Worrying times

Are you worried?  Do you find that you can’t sleep at night?  Are your nails bitten to the quick?  Well worry no more.

Worrying Times is an organisation that has been set up to help relieve the stress and strains of modern life.  ‘These are worrying times.  Everyone seems to be concerned about something,’ says founder and proprietor Celine Gatton, ‘whether it’s the cost of living, global warming or the House of Lords’ reform, worrying is on the rise and it’s having a big impact on people’s lives and on their families.’

The business has been running for nearly eighteen months now and has clients in six major cities throughout the UK.  ‘I got the idea when my husband was beside himself after seeing another red warning for a possible slight breeze on the weather forecast,’ adds mother of two Celine. ‘I think he was worried that all of the papers he’d arranged that evening would be blown out of the window.  I managed to calm him down and that’s when it came to me.  If I could stop him worrying then perhaps people would pay for such a service.’

The firm started small but it is testimony to the way the country is at the moment how quickly it has become successful.  From a standing start it has twenty employees, known as ‘worrista’ and the Gattons are well on their way to being rid of their own money worries.

‘Basically we offer three levels of service that take the worry away from our customers.  We do the worrying for them,’ adds Mrs Gatton.  ‘The entry level is where the client rings a premium rate number and the ‘worrista’ calms them down over the phone by repeating the phrases: Oh dear; That’s dreadful; and It must be awful for you; and this goes on until they feel calm again.’

‘The second level requires a site visit, usually to the client’s home but it can be to their place of work.  Here the ‘worrista’ will ring their hands, tear at their hair and walk up and down the room shouting I’m done for, I’m done for until all the tension has evaporated.  If there is something specific that the client is worrying about we can tailor the speech to something more appropriate.  What happened to all my money? and I thought she was away for the weekend are both proving to be very popular.’

‘Our top of the range service is a full lifestyle review with a report detailing all the things that  could possibly go wrong in the customer’s life, that are worth worrying about along with a project plan detailing how to resolve them.  Whilst we have sold a few of this option we usually find that the customers hold up their hands in shock at the price and need to take us up on one of our other offers.’

So what next for this interesting start up? Here is Celine Gatton again.  ‘We’re opening up in a further four cities and we are planning our first venture into a market town this year but the most exciting thing is the introduction of our new smart phone app, iWorry, which will be available in the spring.’

Worrying Times can be found at www.worryingtimes.org and we wish them luck in their venture.