• Phone Sales Representative: "Ok, now I need the billing address of the card."
  • Customer: "But I want it shipped to my daughter at school."
  • Phone Sales Representative: "That's not a problem; I can ship anywhere you like, but I do need the correct billing address."
  • Customer: "Ok."

I pause, expecting him to supply me with the address.

  • Phone Sales Representative: "Sir, the billing address please?"
  • Customer: "Oh, were you waiting for me? I'm sorry. I send the payments to a PO Box in Maryland, I think. Do you really need that address?"
  • Phone Sales Representative: "No, sir, not where you send the payments, but where you receive the statements."
  • Customer: "A statement?" (rustle, rustle) "Yeah, here's one. It's PO Box 2386, Towson, MD."
  • Phone Sales Representative: "Sir, is that Towson address you just gave me where you send your payments or where you receive your statements?"
  • Customer. "Oh, the statements come here."
  • Phone Sales Representative: "And what is that address?"
  • Customer: "But I want it shipped to--"
  • Phone Sales Representative: "--your daughter at school. Right. But I still need a valid billing address."
  • Customer: "Young lady, if you would just tell me what you need from me, I would be happy to supply it."
  • Phone Sales Representative: "Where do your credit card statements come?"
  • Customer: "I told you. They come from Towson, MD."
  • Phone Sales Representative: "Not where they come from, where you receive them."
  • Customer: "In the mail, of course! You're not very smart, are you?"
  • Phone Sales Representative: "Sir, when you receive your statement from the credit card company and open it up to look at it, where are you standing?"
  • Customer: "In my kitchen."
  • Phone Sales Representative: "Your kitchen at home?"
  • Customer: "Of course!"
  • Phone Sales Representative: "Great! And what is your home address then?"
  • Customer: (finally supplies the address) "If you just wanted my home address, why on earth didn't you just ask for it?"