COMMENTS

29 responses to “Open Thread Update: Unpaid Second Jobs, Round 2”

1. Yes, definitely hit a nerve for me. My bank sent me a text and asked me to ring them. I pressed all the number buttons required then held for an hour after which the phone clicked and I was sent back to the question and answer number buttons again. At this point I gave up. I sent in a complaint (on line of course) not that it will make any difference. For sure, some things are more efficient, ordering, on line banking etc but customer service has suffered.

   Reply to Christine McLafferty

2. I thought the very relevant article will be of interest too:

   https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/07/03/the-negatives-of-digital-life/

   Reply to Sonia K.

3. My pet peeve, that I’ve discovered an awesome work around, is trying to connect with a member of senior management. I have been quite successful with getting customer (dis) service issues resolved by bypassing the wail times by escalating this way.

   Reply to Barbara

4. Without actually plugging a company, by far the best ‘hold music’ is on one of the gardener supply companies where I shop which actually has birds chirping instead of dull or LOUD music! I don’t even mind the long wait ;)

   Reply to BJ Kelly

5. At Walmart recently I bought a refrigerator. I thoroughly checked the box to ensure that it was unopened, and undamaged. I also checked the banded seal for integrity. All was looking well. Good luck finding an employee on the floor for any help. I refuse to use the self checkout registers in all stores, no matter how long the wait. You should too! Upon opening the sealed box at home, the unit was scratched & dented. I took it back, Supervisor said we will only give you 10% off. I returned it

   Reply to Roland

   1. I totally agree with you re self checkout. I absolutely refuse to do it, just as you say, regardless of how long I have to wait in line. If I’m going to be an employee ( however temporary) I expect to be either paid or offered a discount. So no, I will not check myself out

      Reply to VeeCee

6. Many websites use the new black is grey, usually light grey. This is true of ‘health connection’ portals. I don’t use these services (?) because I can’t read the light grey text, which is also, in tiny print.
   Surveys? Not anymore because I’m giving away free information. If a company or hospital needs me to ‘consult,’ they can pay me a $150 consulting fee.
   Yep, I’m doing the work that corporations think will be easy for all of us, no matter what age.

   Reply to Christine Taraskiewicz

7. I love the “would you be willing to take our survey, press 1 now” before they even answer or respond to your reason for calling. I just find this so rude. Why not address my concerns first and then ask if I’ll complete a survey? Sheeesh.

   Reply to Piwacket

8. We’ve all experienced the aggravation of phone trees, texting, filling in information previously handled by a human being. But wait…the tsunami of changes on the horizon in the form of AI…artificial intelligence is a game changer the likes of which you can’t imagine. How monumental is AI? Think in terms of the automobile replacing the horse and buggy and it will happen fast…in your lifetime even if you’re 80 years old. Some say the change will surpass the light bulb in place of candles.

   Reply to Richard Sanford

9. Some little BIG annoyances:
   “No-Reply”: “don’t call us, we’ll call you”. Go spend hours to navigate those hieroglyphic routes!!!
   “Secure Emails”: after trouble opening, some have nothing of importance to you. No subject on the outside so we see if we want to bother opening.
   “Paper bags”: stores charging “to save the climate” when they always gave them as a service…while using million plastic bags, boxes. Hypocrites at consumers’ expense!

   Reply to Adela

10. Virge Randall…you’re a genious for starting this painful sample of what awaits us all when (no longer if) AI takes over and

    [Oh twice this page switched on me deleting all my thoughts, darn it! But I’ll say this: I CONCUR WIT ALL YOUR THOUGHTS AS WELL AS OF THOSE OF ALL COMMENTERS. I hope the fix this … :(

    Reply to Adela

11. The cable service person should come to my house to fix problems. Instead I’m on the phone for hours, first to get a human being on the line. Then, as a senior I become the repair guy, trying every suggestion to diagnose and fix the problem including pulling furniture away from the wall to access the back of the tv and cable box, getting down on the floor, reading tiny box ID numbers, and pushing every button. I also wish iphones, TVs, and electronics came with printed instruction manuals.

    Reply to A. Goodman

12. I like the new tech! I know that I’m among the minority but I love the convenience of scheduling on line, ordering take out or delivery or even grocery shopping on line. For me it saves time.
    I like ordering from Target and driving up, checking in from the car, and having a young person bring things to me.Again, it saves time for me.
    I super enjoy attending or teaching classes on zoom. No more driving or walking to a class in all kinds of weather and I don’t worry about when students arrive .

