Dealing with difficult people

This is kind of long but I really need to vent before I call this lady back tonight.

Many of you have read about the psychopath doctor I had to deal with in my quest to see a dentist. I had hoped I was through dealing with impossible people for a while but, unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

I just started feeling well again this weekend and had tried to get in touch with a lady who wanted me to work on her computer. All I got was a ringing phone – no answering machine or anything so I gave up and got all my other business calls caught up with and tried again to get in touch with that lady who had called twice while I had been so sick. She is also one of the customers for our housecleaning service and Teresa had gone there just a week or so ago to clean her house. Teresa had also explained that I was sick with a severe toothache and infection.

When I couldn’t get in touch with her, I started working on my notes for my classes which I was pretty far behind in. I got most of my notes for two of my classes caught up with and, on Monday, I felt good enough to go back to school without having to carry orajel and a bottle of water with me wherever I went. I was feeling pretty good actually.. almost back to normal. Then I returned home from school to this message:

“Mary, if you want to work on my printer, fine.. if you want to work on my computer fine… if you still want to clean my house fine… just call and tell me. If I don’t hear from you…” That’s when I stopped the message playback and called the ..b…er..I mean.. lady.

When she picked up the phone, she had nothing but attitude toward me. I explained that I had been very sick and in a lot of pain over the last two weeks. This still did not change her attitude. Her reply was, “Well, I wish somebody from your company had told me this!”

First of all, Teresa had told her I was sick. Second, her reason for wanting to get in touch with me was for me to come check her printer and now her computer — for free!! I had already told her a week before I got sick that I wouldn’t charge her for a service call just to come diagnose the problem if I was already up in that area. So, I hadn’t set a date to look at her printer — in fact I had already told her over the phone what to do about the printer but she insisted she wanted me to do it (what is so difficult about looking inside to see if the printer carriage is on its track?) and I was going to do this as a favor — not for a fee! But then I got sick with that tooth infection and Teresa had told her this.

When I told her I had tried to call her she said (in a very b****, ” There was no message on my answering machine or anything!” I told her that I only got a ringing phone and she said, “Well then your fingers must not have dialed the phone right! But they certainly dialed the phone right today!” I explained that each time I had called I had use my cell phone which has her number programmed into it and she all but called me a liar. Her attitude totally caught me off guard because this is usually a very nice lady and I have helped her out a lot with her computer in the past and she has always been very grateful.

Still, wanting to keep my housecleaning job, I bit my tongue instead of telling her what I thought of her attitude and asked her about the computer problem. She continued to give me nothing but attitude and I was sorely tempted to hang up on her.

Finally, I told her I would be up in that area – keep in mind this was going to be a free service call so I am doing the lady a favor and one would think she would dump her attitude in favor of some gratitude (no rhyme intended) but she still kept up the b***** attitude saying, “Well make sure you call first because I don’t just sit around waiting for you to call or show up you know!”

After thinking about the conversation for much of the day yesterday and some of this morning while waiting for Teresa to get here for work, I decided I really did not want to deal with that lady even if it meant losing a house. I told Teresa what had happened and asked her opinion. She simply asked me how much I was willing to let somebody walk all over me. (Teresa surprises me sometimes by actually having some insight). She also agreed with me that I shouldn’t have to deal with that kind of attitude even if it does mean losing a house.

After work, I had Teresa call the lady and tell her I was still at school and wouldn’t be able to come up to look at the computer today. The lady just said “Ooookaaayy.” and hung up the phone on Teresa as she was trying to tell her that I would call her later.

I fully expected a message on my answering machine telling me that she no longer wanted the housecleaning service but, so far, no angry messages or anything.

I almost feel guilty for backing out after telling the lady I would help her but then again, I did not deserve to be treated the way she treated me. Am I wrong? Should I have gone up to look at her computer? Or was I wrong in the first place by taking the lady’s attitude and not hanging up on her when she gave me the attitude problem?

I still have to call her back but I really don’t want to talk to her.