"The current estimated wait time is..."

Rushie

Rushie

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Rushie
Rant:

At 11:07 the wait time is 38 minutes. Five minutes later it was 39 minutes. Then it was 38 again, then 39, and now, at 11:28 it is 38 minutes. My call is important to them and will be answered in the order in which it was received.

Normally I don't put up with this. I hang up. But today I have a question that needs to be answered now.

11:30 "The current estimated wait time is 38 minutes. A representative will be with you shortly."

What's up with this wait time thing? How do they calculate it and if I'm in a queue how come the time isn't decreasing?

AH! 11:33 "The current estimated wait time is 37 minutes." Now we're getting somewhere!
 
Rushie said:
Rant:

At 11:07 the wait time is 38 minutes. Five minutes later it was 39 minutes. Then it was 38 again, then 39, and now, at 11:28 it is 38 minutes. My call is important to them and will be answered in the order in which it was received.

Normally I don't put up with this. I hang up. But today I have a question that needs to be answered now.

11:30 "The current estimated wait time is 38 minutes. A representative will be with you shortly."

What's up with this wait time thing? How do they calculate it and if I'm in a queue how come the time isn't decreasing?

AH! 11:33 "The current estimated wait time is 37 minutes." Now we're getting somewhere!
Click to expand...
I hate this too.
I always wish they would just say "You are number 43 in the queue and we have 2 operators taking calls". They could add an estimated time if they want, but that is always just a guess.
 
They have relinquished customer service to a computer, and GIGO still applies.

When someone comes on, ask to be transferred to the Borg Mothership.

...on second thought, don’t...you’ll end up at 39 minutes again.
 
Oh...please post your question here...I’m sure we can come up with numerous good answers, each of which is better than all of the others. :D
 
So now they have the "rather than wait on hold, the system will call you back when it's your turn..."

Hoping you will forget how long it's been and not be hostile to them. Or maybe they'll never call you back and you'll forget all about it.
 
MauleSkinner said:
Oh...please post your question here...I’m sure we can come up with numerous good answers, each of which is better than all of the others. :D
Click to expand...

Okay. Where is the tobacco attestation button for the 70/30 plan? Your website has none but your email says I must complete the attestation to get $60 off my premium.

She finally got to me at 11:43. Just after it said at 11:42 the wait time was 37 minutes. Obviously their AI is broke, it was only 1 minute.

Want to guess what the answer is before I tell you what she said?
 
Ken Ibold said:
So now they have the "rather than wait on hold, the system will call you back when it's your turn..."

Hoping you will forget how long it's been and not be hostile to them. Or maybe they'll never call you back and you'll forget all about it.
Click to expand...
Sometimes I think they are able to hack my home security video monitors. Every time I leave a number for them to call me back, they call the instant I step out to check the mail or go to the bathroom. If I am going to have to sit by the phone waiting for a call back, I might as well stay on hold.
 
Rushie said:
Okay. Where is the tobacco attestation button for the 70/30 plan? Your website has none but your email says I must complete the attestation to get $60 off my premium.

She finally got to me at 11:43. Just after it said at 11:42 the wait time was 37 minutes. Obviously their AI is broke, it was only 1 minute.

Want to guess what the answer is before I tell you what she said?
Click to expand...
My guess is she gave you a different number to call, and that number had an estimated wait time. That is what usually happens to me.
 
I don't do business with companies that put me on hold for hours. If they care that little about their customers then they don't need me as one.

Yes it is difficult and, yes, one must learn by experience, but I've pared them down over the years to exactly one. And, thus far, I haven't found a suitable replacement for that one. But when I do......

...I'm freakin' outa there!!
 
Rushie said:
She finally got to me at 11:43. Just after it said at 11:42 the wait time was 37 minutes. Obviously their AI is broke, it was only 1 minute.
Click to expand...
Not strictly broken per se. I think it's telling a new caller the wait time. It's not specific to you, but rather the current wait time they tell to everyone just joining the call. If you noted down the time you waited, and the first wait time you heard, I bet it'd be pretty close.
 
