Is it me or… are automatic phone systems convoluted and unfriendly?

Do you hate it when you have to ring up a company on some pretext or other, only to find that you have this turgid woman on the other end… 'if you want to set up a direct debit payment, press 1. If you want to check when we will next be demanding huge sums of completely unwarranted money off you, press 2. If you would like to make a donation to our Christmas party fund, press 3. If you have died of boredom and would like us to close your account as a result, press…'

No – I would like to speak to a human being please, preferably one that has more than two brain cells and infinite patience whilst I get off my chest what it is that is seriously disturbing me about your wretched company.

The other day I had cause to ring BT about the latest missive they had sent me, purporting to be my telephone bill – three times its normal size but no discernible accompanying explanation. I left my mobile ringing for forty minutes before I decided it was a total lost cause and no one was actually going to pick up the phone. What department? Customer services. I bet if I had been ringing Customer Sales it would have been answered.

Story
By Sharon on Fri 9 Nov ’07
With 2 remarks

2 Remarks

RW, on Sat 10 Nov ’07:

try booking cinema tickets!!
dotjay, on Mon 12 Nov ’07:

You know how companies say "calls may be recorded for training purposes" or some such thing? I've often wondered whether they record people while they're going through the rigmarole of the automated telephone system. An article on Wired from 2004 talks about software that detects irate callers and puts them through to a human being. Now, the cynic in me is not at all surprised that this software hasn’t taken off – how many people would much rather talk to a person and just rant at the software so that they get put through?! On the other hand, if this software is indeed being used, I can testify that it doesn’t work!