It was appropriate that at noon today, there was a deep growl of thunder, followed by down-pouring rain.
After two hours of attempts to get in touch with my insurance company, my day had deteriorated from quite bright to thunderous!
After going the round three times in an effort to speak with someone, I was sent a text offering a number which, it claimed would put me in touch “with a live person!”
As opposed to not alive?
My last run around with customer service was during our great change from satellite service to cable. That was quite mind-numbing too.
Things are getting progressively worse.
When you call for any sort of service here, you always get a prompt “Para espanol oprima nueve”. What I want is a prompt “For english press X”.
Sometimes I feel I would do better staggering along in Spanish.
Which I do not speak.
But to get a live person on the line, you first have to be tortured by text. The conversation I needed to have could not be transmitted by this way.
But they make you try. Special numbers, to people that speak, are only issued if you have satisfied their text requirement.
So, by the time I heard a voice, I was a tad cheesed off.
Actually, I had reached the stage of being seriously annoyed. I put my phone down so firmly, it made poor Lucy jump. Which defused me a bit.
Deep breath. Start again.
Having spent half my life dealing with passengers who were less than pleased, I have sympathy with those few agents who take calls. Everyone they speak to only gets through because they are angry.
So. State the facts, avoid sarcasm and tell them: “I know it isn’t your fault”.
“Oh that’s fine. I’m enjoying hearing you talk. You have such a nice accent.”
Grrrr.
The lady listened and wanted to put me in touch with the dude in Dallas who is the main problem…..no-one can get in touch with him. After wasting more time while she made her attempt, she came back on the line to say she was trying to get in touch with the dude’s manager.
But he is also among the missing. Maybe Dallas is where the “not alive” staff are.
So now my case escalated and I was issued a number for the “Presidential Customer Service Department.”
Start again. Each time you think you may have moved forward, you discover that you may be running on a new track, but you still have to start at the same place.
“Well I’m going to put you in touch with your adjuster, his name is XXX”
HOWL. NO!!!! I got the message across. They would get the dude to call me. Amazing how quickly he then became available.
This time, he had removed the marbles from his mouth but I found myself having the exact conversation we had had two weeks ago, since when no progress had been made. This I pointed out to him, but it was like talking to a broken record. They cannot deviate from their script.
“And what number do I call if nothing happens?”
Of course…the same number I called before.
Round and around and around we go….
The acrobatic grey squirrel was back a few days ago. It’s almost worked out the maneuver, but whereas Little Red sits and swings while having a feast, fatso here is still upending the tray which rather defeats his purpose.
It’s not as if it couldn’t find a meal elsewhere.
This morning’s storm was impressive, so I went to the door to watch, whereupon a flash of lightning fell right in front of me, immediately followed by an earth-shattering crash that shook the house.
“Well alright then!” I said. “Trying to tell me something?”
It fell just short of the trees, otherwise we would be doing pick-up-sticks.
Recently I saw a prediction, I can’t remember where, for this winter. Not that I take these things seriously.
According to the report, we are in for a snowy and cold season. Maybe I’ll build ice castles again,
But not till after Fall.
My only problem with this time of year is Christmas lurking on the horizon. Grant and I do a pretty good job of ignoring it, but I still send a few cards.
You think people don’t notice? Recently I failed to send a birthday card to a friend, having decided I must have been written off. She called the police to make sure I was still alive!
After nearly four years, I had lost track of her phone number and I don’t accept calls from unknown people, so she decided I might be buried in a flower bed!
The number of calls I get is staggering.
People wanting to build me a website.
People looking for Aaron. (???)
Mostly people wanting to “give me” money.
They persist, undaunted. They send texts:
“This is Trey! Hope you’re having an awesome day…”
“We’ve still got that $200K you qualified for. If you aren’t comfortable with that, we could do $100K…”
If I accepted all the money people have wanted to “give me”, I would be a wealthy woman.
It’s so ironic. Where were they 4 years ago when I needed $200K for less than 6 months.
Then it was “No can do. Can’t take the risk!”
Risk? That damn bank was holding all my money, so where was the risk? Bastards had approved the loan but the loan officer came round to my house to tell me he was denying it, at the 11th hour.
What to do? Pull out of buying the new house, leaving an elderly couple in the lurch? (They had already been left hanging once) Cancel my plans for moving 13 cats coast to coast, etc etc?
No. So I pulled my savings money out of that damn bank and was obliged to pay an obscene amount of tax on it.
The whole scenario was ridiculous, in addition to which one of their puffed up bank managers tried to insult my intelligence.
Banks were always on my shit list. That one heads it.
Insurance companies run a close second.
But the bastards won’t get me down.
Oh dear Carolyn. You are having quite a day – or should that be plural? Sounds like dealing with Comcast here in Seattle. Fortunately I have my sons to deal with all such troublesome matters, but that’s no help to you. They are not for hire! Good luck!
Goodness, Carolyne, all I can say, god help you in your troubles!
Joanna
PS. I am not going to sent you email as you are up to your the limit with everything else, so at least I won’t be a bother too…
Ask him if he can fix your PC photo problem next time you speak………………..Put that knife down Carolyn, I was joking!
Imagine being my mum at 86 years old and trying to cope with those ‘runaround’ customer service calls while also fighting for breath using a ventolin nebuliser. I had to take over all of that stuff for her, so doubled my ‘caller frustration’ quota. I know exactly how you feel, Carolyn.
Best wishes, Pete.
And here I thought customer service is up to … (you know what) only here in SA, but it seems it’s a problem everywhere! The weather must have felt your mood – thunder & lightning … at least I could enjoy your lovely flower pictures (while wishing no good things upon insurance companies and banks)!!