Helpfully Inept

I’m on day 6 of attempting to move cell phones over to a new carrier. This process has been enlightening in an interesting way.

To a person, all the people I have spoken with at Sprint (our previous phone carrier) have been receptive, helpful, and truly want to help. Several of them offered to call me back to check, and Employee Shannon has actually phoned our land line twice over the last two days to see if the problem has been fixed.

Then today, I met up with Jose.

Jose had never heard of the “Financial Eligibility Check,” which was the specific flag I needed removed from my account. I have dealt with so many people over the last couple days, I really didn’t want to try and explain the issue to someone new, and I really just wanted to hang up the phone. I knew that Shannon would be calling to check on me once she got done with the free stuffed baked potato bar that Sprint was serving for lunch today, and I thought I’d just wait and talk with her.

When I said, “Thank you so much, Jose, but if you haven’t heard of this issue, you aren’t going to be able to help me.”

“Please, please, just give me a chance. I’ll read through everything right now, and I’m sure I can help you.”

He was so desperate to help. He really did want to help.

At one point, I had Jose talking through my ear bud in my left ear, while I talked with Shannon on the corded phone in my right ear.

Jose sounded so hurt when he found out I’d been talking with another customer service rep.

After quite awhile (Going on 55 minutes on this particular call.), Jose had done what he could to help me, then his supervisor came on the line.

She, too, was very good, and I have some very slight hope that she might be able to make this problem go away.

They all want to help. They really, truly want to fix this for me. None of them, up to now, have been able to. (Still on hold which means the very thin sliver of hope is still alive.)

It’s just like parenting.

One of the children is having some difficulties. Difficulties I want so badly to fix. Difficulties I am very willing to help with.

I want to tell the child,”Just give me a chance. I’ll read everything I can, and I’m sure I can help you…”

I can’t fix all the difficulties for the people I love. I shouldn’t even try.

The most difficult moments of my life: the most difficult jobs, the most difficult people, they provided lessons I needed to learn.

Helpfully inept. Sometimes that is all I’ve got.