Trivial things you don't understand/mildly annoy you

[Jimmy Quinn]

Calling any business number where you have to press options 1-4 then again, then again and eventually get told they are very busy and someone will be with you shorthly😫

[Geoff the Ref]

Calling any business number where you have to press options 1-4 then again, then again and eventually get told they are very busy and someone will be with you shorthly😫

I had to call British Gas last week because an engineer hadn’t turned up for an appointment.  I rang their customer service number at 17:15, to be told that their office was closed at 17:00.  The very helpful automated service kept me on the line for 10 minutes before Telling me that, going through menu choice after Menu choice, and telling me how careful their engineers will be in my house during the pandemic. 

I was then informed that I could go online and have a live chat with one of their team until 22:00.  Great, I thought.  I logged in and sure enough, there was the chat service.  I clicked to chat, and was immediately informed that the next available colleague would be with me shortly, and that the average wait time was 10 minutes.  OK.  I sat, pen and paper in hand, waiting for the anticipated response, and was then informed that I was No. 262 in the queue!!

Ffs.  I gave it a while to see if I could discover how fast the queue was moving, and after half an hour I had made it to No. 217.  At that point, I gave up.  Immediately, a box popped up asking me for my opinion of their on-line contact service.  I fucking told ‘em! That was at about 18:10.  What a waste of my life, I thought.

About 15 minutes later, the phone rang, and it was an almost unintelligible gentleman with a very strong Asian accent, ringing me to discuss my problem with their engineer.  I explained, and I have no idea what he said in response, other than that an engineer would come “tomorrow between 8 and 10”.

Do you know what, he did too.  So I got roughly where I wanted to go, but my God, the nervous energy it took me to get there.  So, the moral of this story is it’s not just BT that can fuck you up.

I’m off for a drink now. 

[Jimmy Quinn]

I had to call British Gas last week because an engineer hadn’t turned up for an appointment.  I rang their customer service number at 17:15, to be told that their office was closed at 17:00.  The very helpful automated service kept me on the line for 10 minutes before Telling me that, going through menu choice after Menu choice, and telling me how careful their engineers will be in my house during the pandemic. 

I was then informed that I could go online and have a live chat with one of their team until 22:00.  Great, I thought.  I logged in and sure enough, there was the chat service.  I clicked to chat, and was immediately informed that the next available colleague would be with me shortly, and that the average wait time was 10 minutes.  OK.  I sat, pen and paper in hand, waiting for the anticipated response, and was then informed that I was No. 262 in the queue!!

Ffs.  I gave it a while to see if I could discover how fast the queue was moving, and after half an hour I had made it to No. 217.  At that point, I gave up.  Immediately, a box popped up asking me for my opinion of their on-line contact service.  I fucking told ‘em! That was at about 18:10.  What a waste of my life, I thought.

About 15 minutes later, the phone rang, and it was an almost unintelligible gentleman with a very strong Asian accent, ringing me to discuss my problem with their engineer.  I explained, and I have no idea what he said in response, other than that an engineer would come “tomorrow between 8 and 10”.

Do you know what, he did too.  So I got roughly where I wanted to go, but my God, the nervous energy it took me to get there.  So, the moral of this story is it’s not just BT that can fuck you up.

I’m off for a drink now. 

Geoff it's a nightmare and like a slow death and purposely done to wind us all up

[Red Frog]

I'm *almost* beginning to miss the Flash and Jutty show of old.

[Jimmy Quinn]

I'm *almost* beginning to miss the Flash and Jutty show of old.

What do you miss😁

[Geoff the Ref]

What do you miss😁

Is there something that needs replicating?

[Jimmy Quinn]

Is there something that needs replicating?

The plot thickens🤔

[THE FLASH]

I'm *almost* beginning to miss the Flash and Jutty show of old.

In the end me and Jutty were ignored by the whole TEF. Fully justified.

Like The Specials, artistic differences mean that a reunion is unlikely.

I can hear the relief....

[4D]

Who said that?

[4D]

Devizes. Nightmare of a place.

[RobertT]

Geoff it's a nightmare and like a slow death and purposely done to wind us all up

Feel free to pay more for the service and get a better one.

[Jimmy Quinn]

Feel free to pay more for the service and get a better one.

Such as? Try calling BT or British Gas or National Power or your Doctors

[RobertT]

I was talking generally.  Everyone complains about service but the UK & USA has been on a drive to lowest cost for years, which leads to offshoring (which was referenced in the original post).  If people don't want that, they have to accept the cost of keeping work in higher cost locations.  The manufacturing move to China suggests there really isn't that appetite and we'd rather complain about it.

[Jimmy Quinn]

I was talking generally.  Everyone complains about service but the UK & USA has been on a drive to lowest cost for years, which leads to offshoring (which was referenced in the original post).  If people don't want that, they have to accept the cost of keeping work in higher cost locations.  The manufacturing move to China suggests there really isn't that appetite and we'd rather complain about it.

Fair point! Even John Lewis have joined the annoying phone option saga and it took me 30 minutes to get through and no wonder many give up and don't get their problems sorted 

[McGurk's Missus]

Fair point! Even John Lewis have joined the annoying phone option saga and it took me 30 minutes to get through and no wonder many give up and don't get their problems sorted  

I tend to email the shit out of a company until they respond. It's generally much quicker than sitting in a phone queue. Although my recent experience with my Electricity provider was a rather drawn out process. Even though it was I who was owed money and they who should've been chasing (in the correct way). Also at least having the email correspondence gives you instant reference to previous conversation. Which helps when they start trying to fob you off or quoting figures that never existed.

Oh and yep, there are no end to my talents. Limitless