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Waiting to get through - then idiot mode

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Harry Bloomfield

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Jun 27, 2019, 2:17:05 AM6/27/19
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I'm supposed to have a good clear speaking accent, but I'm sometimes
turn into a complete gibbering idiot, by waiting to speak.

I have in mind those occasions where you ring a company and have a
complicated concept to try to get across to them, then find yourself in
a queue whilst they play music to you. I ring, with what I want to say
already rehearsed, then when end up waiting in a queue and they do
finally answer - I am taken by surprise and turn into an incoherent,
gibbering fool.

polygonum_on_google

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Jun 27, 2019, 2:39:27 AM6/27/19
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Yes - especially bad when you forget who you are ringing.

I often find that I try to get on with something else (on hold for over an hour on occasion). As it will likely be something, everything about the call get flushed.

Jeff Layman

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Jun 27, 2019, 2:59:11 AM6/27/19
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Happens more as you get older. Now and again I put what I want to say on
something like Notepad so I can just read it when on the phone.
Sometimes it has proved useful when I've read through it again before
phoning, and realised I've left out something important!

--

Jeff

Harry Bloomfield

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Jun 27, 2019, 3:04:13 AM6/27/19
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polygonum_on_google explained :
> Yes - especially bad when you forget who you are ringing.

I never have forgotten who was ringing. Tuesday I rang a mobile service
provider, to enquire about a contract. I got through quite quickly, but
then they needed to transfer me to another department to answer my
questions. I then waited ages listening to music, until a young female
answered, with a thick difficult to understand scouse accent. I had
completely lost the plot. Whether accidentally or on purpose, I was cut
off.

So I had to go through the whole process a second time.

>
> I often find that I try to get on with something else (on hold for over an
> hour on occasion). As it will likely be something, everything about the call
> get flushed.

True, I just put it on speaker at the side of me.

I much prefer to use email, where I can get my thoughts better
organised, rather than be turned into a gibbering idiot listening to
musak whilst I wait.

Harry Bloomfield

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Jun 27, 2019, 3:06:33 AM6/27/19
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Jeff Layman formulated on Thursday :
> Happens more as you get older. Now and again I put what I want to say on
> something like Notepad so I can just read it when on the phone. Sometimes it
> has proved useful when I've read through it again before phoning, and
> realised I've left out something important!

If I have several unconnected things requiring answers, I do a brief
itemised list before dialling.

Brian Gaff

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Jun 27, 2019, 3:16:05 AM6/27/19
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Yes I also find if its an internet service provider that my level of detail
is too much for them.
They are first floored by the fact that a blind person usies the internet,
but still persist in wanting to know what a bunch of lights are doing on
their router. I point out that I am actually logged in to their router and
can confirm there is an up or down fault with no locked signal. They at this
point usually give up and pass you to somebody else just as clueless.
If you can hang on without being disconnected eventually you get a person
who is somewhat less reliant on a script.
The other issue are those which ask questions and seem to work like Siri,
so unless you say one of the things they expect they say, I did not quite
get that please select one of the following, none of which of course applies
to your problem at all.

To me under investment in properly trained staff is a one of the major
issues when trying to get things sorted out on the phone. Of course while
music plays you get the web sit plugged all the time, however if you had
access to the web site you would not be ringing the internet company up
would you, mind you don't get me started on internet help files....
Brian

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Brian Gaff

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Jun 27, 2019, 3:19:51 AM6/27/19
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Have you come across the non tune music on hold that seems to be just a drum
machine and an apparently completely tuneless series of notes with some fake
backing singers ooing and ahhhh ing in the background?
EDF Energy has one of those. It is just mind numbingly bad. I'd rather
simply hear a pip every few seconds myself.
Brian

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Brian Gaff

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Jun 27, 2019, 3:27:07 AM6/27/19
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Yes it would all be much better if companies used an email address not one
of those on screen forms where they get all your details, but have no
category for what you want to talk to them about. It happens on automated
lines as well. if your query is about billing press 1, service issues press
2, add loads more, then it says or hold for an operator who of course never
comes on and after a while it says, sorry we are extremely busy, please try
again later or go to www....... click.

