Page 11 | To wonder what stupid questions you've been asked

NMC2022 · 10/12/2021 10:14

"Monday the 31st January? So that's a Friday?"

AnotherOneWithNoGoodName · 10/12/2021 10:22

@SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius

Re:the surname that is a colour - don’t the majority (if not all) colours have one correct spelling - so surely, if the poster’s surname is the same as the colour, there is only one way to spell it?

Yes, the surname Green can also be spelled Greene, or Pink could be Pinke - but the colour green can only be spelled green, and the colour pink can only be spelled pink.

People wouldn't think that If someone came up and said "My name is Anne Green" though. If I was searching a database, for example, I would ask how its spelt.

witsendeverytime · 10/12/2021 10:26

I don't think those are silly questions OP. Can't tell you the amount of times I've driven up and down a street as there are no numbers, the house is behind another so you have to go down the drive, and so on, and a simple heads up would have saved so much time.
The florist wants to make sure the delivery is successful. Telling her it's 'third on the right, blue door with numbers clearly marked' is extremely helpful. She's probably had her fair share of 'oh yes, I forgot to tell you they were half a mile up an unmarked dirt track'...

BigYellowHat · 10/12/2021 10:33

@Ubiquery

“What’s the author’s name?” from a bookshop employee when I asked to order The Diary Of Anne Frank.

Not that stupid. Who wrote Bridget Jones’s Diary? 😂

tallduckandhandsome · 10/12/2021 10:36

@backtolifebacktoreality

Last weekend I phoned a local florists and asked them to send some flowers to a nearby friend.

The friend lives in a relatively small cul de sac. The florist obviously asked the address for them to be delivered to. I advised they lived at No 12.

She then went on asking all sorts of questions about how she could find the house once in the street, ie what side of the road etc. She then asked questions about what would make the house recognisable to her, ie what colour front door.

I had to bite my lip but really wanted to respond "the fact that is has the number 12 on the door"!

What a thoroughly unpleasant post.

Hoppinggreen · 10/12/2021 10:53

Unfortunately I have to admit to one myself.
While on a corporate event many years ago we went to Universal studios in Florida.
A staff member pointed to one of the sets where there was a large pool with a catamaran in it and said “that’s the actual boat from the Kevin Costner film”
Me ‘which one?”
Colleague “Dances with Catamarans you muppet”

allthesharks · 10/12/2021 10:54

When DD was a few weeks old I was waiting for a bus with her in a stretchy wrap sling. Someone looked at her and said "awww, is it a baby?" No, it's a cat 🙄

CustardySergeant · 10/12/2021 11:00

@1forAll74

I had to take some form or other into an insurance place 16 years ago,after my Mum had died, it was a few days before her funeral. The man on the desk said, your Mother has not signed this particular document, so we can't process it yet, is there any chance you can get her to sign it soon. I said, hang on, I will just rush to the funeral parlour before they put the lid down on her coffin, and see if she will oblige.

Strangely, everyone in earshot in the room, burst out laughing at this, but not the man who asked the stupid question.!

Did he never understand that he had asked the impossible? Was he that dense? With this and all the posts about people insisting on speaking to the person they have just been told is deceased, I want to know what happened next. How long did it take for them to acknowledge that they have asked the impossible? I've heard about these ludicrous conversations for umpteen years and it's so baffling. How do you get through to people who insist they have to get the authorisation from the account holder despite being told the reason for the account closure is death? One poster even said she was passed on to the manager, who also insisted they had to speak to the person whose name was on the account. If you've posted about this situation, would you please tell me what happened to resolve it? How did you get them to understand the impossibility of what they were insisting upon and what did they say to you?

Blueblossombush · 10/12/2021 11:09

My (then 17 year old daughter) had a thick question moment (one of many)
I was walking home and rang her to say I was ten minutes away
Me-hiya,I’m just doing an ET and phoning home
Her-what’s ET?
Me-oh it’s a movie from the 80’s about an alien,just Google it as it’s much easier than me explaining it
Her-sure (pauses while she grabbed the tablet)
How do you spell it?

I still laugh about this 7 years later

twoshedsjackson · 10/12/2021 11:48

When travelling to the USA, I'm always puzzled by the question on the form filled in during the journey, asking if you belong to a terrorist organization. Would anybody actually admit to this if they were?
(on a choir tour, we had to remind the teenage boys not to give facetious answers to this, and border guards may not share their idea of a joke......)

IntermittentParps · 10/12/2021 11:57

@twoshedsjackson

When travelling to the USA, I'm always puzzled by the question on the form filled in during the journey, asking if you belong to a terrorist organization. Would anybody actually admit to this if they were? (on a choir tour, we had to remind the teenage boys not to give facetious answers to this, and border guards may not share their idea of a joke......)

