Was I wrong?
Asked by white gravy
I took a message for my boss. The person who called said his name was Steven so I wrote it down and his last name. I normally give it to my bosses voice mail but he has some crazy thing on his phone to where I cannot patch a call through to his voicemail, anyhow, I took a manual message wrote his first and last name down and asked about his phone # he said oh no he (meaning my boss had it) I said okay no problem is there any other message or info you would like to leave he said no and hung up. So I give this to my boss and he says I don't know a Steve you meant Scott. No I didnt' it was STEVE I did not argue I said I wrote it exactly the way the man presented it to me and he said you knew his number. I agree I should have gotten his company but he said my boss knew him so I just went along with it. Now my boss is telling me how to take messages for him I really dont' feel I was at a total fault on this. What to do?

Best Answer:
It's okay. There's nothing you can do but move on. Your boss is being a little nit-picky. Just smile, nod and say you'll do it that way next time. And then go ahead and do it that way. I know, I've run into the same thing, getting reprimanded 'cause I didn't get a name AND a number. Steve or Scott or whatever the he!! is name is will probably call back anyway, if it's THAT important.

No, bosses can just be dicks like that. next time ask for the company though, but dont sweat it
Answered by Teacup

u did what was normal.forget it occurred. sorry.
Answered by kemperk

Sit and wait for your pink slip to show up.
Answered by Sexy McGee

Just take his instructions as constructive criticism, not as an insult or a punishment. This is simply the way he wants you to take his messages from now on. You didn't get fired, didn't get reprimanded, so just follow the instructions and you're good to go... at least next time that happens. Good luck.
Answered by insanewidget

politely listen to your boss, take messages the way he wants you too. Bitch about it to your friends after work. These days, jobs and money are getting scarce.
Answered by fierypassionateone

hmm... sounds like your boss is a jerk?
Answered by Vegetarian[beth]

It was his boyfriend, and your boss is embarrassed. Also, for some reason people tend to confuse the names Steve and Scott.
Answered by Mr. Lizard

It's water under the bridge now. But if you have to take a message in the future, even if they say they have the number, always ask for it just in case. This way your covered.
Answered by dayaous

That is really annoying and it's not your fault but you should just suck it up and accept the lesson. It cant hurt
Answered by heelsoverhead28

Just let it roll off your back. My boss is the same way. Don't feel bad cuz no one is perfect, I think anyone in your position would have done the same thing. Take a deep breath & don't let your boss tick you off. Good luck!
Answered by Shimmy D

Well, you stood up for yourself by telling him you wrote it the way the man presented it. What more can you do? Your boss is probably just some rich person who doesn't think twice about making their employees feel stupid. Just blow it off, because you know you did things correctly. No worries.
Answered by Lora L

just forget it , they can be like that sometimes and once you know it he will forget about it too.
Answered by liliyz

I had this kind of stuff happened to me all the time when I was a young legal secretary, don't let it bother you. Some of these men you'll work for are never happy no matter what. In order to keep the peace I suggest you have his voice mail repaired so you don't have to take manual messages anymore.
Answered by kwynn_75

If he says anything to you about it again, tell your boss very politely that you do know how to take messages, you agree that yes, you know you should have taken his company number but know that his name was definitely Steve. Say that you know this and have learnt from your mistakes like any other human being. Remain calm throughout. This will soon shut him up but will take away the risk of you losing your job.....;) Hope I've helped! Xx
Answered by Melissa M

There are TWO sides to this issue (sorry, you're in the middle with NO side to pick on). Your boss needs to understand the other side of the issue. SOME people call people at the office on a cold call basis. IF he is in, BINGO. Mission accomplished. If not, the LAST thing anyone wants is to burn the call so they give the old saw of "he knows my number" in order to get off the line. ONCE the caller in unable to get through to the main dude (your boss) the phone call is essentially a bust. If no number, explain that NO message is implied from the call. (does not count for his wife OR mistress)
Answered by De Deuce

