An off-topic rant - I am ANGRY!

[annc]

I have to make an appointment with restorative dentistry. Restorative dentistry is needed because I do not have front teeth. Without teeth my speech is less clear than usual - although very few people have any problem.

Then I fall into the Guy's Hospital telephone system! 'If you do not know the extension, please say the name of the person you wish to speak to.' Even with a full complement of teeth, "Mr Saravanamuttu's secretary" is not the easiest statement to express on the phone. "I am sorry - please repeat that!" I find the system totally demoralising and dehumanising - it just rubs in the fact that I'm not speaking as clearly as I would like. Surely many people ringing restorative dentistry - especially from the Adult Cleft Team have, by definition, speech problems. Why should they be treated like this?

They have NOT got back from my answerphone messages of yesterday or today. Could they understand it? Is the secretary on holiday? The trust have put a bar on employing temps to cover for holidays. The longer I wait, the later my appointment will be.

I am ANGRY! If I swore, I would swear now! I am discouraged. I want to make my appointment with a human being! *****

[Rusty]

Ann, you are hitting a nerve - this is one of my all time pet peeves!

When automated answering first started, I guess 10 to 15 years ago, there was always an option (usually the last one) to press # to speak to a customer service rep. They have all seemed to replace that with, "press # to repeat this menu". When they first started you could also trick it by pushing nothing and that would fool the system into thinking I didn't have a touch-tone phone.

Alas, nothing seems to work anymore except the canned scenarios.

Rusty

[Wendy]

Oh Ann ...

I am so sorry to hear of the problems you are having ... what a pain these sort of systems are.

I suggest that you let the hospital know how you feel about this and tell them that it is humiliating, ask to speak to the Complaints Manager. Each Hospital now has one of them ...

You must feel so dreadful about this ... :(

Hugs
Wendy

[deedeeO]

Kaiser Permanente out here is California is the same frickin way....I've dropped an f-bomb everytime I get on their phone system. Now my doctor's have sent me a direct link to their email address....so if I have a non-emergency problem, I just email them directly. anyway, I feel your heat. Actually on my way to visit my cosmetic dentist because of my two front teeth...he did restoration that was fabulous!!!! Wish you were closer, I would recommend him!!!

Yes, I do not have two front either:D Chipped them off during a smulsh pit at a dance club in college.....:rolleyes:

[AngelicKim]

Ann, that is so frustrating and drives me nuts as well. Although they don't say it in their mile long options, alot of them will go directly to a person if you press "0".

[websi]

This is something that is so de-humanizing. I found this website a while back and maybe some will work for you. the one site I had found was http://www.newmediamusings.com/2006/02/memo_to_busines.html and another www.gethuman.com

websi

[annc]

Eventually rang me back today. They had an appointment Monday but I can't have it as my notes are at Guy's and they can't get them to St. Thomas's in time! This means I have to make a special trip when I am on holiday on the 15th - and it may well be after Christmas before I get my teeth.

[Wags374]

So sorry you aren't getting through Ann!

My usual trick is to keep pushing "0" repeatedly - sometimes that gets me through to an actual human. Although whether or not that human is more helpful than the machine is sometimes open to debate. :rolleyes:

[BillandCat]

How about the hearing impaired? I don't understand some words, although I hear them, but how do you say "what" to a recording? I guess I have just lived too long. BillandCat

[Shari]

Oh Ann, So sorry for your problem. Can feel your frustration. I would write a letter. I have done this over the years. Firm but polite. I have always received some kind of response. I always write on the bottom cc to some other department. Even if I don't send a copy it looks like someone else is receiving the letter and they cannot ignore it!!!! I guess today writing a letter is old fashioned but it also helps to get rid of the anger once you pop it in the box.

Just this morning I waited over half an hour for a PERSON at Ikea. Frustrating.
Shari

[Cmcburnett]

I agree w/everyone, so frustrating. I remember a link about a year or so ago that our local news posted that listed all major companies and a few local ones and it gave you the direct digit to press to bypass all the voicemail. Wish I'd kept the link.:confused: