You must also forgive me, too. My only experience with call centres is the telescammers I used in the story above. Complaints departments are not what I consider "call centres" as they are not calling people. It's a definition problem on my part, not any kind of problem on your side.

I understand you went entirely through hell, and that may have gone into your read here. Dead author the instant I hit 'publish'... but I intended to portray someone with little choice in the matter ["in this economy" etc] falling victim to a bigger evil out there.

Lori didn't deserve her treatment. I knew this as I was writing it. A large portion of the call center scams are staffed by people who don't know what they're doing. They only see a small section of the total operation. Some do, but they are not representative of the whole. [The ones Mark Rober's been trying to catch, where they purposely convince elderly people to mail them money? They can die in a fire]

I honestly was aiming at the larger machine and not workers like Lori, who have to find their own way. I was aiming at the people who set this kind of thing up, and then don't give a shit about the people on the coalface. There was no backup, no beta system in place, nobody to bail her out. Not even a patrolling sub-boss on the lookout for anyone encountering trouble.

It is my fault for being unable to imagine a call centre with heroes in it. Take it as given that in future, I will definitely try to do so. This is yet another stumbling stone in the long road that is my personal learning journey. I tripped. I stumbled. I hurt more than myself in the process.

I am sorry I hurt your heart like that. Not my intent.