Ah yes, the old "turn up the volume to hear what they say, and then have your ears blown off at the next action scene."

And often the options they give don't match up with what you actually want to ask about. So you have to select something that you know is incorrect, and hope that the company will transfer you to the correct department.

Customer service in some foreign country with English Language Learners who answer with an obvious fake name. I'm sure Timmy from Pakistan is a nice guy, but it doesn't solve my problem if we can't understand each other.

That's kind of the intention I think - so many businesses are using digital and AI to tire customers out and push them away but branding it as 'convenience' or 'to help us help you'. It's just about reducing costs to maximise profit.

When you ring a company because you have a problem with your broadband and are told that you can find the information you need online. Yes, very nice.

And so much customer service is chat bots now, and if you need something off script, they just put you in a loop of unhelpful wrong answers, hoping you'll give up.

This is especially bad with services targetting older citizens - who by definition are often hard of hearing.

...and the chatbots too. I don't consider myself stupid, so most of the easy problems I solve myself, it is only the more complicated ones I need assistance with, and then a chatbot that is programmed to help those helpless people with the most basic questions simply won't suffice. Having me go through ten unhelpfull steps just so I can talk to a qualified person, might be beneficial for the company, but that is just because the put the burden on me instead- it isn't eliminated is is just moved, and in the end I think "customer service" like that will end up comming back like a boomerang and hit them hard. A good rule of thumb should be that though the customers may not always be right, don't annoy the hell out of them as they are basically what means you'll get a paycheck.

This too! YES!

Please repeat your answer Please repeat your answer Please repeat your answer Please repeat your answer Please repeat your answer Please repeat your answer Please repeat your answer Please repeat your answer Please repeat your answer

Repeating "representative" or "human" still gets you a live person. But some companies are catching on, and they will simply disconnect your call.

I've actually had better luck with automated systems, like phone menus and chatbots. They're good for simple things that (for whatever reason) you're not able to do in their website/app, and the few times I absolutely *had* to talk to a person, they almost never ended before I became extremely frustrated.

representative ! repeat until you get one .

*Press 'One' to order a Cheese Pizza* >Me: Presses OneMe: {throwing phone across the room} ThAt WoUlD mAkE iT a ChEeSe PiZzA wOuLdN't It!!!!

0 is the only # to press

Ex: walmart. It is almost impossible 2 get a human on the line. Not actual store

I actually had a lovely chat with my auto insurance representative yesterday.😂

As someone who does her best to avoid EVER answering the phone, but can take care of ten emails in 5 minutes or less, be quiet.

So true, Takes , at times, over ten minutes to even get close to an answer. However ya gotta love when theyn start you over.

AMEN!

My GP's answering system gives around two minutes of pre-recorded "information" and "advise" before you're finally put in the queue to talk to a receptionist. It's maddening and there's no way of bypassing it.

In my opinion, while I don't like the automated systems, not one bit, it's also about people who talk too fast and slur their speech as if they were drunk. Having to ask them to repeat them selves, over and over again, can be just as frustrating.

Let's not speak about chatbots!

Or keep hitting 0 until you get a person

Next time you are on with an automaton, tell it you want to go to retention. That usually gets noticed right away lol

I couldn’t agree more!

Absolutely ! Definitely !

ESPECIALLY the ones that require voice use. If you're going to send me through an automated system, I'm pressing buttons 100% of the time.

I dunno. I was able to identify a scam company specifically BECAUSE they didn't have an automated phone system.

Don't blame the poorly implemented auto Attendant. When thought I'd put into how they work, they work well. Most are done poorly and with no thought on how the caller interacts.

When I answer the phone for our business, people are surprised that I am an actual human, and they say so on a regular basis. I am glad my company sees the value in an Administrative Assistant who not only handles reports and assists the sales team but answers the phone because our customers appreciate it.

yeah, i just listen for the option 'speak to a representative' and then tell them i must have pressed the wrong buttton.

As a call center worker for 9 years, and, at 60, they are infuriating. I’m good at calming people down, mostly confused elders but plenty younger too. My favorite was the quiet inquiry, when the call came to me, and they said “Are you a robot?”

we've replaced most call centres with apps in south africa. Good riddance. Talking to an imbecile who has memorised a flowchart script is frustrating.

YES!!!

Sales always answer so go there and complain. Get put through to the dept you need. Doesn't always work but it has worked. Though a lot of companies are hiding their phone numbers and wanting you to use their live chat. With people who are worse than useless

Then you'll be complaining about how long you had to wait on hold to talk to a person. IVRs exist for a reason, to sort out the problems that don't require a person.

The coffee I buy proudly says you don't need scissors! You can just lift the top and peel open! I have never, not once, not one single time, opened it without scissors. Damned dirty liars.

I've got this theory that headlamp bulbs are in short supply and people have been advised that the nearest substitute is a lighthouse bulb. Yes you ba57ard in the Peugeot van yesterday morning I do mean you!

Umm, what? 🫨Legitimately asking as a German (feeling incredibly spoiled by mandatory and full covering health insurance here).

Especially when it's a present for someone

Online apps that refuse to accept a non domestic (looking at you USA) zip/postcode for previous experience/education etc.

My daughter bought me some headphones the other day, it took all my might, scissors and a knife to open the package.

POCKETS!!!!!! Hey ladies, what do we want? WE WANT POCKETS! When do we want them? WE WANT THEM NOW!!!!!!!

Arizona doesn't use DST, we tried it for one year and said F That and went back to permanent standard time and no one misses it or wants it.

A good browser like Brave eliminates most of that and the ads that overwhelm articles your trying to read.

It's ironic to me that something as tiny as a tag can cause such misery. And you often don't notice it until you're out and about and there's not much chance of fixing it without shredding your clothes. I admit that I then sometimes gets over-enthusiastic about removing the tag. I always have my sewing kit near at hand on the good chance that I'll "negatively impact" the seam.

Shouldn't be on the list. Attempted crime isn't an everyday "inconvenience" that can be "fixed"

Same when you start a new box of tissues.

In the long run, I don’t even have a problem with letting the government use my money for part of the year. But they know how much to refund me. At the end of every January they should just send out a statement saying this is what you owe or this is your refund. Check our math. You just check it. Make sure everything looks good. Then send it back and Get your refund or pay what you also owe. It really shouldn’t be left up to us to figure out how much we owe or get refunded. And if we’re wrong, we get audited and then fined with penalties.