Rushie said:
Okay. Where is the tobacco attestation button for the 70/30 plan? Your website has none but your email says I must complete the attestation to get $60 off my premium.

She finally got to me at 11:43. Just after it said at 11:42 the wait time was 37 minutes. Obviously their AI is broke, it was only 1 minute.

Want to guess what the answer is before I tell you what she said?
Click to expand...
“It only shows up after the open enrollment period has ended.”
 
At a prior job, I used to sit next to a team that developed call center phone apps. Every single one of them was ****ed that they knew exactly how to write a system that customers would love, but that was never what their customer wanted. The customers, aka call centers, want you to try everything possible in the way of automated help, or even simple delays in the chance that either self help or time will clear your issue, or that you will get tired and drop. And the systems are purposely written to make it difficult to get to a person. Getting help from a person is expensive, and the only thing more expensive is a call center agent sitting idle, so they are usually staffed to have wait times a very large percentage of the time. If you find a company that gets you to an agent easily, or consistently without a lot of wait, you have found someplace that actually cares about their customers experience with them.
 
Rushie said:
Rant:

At 11:07 the wait time is 38 minutes. Five minutes later it was 39 minutes. Then it was 38 again, then 39, and now, at 11:28 it is 38 minutes. My call is important to them and will be answered in the order in which it was received.

Normally I don't put up with this. I hang up. But today I have a question that needs to be answered now.

11:30 "The current estimated wait time is 38 minutes. A representative will be with you shortly."

What's up with this wait time thing? How do they calculate it and if I'm in a queue how come the time isn't decreasing?

AH! 11:33 "The current estimated wait time is 37 minutes." Now we're getting somewhere!
Click to expand...




:D
 
-KLB- said:
At a prior job, I used to sit next to a team that developed call center phone apps. Every single one of them was ****ed that they knew exactly how to write a system that customers would love, but that was never what their customer wanted. The customers, aka call centers, want you to try everything possible in the way of automated help, or even simple delays in the chance that either self help or time will clear your issue, or that you will get tired and drop. And the systems are purposely written to make it difficult to get to a person. Getting help from a person is expensive, and the only thing more expensive is a call center agent sitting idle, so they are usually staffed to have wait times a very large percentage of the time. If you find a company that gets you to an agent easily, or consistently without a lot of wait, you have found someplace that actually cares about their customers experience with them.
Click to expand...

I always suspected that's how they work. I have come to loathe phone trees with a hatred second only to cockroaches of all things on earth that I despise.
 
Half Fast said:

:D
Click to expand...

One of my favorite movies of all time. I've seen it dozens of times. It was one of our first dates hubby and I. We walked into the theatre before it started and we heard someone say "look, old people!" I was about 29 and hubs was 31.
 
"...your call is important to us..."

THEN ANSWER THE F@#KING PHONE!

Any company that has to TELL you what their values are is doing it wrong.
 
MauleSkinner said:
“It only shows up after the open enrollment period has ended.”
Click to expand...
@Rushie , since you "liked" this post, does that mean that was the real answer they gave you? Or are you still making us wait before you tell us?
 
JOhnH said:
@Rushie , since you "liked" this post, does that mean that was the real answer they gave you? Or are you still making us wait before you tell us?
Click to expand...

I "liked" it but didn't give the real answer because I could still "like" a post but couldn't respond to the thread at that time but apparently whatever the problem was has been fixed and by the time it was I had lost focus i.e. Got distracted by TRHPS. So thanks for reminding me.

The answer was that button only shows up for active employees, not retirees, and I am now a retiree. As such I automatically get the discount for the 70/30 plan without having to do the tobacco attestation, a thing I hadn't noticed until I pulled up the active employee premium and compared them.

But that's not true for the 80/20 plan. Retirees still have to do the tobacco attestation for the 80/20, up until they qualify for Medicare after which nobody has to do them anymore.

So why did they send me an email telling me that I had to do the attestation even for the 70/30 plan? Obviously they had composed only one email for everyone. I wonder how much of the "we are experiencing higher than normal call volume" was due to retirees confused by that email?
 
