Monday, April 11, 2005

Dead true

They don't have funeral directors in India. Why did I think this thought? My niece whose father is a funeral director in Scotland asked me what a funeral director in India is called. Why did she want to know this? Because, according to her email, they keep getting phone calls from a company who's telesales is in Delhi and they don't understand what dad's job is. Why anyone would want to talk to a telesales person, I don't know. Inscrutable Scots!

Telesales people don't bother me at all. The people who actually make the calls are only doing their jobs. At least, they're trying to make an honést living for themselves. How many of us have complained about those lazy so-and-sos on benefit? I find that telling the caller politely that I'm not interested and asking them to remove my number from their call list usually works. Many of us have spent a lot of creative time dreaming up "How to annoy a telesales person" techniques. Some of these can be quite amusing but most are just plain rude. I can't help feeling that, hiding behind technology, we have lost our sense of tolerance and reasonable behaviour.

There are people who behave abominably when they get behind the wheel of a car. We rant and rave, loose our cool and use our horn when all that's needed is a little patience? The same person when walking along the road might be held up behind an old lady or a group of students who are enjoying life but blocking the path. Does (s)he rant, rave and swear then? Not usually! A polite excuse me does the job.

Oh, and in case you're wondering .... when a Hindu dies the body is prepared by the family themseves. The eldest son, or eldest male relative, will take the lead in the funeral arrangements and deal with all the paperwork. I don't know but I'm prettty sure that Muslims and Christians in India will have a similar system.

36 Comments:

Blogger Zinnia Cyclamen said...

Well I bet that saves them a pile of money!

8:13 am  
Blogger David's View said...

Nice site. "Hello, Michele sent me."

4:32 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I get a lot of telemarketing calls and I must say it goes two ways with the technology concept and sales techniques. It may not even be the technology but the marketing concepts and styles. They are taught they have to be pushy to sell and that is probably the truth. I mean if I call someone up and they say, "I'm not interested" and I say "ok", I'm probably not going to sell much. However, when I've told them politely on the phone several times I'm not interested and goodbye and they just keep talking, I think they are taking advantage of my phone etiquette. So I guess it's one of those catch 22's and not much that can be done about it all.

"Hello, Michele sent me."

4:40 pm  
Blogger Zinnia Cyclamen said...

Hello, Michele sent me this time - but as you know I've been here all by myself before!

6:08 pm  
Blogger Crayonsetc said...

Hello, Michele sent me! Have a wonderful day!

6:51 pm  
Blogger Ella said...

Rudeness seems to have become acceptable in many walks of life these days. Often the excuse is that we're in a hurry or too busy. It's a shame.

Hello, Michele sent me. I love your blog and will be back again to visit.

7:18 pm  
Blogger -E said...

Michele sent me.

I never thought about what funeral directors are called in various countries.

And I agree, reactin with patience and politeness is much better than being rude.

7:56 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hiya michele sent me and as alwuays I am going ot ahve a lcoser poke around.. hope you dont mind :-)

8:35 pm  
Blogger Ozfemme said...

Hi, Michelle sent me. Interesting site.

10:11 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Where In NZ you live? I was there in 2001! LOVED IT!!!!!!

10:49 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hello, Michele sent me but as you might remember I have been here all by myself before!

It is great to hear about other cultures and the like. We are all so very different yet we all live on the same planet. Strange.

11:40 pm  
Blogger elle said...

Hello, Michele, the universal blogging goddess, sent me. I love the way you refer to the telemarketers as telesales. It sounds so much nicer. Truth is that the phone rings every 5 minutes and it's usually a computer calling, not a person. We have a "Do Not Call" law in my state, and if you register your number they can't call you. It's a joy to actually answer the phone again and speak to a person who doesn't want your money. It was nice to meet you. I'll be back.

11:53 pm  
Blogger Catherine Detweiler said...

I think Blogger ate my comment, so forgive me if this appears twice.

I'm also on a "do not call" list, so I don't get too many sales calls any more. When I do, I realize that they are trying to earn a living. I also realize that I'm not going to buy anything. So as soon as I figure out that they're a telemarketer, I just say, "Sorry, I'm not interested" (politely, of course), and then hang up. I don't even bang down the receiver. Usually.

12:00 am  
Blogger Mamacita (The REAL one) said...

Michele sent me this time, but now that I've discovered you, I'll be back on my own, a lot. You are much nicer than I am about the telemarketers, and a lot nicer than I am about many other things, I do believe. Your blog is awesome, and you seem like a lovely person. Thank you for sharing.

12:26 am  
Blogger Mike Davis said...

