Friday, January 16, 2009

Dilemma, part 6

I've gotten a couple of e-mails from a co-worker asking about DMV fee increases for 2009. I don't know the answer to her question. The DMV knows the answer to her question. That's what I told her the first time she asked the question. "I don't really know. You can call DMV to find out, though," was my reply several weeks ago.

The next time she sent me an e-mail with the same question, I ignored it. Because I'm passive-aggressive like that.

Today, there was a new e-mail, same subject. I responded with. "I don't know. Only DMV knows for sure." That was as lighthearted as I could be given my current irritation level.

What I wanted to say was, "I still don't know. Why do you keep asking me this question? The reason I don't know is because I haven't called DMV to find out. The reason I haven't called DMV is because it's not important to me right now. When it becomes important and I am forced to find the answer, I will do so. It seems important enough to you, however, to ask me (the wrong person) about it 3 times. You are just as capable of finding out from DMV as I am. So please do so and stop asking me. And in case that's not direct enough (since my previous suggestions that you call DMV yourself have gone unheeded), YOU NEED TO CALL DMV PERSONALLY TO GET THIS INFORMATION. I AM NOT GOING TO."

I'm not planning on having a discussion about this with her, but if it comes to that I will certainly try to find out why she keeps asking me. Does she think I get a secret bulletin from DMV that gives me information that she doesn't have? Does she not have the phone number for DMV? Is she just trying to fop it off on me?

I suspect the real reason is this: She started wondering about it in November. It's been on her to-do list since then. She probably thinks it must be nagging at me like it's nagging at her. Eventually, I won't be able to take it anymore and I'll break down and call DMV. I must have done so and just not communicated the information to her so eventually, at some point when she asks me the same question I will have answer.

But she's wrong. The only thing that's nagging me is her.

So, here are some options:

1. I ignore her every time she asks about it.
2. I keep telling her that I don't know and that she should call DMV if she wants to know.
3. I tell her that she has irritated me so much at this point that even if I did know, I wouldn't tell her.
4. I call DMV myself, just to get her off my back.
5. I don't deal with the issue directly, but instead turn the conversation to why, WHY DO YOU KEEP ASKING ME THIS?

I'm sure there are other options. Your opinions?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Maybe it's on her mind and she's forgotten that she's already asked you a bazillion times. Next time she asks give her this web address.

http://dmv.ca.gov/

NG said...

Option 6. Email her tomorrow and ask her if she's called the DMV yet because now you need to know if the fees have increased. Could she email you the information when she gets it? Repeat this step every day for two weeks.

Unknown said...

So you don't know about the DMV fee increases?

Seriously though, I like NG's idea.

1384 n said...

i would invite her to your blog and direct her to this post. If she does not get it at that point throw her over a cliff.