I've also discovered that councils have a really daft system where you get
the actual direct number of the person, but whenever you call it goes to
voicemail and nobody ever rings you back. So you ring the switchboard,
that'll them about his, and they put you on hold then connect you to the
same answering machine you war on before.
Some companies need to actually try their systems out as it must be a very
common issue and yet most of it is easy to fix with a bit of thought and
somebody doing their job properly.
Brian

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Harry Bloomfield

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Jun 27, 2019, 3:46:28 AM6/27/19
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Brian Gaff expressed precisely :
> Have you come across the non tune music on hold that seems to be just a drum
> machine and an apparently completely tuneless series of notes with some fake
> backing singers ooing and ahhhh ing in the background?

Not heard that one, some of them play classics and are worth listening
to.

> EDF Energy has one of those. It is just mind numbingly bad. I'd rather
> simply hear a pip every few seconds myself.

I agree, it would serve the purpose of confirming you were still
connected.

Our doctors surgery has the musak, with two separate systems making
voice announcements. One makes general announcements such as you can go
to the pharmacists for some help, the other telling you are number 25
in the queue. Musak and the two announcements continually interrupt
each other, with the announcements being preceded by a silent pause -
as you would get if someone was answering the phone. The net effect is
one of me making a grab for the phone on loudspeaker, each time I hear
the silent pause. All very confused and nerve wracking.

Harry Bloomfield

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Jun 27, 2019, 3:52:55 AM6/27/19
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Brian Gaff brought next idea :
> Some companies need to actually try their systems out as it must be a very
> common issue and yet most of it is easy to fix with a bit of thought and
> somebody doing their job properly.

Being on hold, waiting to get answer to speak to someone gives an
impression that their time is much more valuable than you their
potential customer.

Some systems give the option for you to request that they call you
back, some even allow an option to make a timed appointment to ring you
back, but I have never tested them. no doubt by the time they do ring
back, I will have forgotten what I wanted a call back for.

Harry Bloomfield

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Jun 27, 2019, 4:16:30 AM6/27/19
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Brian Gaff formulated the question :
> To me under investment in properly trained staff is a one of the major issues
> when trying to get things sorted out on the phone. Of course while music
> plays you get the web sit plugged all the time, however if you had access to
> the web site you would not be ringing the internet company up would you, mind
> you don't get me started on internet help files....

Well lack of training, plus in some cases lack of understanding and
ability to speak English. I was once subscribed to Talktalk, who use
customer help desks in India. I'm fairly competent at solving any
issues at my end, but there isn't much you can do when the problem is
at their end and there were lots of problems. I absolutely dreaded
having to ring them, the struggles to have them understand me and me
understand them. The long sessions of rebooting routers, rebooting
computers, trying various settings knowing full well none of it would
make any difference to a fault at their end. I became quite clever at
just sitting there, doing nothing other than pretending to do all of
those things, just to get to the end of their script.

I put up with them for years, until they had a data breach and my
personal details were released to the scammers.

I now use an ISP which employs people who actually speak English (well
Yorkshire at least :-), though things just work and I never need to
ring them.

tony sayer

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Jun 27, 2019, 4:35:29 AM6/27/19
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In article <qf1ppb$6h5$1...@dont-email.me>, Harry Bloomfield <harry.m1byt@N
OSPAM.tiscali.co.uk> scribeth thus
>polygonum_on_google explained :
>> Yes - especially bad when you forget who you are ringing.
>
>I never have forgotten who was ringing. Tuesday I rang a mobile service
>provider, to enquire about a contract. I got through quite quickly, but
>then they needed to transfer me to another department to answer my
>questions. I then waited ages listening to music, until a young female
>answered, with a thick difficult to understand scouse accent. I had
>completely lost the plot. Whether accidentally or on purpose, I was cut
>off.
>
>So I had to go through the whole process a second time.
>
>>


Why is it that communications companies are the very worst to

.. communicate with!!..
--
Tony Sayer


Man is least himself when he talks in his own person.

Give him a keyboard, and he will reveal himself.


Levi Jones

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Jun 27, 2019, 5:47:38 AM6/27/19
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"Harry Bloomfield" <harry...@NOSPAM.tiscali.co.uk> wrote in message
news:qf1n0v$ppn$1...@dont-email.me...
That's just the Alzheimer's, nothing to worry about.

