When a person asks the same question to 20 people...

One of my pet peeves....

I get rather annoyed when someone asks the same thing to a whole bunch of people in the hopes of ensuring a timely response.  Then several people work dilligently to come up with an answer thereby duplicating or triplicating each other.  The two examples I can think of right now are...

1.  I worked hard researching certain cell phone modification specifications for a poster on an electronics forum only to find that the person had plastered the same question across every board he/she could find.

2.  I have a person at work who emails several people to find out the answer to a question.  Each person thinks they are being personally tasked.  It is quite offputting after spending several hours working on the issue to see that someone else who was given the exact assignment has posted the results 15 minutes earlier.

It is hard to stop because often you don't know the person is doing it until after you have done the work to help them out.

I'm sure this has never, ever happened to anyone here. 

Oh no...it never happens here...

I have to echo what you're saying. But, I have to add is when you find what they're looking for they cannot even muster a 'thanks'. I also have to add that when you find it and just give them the page to read it themselves they're just too damn lazy and want you to tell them...grrr!

I get this from clients at work all the time.  They will email me, the customer support area, the production area and even the sales manager occassionally.  It drives me mad because each of us is working on the answer for them and essentially wasting time.  When I do catch them out....I always make a point of explaining that they have wasted valuable resource and that stunts like this are why they don't get a 2 hour turnaround time on other queries.  Sure it makes them feel like children, but generally they don't do it again.  Who says the customer is always right, Not me!

Super super annoying.  You have my sympathy.

Nope, never happens here...never happens that someone PM's me and Garry from the immigration board to ask us a question, we both spend 15 minutes responding, only to find that it has been posted and answered anyway!!!

Vicky

One of my "favorites" is when someone repeats the same question, with slight rephrasing, because they didn't hear what they wanted.  Some people think that asking a question 10 times will get the answer they want, when it isn't always the answer they need.   

It's even better when they go from general to specific...

"Can you recommend a good cell phone for use in Germany?"
"Sorry, I can't think of one right now."
"What about the Motorola Razr?"

as if you'd then answer...

"OK.  You got me.  I will now divulge that T-Mobile has a 2 for 1 sale on Razrs with 500 free minutes at all locations in Hamburg, Bremen and Rostock."