Saturday, September 10, 2011

I need to talk about this one thing, before I do homework.

I work for what we call in the TMA Department, the Media Arts Labs which includes areas in the HFAC and at the MPS that are run by students for faculty, students and other BYU types.  With the start of the new semester, you always have some glitches to get through in order for it to be running smoothly. We have been in the process of getting classes updated on our equipment checkout system, updating software, making sure people are actually working, telling people to be quiet in meetings. Yup.
So, on Thursday I missed a call and got a voicemail.

********* I WILL NOW REFER TO THE CALLER AS PERSON**********
Caller/Person: Hi, this is Person.  I am trying to get a Super 8 camera to check out for the weekend.  You can call me back at this number blah blah blah. Bye.
Me: Hi Person.  Hi Person, this is Tess calling back.  Are you a Media Arts major or in our Super 8 class?  If you aren't a Media Arts major you cannot checkout equipment.  If you are enrolled in the Super 8 class you can go to our online checkout system, and create a reservation. Thanks, Bye.
Caller/Person: Hello, this is Person.  I'm calling you back about the Super 8 camera.  I REALLY need the camera for Saturday and I am in the Super 8 class.
(in my brain, Person didn't even listen to my voicemail.)
Me: Okay, have you gone to Ashwire?
Caller/Person: What is that?
(yeah, Person did NOT listen to my voicemail.)
Me: It is our online equipment checkout system.  It is the only way we allow students to check our equipment out.  We don't hand out cameras.
Caller/Person: Okay, so what do I need to do?
Me: Let me check to see if you are in the class list.  Oh, it looks like you are not.  Here is what you need to do.  Email your student ID number, birthday, and Route Y ID to our Access Manager at this email.
Caller/Person: Can you do it? I'm at work, and I don't get off until later.
Me: Um, no.  You have to do it.  Our Access Manager will make sure that your information gets sent to our person in charge of Ashwire.  You should be fine and able to check out your equipment.
(REALLY???? This got me a little bit miffed. I was kind of taken aback)
Caller/Person: Okay, what do I have to do again?
I then go on and repeat everything that I had previously said.
Caller/Person: Then what do I do?
Me: You will setup your username and password, and create a reservation with the MA Checkout for your Super 8 camera.  They are open on Fridays in the afternoon.
Person says something and asks a question that makes me think that Person still thinks Person is entitled to something, which bothers me and then the conversation is over.

I really couldn't believe that Person couldn't send a simple email.  Am I being too mean about this?

Moving on.  I get a voicemail from Person on Friday morning.  Asking the same question.  I call back, and leave him a voicemail telling Person to make a reservation.  I go off and do something for work, I get back and see that Person has called me twice, but no voicemail. Hooray! I go to our equipment checkout system and see Person has made a reservation. Huzzah.

I guess I am writing this post for two reasons.

ONE: Entitlement is not okay.  I am not going to send an email for a person, unless I work for that person OR if a crisis is happening. THIS was not a crisis. At all. I know that this Person is wanting to come out of film school as a director and I say, "yeah, right." I have worked with this Person before and this Person always seems to act like he is entitled to something.  I don't understand, and I don't care if you are related to a GA. I don't.  I also get nervous when people like Person want to be in the film major, because sometimes people like Person get in the film major and then you sit next to them in class, and they aren't fun like your friends you work with in the Media Arts Labs.  I guess my world can't be perfect.  Also, I feel like this post is all about how I am such a baby about things like this.

TWO: My job isn't that hard, and I guess I could have totally written that email for him, but I guess since I just got out of a meeting where we spent 15 minutes explaining to one of our employees why we took a piece of equipment out of a sound area, and hearing the sound person complain about it really bugged me too.  Guess what? Taking ten minutes to set up a microphone is OKAY!  And walking down a small hallway to get a microphone is EVEN EASIER! SO DO IT!



K. I think I am off my multiple high horses now. Neigh horse. Neigh.  I will try not to get back on them.

7 comments:

Lauren said...

wow, what a conversation. ha. i'm going to narrow in down next time i'm in super 8 ;) it was joshua. i know it.

T Kelly said...

No, it wasn't Joshua. He is actually a Media Arts Major! And I don't mind helping people who aren't entitled.

Jesse and Laur said...

Wait. What's the H Fack?

Ohkay...looks like a bad word...

That's my b

Eliza said...

NOOOOOO! You are not over reacting here, my sister.

I am PROUD of you for not babysitting "person" - I think you should have referred to him as "butt head". I can't stand entitlement. It makes me so upset I want to call people "butt heads".

Just because his mommy probably wiped his bum for him until he left for college doesn't mean YOU have to! The sooner he grows up the better.

I would have hung up the phone on him when he asked me the third time what he was supposed to do, when he figured out you weren't gonna do it for him.

I'm BOILING man! BOILING, I tell ya!

Eliza said...

I mean boiling mad with a "d" not an "n". I feel foolish. I am not boiling man...

this is why it doesn't pay to get upset.

let this be a lesson for me.

the end.

Jenny said...

Ok I found your blog through Lindsey J. I promise I am not stalking you and will not share this blog with people I am married to in case you need to vent about something him related in the future (which I don't personally recommend).

In answer to whether or not you should have helped him, Just because you can doesn't mean you should. I don't care how much free time you have, people need to be responsible for themselves. That lazy student is not paying you to help him. Entitlement makes me want to smack people.

Brynn said...

I'm boiling man. As in boiling, comma, man.