I had to make a call to a customer support line today. I like to make sure everything is working the way it should especially in light of the current Coronavirus pandemic. I called at 2:24 p.m.
What started out as my being annoyed by having to make a tech support call quickly changed into something more.
As the call started, I realized immediately that the woman I was speaking with had an Asian accent of some sort. I’m naturally inquisitive, and the call had long lags while things were being tested, so I made small talk. I asked where she was from to which she replied that she was originally from the Philippines but was currently in China.
This is where I took a deep breath. How do I ask questions without sounding horrible? I’m sure she’s just as scared as the rest of the world and especially so considering where she is. So, I asked if she was close to where the bigger outbreaks are to which she replied she was but did not elaborate in which city. Her demeanor changed from the typical customer service voice to something more personable and a little quieter and quicker.
I told her that we live in West Virginia in the United States and we haven’t had any positive tests here, that W.Va. is the only state that doesn’t. I made some quip about it probably being due to not many tests being administered. I told her everyone ran out and bought all the toilet paper. “Oh, they are panic buying there? It has happened here, also.” I was a bit surprised she called it panic buying. I have no idea how fast buzz words spread and how far but apparently at least to China.
I told her there’s no hand sanitizer left on the shelves and most of the food is being bought up quickly. She said yes, they are doing a lot of hand washing. She tells me that they have no defenses against Coronavirus. She’s eating plenty of vegetables to keep her immune system strong.
A Turning Point in the Conversation
I notice at this point, while there have been interjections asking me about my tech issues; she also pauses when talking about the virus. Maybe someone is listening or she is distracted, I couldn’t tell.
I brought up that we are staying home as much as possible, and my kids are getting a little stir crazy since we’ve been home since Thursday afternoon. “Schools are closed here so students may stay home,” she informed me, “but we still work. It is hard to get a ride to work now from our provinces.”
I replied that I could understand that.
At this juncture, I realized how many people I heard talking in the background. She isn’t working from home. No teleworking for her. “It sounds like you are in a call center. It sounds like a hundred people are there.”
She replied, “Yes, if one of us gets sick, we are all dead.”
I stopped stunned. She continued, “They say it is important work, so we work.”
I immediately felt guilty that I had called. I know it’s not my responsibility for her work conditions, but it doesn’t help.
After that, we went back to tech talk for a moment. At the end of that, she paused again and said, “So much sad talk about Coronavirus, give me a moment to work on this problem.”
Still in shock, I agreed and stayed silent for a few moments.
So Many Questions
Not that I’m completely distrustful of national reporting, but I very wary about what we are being told and what has been left out, so I again decided to ask questions.
“Is it getting better there?” She replied that “No, it is increasing. It is very bad.“
“Is it mostly older people?” “Yes,” she said, “half age, I mean middle age and older gets very sick.”
“That’s what we are being told but that it’s mostly old and people with other sicknesses,” I told her. We agreed that it is scary.
I wanted to ask if she has children, has her family been affected, how old is she, are her friends okay, but I am only calling for tech support, and these things are not mine to ask. By this point, she had fixed my issue which doesn’t seem nearly as important as her company thinks her work is considering what is happening around her. She reminds me to eat a lot of vegetables just like my great-grandmother used to do, but she is young and in the middle of a pandemic. I thanked her. She asked if I agreed the job was done well, and I told her yes it was. I asked her to take care and stay safe. She replied with the same.
I’m sad, I’m scared, and I’m worried about a stranger I’ve talked to for a short time once in my life.
The phone rings from and 800 number at 3:21 p.m. For a second I wonder with some odd hope if it was the same woman I spoke to earlier. No, it is Lupa from the same company. This time, I paid attention to her name. She said everything is working well enough they are going to close the case. I tried to mention the virus, but she was all business. Her work is important, I see.
