Telephone calls: the robot answered and put me on hold...
By whiteheron
@whiteheron (4222)
United States
May 30, 2008 7:44pm CST
What do you do when you call a utility, phone company or bank and get a robotic assistant that does not seem to know what you want?
What do you do when you are placed on hold?
I must admit that I am on hold trying to call my bank as I type this. I would like to find out their branch hours... The robotic assitant finally left me alone after I pressed zero many times. I must admit that I also did express some angery words at it too and was glad that it could not hear me...
I am just about ready to talk with a representative...
It will be joyful to speak with a real person.
I am hoping that the real person will answer soon... They have appologized for the delay now twice and the music and the advertisements for bank services are on repeat too.
I just got through, got the information I needed. It was wonderful... but worth the wait???
What do you do when you call a utility, phone company or bank and get a robotic assistant that does not seem to know what you want?
What do you do when you are placed on hold?
4 people like this
12 responses
@bdugas (3578)
• United States
31 May 08
God seems you hit a nerve, I hate those robot operators, who say they can help you, I don't want to talk to them I want to talk to a live person and I keep saying I want to talk to an agent, and they keep repeating I know you want to talk to an agent but I can help you, they they say in one word what are you calling about, it never fits into what they have been programed with as topics, so we start again, I want to talk to an agent. I usually end up yelling at the robot,and my hubby laughs cause he said I am fighting with a machine. A STUPID ONE TOO,I dont' know if the Social Security toll free number or the cable company is the worst. Why can't the live people just answer the phone they going to have to talk to you any way. And you say something and they say something differnet and then they say, did I get that right, NO NO No now let me talk to someone.
3 people like this
@whiteheron (4222)
• United States
31 May 08
I have to laugh... I indeed did hit a raw nerve... I think that most customers would like to burn the little devil robots. They are horrible indeed.
I was getting so angry today at that thing that I almost banged my fist on the kitchen table and I am a person who hates violence...grins...
Thanks for posting.
2 people like this
@chrisdavis (3)
• United States
31 May 08
I have gotten so fed up with these tele-robots... Every business seems to have one these days, and there's nothing we can do about it (luckily I work in a place where real people answer the phones all day long). My most frequent option is to get fed up with the machine, choose a random option that has almost nothing to do with my problem and keep going through the menu until I get a live operator. Normally they are nice enough to actually transfer you to the division you need to talk to... Of course, this has backfried once or twice, but 8/10 times it works...
3 people like this
@whiteheron (4222)
• United States
31 May 08
Thanks for being a live person in a place where live people answer the phone... That is indeed wonderful.
It is good that there aer live people lurking behind those darn robots... I just wish they would be the ones to answer the phones. Thanks for posting and sharing what you do... I like the idea of the random options, etc.
2 people like this
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
31 May 08
I get mad when on hold or when they cant tell what I want I want a real person to talk too and if I call my bank I found it cost $2 to talk to a real person now that takes the cake I think they make enough at the bank with out charging you money to talk to a real person1
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
31 May 08
I yell at it! Yes, I rant and rail for about ten seconds and yell that I want a real person and I get put through to a person. It confuses the robot answering system when you raise your voice and when you repeat the word "person" it seems to send it searching for an operator. Just yell at it "Give me a real person! I want a live person! You idiot!" and I guarantee that you'll get a real, live person within seconds!
1 person likes this
@CardboardWaves (346)
• United States
31 May 08
I had that trouble about a two weeks ago. My cellphone company charged my card twice for this month, so I was calling to tell him. I pressed 0 and the robotic asst. would not let me talk to a real person.
"I'm sorry, you have to give me more information before I can give you a live rep."
None of the things on menu was what I wanted, so I pressed random numbers then 0 and got a live rep after 5 minutes of this. I really do not like those things. Then I had to wait 10 more minutes to finally get it work out! The whole time I was just listening to music and watching tv. End the end it was worth it cause I got my $30+ back!
3 people like this
@whiteheron (4222)
• United States
31 May 08
Congratulations on getting that $30 back... I am sorry that you had to wait to get it but getting paid for $30 for 5 minutes of waiting isn't that bad. Grins. Thanks for posting.
2 people like this
@jonesy123 (3948)
• United States
31 May 08
Once you are on hold you are usually in a loop and can't get out until you get on with the robot, lol. But you can try the following anyway or hang up and try it.
First try 0 repeatedly. That gets you to a life person with most phone trees. If that doesn't work and you try to work your way through the phone tree repeatedly push a button just like 0 or # that is not one of the available options. If it is one of those newer ones where you have to speak and not push buttons, garble incomprehensive stuff. Once the machine is confused it will forward you to a life person.
That said, the life person may or may not be competent enough to help you along or forward you directly to the right person. You may, again, end up in the phone tree.
I hate phone trees!
2 people like this
@whiteheron (4222)
• United States
31 May 08
I hate phone trees too... It's a pity that we are forced to have to deal with them...
1 person likes this
@alienstar (5142)
• India
31 May 08
These day's this has become common and they are also avoiding some problems which do come when customers speak with them isnt it? here only compalint will be registered and maybe emplyees also will reduced in these cases as half of teh work wil be taken by these robotic answers isnt it?
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
31 May 08
hi whiteheron I just fume when put on hold and then if
I get one of those dumb robots I just wait until I can
talk to a real live human being.then of course I am again
put on hold one time I was trying to get some info
from Social Security and they put me on hold for thirty
minutes, my handand arm went to sleep and they were not
'a bit apologetic either.
1 person likes this
@fifileigh (3615)
• United States
1 Jun 08
i incessantly cuss at the robot to shut up and get me through. sometimes i am hoping that the whole thing is being recorded and the company heard all my cussing at the robot so that they know how annoyed their customers are with that monotonous annoying voice patronizing customers like it is human.
@kenzie45230 (3560)
• United States
31 May 08
What I really hate is when the robotic assistant does not ask you to press 1 or 2 or 7, but instead asks you to speak your request. It's usually a she, and she says, "For instance, say customer service or repair."
Okay, I say whatever department or my reason for calling and the message I always get is, "I'm sorry. I didn't understand your request. Please say what department or what problem you are having. For instance, say customer service or repair."
I try again and she repeats the same thing. Then I start pushing "0". The pipes in, "I'm sorry that is not a valid request. Please say your problem or the department you wish."
The other thing that really bugs is me is when someone calls me and after I say hello, I hear, "We have an important call for you. All of our operators are busy...."
I don't know what else she says, 'cause I always hang up at that point. They called me, for Pete's sake! The least they can do is have someone ready to talk.
Thanks for letting me rant.
@sun2day (1062)
• Virgin Islands (U.S.)
31 May 08
It happened to me a few times while I was callin to renew my nursing license and all I was hearing is the answering service.
One day while listening to the tv, they give a tip how to get across that barrier, I guess it was annoying others too. They said if they put you on hold, just press a few buttons many times or until someone answers: believe you me, it works, really works! That saves me ; I do it all the time. So you may want to try it. Sometimes it take a few minutes, but works.
@hellcowboy (7374)
• United States
31 May 08
I never have to call anywhere,where I would have to deal with a robot,but if I did I know I would have trouble not cussing at it,and I would probabily just keep calling back and hope that a real person would answer eventually.
