With my business partner we run a hosting company, as most regular readers know.
We offer a range of internet related services including hosting, domain registration and the like.
(This is not an advert – it’s more of an explanation)
Over the past few years we have taken (and made) a lot of phonecalls – 9 out of our 10 fulltime staff spend a good part of their day on the phone.
While some of the conversations may amuse hardcore geeks, others are simply bizarre.
About two years ago I got a phonecall in the afternoon. It was a gentleman’s voice with a rather strong regional accent. After doing the obligatory “Good afternoon Blacknight” I couldn’t have possibly been prepared for his question:
“Where can I get a combine harvester?”
Naturally I presumed that he’d got a wrong number, so I tried to explain who we were…
Bad idea!
“You’re an internet company?”
“Yes”
“So where can I get a combine harvester online?”
“I don’t know. Have you tried looking at the Golden Pages?”
“I already did. That’s how I got your number”
At this point I wasn’t sure if it was someone pulling my leg or a seriously confused gentleman, so I gently suggested that he try to search on Google and assured him that we couldn’t be of any further assistance.
A few weeks ago one of our staff got an even odder phonecall:
“Good morning, Blacknight. How can I help you?”
“Do you sell bras?”
“Sorry?”
“Do you sell bras? You know… ladies underwear..”
“Em … No. We’re a hosting company”
“But do you sell bras?”
She somehow managed to gently extricate herself from the call ….
People ask the oddest questions ……
Cormac says
So…Do you sell bras?
You never answered the question.
Paul Browne - Technology in Plain English says
Has twenty been calling you again?
michele says
Cormac – not that I’m aware of π
Paul – So that’s who it was !
Robert Synnott says
Well! I never. How rude! I will take my internet combine harvest business _elsewhere_!
Anthony says
Why not branch out? There seems to be market demand. π “Ok so your account has PHP, ASP and JSP. Oh, and you also get this attractive push up bra.”
michele says
Anthony
That would be gender discrimination unless we could come up with an equivalent offer for the men π
Michele
Anthony says
Easily done. Free Nuts or Zoo. π
Ambrand says
π if someone asked me for a random object I’d just buy it and resell it at a profit. Hey that BMW isin’t going to buy itself. (although since the advent of WEEE reselling electrical products is dicey)
michele says
Ambrand π