Do you ever just want to give up and start a small farm somewhere, off the grid?
By The Horse
@TheHorse (220127)
Walnut Creek, California
February 3, 2021 4:40pm CST
I mentioned elsewhere that I had a rough day Monday. I had three tasks to complete: 1) figure out why I did not receive payment from Guitar Center; 2) get my inoculation information from Kaiser for another employer; 3) contact someone at Century Link about why I have not had phone service at my cabin in Montana for 17 of the last 20 years, in spite of the fact that I have paid them $6,000 or more for that time period. I am at the cabin for approximately one week per year.
To cut to the chase, I spent ten hours online or on hold Monday, and was able to resolve only one issue: my inoculation information was sent to my ECE (Early Child Education) position Director. She thanked me. Of the ten hours I was online or on the phone, I actually spoke to a human being for about 20 minutes.
If these companies actually hired phone representatives (who speak English, preferably) to help workers or customers like me, they would still make substantial profits (even if they're allegedly non-profit, like Kaiser). They would also provide jobs for human beings. I have read (thought I haven't verified it) that top executives at places like Kaiser make more than $250,000/year.
Are you able to talk to live customer services representatives where you live? Do your issues get resolved? Or do you wind up like me, wasting days of your life talking to bots/algorithms and interacting with websites that don't work properly?
24 people like this
23 responses
@rakski (125884)
• Philippines
3 Feb 21
it is quite hard getting a hold and talk to a customer service people here. They usually have an automated thing when you call them that you just have to press numbers so and so for every question until you find your answer which most of the time you cannot.
6 people like this
@TheHorse (220127)
• Walnut Creek, California
3 Feb 21
Sounds like its modeled on the American model. Don't you love it when you give an honest answer to a bot, like, "I am not sure," or "it depends," and the algorithm yields, "I'm sorry; I did not understand that." and then repeats the question, leaving you utterly helpless?
4 people like this
@DaddyEvil (137487)
• United States
3 Feb 21
Yes, I have felt like that. Sometimes, quite often.
I can get bogged down listening to bots on the phone but usually confuse them and get passed to an actual human being. Not that the human is always helpful, though. Most services get paid for the number of people they 'help' meaning get off the line again as quickly as possible. *sigh*
I get lost in online services and usually ask Pretty to help me navigate them.
5 people like this
@DaddyEvil (137487)
• United States
3 Feb 21
@TheHorse *shrug* Sometimes the person doesn't speak English very well, true, but you can always hang up and call them back. Often, you'll get someone else who does speak better. Or at least so I've found. But then, I'm used to hearing their accents and can usually understand them.
I know some of those types of jobs are coming back to the US. Not that that helps when they hire poor people who can't speak their native language very well anyway. Thick American accents can throw me more than accents from people who aren't American born.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (220127)
• Walnut Creek, California
3 Feb 21
Often, the real people I talk to speak very ittle English (my native language) and are trying to read from a script. It makes me want to piss (or worse) in the luxury swimming pool of the CEO who demanded that his lackeys hire people like that to save money.
4 people like this
@Fleura (30539)
• United Kingdom
3 Feb 21
I have had annoying interactions, but nothing like as bad as that, thankfully - your experience is a whole order of magnitude worse!
But aside from that - why on Earth did you pay $6,000 for one week's use per year, and it it hasn't worked for 85% of the time why didn't you complain sooner or just leave the 'service'? Surely you could manage one week without a phone?
4 people like this
@prinzcy (32305)
• Malaysia
5 Feb 21
@TheHorse It did, after contacting through several platform. I used WhatsApp, IG, Twitter, FB Messenger and Service Portal on the TV itself. Only the FB Messenger works. They don't even provide phone number to call. At least, somehow I managed to get to talk to a human. Even though the other person replied like half an hour each time, at least it was solved.
@much2say (55912)
• Los Angeles, California
4 Feb 21
Last year I had a question for the DMV at a specific location - and there was nothing to be found online. And then I tried to find a number, but it was a general number for all of CA - I couldn't navigate to talk to a real person. And then the "ask" thing online was a robo chat thingie . . . "it" didn't understand my question. Argh - advanced technology is not for the best sometimes.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (472004)
• Switzerland
4 Feb 21
We can still speak to humans when we call customer services. Our Internet providers is getting better. You go online, enter your phone number and ask them to call when someone of the customer service is ready to listen to you. No more waiting time.
2 people like this
@wolfgirl569 (107932)
• Marion, Ohio
4 Feb 21
It depends which company I am dealing with. Phone problems are the worst one that I have. Thankfully I seldom have a problem
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (107932)
• Marion, Ohio
4 Feb 21
@TheHorse Hope you can get it fixed. It might be easier just to shut the phone off since it never works anyways
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (220127)
• Walnut Creek, California
4 Feb 21
You are blessed. I was promised something like a $300 refund for the last few months, but the pawn I spoke with could not deal with bigger issues. Did the letter I wrote disappear into a vortex? I wish I had a lawyer friend who stood by me.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (220127)
• Walnut Creek, California
4 Feb 21
@wolfgirl569 Sigh. It's partialy about honoring my late parents. We've had the same phone number for 60 years.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121659)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Feb 21
To answer your first question, for about the last 10 years I have been thinking and planning a way I can disappear into the woods or mountains and drop off the grid. Just got to get the kids grown up and out of the house first.
Part of my job responsibilities is filing warranty claims. Although I speak to a live human being when I call, I can sometimes be on hold for an hour or more. I think they do that on purpose to discourage people from filing claims. Anyway, my record is 2 hrs and 45 minutes on hold, only to be denied the claim. I filed an appeal. Another hour wait on the phone. But at least after all that they honored the claim.
3 people like this
@moffittjc (121659)
• Gainesville, Florida
6 Feb 21
@macayada Patience is not something I am good at.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (182000)
• United States
4 Feb 21
Not really, that stuff seems romantic in nature but is a lot of work. I am not into hard work.
1 person likes this
@infatuatedbby (94914)
• United States
4 Feb 21
It can be a struggle to talk to someone over the phone. I don’t have much patience either.
1 person likes this
@spiderdust (14760)
• San Jose, California
4 Feb 21
I often end up like you, wasting my time dealing with bots and struggling to find an actual live human being. It's frustrating.
1 person likes this
@dgobucks226 (35721)
•
4 Feb 21
Speaking to a real person is becoming a rarity in today's world. Do they even have them anymore? Anyway, if you want to spend your entire day waiting on the phone you may be successful. I usually wind up writing them rather than playing phone tag. I've had issues with insurance companies (the worst) for a medical bill that only received the proper attention through threatening letters. On the phone I just got a run around. Gee, why didn't you receive your payment from the Guitar Center job? You'd think that one would be easily solved?
1 person likes this
