Just me Moaning

[planenut]

Some people go through terrible times and suffer, some constantly, so all I will say is I picked up a horrible lurgy last Friday. Today is Wednesday, I am pretty sure. One of the effects is that I have almost totally lost my voice, some would shout "hurrah".

Not feeling too spritely I wouldn't drive, nor fancied the bus, I thought, as I couldn't communicate verbally, something that I could do was online Banking, or so I thought. Due to a major direction change in an upcoming holiday I have had a car hire cost refunded. To protect the original payment, I paid by credit card.

Online, I tried to transfer said fee from my Credit Card account to my Current account, but was not given that as an option. Realizing that I couldn't speak, I started ploughing through the "help" pages eventually resorting to "chatline", which I realize is not a human contact. Finally, the system gave me the option for this thing to go through basically the same system I had, twice, to wake it up. I advised it in various structures of sentences, I could not talk. Finally, and I thought I was getting somewhere, the thing told me it was getting a member of the help team to communicate with me, therefore print/chat.

This "person" came on the chat, and told me to wait while they familiarized themself with the previous exchange of information, this took about eight minutes for them to cover about five inputs. They then declared that they did not fully understand..................eventually, they gave me a phone number to ring, when I asked for an email address, they said that was not an option.

My problem is only temporary, how do those whose impairment is permanent cope?

There, it was a rant, thank you.

[FLYING BANANA]

It’s the modern way of working. Us dinosaurs, it’s beyond us understanding this. This is the way of the modern world.

I wish you better Fred.

[BRG75]

Hi Fred,

Hope your lurgy goes quickly.

Couldn't agree more with Bob's comment, "modern world"

I was a systems hardware engineer back in the mid 60's and stayed in the IT industry all my working life.

It was the early 70's before many even knew what a computer was.

Many a time, in conversation, we would predict the future of automation; in hindsight we underestimated the effects more often than not.

Believe it or not, though Jan will confirm, until about 10 years ago, I wouldn't have the internet in the house. Eventually, you couldn't function without it.

Regards

Mike

[roverbarmy]

I've had similar recently in terms of both the "lurgy" and having to deal with "stuff" for my 98 year old mum (going deaf and blind but wanting to live "independently"!).


It will get better but these conglomerates don't make things easy! My recent run-ins have been with British Telecom, British Gas and our bank (all of which, we have been loyal customers for years!). Their system does not allow folks with any kind of impairments to access help. Even when you get through on a phone line, you are faced with menus, sub menus, call queues and then "I'll just pop you on hold whilst I look into the details"!


Customer "service"? Customer swervish more like. Don't get me started on trying to get a medical appointment!


My rant over too! Keep smiling and carry on!

[planenut]

Thank you all, I do wonder if I'm the only one that makes comments during that period of "your call is important to us", and "this call is being monitored for training purposes". Obviously at the moment, I cannot leave any comment.

[roverbarmy]

Originally Posted by planenut

Thank you all, I do wonder if I'm the only one that makes comments during that period of "your call is important to us", and "this call is being monitored for training purposes". Obviously at the moment, I cannot leave any comment.

I scream at the top of my voice
"If my call is so important to you, get some bu**er to pick up the phone!


Another problem is that when you get through, it's usually someone with English as a second language, or someone who sounds like they are chewing gum on the other end!


Could you repeat that please?

[Gate Keeper]

Originally Posted by planenut

Thank you all, I do wonder if I'm the only one that makes comments during that period of "your call is important to us", and "this call is being monitored for training purposes". Obviously at the moment, I cannot leave any comment.

Good morning Fred

It’s unusual for you to be sick.

How are you now? Hopefully you are on the mend.

I hate it when the call centre operator asks if they can call me Philip, or ask if they can be my friend. I think, what are they after?

[planenut]

Originally Posted by Gate Keeper

Good morning Fred

It’s unusual for you to be sick.

How are you now? Hopefully you are on the mend.

I hate it when the call centre operator asks if they can call me Philip, or ask if they can be my friend. I think, what are they after?

Many thanks for that Phil. The first thing for me to say is that I have had a temporary lurgy. I do realize that there are many, many people who suffer illnesses continually, but I am disappointed that I picked this up. I am getting over it, though several effects are still lingering.

