Observing Boundaries Between The Lines

[plumtreeblossom]

I'm sitting here thinking about when a reply in e-mail or voicemail is concluded with "Hope this helps."

What it usually really means is "This is absolutely all I'm going to do for you on this matter, do not ask anything additional of me regarding it, do not even CC me on your continued search for a solution because I have no further assistance to offer you."

EXAMPLE:

Q: "Hey, would you have a list of every Indian restaurant in the city, with addresses, phone numbers, and websites? I'm planning a tasting tour for some friends. I think there are like 40."

A: "I have the websites for 3, attached in a spreadsheet. Hope this helps."

Comments

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

I guess it's just me, but I tend to read it as a declaration of a boundary, establishing that all available help has now been offered, but none further is offered nor should be requested. Probably because I've used it that way myself, and I'm projecting. :-)