Germans are now able to release pent up anger by calling up and verbally attacking a telephone operator—thanks to two German entrepreneurs who recently launched the “Schimpf-los” (swear away) hotline.
Motivated by their own stressful lives, the hotline's creators wanted to help others avoid arguments with loved ones and co-workers.
"If you're stressed out at work, you go home and your partner gets an earful even though it's not her fault,” co-founder Ralf Schulte told Reuters.
The operators are available seven days a week and are trained to provoke callers if they stammer or their insults are mediocre. They egg on angry customers on with lines like, “That's the third time I've heard that today - is that all you've got?"
The hotline's 1.49 euros a minute is a "bargain,” Schulte said.
"We don't judge people who are angry. It happens. It's natural. With us you can blow off steam no strings attached," the 41-year-old co-founder said.