I enjoy the 'moral turpitude' one too

But yes, you don't piss about with US immigration officials. No sense of humour!

megustalacerveza · 10/12/2021 12:02

@repottingthescabious

not asked but unfortunately it was me, embarrassingly, doing the asking last week.

me phoning the pharmacy: Would you tell me if my prescription's ready for me to collect?

silent pause.....

Pharmacist: your name....?

I don't think it's that stupid? I often wait for them to ask my name, or pause and then say it to make sure they're ready and listening.

When I worked somewhere like that, I found it annoying when people would go "Hi, it's XYZ calling to see if my prescription is ready." It's harder to retain information when it comes out of the blue without context, when you've just been in the middle of another task or another conversation. If I knew I had someone calling about a prescription, I could say "hold on, let me check", go over to where we kept them and THEN ask their name...much easier.

thehippietothehiphop · 10/12/2021 13:04

@megustalacerveza totally agree with this! I think it’s so presumptuous to give all your details before you even know if the person has got time to help with your enquiry or not. It’s just polite for wait for them to ask your name!

megustalacerveza · 10/12/2021 13:07

[quote thehippietothehiphop]@megustalacerveza totally agree with this! I think it’s so presumptuous to give all your details before you even know if the person has got time to help with your enquiry or not. It’s just polite for wait for them to ask your name![/quote]
Yes, exactly, or maybe they need to transfer you to someone else or they're in the middle of something and need you to hold. I think the person answering the phone was a rude arse...it's actually good manners to enquire about whether what you need is even possible before giving your details.

Intercity225 · 10/12/2021 13:25

The social worker

"Has DD witnessed criminal activity?"

Who would be stupid enough to say "Yes!"

2Gen · 10/12/2021 13:42

Oh this made me burst myself laughing, it's really cheered me up as I'm having a rather stressful time at the moment, so thanks!
I hope your handbag wasn't an expensive one?

AmIgoinghomeforXmas · 10/12/2021 13:44

Who would be stupid enough to say "Yes!"

Plenty of people say yes to that.

WeatherwaxOn · 10/12/2021 13:47

Remembered another.
At the hairdressers, having a cut.
Hairdresser, holding up mirror for me to see the back:"Is this okay, or do you want it longer?"
Not sure how that was supposed to work.

thehippietothehiphop · 10/12/2021 14:02

@Intercity225

The social worker

"Has DD witnessed criminal activity?"

Who would be stupid enough to say "Yes!"

This is a worrying one

AmIgoinghomeforXmas · 10/12/2021 14:13

To be fair in some areas there are regularly drug deals happening on the streets, or punch ups or people being mugged.
So it wouldn't be surprising for dc to have seen some of this.

timestheyarechanging · 10/12/2021 15:28

Oh and this one was me! In my defence I was 17 and studying the highway code for my theory driving test. I learnt that non English speaking people could have an interpreter at their test (or the software could be adapted) Great. I then asked my to-be in-laws and his extended family:
'Does that mean that a visually impaired person can do the test in Braille or aural only, I hope so?'
Fortunately they just laughed but sadly I wasn't joking! Took me a while to realise what I'd stupidly said.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 10/12/2021 17:03

When I worked somewhere like that, I found it annoying when people would go "Hi, it's XYZ calling to see if my prescription is ready." It's harder to retain information when it comes out of the blue without context, when you've just been in the middle of another task or another conversation. If I knew I had someone calling about a prescription, I could say "hold on, let me check", go over to where we kept them and THEN ask their name...much easier.

Yes, it's not stupid at all - you aren't expecting them to know your name, but it's waiting for them to be ready to take your details - or to say "Ah, it's Jill you need - I'll put you through to her". Also, some places want your DoB or account/reference number first, so it's just a way of respectfully announcing the kind of help you need and then waiting for them to respond accordingly so that they can help you.

CassieJumped · 10/12/2021 17:11

@Fizzbangwallop

When a friend asked my DM where her colonoscopy was being done. Her answer was ‘up my bum!’

That's too funny

CassieJumped · 10/12/2021 17:14

@TheLovleyChebbyMcGee

'Not had the baby yet?'

'Yeah mate, just thought I'd rather come into work to spend the day working with you over being at home with my newborn' Also, my bump is still massive

'Yeah mate, I just left it at home'

I had this question a few times when overdue with my son. Bracing for it all over again as I'm 36+5 with his sibling, but thankfully WFH so will avoid the worst of it fingers crossed!

Someone once said to me 'ahhh still going strong then?' The baby was a week old and at home with Dh whilst I nipped into the shops for some bits. Whilst still obviously having a tummy it was very clear I wasn't still 40 weeks pregnant

LouH1981 · 10/12/2021 17:59

Not me, but as a defence solicitor I was present in a police station interview when the officer asked my 15 year old client if he ‘intended to be reckless’ 🤷🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️