Rushie said:
The answer was that button only shows up for active employees, not retirees, and I am now a retiree. As such I automatically get the discount for the 70/30 plan without having to do the tobacco attestation, a thing I hadn't noticed until I pulled up the active employee premium and compared them.
Click to expand...


Oh, that's evil.

They're okay if you start smoking in your senior years, as that will get you deceased and off their coverage sooner.

So do you like cigars?
 
Last week, waiting for the cable guy.
I have a recorded phone message with the date and time. I have an email with the date and time, I have THREE phone calls warning me that if I'm not there when the guy arrives I will be billed. for the visit. It's a 4 hour window starting at 8:00 AM
The date and time come and go, and no cable guy.
I call, "Sorry, he is delayed and will be there in 25 minutes. He will call you if there is a problem"
Time passes, no cable guy, no phone call.
I call the company. "Sorry for the delay. He will be there at 1 PM."
The cable guys calls me and apologizes. He never answers his phone the rest of the day.
Time passes, no cable guy, no phone call.
I call the company. "Sorry for the delay. He will be there at 2 PM."
Time passes, no cable guy, no phone call.
I call the cable company. They tell me they have no record of a scheduled service call.
I ask for a supervisor. She tells me they have no record of a service call.
I refer to the emails, the voicemails, and all the phone calls that day. (Did I mention, I record all "business calls?)
She says "Please hold." Five minutes later, the line goes dead.
I call back. I ask for the supervisor. She says "Sorry, please hold." The line immediately goes dead.
This happened 4 more times.
On the sixth call, I'm told that supervisor has gone off shift.
The new supervisor tells me there is no record of of a service call. I ask for an email address. I send her all the emails and copies of all the phone calls.
I announce my intention to sue everyone and everyone they ever shook hands with.
I am immediately transferred to a higher level lackey, whose sole skill is grovelling.
Big time grovelling.
I have a new appointment for 8AM the next day.
He shows up 6 hours late.

"Service" ain't what it used to be.
 
Shepherd said:
Last week, waiting for the cable guy.
I have a recorded phone message with the date and time. I have an email with the date and time, I have THREE phone calls warning me that if I'm not there when the guy arrives I will be billed. for the visit. It's a 4 hour window starting at 8:00 AM
The date and time come and go, and no cable guy.
I call, "Sorry, he is delayed and will be there in 25 minutes. He will call you if there is a problem"
Time passes, no cable guy, no phone call.
I call the company. "Sorry for the delay. He will be there at 1 PM."
The cable guys calls me and apologizes. He never answers his phone the rest of the day.
Time passes, no cable guy, no phone call.
I call the company. "Sorry for the delay. He will be there at 2 PM."
Time passes, no cable guy, no phone call.
I call the cable company. They tell me they have no record of a scheduled service call.
I ask for a supervisor. She tells me they have no record of a service call.
I refer to the emails, the voicemails, and all the phone calls that day. (Did I mention, I record all "business calls?)
She says "Please hold." Five minutes later, the line goes dead.
I call back. I ask for the supervisor. She says "Sorry, please hold." The line immediately goes dead.
This happened 4 more times.
On the sixth call, I'm told that supervisor has gone off shift.
The new supervisor tells me there is no record of of a service call. I ask for an email address. I send her all the emails and copies of all the phone calls.
I announce my intention to sue everyone and everyone they ever shook hands with.
I am immediately transferred to a higher level lackey, whose sole skill is grovelling.
Big time grovelling.
I have a new appointment for 8AM the next day.
He shows up 6 hours late.

"Service" ain't what it used to be.
Click to expand...

Wow! That's the Seinfeld episode right there! But back then (in Seinfeld era) they didn't charge you if you aren't home IIRC. That's a new twist. Your cable company has got to have the monopoly in your area otherwise I don't know how they're getting away with such abominable behavior.
 
