07 Jan 2014

This Lady Could Be an Econ Blogger

All Posts 17 Comments

I just had this conversation with a customer service rep from a garbage removal company:

RPM: Hi, I just moved out of my house, and you guys had been picking up from my house, so I want to make sure you know there’s a new owner there.

LADY: Well did you call us to switch the service over?

RPM: No, I just moved. I’m calling you now to make sure it got switched.

LADY: Well no, only you could do that, the new owner can’t. If you didn’t call it wouldn’t have been switched. What’s the address?

RPM: [Tells address and name.]

LADY: Okay…yeah…I’m looking at this, it looks like the new owner called and switched service. You’re all set.

RPM: OK thanks.

Not even a flicker of self-doubt on her part.

17 Responses to “This Lady Could Be an Econ Blogger”

  1. Gamble says:

    Bob on a side note, supposedly change of address is 1 of the top 4 situations identify theft happens. NOT an expert but I think it is because your mail goes to the new people and they abuse you?

  2. David R. Henderson says:

    Bob, I didn’t know Krugman’s wife works for a garbage removal company.

    • Silas Barta says:

      She doesn’t. She works for a garbage *addition* company, of the intellectual variety.

  3. Tony N says:

    It’s because Obama is the new owner.

    • Ken B says:

      Another promise broken. Whatever happened to “If you like your trash removal you can keep your trash removal.”

      • Tony N says:

        C’mon, Ken. Everyone knows he meant you can keep your trash removal ONLY IF it qualifies. After all, nobody wants crappy, rip-off trash-removal. Seriously, if your trash service doesn’t come with free hoarding-prevention therapy, well, guess what… you’re getting shafted. Stand up for your rights, dammit!

        • Ken B says:

          OK, OK, but at least if I like my janitor I can keep my janitor, right?

          • Tony N says:

            HTTP Error 404

            Janitor not found

            The requested URL was not found on this server

            Please visit again later to obtain your new Janitor

      • Tel says:

        Ken, sadly you misheard.

        The real promise was, “If you like your trash, you can keep your trash.”

  4. Bob Roddis says:

    Just another massive failure of the so called “free market” requiring government intervention, education and especially sensitivity training.

    • Major_Freedom says:

      She waited too long to offer a new price in response to Bob’s moving.

      Bring out the guns bitchez…or something.

      • Bob Roddis says:

        Not to start anything big here but….

        No matter what we say or do, our opponents simply do not have an appreciation for or understanding of the NAP, much less the nature of the essential and irreplaceable information that is generated and derived from voluntary exchange because (among other things) they cannot seem to grasp the nature of voluntary exchange (vs. its absence or alternatives).

        And it never ends.

  5. Mark H says:

    Should she have self-doubt? I don’t get your point here.

  6. Mark H says:

    OK, now I get it. Well, she’s willing to revise her thinking in light of new info. That’s a good thing.

    • Bala says:

      …….only……..can’t…….wouldn’t have been……

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