With call centres, I understand the employees are not to blame, but the system lets them down with poor, if any training. By "acknowledging" you are in a queue, allows that system to declare they have answered your call. If you end the call at any stage , that does not register. It's frustrating, and that along with a warning of abuse, get an answer from me "that person represents the company or organization" but I do not abuse but make comments accompanied by me reminding "the system" that it exists and should "listen".

Thanks again Phil,

Fred (planenut)

[Gate Keeper]

Originally Posted by planenut

Many thanks for that Phil. The first thing for me to say is that I have had a temporary lurgy. I do realize that there are many, many people who suffer illnesses continually, but I am disappointed that I picked this up. I am getting over it, though several effects are still lingering.

With call centres, I understand the employees are not to blame, but the system lets them down with poor, if any training. By "acknowledging" you are in a queue, allows that system to declare they have answered your call. If you end the call at any stage , that does not register. It's frustrating, and that along with a warning of abuse, get an answer from me "that person represents the company or organization" but I do not abuse but make comments accompanied by me reminding "the system" that it exists and should "listen".

Thanks again Phil,

Fred (planenut)

Cheers Fred

It’s great to hear you are getting over it despite the effects staying around you. I am sorry you are having to go through this and that you have had to change your plans.

Thank you for reminding us about the call centre practices and etiquette.

Just before Christmas at 04:00 Jessica had to call 999. I had collapsed on the toilet following a bout of food poisoning.

The diarrhoea had triggered off the Vagal nerve to make me pass out onto the bathroom floor hitting my head on a basin.

I thought “this is it, I am a gonner”. I couldn’t breathe properly as every breath was a struggle and I had chest pains. Then the imagination kicks in fearing the worst.

The call operator asked Jessica to use her phone and go “live” videoing me whilst I was on the floor. We were impressed by the call operator’s guidance. As you know they follow a procedure for every caller and have to prioritise. The call centre is manned by professionals who are trained and as you know not every caller is appreciative of how the call centre staff are doing their best to help.

Within 20 minutes 2 ambulance crew arrived at our flat. A cardiac monitor was attached to my chest and the 2 lovely ladies set up an IVI. They sprayed GTN under my tongue and the pain in the chest went away. They had a machine to massage the heart in case it stopped.

05:00 I was in resuscitation at Southmead Hospital. The heart was running in the low 30’s and irregular. Heart block and dehydration was diagnosed. I was transferred and admitted into Coronary Care.

I guess I was one of the lucky ones whereby 999 worked and there were no delays. We were grateful, is an understatement …..I am doing well 😀

Hopefully things will pick for you soon.

Thank you
Phil


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[planenut]

Originally Posted by Gate Keeper

Cheers Fred

It’s great to hear you are getting over it despite the effects staying around you. I am sorry you are having to go through this and that you have had to change your plans.

Thank you for reminding us about the call centre practices and etiquette.

Just before Christmas at 04:00 Jessica had to call 999. I had collapsed on the toilet following a bout of food poisoning.

The diarrhoea had triggered off the Vagal nerve to make me pass out onto the bathroom floor hitting my head on a basin.

I thought “this is it, I am a gonner”. I couldn’t breathe properly as every breath was a struggle and I had chest pains. Then the imagination kicks in fearing the worst.

The call operator asked Jessica to use her phone and go “live” videoing me whilst I was on the floor. We were impressed by the call operator’s guidance. As you know they follow a procedure for every caller and have to prioritise. The call centre is manned by professionals who are trained and as you know not every caller is appreciative of how the call centre staff are doing their best to help.

Within 20 minutes 2 ambulance crew arrived at our flat. A cardiac monitor was attached to my chest and the 2 lovely ladies set up an IVI. They sprayed GTN under my tongue and the pain in the chest went away. They had a machine to massage the heart in case it stopped.

05:00 I was in resuscitation at Southmead Hospital. The heart was running in the low 30’s and irregular. Heart block and dehydration was diagnosed. I was transferred and admitted into Coronary Care.

I guess I was one of the lucky ones whereby 999 worked and there were no delays. We were grateful, is an understatement …..I am doing well 😀

Hopefully things will pick for you soon.

Thank you
Phil


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

See? I always remind myself that others are going through far worse. So glad that you got the right treatment in time.

I have a "cunning plan", always have a debt, 'cos there is no way am I going to be allowed to leave while it's outstanding.

Cheers Phil,
Fred