2000-11-28 - 15:45 MST

November 28, 2000

Off The Hook

I am not sure of just how to accept the miracles of the modern world. Are they good, or are they bad, or maybe some shades of gray or are dirty, cold dishwater colored ?

Seeing as how the East Coast is two hours later than here in MST land, my day began by starting to phone companies and organizations at six AM. One was the benefits section of the company I retired from and ultimately I had to phone three different divisions -- several times, back and forth -- finding out such things as the proper terminology to use to ask my dribbling questions and which OTHER phone numbers to use, in between I listened to Music On Hold giving out Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer over and over with the breaking in by the other recording, "Your call to us is important, and will be answered in the order it was received, please stay on the line," and back to Redolph the Rue Nosed. Each time I would get a live body on the line, it was either someone who talked with machine gun rapidity, or seemed to be too tired to talk at a hearable level. Volume was okay on the fast talkers, but on the others it was as if they were speaking their last words on their deathbed - - - - - or something. So that was the threeway frustration.

Other calls I made today gave me the idea that they don't deal with real live humans. Did you ever have the frustrating experience of having to listen to a long winded menu and then punch a button only to hear another longwinded menu, none of which seem to be remotely connected to the matter you are calling about ? -------- And of all the menu items splurted out I finally give up and punch buttons at random -- making a new call each time -- until I finally get a Person on the line, oh wow, man, here is a real live person -- with about the same results I had, described in my first diatribe.

So I guess apathy, disinterest and maybe pure boredom is my gripe about people who man the phones.

Cueing, unfortunately developed by Bell Labs as being an improvement over the older system seems to have enabled companys and organizations to use fewer employees to screw up the work. And then the damn menus, which tie a person to the phone indefinitely also causes sour gripes with me, (me and the fox). I think that it would take one intelligent person at the switch board to field the different situations arising, efficiently and rapidly. Criminy, they spent money on a high maintenance menu system to confuse and frustrate the people they serve, why did they not buy a pbx and hire a good switchboard operator ? A good switchboard operator is close to being psychic who likes people and who has acquainted herself with the ins and outs of her company. People to a good switchboard operator are not just naughts and zeros. And by gosh there is the damn voice mail, usually you record your message, but it is never answered back.

With all that, it just seems to me that these outfits are trying to tell me that they don't want to talk to me - - - - or any one else period.

Another frustration I am experiencing is trying to get hooked up with "hotmail" I found out today, or was at least told that "hotmail" does not have a phone number to call and get support -- I have sent off several e-mails to no avail, not a peep from them. My problem is that I can find no way to receive mail, send mail or check my in box. Maybe the division of the Microsoft Net Work that handles "hotmail" does not handle anything to do with Microsoft Network division which handles Webtv. I dunno- disgusting. Maybe I will try to wade through the Yahoo system and see if that will work for me. So, whether on the phone or on the web is seems as if they are all "Off The Hook" . . . . . . . .

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