Do people ask you for free professional help constantly?! Vent here!

[lynxstch]

but that's why we have caller id and answering machines these days..use them and cut down on 'unknown' callers..your hubby might get out of helping a few!
Lynn

 

[missypie]

YES! I'm a real estate lawyer ...everyone in the firm comes to me (or one of the other real estate lawyers) to help them when they sell their house, buy a house, have problems with tenants, etc. Over 20 years I've received exactly one dozen roses and one fruit basket for my efforts...that's it. And it's gotten to where I hate it when the phone at home rings and it's one of my neighbors....it's a 50-50 chance that they want free legal advice.

 

[Piglet]

DH is a plumber and HVAC tech. Of course we have people that doesn't seem to know us until they have a leak or no Heat or A/C. I guess that's a way to make friends.

Melinda

 

[Royalbear]

I was wondering if you could ask your DH about a problem I've been having with my computer? Seems like every time I turn it off, I have to turn it back on before I can get back to the windows program.














JUST KIDDING--I am a nurse practitioner, and I can't tell you how many times I have heard about different women's "cycle" problems.

 

[Danauk]

My DH is in IT and we get "My computer is not working" phone calls all the time. We both help out at our local theatre (un paid work) which we love doing. However they are the worst for phoning up and wanting help ASAP. The best one was when we were on holiday at Disneyland Paris and they still asked if he could come in.

The best phone call was a few years ago. My husband is a teacher and so gets school holidays off (we live in England.) We were on holiday in Las Vegas and the phone rang at 5:30am so thinking there was a family emergency he answered it. It was one of the technicians at school wanting help with something and wanted to know if he could come in to work. He pointed out that he was away on holiday and that although it was 2:30pm where he was it was 5:30 am where we are so he would not be coming in. The technican laughed and said not to be silly and to come in. My husband then pointed out that we were in America so were not even in the same continent as him so he could not come in. The guy then laughed again and said "but your coming in right?" At that point my husband pointed out that at that moment in time he was stood in a suite in the Venetian hotel looking down the Las Vegas strip and so therefore would not be coming in. To which the guy replied "Can you come in tomorrow then!! What part of the conversation was he not getting? At that he put the phone down and went back to his office where our best friend works. He then said to our best friend "Pete says he's in Las Vegas and won't come in to help me, talk about making up excuses!!" To which point our best friend was like BUT HE IS!! We made sure we sent the guy a post card!!

 

[bubba's mom]

If you encounter a hairstylist, please don't ask about your hair or what we think about such and such a product. if we are not at work, we don't want to talk about it. when you sit in our chair, you are paying for our time and knowledge (mostly) and we consider it working for free. would you want someone to ask you about YOUR job on your day off???? thank you!!

 

[Keli]

While I was reading this thread my phone rang and it was my sister wanting some computer advice! LOL, too funny!

I actually don't mind people calling me or talking to me in person about computer problems, especially if they are software related since that's what I know more about. If I have the ability to help I'm glad to do it but often people want me to help with things that are over my head and don't seem to believe that I really can't help them. That kind of bothers me.

 

[Maleficent13]

I get calls all the time from people, mostly while I'm at work. The medical community around here is pretty tight knit, and we all know one another. So if someone gets asked a question they know is someone else's area of expertise, they refer them to that person. I don't really mind; I figure I'm just accumulating good karma.

 

[Sandy V.]

Yep, my husband and I are lawyers and we get hit up for free advice all the time. Really gets old after awhile. My husband usually hands them a business card and says, "Make an appointment." If they're serious about getting advice, then they will.

I find it amusing that people watch a few episodes of "Boston Legal", "L.A. Law", "Law & Order", etc., and they think that's all there is to being a lawyer and they instantly know as much as someone who went to law school.

Do they realize that most of what happens on these programs would NEVER happen in front of most judges. Judges don't put up with that crap.

And we LOVE (?) those that ask for legal advice, but don't take the advice given, and then get themselves into deeper do-do!!!

