"Has my giro been sent out?"
Not really a customer from hell; more a tale tinged with a whiff of tragedy and a slight case of ‘oh, for fuck’s sake, not again’.

DSS Income Support section, mid 1990s. At around 9:30, a phone rings. Colleague picks it up. “Hello, Income Support section, how can I help? *Brief pause* Ah, I see, yes, I’ll just check to see if it has gone out, can I take the National Insurance number please? Yes. Yes. Uh-huh. OK, let’s have a look. Yes, the giro went out yesterday, you should receive it in no later than 3 working days, but it’ll probably be there tomorrow. That’s no problem. You’re welcome. Goodbye.”

A bit later another phone rings on a different part of the section. Another colleague picks it up. “Hello – oh, you were just wondering if you’re giro had been sent out? I’ll just check. National Insurance number please? Yes. Uh-huh. Yep. Yep, got that, two seconds please *tappity tap tap tap onto keyboard* Yes, it went out yesterday, you’ll probably get it tomorrow, but we have to wait three working days. Yes, that’s right. You’re welcome. Bye”.

A few minutes later, another phone rings, and another colleague picks up. Similar conversation ensues. Call ends. Then the phone rings again, and the original colleague picks up again. “Oh, hello, Mr Wibble, what can I do for you now? Yes, that’s right I spoke to you before. Yes, your giro has gone out, as I said, you’ll probably get it tomorrow, but you need to wait three days. We seem to be getting a few of these today; can I check your address please? Yes, that's the address we have. That’s OK. Bye”.

Colleague turns to the rest of us “Eeh, bless, that was Mr Wibble on again asking about his giro, the poor bloke must be getting confused; he’d forgotten that he’d spoken to me 15 minutes ago”.

Another colleague pipes up “Hang on, I just spoke to Mr Wibble, about the same thing”.

“And me.”

Phone rings again. We look at each other. “I’ll get this”, volunteers one phone monkey. “Hello, Income Support. Oh, hello Mr Wibble. Yes, I’ll just check if your giro has gone out… yes, went yesterday. That’s no problem. You’re welcome. Goodbye now”.

Just then the computer system crashes (a result, we later found out, of roadworks slicing through a cable). Thirty seconds later the phone rings. I pick up. “Hello Income Support, I’m afraid our computer system has gone down so… oh, Mr Wibble, hello. Yes, your giro has gone out. Yesterday, Yes. OK. Goodbye.” *Click*

Colleagues in the office are laughing a bit by this point. Phone rings again, another colleague answers… well, you get the picture…

This carried on all day; the bloke must have rang about 70 times asking if his giro had been sent out. Eventually we got the visiting officer to go out and see him as a matter of urgency, and managed to get him to appoint someone to deal with his affairs for him as he was clearly not capable himself. It started off being quite funny, after a while it just got a bit tragic, the poor bloke.
( Davros' Granddad a voice of calm reason in a world of spastics., Tue 9 Sep 2008, 11:48, Reply)