Is 10pm Late for You?
June 7, 2009
Sunday, 7 June – 10.00 PM
Phone rings
Leo : Hello
Woman : Hi, this is X from Y. We met in Raffles City. (I was in Raffles City during one of my leave days. This woman from an insurance company — not from the company I got a plan from as they are professionals — disturbed me as I was walking to the venue of my appointment. I told her I was in hurry but she wouldn’t let me go until she got my mobile number).
Leo : Aren’t you calling a bit late? (I consider the time of her call — Sunday past dinner, when I’m feeling anxious about Monday — a terrible time. None of my friends call me on Sunday night so I have little tolerance for people who sell stuff and are quite inconsiderate unless I said it was ok to call even at a later time).
Woman : (Drumroll please…) Sorry, is 10pm late for you? You said the best time to call you is during the weekend and I have been quite busy the past few weekends. (Yes, while I’m no uncle yet, it’s quite a bad time. At this stage, I was already getting annoyed. So it is my fault that she was busy and since now is her only convenient time, I should be more understanding?)
Leo : (But I still try to be respectful to the caller) How can I help you?
Woman : Would you like to meet up? (obviously to sell whatever she needs to sell).
Leo : Sorry, I cannot meet up with you anytime soon. Let me just call you as I have your business card anyway. (It’s true — I can hardly set up any appointments over lunch during the work week as I might be in meetings or be working on urgent stuff).
Woman : How about lunch? (Maybe in her view, “not being able to meet up” only meant breakfast and dinner.)
Leo : Sorry, I am usually in meetings so I cannot meet up (This lady is really desperate to get me as a client.)
Woman : Okay lah (Guess not — she seemed to have given up on me. Yey.)
Leo : Okay bye.
I end the call.
To me, it boils down to having respect for someone’s time. Calling at an unusual time to sell something to someone you don’t know without apologising (or entertaining the thought of doing so) is irritating. Prefer not to waste time on such type of people. Would rather read stuff, watch TV, or … blog like I’m doing now… at such a very, very late time – 1130pm.
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