Rod Speed

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Jun 27, 2019, 5:57:46 AM6/27/19
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"Brian Gaff" <bri...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
news:qf1qfi$9t6$1...@dont-email.me...
> Yes I also find if its an internet service provider that my level of
> detail is too much for them.
> They are first floored by the fact that a blind person usies the internet,
> but still persist in wanting to know what a bunch of lights are doing on
> their router. I point out that I am actually logged in to their router and
> can confirm there is an up or down fault with no locked signal. They at
> this point usually give up and pass you to somebody else just as clueless.
> If you can hang on without being disconnected eventually you get a person
> who is somewhat less reliant on a script.
> The other issue are those which ask questions and seem to work like Siri,
> so unless you say one of the things they expect they say, I did not quite
> get that please select one of the following, none of which of course
> applies to your problem at all.

> To me under investment in properly trained staff is a one of the major
> issues when trying to get things sorted out on the phone.

Yes, but it is hardly surprising that it isnt feasible to train all
the staff to be able to handle the most complicated problems
or even to get the frontline monkeys to be able to work out
when it’s a hard problem that needs the more experienced
people involved to fix it.

Peeler

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Jun 27, 2019, 6:24:04 AM6/27/19
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On Thu, 27 Jun 2019 19:57:34 +1000, cantankerous trolling geezer Rodent
Speed, the auto-contradicting senile sociopath, blabbered, again:

>> To me under investment in properly trained staff is a one of the major
>> issues when trying to get things sorted out on the phone.
>
> Yes, but

<FLUSH yet more smartass bullshit>

--
gfre...@aol.com addressing nym-shifting senile Rodent:
"You on the other hand are a heavyweight bullshitter who demonstrates
your particular prowess at it every day."
MID: <rufg9ep6ggjdt3uek...@4ax.com>

Peeler

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Jun 27, 2019, 6:25:02 AM6/27/19
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On Thu, 27 Jun 2019 19:47:25 +1000, Levi Jones, better known as cantankerous
trolling senile geezer Rodent Speed, wrote:


>> I have in mind those occasions where you ring a company and have a
>> complicated concept to try to get across to them, then find yourself in a
>> queue whilst they play music to you. I ring, with what I want to say
>> already rehearsed, then when end up waiting in a queue and they do finally
>> answer - I am taken by surprise and turn into an incoherent, gibbering
>> fool.
>
> That's just the Alzheimer's, nothing to worry about.

You mean he might eventually end up like you, senile asshole troll? VERY
unlikely!

--
MrTu...@down.the.farm about senile Rot Speed:
"This is like having a conversation with someone with brain damage."
MID: <ps10v9$uo2$1...@gioia.aioe.org>

DerbyBorn

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Jun 27, 2019, 8:03:49 AM6/27/19
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>
The people at the company you are ringing have probably never tried calling
in to experience what the system is like.

Brian Gaff

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Jun 27, 2019, 12:23:50 PM6/27/19
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Then when you go there the queue to get to the reception desk is full of
older folk trying and failing to use the touch screen log in yourself
system, so the receptionist spends most of her time sorting them out instead
of talking to us who cannot use it as it has no voice chip in it.

grin.
Brian

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Brian Gaff

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Jun 27, 2019, 12:25:43 PM6/27/19
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Yes well maybe so, but I also have issues with enter the first and 4th digit
of your pin/password. I have myriads of them I now cannot remember whos is
whos.
Brian

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Brian Gaff

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Jun 27, 2019, 12:28:08 PM6/27/19
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Yes well, they tend not to ring back. NHS are renowned for this one.
Brian

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Brian Gaff

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Jun 27, 2019, 12:32:15 PM6/27/19
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Talk talk are getting better, but its when you get something complex that
they all seem to fail. I mean the fact that blind people use computers seems
to be almost an insurmountable issue, they say sorry to hear that, but I get
the feeling that they think you are having them on, as clearly blind people
should be uneducated and kept in a back room listening to talking books all
day.
Brian

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Harry Bloomfield

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Jun 28, 2019, 3:47:02 PM6/28/19
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Brian Gaff presented the following explanation :
> Yes well maybe so, but I also have issues with enter the first and 4th digit
> of your pin/password. I have myriads of them I now cannot remember whos is
> whos.

I agree, I have to keep a little book of pins and passwords. I do like
the Iphones way of doing things - storing usernames and paswords, but
protecting them with a finger print scanner. You just do it once, then
your finger print works there after.
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