Overview
Fred Klein
Counsel, Tarter Krinsky & Drogin LLP 1350 Broadway, 11th floor
Counsel, Tarter Krinsky & Drogin LLP 1350 Broadway, 11th floor
"Representative!"
8 days ago
19 comments
Categories: Tech News
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One of the most frustrating and torturous 21st Century experiences is telephoning a service provider to request a repair.
It is maddening and drives me crazy!
Initially, you have to run the gauntlet of their automated, first wave, telephone response which requires you to give your phone or account number, your home address and somehow shoe horn your problem into one of their service categories, then answer a number of inane questions, reject an upgrade, supply your phone number (in case of disconnection), endure periods of endless recorded music (and the possibility of being disconnected and starting all over again) and then you may achieve the success of jumping through the first hoop and get to say "Representative", ie, you need to talk to a live representative to help you, and maybe then, if you are lucky, a distant voice, clouded with background noise and static, comes on the line, from who knows where in the world, and speaks to you in a frustratingly heavy and indecipherable accent.
At this time you are WAY past your boiling point and your head is exploding, !&@$/!!!
To me, this is the worst real life definition, and suffering, of Cruel and Inhuman Treatment!
Guest Comments
Comments from Guests
Oh man, I am right there with you. I've tried to analyze it and can't really track why it's so deeply maddening, but it truly is. I also wonder if it's as angering for some personality types than it is for others. It sure is for me, I think I get actually red in the face screaming "representative". I know I scare my cat.
I sometimes picture the higher-ups at the company sitting around a board room with their coffees on Fridays, playing my (and others, undoubtedly) recordings of screaming "representative!!!" along with a stream of expletives. I hope they have fun with that.
I admit that I probably would.
I sometimes picture the higher-ups at the company sitting around a board room with their coffees on Fridays, playing my (and others, undoubtedly) recordings of screaming "representative!!!" along with a stream of expletives. I hope they have fun with that.
I admit that I probably would.
Posted By : Justin
Could not have explained it better. So true!!!
Posted By : Gabrielle J
I related very much to this blog! Thank you for your writing!
Posted By : Ravin Rodriguez
That is why it is so nice to simply call a friend to say hi. Immediate response. Have a great day Fred!
Posted By : MARILYN L PRICE
All,
Having worked as a Director at AT&T and also a Wireless Customer I have learned to accept the fact that “You get what you pay for”…
Employee Beo& The Cost of Services Rendered are the most significant Costs of Profitability.
I just Googled this Fact:
As of the fourth quarter of 2024, AT&T had approximately 117.9 million wireless subscribers.
Therefore AI (meaning Artificial Intelligence and not my name Al) will continue to play an important role in Customer Care… I will add our Senior Management Bonus were paid with a good portion on “Customer Satisfaction Surveys”…
It’s impossible to Provide Human Service to this size of Marketplace with increasing Customer Costs… Probably 5x or more. I can’t even guess at the cost. For those of us who were Wireless Customer 35years ago, in the early 1990’s we were paying in excess of $1.50 per minute usage for Regional/Local calls and higher for Long Distance and Rediculously Higher for International Calling. Texting did not exist and many of us utilized Pagers for connectivity with Businesses, Family & Friends. I apologize to those readers not knowing what a Pager was.
Including we will soon lose the luxury of being able to talk to a Human fore AI is here and advancing.
PS: I totally agree and experience daily Fred’s “Frustration”…
Missing you all, Al Fecci
Having worked as a Director at AT&T and also a Wireless Customer I have learned to accept the fact that “You get what you pay for”…
Employee Beo& The Cost of Services Rendered are the most significant Costs of Profitability.
I just Googled this Fact:
As of the fourth quarter of 2024, AT&T had approximately 117.9 million wireless subscribers.
Therefore AI (meaning Artificial Intelligence and not my name Al) will continue to play an important role in Customer Care… I will add our Senior Management Bonus were paid with a good portion on “Customer Satisfaction Surveys”…
It’s impossible to Provide Human Service to this size of Marketplace with increasing Customer Costs… Probably 5x or more. I can’t even guess at the cost. For those of us who were Wireless Customer 35years ago, in the early 1990’s we were paying in excess of $1.50 per minute usage for Regional/Local calls and higher for Long Distance and Rediculously Higher for International Calling. Texting did not exist and many of us utilized Pagers for connectivity with Businesses, Family & Friends. I apologize to those readers not knowing what a Pager was.
Including we will soon lose the luxury of being able to talk to a Human fore AI is here and advancing.
PS: I totally agree and experience daily Fred’s “Frustration”…
Missing you all, Al Fecci
Posted By : Al Fecci