this really annoys me (what else is new)

[gabagoo]

These days you would think companies would be very aggresive in trying to get orders.

How many times do you call a company and then have to put up with an automated attendant? Thats fine so long as you can reach someone to speak to. Sure for cable companies and cell phone companies we are all used to waiting 15 minutes to speak to a live person because we don't really count and they don't want to hire enough people to do the job.

Well this is a little different. I need suction cups for a quote and called the company I use for all sorts of retail hangers and such. I use the automated attendant and go for the sales desk. Once there I ask the girl a few questions on pricing and I then see something in the catalogue that might do the job better.
Not sure if she couldn't be bothered or just didn't know so she says " oh would you like to speak to Jeff in customer sales? I say OK.

She transfers the call and leaves me to now deal with voice mail.

I know if I owned a company with this sort of system I would drill into their heads that letting a customer go from a live voice to voice mail is inexcusable. Make sure the person is available first and if they are on the phone or away from their desk then let me know and I can decide to wait or leave a message.

Now I have to wait for them to call me back so that I can get this quote out. More likely the call may never come.

Sometimes technology just really sucks!!!!

 

[Techman]

I was dealing with a bill that was in dispute. I called the Co to see if there was some way this was a mistake. All I got was hoops and hurdles via a friggin machine. I never pursued getting that bill taken care of and as far as I know the person responsible never paid it either. All over a friggin dammachine. The company seemed to be avoiding responsibility using that robot.

I went to a local company to get some supplies. I watched the friggin desk clerk let the ringing phone goto the robot because he wanted to finish his beverage.

I told him that if I ever got a robot again that would be the last time I ever called. He said the company policy will soon be all calls will answered by the robot. Seems they wanted to track the phone usage some how. So mote it be. Recently that same company called and wanted to know about me next order. Told them sorry that the robot (clerk) and the other robot turned me away for the last time.

There was s study done by a big name pizza company a few years ago. They wanted to see just how much savings from using a robot machine. Guess what?

They found that the sales line was flat. And they were saving time. However, they also found discovered that the sales was flat because callers who didn't not mind a robot were replacing those who hated robots. The pizza chain changed their robot usage completely. Yes, flat growth means losing market share.

 

[Rooster]

Try calling google, or skype for that matter. Worst phone service ever, if you can even find a number to reach them at.

 

[mark in tx]

You want the worst?

Try to get a person on the phone to deal with a problem at paypal.


May paypal rot in hell.

 

[Pat Whatley]

My bank has an automated answering service that picks up no matter what line or branch you call all in an effort to direct your call to the automatic telephone banking bot. For me to actually get my banker I have to go through 11 different voice prompts to finally get to a live operator at the main branch who can connect me to him directly.

He finally got so tired of me bitching every time I'd call him that he gave me his cell phone number.

 

[bob]

An oft-times successful tactic to get an actual human on the phone is to press '0' [zero] as a response to every prompt, even prompts that announce that you have entered in improper response. About 90% of the time the system gives up and connects you to living breathing person. The other 10% it usually just hangs up.

 

[gabagoo]

well its 5:45 and no call back as I suspected.

 

[weaselboogie]

You want the worst?

Try to get a person on the phone to deal with a problem at paypal.


May paypal rot in hell.

I have had ZERO problems with paypal and I've had to call them about 5 times for different issues. Every time, you have to sort through 'press' whatever to go to this department, but someone picks within 2 minutes.

However, solving the problems are sometimes a different story.

 

[petrosgraphics]

there is always Dell Hell.... you get to talk to a person, the problem being, you get to repeat your info and story at least 5-6 times, it is sort of funny,i am sure they are all
imputing the same info somewhere......

 

[TheSnowman]

In a big company...I'd rather leave a voice mail for the guy that's supposed to be able to fix my problem. Dealing with people that have NO CLUE is worse and they screw things up more than if I'd just wait.