to have the anxiety about calling I guess. It feels better now. And, before that even I HAD to call the airline about my reservations. In the merger Continental/United somehow my itinerary got changed leaving me with 8 minutes in Chicago to change planes ---- NOT ---- at first they were very unhelpful and wanted to give me a 4 flight disaster of an itinerary but I stood strong -- I said then I want a refund -- this is not acceptable. They checked to see if that was possible -- it wasn't but then the CSR apparently got permission from a supervisor to give me a reasonable itinerary -- and although it took 1 hour and 15 minutes on the phone and although I cried and was nervous some while on hold -- it worked out -- and I confirmed online a little while ago he did what he said -- it's all there and I have 1 hour and 12 minutes for the plane change. I realize anything can happen -- but I knew that was pretty much guaranteeing me to be stranded -- the 8 minute deal. I am shocked that it worked out -- and so glad I did not give in to their pressure to take 4 flights home instead of 3. I know my limits. So this thread has helped me realize that I can do phone calls even if I do get anxious and even if I do cry or feel very nervous. I do not need to let things fester and fail because of my fear -- I can just take care of stuff.
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