30 August 2005

Calling Los Cuyos?

"You have one message. Received Tuesday at 11:46 AM."
—'swering machine.

"Hi. This is Justin at Delta Cargo, Austin, Texas. We have a package for Sitting Pretty c/o Anita Dallas. The phone number supplied is wrong. Please supply a correct phone number so that we may begin Customs processing. Thank you."

Los Cuyos rocking chair illustration
Must be a phone call/message for Los Cuyos Rocking Chair Factory in Costa Rica. Call made by another dumn American who doesn't know their geography. One who doesn't know that Costa Rica is not in North America. It's in Central America. To dial a telephone or fax number in Central America from within the United States of [Central North] America or Canada one must dial 011 before the area code. Without the 011, dialling 1 + the 506 area code will direct your call to someone in the picture province of New Brunswick, Canada. Why do I know this piece of useless info? Because, for several years now, I have been receiving phone calls and faxes out of the Unites States that are intended for the good folks in Costa Rica with whom I share a telephone & fax phone nunmber. I have a Bulldog clip of their faxes on my bulletin board. I receive phone calls, mostly from the secretaries of American doctors, who want Los Cuyos chairs and footstools, or they have a problem with the goods received. Sometimes part break. Sometimes it's a USA-based parts or machinery supplier. The clip holds price info on quantities fromn one to a ship container load. I have info on their banks and accounts. I know who there are. Where they are. The people are often extremely rude. They don't care that they've called Canada. They don't understand how they called Canada: "Don't get smart with me, mister!" They don't understant that New Brunswick in not Costa Rica. They Don't understand that Broken Jaw is not Los Cuyos. They expect me to help them. They expect me to redirect their call. They don't understand or get the joke that my name can be José.

shirt: yellow Denver Hayes
loc: Complaints Dept, ephemeral Los Cuyos Canada
temp: 20 C
sound: Architecture & Morality by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

3 comments:

Liz said...

damn it Jose I keep tellin ya you should just ask them to return the goods to your shipping department in NB!
I am sure the chairs are lovely. We could open our own branch here and become millionaires!
Then we could open a branch in Sackville.
Today New Brunswick...Tomorrow the world.

Simply Kel said...

Count me in. Plenty of storage in the garage, landlord's heading to Montreal and I've got the key.

Joe Blades said...

storage? he's got tools, a workshop. go go to town there . . . building an' building builts.