Not so helpful helpdesk.

A few days ago I made a similar call (different product). I was presented with five automated options; my problem (of course) fit none of the five. About ten seconds after I failed to choose an option, a recorded voice said "Thank you - Good bye!" and ended the call.

If I was a violent man, I'd be shopping for a new phone.

One of the very first phones in Finland was installed in the house of J Sibelius. One day he was talking to his publisher in Berlin and and had a violent argument! He pulled the phone off the wall and threw it through a shut window.

I bet that took some explaining!

ATB from George

quote:

Originally posted by GFFJ:
One of the very first phones in Finland was installed in the house of J Sibelius. One day he was talking to his publisher in Berlin and and had a violent argument! He pulled the phone off the wall and threw it through a shut window.

Excellent! My (cordless) phones/mobiles get thrown at regular occurrences as I a) loathe and despise automated switchboards b) hate holding and having to listen to the annoying robot voices and music WHILST holding and c) don't particularly like using phones for voice calls anyway; I'm more SMS and e-mail or face-to-face personally.

Anyway, that Sibelius anecdote reminds me of the scene in "Driller Killer":

[Reno opens an envelope for the energy bill]
Reno Miller: Holy Christ! What is this? They send us the bill to Madison Square Garden? What are they kidding me, man? How the hell are we supposed to pay this bill? What is this? The bill for three months?
Carol: That's the bill for one month.
Reno Miller: Christ, what have we got here? A refrigerator, a couple of lights?
[opens another envelope]
Reno Miller: Let's see here, telephone. Oh no! Houston, Texas?
Pamela: My mother.
Reno Miller: Look at this, L.A. $1.50... $2.75... $7.50.
Carol: Yeah, they're mine.
Reno Miller: You talked to L.A. one time for two hours and 10 minutes? What are you, out of your mind? Are you crazy? What's this? Philadelphia?
Pamela: My sister.
Reno Miller: Miami?
Carol: That's mine.
Reno Miller: Trenton, New Jersey... Queens... wait, isn't Queens a local call?

He then proceeds to bung the phone through a (yep!) shut window - with excellent tinkling-sound consequences. I'd never throw my corded phone - it's a 1970s red dial jobbie - the only one I can hear over the hifi If I threw that and hit someone by mistake I'd be on a murder charge!

BigH47
You should try the Sky help desk - it will make Canon seem efficient - and remember "your call is important to us" - so important they make sure you get a nice long one.

I phoned a major UK company the other day to speak to one of their Sales Department and got not the Good morning etc etc etc but "What do you want". I was in a state of shock before I told the girl how nice she was on the phone to which I got a grunt.

The Sky one I can help with (I know, I've been there). Rather than call the faults/help line and be on hold for an hour, call the sales line (you get straight through, it's amazing) apologise, explain you have a fault and called the wrong number and they put you straight through again. EZ PZ.

My Toshiba telly recently went wonky. Bit cross 'cos it was a pricey one, even though it's now three years old. Engineer confirmed the fault (bit of digging around by myself unearthed that it was a known fault with some batches of this model). Rang Toshiba up, nice as pie, they said they'd send the part gratis direct to the engineer. So well done Tosh for being nice, boo to the crappy engineer for not realising this and doing it for me (he was all set to charge me and fit it there and then).