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Health insurance companies are horrible w/automated systems. When you can FINALLY get a human, you have to give the same info. again. No wonder I have high BP.
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Originally Posted by ocnjgirl
I don't see the issue with banks or credit cards or certain sites like Amazon. I see it more with businesses that don't care as much if you leave...for instance Verizon and Xfinity both know I'm probably not going anywhere, so when I call them, I have to navigate a maze to get a person, and I have to fight their trying to make me use a chatbot instead of waiting for a person. Xfinity asks me if I want to use the chatbot, and I say no, and then she says "I just sent you the link" anyway. Finally I scream "Agent!!! Representative!!!" then it says "to help me get you to the right person, tell me what you're calling about. You can say things like "check my bill", "service is out", etc. But I already know my issue doesn't fit neatly into any of those boxes. So I try to bypass picking a topic, but it won't let me. So finally I just pick one, even though it's not the reason I'm calling. So I pick one, "technical support". But instead of passing me to someone then, she tries to say "did you know you can get technical support using our chatbot, would you like me to send you the link?" and by that time I'm frustrated and boiling. By the time you get to a person it's hard not to bite their head off because you've been on the phone 20 minutes already.
And when my cat's microchip company Home Again withdrew funds from my CC for my yearly subscription 3 times in a month, I called multiple, multiple times and simply no one answered the phone, no matter how many times I called. I had to dispute the charges with my CC company and that as easy, but then I have to worry if my pet is missing and I call them (they are supposed to send an alert to all area shelters and vet offices, as well as make a "Missing" poster with the photo they have, that you can print out), no one will answer.
Today I made a 7:55 doctor appointment before work, figuring I'd still get here relatively on time. I walked out of there at 9:40. That to me is poor customer service, too. And you can't call any individual office anymore. I hadn't been to this complex before, never saw it (I picked an office near work, not home) and suddenly Waze announces "you have arrived", except it was a hospital in front of me, not the medical offices. So I try to call to see where they are in relation to the hospital. But even though I dial the local number, I get a centralized call center that covers all of the facilities in the state. But even then it's not a person. Just options to make an appointment, pay a bill, etc. But even when I get a person, she's somewhere else, and has no clue where I am or the office. So I have to park at the hospital, no close spots, freezing cold today, and walk in to try to get directions.
Same with Walmart. I had a Walmart delivery text that said my grocery order was delivered (it was only one bag) except it wasn't there. But when I try to call local Walmart to see where the guy left it, it turns out they can't talk to me about it there, they tell me I have to call the 800 number. But when I call them, they just want to refund my money, not help me find the package.
It is most definitely worse than in the past. But more obvious in certain industries, where I don't think they worry as much about people leaving. Walmart had great customer service for grocery pick up and delivery before Covid, but it changed completely during it and after.
I spent so much time with one of my providers and my health insurance (different issues) last year that I think it can be qualified as "days".
I can't even talk about specifics without my blood pressure increasing. This provider now sends statements instead of the detailed bills they used to send so it's really difficult to figure out what the charges are. The doctors office is no help with billing issues and the billing team needs a lot more training. Let's not talk about the lady who decided my issues were too much to deal with for a Monday morning and hung up on me - twice.
My old insurance company was so polite and answers the phone quickly but answers to questions are rarely correct which is scary when you are making medical decisions based on their answers about what facilities will cover the treatment.
The chatbots are brutal!
I repeatedly respond to surveys or leave bad reviews depending on how frustrated I am.
I'm not all knowing by any means. But what I've found in recent years, is I often know more about a product, than the person selling it. They're good at making things up on the fly though. The objective being whatever requires them to do the least mount of work.
With so many people refusing to work, replacements are at best reluctant and inexperienced in many cases. That applies to retail, restaurants, banking, and the worst, customer service for phone/cable/internet providers where it's hard to get past the robots and when you do the humans are even less helpful.
I think that explains it. People are overworked and places understaffed. More likely mistakes are made. Seems like anytime I have to actually call some sort of customer service deal they have a message at the beginning warning of longer than normal hold times.
I guess if we do fall into a recession at some point that will put things back into balance. Less available jobs and easier for employers to fill the jobs that do exist.
I think that explains it. People are overworked and places understaffed. More likely mistakes are made. Seems like anytime I have to actually call some sort of customer service deal they have a message at the beginning warning of longer than normal hold times.
I guess if we do fall into a recession at some point that will put things back into balance. Less available jobs and easier for employers to fill the jobs that do exist.
I don't think customer service jobs are as short-staffed as other jobs, because a lot of them now are work from home, and a lot of people want work from home jobs. I think it's by design. More and more thay are steering us to automated everything. They don't want to go back to an office full of reps anymore. I don't see it going back to that, in fact now with more advanced AI like ChatGTP and more on the horizon, it will get harder and harder to bypass it and talk to a person, no matter how many people apply to work those jobs.
Yes, the service is rude and impersonal all over - restaurants, pharmacies, markets, government offices (always has been this way at government offices) retail stores, etc.
I guess the employees left working must be super stressed out. A friend of ours, who retired from her career, picked up a part time job at the local Safeway, working at the deli/bakery.
She mentioned that the store management has offered her full time hours and some incentives to work these hours. But, she has refused. Businesses are struggling these days hiring suitable workers.
IKR? Although I don't condone it at all,I can understand it IF frustration is the reason. Head games, that's for sure.
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