    Reply to Ocean Joy Meir

13. The rounds of hitting 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 on the phone, only to be instructed to repeat that process in the 2nd and 3rd and 4th step drives me crazy. I get very angry and agitated. It is a 21st century lesson in learning how to control my emotions but so far, it hasn’t worked. I do try to adapt to the internet, APPS, filling applications online, QR codes, reserving museums and concerts online, etc. etc. I view it as jump in the deep end of the pool and learn how to swim. It isn’t going away.

    Reply to Kris C.

    1. And if I’m told one more time how important my call is to them, I will scream! After 30 minutes on hold, I have serious doubts of the truth of that statement.

       Reply to Karen E Bridger

       1. you said it!!

14. Yes, in many cases, we customers have also become unpaid employees, especially in grocery shopping. But what I miss the most is the interaction with the clerks. For example, the fruit section in my local grocery had an open window and you could make requests for this or that other fruit. About a year ago, management closed out the window and replaced it with a wall with self-service stands.

    Reply to Bea

15. I’m tired of businesses that respond ONLY via texting. Recently I called my plumber to get an appointment to fix a slab leak problem. Of course I had to leave a message because no-one answers the phone anymore. They eventually responded via text. The office manager & I spent more than a few hours texting back & forth with me trying to explain the situation & schedule an appointment. This could’ve been handled in 10 minutes, or less with an actual phone call.

    Reply to Judy A Jaeger

16. I also agree will all of the comments! Customer service is long GONE and I don’t think it will ever come back. I feel that technology has ruined that. I am only 62 and consider myself “old school” and that I grew up in the “good old days”!
    Companies don’t list a phone number on their web site because they have no one to take a phone call but they have a live person who can do a “live chat” with you. Really?? Why can’t they just pick up the phone??
    It has gotten to be a very impersonal world!

    Reply to Wendy Chupurdia

    1. One representative is responding to several chats simultaneously, so it’s far more economical for the company than one representative on a call at a time. I presume this is the reason why there is often a long time lag between the consumer typing and sending a text and the receipt of a reply from the company.

       Reply to Lisa

17. I agree with all. Customer/Patient “Service” is non-existent. Companies/Health Care people have dumped many of their past jobs on to the consumer/patient. Makes me wonder what do they do to earn their paychecks now?????????? Tech has COST the consumer/patient time, not saved it. EVERYTHING takes longer.

    Reply to Al Bigonia

18. The complex I live in has an app to schedule apartment repairs, so we first have to go through a series of steps before getting to what you actually need. The options given sometimes are not what I need, but I must choose something or I cannot complete the process. I miss when I could speak to a person. There is an option for that, but there is also a wait time.

    And also what about airlines and their chat options?

    Reply to María Roman

    1. I rarely respond on surveys. Why spend time when you get no compensation?

       Years ago my boss, an exec at a Fortune 100 company, was begged multiple times to complete a detailed 20+ page survery related to our department’s work. Our consultant managing those aspects of our work estimated they would charge us $30k to complete the survey! We offered the survey company the opportunity to pay the $30k to get their survey completed. Of course they declined.

       Reply to HJ Albanese

19. It’s gotten ridiculous! I will confirm my appointment, but I quit checking myself in online and just arrive a few minutes early. I also quit leaving reviews/doing surveys/giving feedback online.

    When grocery stores started self checkout lines there was a comedian (don’t remember who) on TV with a line a something like this: “I walked in here as a customer, I’ll walk out of here as a customer, and at no time in between do I want to become an employee!” True that!

    Reply to Connie

20. I loved the article, “Open Thread: Unpaid Second Jobs.” I feel like I’m the unpaid employee of the company I’m calling. It seems I’m the one doing all the work.
    I miss speaking to a “live” customer service rep on the first go around. After the third transfer, I know it is going to be a long wait before I can get my question answered.
    I don’t consider this progress.

    Reply to Cecilia Fernandez-DeRosa

21. Apart from medical services, what other types of services mentioned in the article have become automated and impersonal?

    Reply to Teknik Komputer

    1. Auto insurance claims! I just went through a process that was all based on installing an app then communicating through it, including instructions to call a phone number which then rotated you back to an app.

       Reply to Jane Guard

       1. that sounds awful!!

    2. Agree with nearly every comment. Watching a relative going through the tortures of the damned months after changing cable provider. Generally, the phone systems don’t cover whatever I want answered, anyway. I have learned to make an odd request early in an encounter, which usually gets me a lovely human being rather quickly. Tames electric/gas, phone, bank, credit card, drug plan, and some medical offices.

       Reply to Barb