Boolean Nightmare.

Hi,
my name's Mr.B. I'm a sales rep. from an established and well known national telephone company. Can I have a minute of your time? Thanks. You're with company A right? Well, let me tell you about company B very quickly. If you switch service providers (to company B) you will get the benefit of cheaper telephone calls. There are no hidden costs and there is no extra work that needs to be done beyond you signing this paper. Your number will even remain the same.

Your monthly fee is the same, but your calls are cheaper. There is a Y800 ($8) once off change fee BUT as part of our promotion- we will pay this for you. Would you like to join Company B?

Does it sound like a tough choice? Let me re-itterate, there are NO hidden costs and NO extra things to do. You sign, you get cheaper calls- the end.
Would you like to join Company B?

It's at this point that most non-Japanese people think "What's the catch?"
Put simply - there is no catch. It's a cheaper company. Why? Because it can be. Japanese people are willingly, and stupidly so, to pay higher prices for no added benefit.

So...do you sign ?

If your answer is no, then please re-read from the start because you're a bloody idiot. There is no logical reason NOT to sign (given all things being legit and not a con). An established company! Not some sideline, workin outta a dingy office company- a multi million dollar national company. Why !?

This is my gf's job and this is her pitch. She told me about it(she only started 2 months ago) and at first I thought it sounded like the easiest sales pitch in the world.

Excuses for not signing to date have been:

• My brother works for the other company (that charges me more money for the same service)

• Its too much work (to write my name on a piece of paper).

• I don't know the company (the multi-million dollar national one that controls 1/3 of the cellular phone market in Japan).

• I dont understand (the 5 sentence pitch that was just given)

• I dont have time. (to write my name on a piece of paper)
• I don't mind paying more (for the exact same service)

These are just some of the mind numbing, tear inducing, earth-shatteringly STUPID things my girlfriend has to put up with EVERY day.

I'd go insane. I would. I really would. Japanese people just don't want to change from what is established. Their knowledge of phones is that a landline is handled by Company A. That's the end of the story. They won't venture forth from the safety of the little Island.

*Sigh* I gotta keep saying this, cause im gonna sound like one of the plethora of tit-heads on Big Daikon, but I do enjoy Japan. I do enjoy living here, but I will pick on things that I find are either interesting or disturbing or unusual.

I try not to pass too much value judgement on cultural identity and quirks BUT...when it comes to something as innocuously bland as this decision - to the point that it requires all the brainpower of a labotomised sheep - lets not bloody kid.

Can you imagine the frustration of selling a product that you know will not only benefit the customer BUT WILL NOT COST THEM ANYTHING and having them TURN YOU DOWN?

Isnt that wild?