Theres not much you can do. Just to stay out of any further trouble just carry on and agree with your boss. I don't think it was your fault either but he is your boss.
Answered by Meg

That's a hard call because he is your boss. Debating with him could cost you your job. Try and explain it to him again. Explain that the man said his name was Steve. You are positive. You could also politely express your feelings about the situation. Sometimes it works. I had a similar thing happen to me after I finished school. I simply asked if we could "talk" and I let him know that I take my job very seriously and I'm sure of what I wrote down on the paper. For me, it actually made things better. I believe every boss and their employee should have these talks.
Answered by LeAnn S

I think your boss is being a jerk. You took the message as it was given to you. If you pushed this guy for more info and your boss did know the guy personally and had his number, the guy could have told your boss that you were being too pushy and then your boss would be mad at you for that. Sometimes you can't win! Don't loose any sleep over it!
Answered by njgirl195749

I'm not sure there is much you can do at the moment really. I agree what happened is not your fault but your boss doesn't seem to be concerned about that - he's concerned he didn't get his message. So for now I'm afraid the only thing you can do is wait for him to trust you to take messages he finds are acceptable.
Answered by Charlotte

It sounds like your boss is really rude. The names Steve and Scott arent even similar so I doont think its likely you made a mistake. He probably does know a Steve but just cant remember him. It definately isnt your fault but in Admin work you often have to take the blame for a boss who wont admit he is wrong.
Answered by Kelly W

Well to be honest with you.. I know its not your fault. I would however have said to "Steve" i could only take a message if the correct areas are dealt with. e.g... number. company etc. Or give him the option to call back later. There is no need in getting in yourself into trouble for something that's not your fault. So i see your point and your boss. I think you should cover yourself for now on though. Good luck
Answered by toria

Tell him that you are sorry, and you are certain that you have the right person, but next time you will ask for the name two times.
Answered by muahahahee

I get this all the time with my wife taking messages for me...and most of the time the person that WON'T give her anymore information is nothing more than a shyster trying to sell us copy paper, credit cards, land in florida..who knows! But there is the occasional call from someone that really does know me-and expects ME to know who they are from a simple message like you got. Well, I'm known for NOT being able to put a name to a face...never been able to keep track of names of people at all unless I see them every day. So she has learned to get ALL the information (name AND company) so I can connect that person to a company and figure out why they might have called. It's possible your BOSS thinks this guy was Scott by mistake-I do it all the time-mix up names. So save the both of you embarassment-get all the info for the message including the phone number! There is always the chance the person calling may be someone the boss is trying to avoid...like I do...customers that really tick me off, want me to jump like a dog when they call, treat them like divas...so I ignore them! And ANYONE that says they MUST talk to me only-and won't leave her a message-she tells them right off that SHE is a co-owner and if they won't talk to HER, they are NOT going to talk to me! That gets rid of 99% of the phone sales scams.
Answered by signman_03743

Well, since you're not used to taking a handwritten message, you did what most people would do in that situation. I used to do that too - believe the caller that the person they are calling has their #, etc. I learned that often times the person they are calling does NOT have their number (or at least not without looking it up somewhere). So, if this happens again, INSIST that you have the caller's number - make a little joke about it if you have to like "Well, can I have it? [emphasis on I]" or "Can I have it just in case?" or even "Can I have it to give to so 'n so so that s/he doesn't have to locate it (and can call you back quicker)?" One of these usually works. I am betting that the caller was a telemarketer trying to sound legit by giving a real name and hence no phone number. They can be very tricky!
Answered by ~girlfriday~

I'm not sure there is much you can do at the moment really. I agree what happened is not your fault but your boss doesn't seem to be concerned about that - he's concerned he didn't get his message
Answered by ♥l love pink♥

You did the right thing. It's not your fault that your boss is a 1st class jerk. If the call was all that important, Steve will call back. For future reference, though, get a phone number whether the caller thinks the boss has it or not. Phone numbers can get lost &/or deleted. Stuff happens. Don't sweat the small stuff.
Answered by squirrellymom2