What is it about math?

I am amazed at the number of people in service jobs who can't do math. Not just the cashier who relies on the register to tell how much change to give...I have a copying job I need done today. When I went to the first business (I won't mention names, but it is a prominent office supply store), I told the person in the print services center how many originals I have (40), how many sets I need (60) and that I wanted them back-to-back and 3-hole punched. She quoted me a price of $75 roughly. Seemed reasonable, if a bit too good to be true. So...

I called the same place today to confirm the cost. The young man who answered the phone, given the same information, quoted $168...a bit different from $75. When I mentioned that an employee in the print services center had said $75, he said (and I'm not making this up), "Well, I have to go now." I said, "Are you talking to me?" He said, "yes, just come into our print services center and talk to them in person." (Which, you will recall, I did yesterday.) So I said, "Can you transfer me to them?" And he did.

I asked the person who answered that phone the same question, and she said it would be $311. ARGGGH! I think she basically doubled the amount I needed, but still - double would have been $336.

I called another well-known copy service center to get another quote. The man who took the call first quoted me $9.00 (as in NINE DOLLARS). I questioned that quote, so he asked my info again, and then said $264.

The third place I called, gave the same info, and the guy said, "So, 280 copies, right?" First of all it would be ten times that (60 x 40), but his math was wrong anyway, because 6 x 4 = 24.

And one of these fine establishments wouldn't let my 17-year old daughter work there (in spite of the fact that she is a high-school grad, national merit semifinalist and AP scholar).

I don't get it.

(Sorry for the gripy tone - I actually find the whole thing amusing, but a little riduculous.)