 

[DisneyAddict_M]

I have people asking me for legal advice all the time. I'm not even a lawyer. I was just a legal secretary for several years (and I'm not anymore).

 

[Lynn CC]

DH gets asked about work realted questions all the time!
He likes to help out and usually goes one step further and ends up going over to their house and helping them.
He's been that way for 25 years. I think it's a nice quality he has.

no one asks me anything, since I don't know a lot about one particular , well anything, except Disney...if they are planning a trip they ask me for help!

 

[puffkin]

I am a CPA and I always get asked tax questions. I know nothing about taxes! Not all CPA's do personal income taxes!!!!
I also currently work for a criminal defense and family law lawyer. I am always getting asked for legal advice on a wide variety of issues that I know nothing about.

My standard response is "you wouldn't want a foot doctor to perform brain surgery on you right?" That usually works.

Also, we have a friend who does IT work and people are always calling him for help. He fixed my mom's computer and she gave him a gift card to a local restaurant for him and his wife. Now, my inlaws are constantly calling him up and they never give him a thing. I think that is so rude I would suggest getting caller id or just simply saying up front that you will charge a nominal rate for your TIME since they are an acquantince etc. You never now, this could lead to a business opportunity. My computer friend is doing some consulting on the side now with all the connections he has made. Word of mouth is the best advertising, just don't let yourself get taken advantage of.

 

[minniepumpernickel]

I teach water aerobics in the evening, I'm not sure if that is considered a "professional" occupation. I get a lot of parents that ask if I teach private swimming lessons. I have a few autistic kids in my class and they are doing so well. I figured out that they love to count, so I have them yell out the numbers while we all exercise. It has worked out so well, I am so thrilled.

I wish that I had time to teach privately, it would be fun!

 

[FroggyinArk]

ya klnow,,lol,, while i was posting here last night i was also helping out a fellow diser with a dish washer problem,,, then today,, had a freind that works for a plumbing company ask me to come fix her moms( granted this is dw's adoptive mom too, and her other daughter is my best friends wife,) but the daughter who works for a plumber wanted me who doesnt do plumbing anymore to come loan her my tools and fix the water heater..lkol.. bad thing is,, i'll go over tommorrow and fix it

 

[mariolatry]

Absolutely. I'm an occupational therapist and people are always asking me if I think they have carpal tunnel. Or "What's good for low back pain?"

My husband is a physician and absolutely forbids me from sharing that information with anyone unless necessary. We've only been married a year and have already had 5 or 6 instances of people calling to get prescriptions. Usually "I just know little Billy has an ear infection and his doctor won't give him antibiotics. Can you do it?"

LOL, his 30-year-old brother just asked for Viagra "just for kicks." People are crazy.

 

[dmadman43]

All the time. I saw the perfect shirt on someone at WDW that I've been looking all over for. It said:

"No, I will not fix your computer"

 

[Missy1961]

This happens to my brothers, my sisters and my in-laws. Both of my brothers are doctors, one is married to a nurse and the other to a pharmasist. One sister is a lawyer. Another sister and her husband are physical therapists. My other sister and her husband are social workers, she works with kids and he works with the elderly. My dad is a social worker. And I'm an editor, but not a magazine or a book editor. (I work in directory publishing). And I wish I had a dime for everytime people say, "I have this book I've been writing....."

 

[FatCow]

People ask me to produce and/or remaster their music project for free.

Yeah right! Cough the dough to me first, baby!

 

[Amberle3]

I will admit to occasionally asking my cousin about medicines - he's a pharmacist. But it's only when my drug store is closed and I have a question on a medication I've been prescribed and I can't find the answer online.

Frankly I hate asking him though. Not that he doesn't like it, he actually loves being asked. He's kind of a show-off. But he's also very self-centered and ego-centric, and I hate feeding into that by asking him those kinds of questions.

Now OTOH I get a lot of travel-related questions. I don't mind answering some of them, but it bothers me when friends/family basically want me to spend hours/days planning their trip for them so that they can go and book it themselves online.

 

[binny]

yep as a travel agent I get it a lot. Most of the time I dont mind.