Shepherd said:
Last week, waiting for the cable guy.
I have a recorded phone message with the date and time. I have an email with the date and time, I have THREE phone calls warning me that if I'm not there when the guy arrives I will be billed. for the visit. It's a 4 hour window starting at 8:00 AM
The date and time come and go, and no cable guy.
I call, "Sorry, he is delayed and will be there in 25 minutes. He will call you if there is a problem"
Time passes, no cable guy, no phone call.
I call the company. "Sorry for the delay. He will be there at 1 PM."
The cable guys calls me and apologizes. He never answers his phone the rest of the day.
Time passes, no cable guy, no phone call.
I call the company. "Sorry for the delay. He will be there at 2 PM."
Time passes, no cable guy, no phone call.
I call the cable company. They tell me they have no record of a scheduled service call.
I ask for a supervisor. She tells me they have no record of a service call.
I refer to the emails, the voicemails, and all the phone calls that day. (Did I mention, I record all "business calls?)
She says "Please hold." Five minutes later, the line goes dead.
I call back. I ask for the supervisor. She says "Sorry, please hold." The line immediately goes dead.
This happened 4 more times.
On the sixth call, I'm told that supervisor has gone off shift.
The new supervisor tells me there is no record of of a service call. I ask for an email address. I send her all the emails and copies of all the phone calls.
I announce my intention to sue everyone and everyone they ever shook hands with.
I am immediately transferred to a higher level lackey, whose sole skill is grovelling.
Big time grovelling.
I have a new appointment for 8AM the next day.
He shows up 6 hours late.

"Service" ain't what it used to be.
Click to expand...


So how much are you billing them for the delay?
 
Half Fast said:
Oh, that's evil.

They're okay if you start smoking in your senior years, as that will get you deceased and off their coverage sooner.

So do you like cigars?
Click to expand...

I'm waiting until I turn 90 at which time I plan to indulge all the vices I have been avoiding all my life including cigars, hard liquor, hard drugs, and anything else I haven't tried yet just because society disapproves.

Attn: FAA, DEA, BATF, FBI etc.: This is a joke.
 
Rushie said:
I'm waiting until I turn 90 at which time I plan to indulge all the vices I have been avoiding all my life including cigars, hard liquor, hard drugs, and anything else I haven't tried yet just because society disapproves.

Attn: FAA, DEA, BATF, FBI etc.: This is a joke.
Click to expand...


That's similar to my motorcycle logic. The older I get, the faster the bikes I buy. As the years go by, I'm putting less and less of my life at risk....
 
Rushie said:
Your cable company has got to have the monopoly in your area otherwise I don't know how they're getting away with such abominable behavior.
Click to expand...
One of several things I don't miss since cancelling the cable TV and streaming all visual entertainment through interwebs.
 
Rushie said:
I'm waiting until I turn 90 at which time I plan to indulge all the vices I have been avoiding all my life ....
Click to expand...


BTW - you may want to consider a time-phased approach. It might prove difficult to indulge in the vice of promiscuity 30 years from now.

But I could be wrong.....
 
I live near a small town and Tv cable does not go out of the city limits, just like the mail delivery here.

Satellite is one option. Last April the spring breeze tore down part of my fence and took the satellite dish with it. I called and was promised service the next day between 10am and 2pm. The guy had an approximate 160 mile drive to get to my house. At 10;30am he called and said he would be at my house in 30 minutes. In 20 minutes he was here.

As he re-installed the dish, I grilled some burgers, veggies and home made fries. It took him about 40 minutes to re-install the dish and replace some damaged cable. I hooked him up with lunch, then he hooked me up to the premium movie channels for a 6 month free trial.

I have no complaints, except tomorrow is the last day of the free movie channels.

As a kid I grew up near a small town that had 2 cable companies. We only had 11 channels but the cable bill was only 3 bucks a month. Then when I was a teenager, one company bought the other and the bill went to 13 bucks a month.

Now I have 500 channels and all I watch is "Gilligan's Island" and "The Simpsons".
 
Zeldman said:
Love the theme music...!!!!
Click to expand...
As a teenager of the 80's, each time I hear the Theme from Peter Gun, I'm reminded of this arcade favorite...

1067979495.jpg
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