The latest Sequential Art cartoon made me grin wryly - and snarl a little, too. Click the image to be taken to a larger version at the comic's Web page.
I've had far too many one-sided telephone conversations like that. When can we have a menu tree that includes, "Press hash to permanently, utterly destroy the company's automated answering system"? I reckon that would be the most popular and most-used option out there!
Peter
13 comments:
I agree, but would say it's missing the every 30 second commercial telling you how wonderful their health care is.
That toon is spot on. I know as I am in the waiting line to see a cardiologist after firing my last cardiologist. ( A story too long to relate here.)
Spamming zeroes into the automated input system will usually get you through to speak to a person.
Steve Sky said...
I agree, but would say it's missing the every 30 second commercial telling you how wonderful their health care is. And important your phone call is.
Way too true... If you never hit a button, you 'should' get a live body. FCC requirement.
If only it included an option for "have the person who designed this mess expire in screaming agony"
I really, really hate this sort of thing. Give an option to reach a real person FIRST, not last. Too many people take that option? Maybe, just maybe, there's a reason.
Some of them also publish their address and do not advertise their desire to not be visited by a twin flamethrower wielding maniac in a kilt.
"Your call is very important to us! Park Mill Surgery was named *best in Podunk county* by the Podunk Surgical Care board! We're working every day to help you work every day!"
(15 seconds of upbeat hold music)
"You can book an appointment online via our website anytime!"
(same 15 seconds of upbeat hold music)
"Your call is very important to us!... "
(soul death)
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More and more, of late, I have found that the solution to this problem is to look up the address to their actual office, and go camp out in their lobby instead. I'm harder to ignore there.
Why do these folks need my address to clean my ears?
You should try calling the V.A. sometime. They don’t care if you have a cough or cancer.
If you do get a person, It's usually at a Call Center in Manila or Hyderabad and sometimes you can hear cattle and chickens making noise outside the window. If you get someone who can speak Hollywood English it's a plus.
I have been trying to renew a prescription from Abbvie, which gives it to me for free, since it is a few thousand dollars, and with insurance it is still almost a grand per month. I have been trying since June 11th.
The last time I called the estimated wait time was "over 60 minutes". They said that I could renew online. Uh, no I can't, your website doesn't have that option.
I tried today, July 5th. They are closed for the holiday. I am getting a bit frustrated, which is shorthand for pissed off and ready to burn down the whole damn building that houses the phone system. I guess I will try on Monday, and just make sure that I have over an hour so spend waiting.
This would be around 1985. I was having a problem with bursitis in my shoulders, and on impulse I stopped at my doctor's office. The doctor was IN. I explained to the receptionist that I had no appointment, but that I was in a lot of pain and hoped the doctor would see me. As it turned out, I had a five minute wait, my doctor saw me and gave me a shot that cleared the bursitis up.
In the mid to late 1950s, our family doctor made house calls. Now, a large animal vet in farm country will make his rounds, but a doctor?
Those were the days.
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