The Phone call

The other day I received a phone call from someone claiming to be from some service company. I didn’t catch the name. He gave me his name and employee number. He was a computer technician and he asked if I remembered him. I said I didn’t. He said he was going to help me with my computer. When I told him there was nothing wrong with my computer, he said this was just some information I needed in case there was something going to be wrong with my computer. This was just an after-service call. Then he asked if I was at my computer and if it was turned on. I said yes. He assured me we wouldn’t have to go on the internet.

When I asked again what this was all about he told me it a service his company performed. Then he asked me to check my cable. Oh, I forgot to mention he spoke with a heavy India accent.

Anyway, this is how the conversation went:

Me: What should I look at?

Him: Look at the left bottom. Do you see the letters ctrl?

Me: No.

Him: Just look at the left bottom corner. Do you see it?

Me: I see nothing. Should I look behind the monitor? Or where should I look?

Him: No, no, not behind the monitor. Look at the left bottom corner of your cable.

Me: Is this some kind of a joke?

Him: No joke. I am just trying to tell you what to do when you need to find out if your computer is working.

Me: My computer is working. Why would I look at the cable for that?

Him: Why don’t you understand what I’m saying? Look at the left bottom corner of your cable. Do you see the letters ctrl?

Me: I don’t see anything. There is nothing there.

Him: (frustrated): Just look at the left corner of you cable.

(I finally did see the letters Ctrl. On my Keyboard. In the left bottom corner.)

Me: I found the letters. They are on my keyboard.

Him: That’s what I said: Cable.

(It still sounded like Cable to me and I suddenly felt I was talking to Inspector Clouseau, except this guy didn’t have a French accent but Indian)

Me: Okay. What now?

Him: Just press down on Ctrl and (I forgot which other button he said).

(At this point I disconnected the internet cable from the cable box)

Me: Okay. I pressed them.

Him: Do you see...? (It was some kind of box that popped up)

Me: Yes.

Him: Now write these letters into the box. (He dictated a few letters.)

Me: I did, but all I get is this message: Windows cannot find the file. What should I see?

Him: (obviously frustrated now): Not that. Type those letters again.

By this time I was done playing around and I said: “Listen. You may be legitimate or not. I don’t know what this is all about. My computer is working fine and if I have trouble I’ll take it to a technician. Thank you and good bye.” Then I hung up.

Now, this guy might have been on the up and up and maybe from the company I bought my computer from. But why don’t they use people who speak English without an accent so they can be understood. I have enough trouble hearing without listening to someone who can’t speak proper English and trying to decipher what he’s saying. I get annoyed when I call the bank or some government or public place and someone answers with a heavy French or even a Bahama accent, never mind an accent from India. When I press that ‘For Service in English press One’ button I expect someone who speaks proper English.

Talk about the French accents: I have no problem with that when I call some place in Quebec but not in the rest of Canada. Contrary to what our politicians try to tell us, the rest of Canada is not bi-lingual. We speak mostly English. In Manitoba the Mother tongue of people is 75% English, 6% German, and only 3.9% French. That does not make a bi-lingual province.

Here are some statistics:

Percentage of Ethnic backgrounds in Manitoba: (the numbers are approximate):

English - 22%

German - 19%

Scottish - 18%

Ukrainian - 15%

Irish - 13%

French - 13% 

The rest of the Ethnic groups are under 10%.

If nothing else, the second language in Manitoba should be German.