Working for the local council can be a total headache.
The workers who answer the phones are there to help facilitate services to members of the local area as best they can, but at the end of the day, their powers are relatively limited. Many people don’t seem to understand this, however, and they ring up and start having a go over any number of things that aren’t in the employee’s remit and that they shouldn’t have to listen to. Here are some of the behaviours that infuriate council call centre employees the most.
1. Refusing to find or provide a reference number
They have a very important request that needs to be taken care of within the next 24 hours and that they’ve already reported twice before, but they don’t have any information on hand to help the council look into it. “No, I don’t have my reference number, and I’m not going to look for it. Can’t you just find me on the system? I’m John Smith at number 42.” Never mind that there are 400 John Smiths in the borough, and they refuse to provide any other identifying information.
2. Screaming down the line the minute the phones open for the day
It’s 8:01 a.m., the lines have just opened, and someone’s already shouting about their bins not being collected… from three months ago. They’ve been “saving up this complaint” and the poor sod who’s answered the phone at the call centre is their chosen victim for the day. The employees are barely awake, let alone ready to be shouted at.
3. Threatening to blast the council on socials
The caller wants something done NOW, and they’ve got a big “gotcha” up their sleeves for if the council doesn’t comply. “If you don’t sort this out RIGHT NOW, I’m going straight on Facebook!” they say. The call centre employee has to resist the urge to tell them that their caps-lock rant in the local Facebook group won’t actually speed up pothole repairs.
4. Refusing to take no for an answer
They’ve already spoken to five other departments, got the same answer each time, and are now trying their luck with you. “Maybe THIS person will tell me I can build a three-story extension without planning permission!” They don’t seem to understand that a “no” extends across the board, no matter which department they speak to.
5. Giving the ol’ “I pay your wages” speech
This is a classic line delivered by someone who’s just been told they can’t dump their building waste in their household bin. While technically what they’re saying is correct, it’s a pointless argument. A call centre employee making £15k a year isn’t going to be able to pull any special favours to change local policy for the caller’s sake. Bonus points if they demand to speak to the higher ups about their recycling box lid.
6. Not providing an exact location for the council to respond to
“There’s a massive pothole somewhere between my house and Sainsbury’s.” When asked for specific location details, they come back with something like, “Well, you lot should know where it is, it’s been there ages!” They then get all in a huff and act as if it’s a major convenience for them to even be ringing in, and often will hang up without ever giving any more information.
7. Spragging on a next door neighbour
There’s always one person who seems to have no hobbies except for ringing up the council to report their neighbours for any number of imagined offences.”My neighbour’s extension is definitely illegal. I’ve measured it with my eyes from my upstairs window, and I’ve been monitoring their builder’s van arrival times. Would you like to see my spreadsheet?” Worse, these people are so detailed that it’s hard to get them off the line. Call centre workers end up needing a tea break just to decompress!
8. Claiming the information that’s clearly on the website isn’t there
They council website was recently revamped and has so much information on it, most people wouldn’t even need to ring up if they read it. However, some people still do, insisting, “Your website isn’t working!” Translation: They haven’t cleared their cache since 2015, are using Internet Explorer, and refuse to try another browser because “this one’s always worked before.”
9. Complaining about the hold music
They’ve called to complain about how long they were on hold… making the queue even longer for everyone else. What’s worse, they’ll claim that they’ve been left hanging for ludicrous amounts of time, not realising that council employees can see how long the call has been connected. “I’ve been waiting for 20 minutes!” they shout. Unfortunately for them, the system clearly shows four minutes.
10. Insisting the weather shouldn’t affect council services
The roads are incredibly icy and the snow that fell overnight has now frozen over on top of it, making driving treacherous. However, that doesn’t matter to these people. They ring up the call centre, ranting, “My bin wasn’t collected because of a bit of snow? Back in my day…” They then launch into how, in the winter of 1963, their local council was out emptying bins despite the snow being up to their knees, and the story goes on and on…
11. Asking for council tax discounts for ridiculous reasons
Some people are legitimately entitled to council tax discounts, so this item isn’t about them. This is for the self-described slicksters who come up with ridiculous reasons for why they shouldn’t have to pay their share. “I’ve calculated that I spend exactly 2.7 days per year outside the borough, so I should get a council tax reduction,” they say. Sorry, but it doesn’t work like that.
12. Insisting other councils are better run
Call centre employees at the council are all too familiar with how much better literally every other council in the country must operate, which is pretty hilarious. “Well, my sister lives in [different council] and THEY empty bins twice a week AND give free garden waste collections AND probably make it rain less too!” Hilariously, their sister’s council likely hears the same complaints…
13. Trying to get five different things accomplished in a single phone call
Sometimes people do legitimately have a few matters of business to iron out with the council, but they refuse to accept that it’s all likely to be resolved in a single 10 minute call, for a variety of reasons. However, that doesn’t stop them from trying! “While I’ve got you on the phone about my council tax, can you also tell me about school admissions, fix my housing benefit, report my neighbour’s hedge, and explain why there’s roadworks in the town centre?” Better yet, this call usually comes at about 4:45 p.m. on a Friday.
14. Challenging very clear policies
Every single procedure needs to be justified and debated for some people. “But WHY can’t I put used nappies in the recycling bin? I demand to see the specific legislation!” Common sense rules are ones they’ll argue until they’re blue in the face, leaving council employees drained and wanting to rip their hair out.
15. Wanting the council’s help but refusing to say who they are or where they live
They have a list of complaints a mile long, but they refuse to give their name or address because “the government is watching.” However, they still expect you to solve their very specific problem about their very specific property. They can dream on!
