I dislike telephone trees and AI makes it worse

[ChrissyRyan]

I dislike telephone trees and it is getting worse with AI.
I just want to speak with someone for help.
Companies want to save money.

The only way trees like this help is for me to get an account balance.

I do not want to have to get my medicine bottle to type in my prescription number find out if I can pick it up before my vacation instead of waiting to get a refill ready notice from them at the usual time.  Then after typing in the number, the stupid system cannot tell me if I can come in it early or not.  Finally, after saying human, service representative, typing in 0 or 9, I finally broke out of the tree.

Insurance companies are the worst it seems.  Even Amazon is making it not easy to call a person but you can after probing awhile, finally finding a contact number.  First though, you get a lot of probing questions, such as, "Is this the order (or product) you are needing help on?"  NO NO NO. 


Chrissy

[Northern Star Girl]

When stuck with the ongoing menu options offered by the robo-voice...  I keep pressing "Zero" and
keep saying "Speak to a Representative"  repeatedly !
over and over again and hopefully after a half hour wait I finally get to speak with a human, but there is
now a new problem, the connection is bad, the representative that I am now speaking to is a person
that English is NOT their native language and the accent is so bad I can barely understand what they
are saying and I have to keep asking them to repeat what they are saying....

.....and in that scenario I am supposed to trust them with my personal contact and my
credit card information ?  Not very comforting and assuring for sure.

HUGS, Danielle [Northern Star Girl]

[Lori Dee]

When I get someone with a heavy accent, I just tell them I cannot understand them and ask them to connect me with someone in the United States. That doesn't always work as I have been connected to people with worse accents that are supposedly in Oklahoma.

Now, I use email or apps instead of calling, if I don't need an answer right now. If I have no choice and must call, repeatedly pressing 0 does eventually work.

And to think that many years ago, I installed commercial telephone systems and programmed those menus. (I am so ashamed.) 

[Jessica_Rose]

If you've been waiting over 15 minutes, press '8'. It won't get you help any faster, but it may make you feel better.

I detest those phone menus. Lori, you're forgiven for your past transgressions. We've all done things we're ashamed of.

Love always -- Jess

[Paulie]

I've noticed over the last few year that pressing zero repeatedly doesn't work as well as it used to. 

[ChrissyRyan]

I've noticed over the last few year that pressing zero repeatedly doesn't work as well as it used to. 

That is so true.