I love the name and thanks for the Latin education.

Oh, "Michele sent me". But I'll gladly come back of my own volition. ;)

12:29 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi. I agree wholeheartedly that tolerance, patience and politeness are necessary to get you through the day in a state of grace. None of the things you described bother me particularly, but I can also understand people being tetchy and irritable when they feel provoked by nuisance calls, junk mail and individuals rattling coin boxes or clipboards at them in the street when they are just trying to get through what is probably a very stressful day. Often a polite "no thank you" in these situations is not enough and the persistence of people who want something from you when you think you have made yourself quite clear is very irritating.

Michele sent me today, but I'll be back again later fro another look round your blog. Enjoy the rest of the day.

12:37 am  
Blogger Suzanne said...

you're right. I think society is losing all sense of morality, and civil behaviour. It's a shame.

I didn't know that about the Hindu funeral. Interesting.
I'm over from Michele's. Hello

12:48 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hello, Michele sent me! First time visiting but I'll be back.

1:09 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

In the same vain the group of students or person holding you up on the sidewalk will notice you behind them or hear your excuse me and move but when they get in a car they become the most oblivious individuals on the planet completely unaware of their surroundings! Just my 2 cents. Nice blog and I am here via Micheles! :)

Cheers.
P.

1:37 am  
Blogger Megan said...

Hi - Michele sent me. I'll be back to take a good look around later.

Have a lovely day!

2:00 am  
Blogger aprilbapryll said...

I don't have a problem with telemarketers, but I do have a problem with serial wrong numbers. We have a vonage phone, and it automatically records the phone numbers online and there is a family (not always the same person leaving a message) that is always calling looking for someone and it's quite apparent by our answering machine that they don't live here, but yet they leave long rambling messages about making sure they call back etc. Unfortunately they never call when we are home, we just walk in the door to 9 messages asking why we haven't called back yet.
nice site, michele sent me!

2:22 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hello Michele sent me.

2:30 am  
Blogger Cara said...

Hello, Michele sent me! I think that Americans are the worst about "road rage" and being cruel to telemarketers. I would no more be obnoxious to another driver than I would be to my parents. In America, you don't know if that person isn't carrying a gun or something. People are crazy. I'm happy to say that in America we can put ourselves on the National "do not call" list. Once a person submits their name and phone number, by law, no one can call us to sell us anything. Telemarketers have never really bothered me but I did put my name on the list because they always seemed to call at the worst times!

3:35 am  
Blogger Cara said...

Hello, Michele sent me! I think that Americans are the worst about "road rage" and being cruel to telemarketers. I would no more be obnoxious to another driver than I would be to my parents. In America, you don't know if that person isn't carrying a gun or something. People are crazy. I'm happy to say that in America we can put ourselves on the National "do not call" list. Once a person submits their name and phone number, by law, no one can call us to sell us anything. Telemarketers have never really bothered me but I did put my name on the list because they always seemed to call at the worst times!

3:35 am  
Blogger Sleeping Mommy said...

It's always interesting to see how various cultures handle death and burying.

Hello, Michele sent me.

5:28 am  
Blogger musingwoman said...

Hello, Michele sent me, too. I've enjoyed getting acquainted with your blog. I'm 40-something, divorced and, like you, "currently very happily de facto." I also hate spiders.

7:27 am  
Blogger Bonvallet said...

I learned something new, glad Michele sent me. I know I laughed at a joke someone sent me on how to deal with a telemarketer. I'd never do it but now I'm even ashamed to admit that I laughed. You're right, they're trying to make a living.

7:32 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hello, michele sent me! have a great day :)

8:06 am  
Blogger Mary said...

Hello, Michele sent me today.
I enjoyed your blog, and especially like your username. :)

8:47 am  
Blogger Mrs. Falkenberg said...

Hello, Michele sent me. She has such good taste!!

9:38 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ooooh, I admit that I have been one of those rude people. I can't help it. I'm usually so very nice! But when I get woken up 3 times in a row by people wanting me to buy stuff from them, eventually, it gets on my nerves! Yesterday, I was woken up twice by the police benevolent society. The first time I told them that they could call me later in the day. The second call was from a different person 20 minutes later. I support the police dept. but this was out of hand. I TRY not ot be rude, but there IS a limit.

Oh, by the way... Michele sent me. And I'm glad she did. (I'm really not rude. I swear!)

9:50 am  
Blogger Omykiss said...

I'm overwhelmed .. both literally and figuratively. Welcome all and thanks for leaving such nice comments.

Welcome back Zinnia and Melody.

I live in Auckland, mrsmogul

1:43 pm  
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