A particularly unimpressive telephone-answering service

[simont]

I just phoned the city council's rubbish-collection helpline, in the hope of asking them to send me a black recycling box (which I've never had one of, and thought it was about time I did).

The phone promptly started blaring very loudly into my ear, starting half way through a recorded message of somebody telling me to make sure I had my black box. Er, yes, that's what I'm calling about; not a good start. After a minute or so this loud blaring recorded voice was interrupted by a much more bored recorded voice saying ‘your call is important to us’, at which point I realised that the first recorded voice was in fact on-hold music, only (even) less musical.

After five minutes I came off hold and got through to … wait for it … an answering machine. Arrgh! Given that my call was answered by a machine anyway, you'd think it could have taken a message immediately if it was going to, and ought only to have kept me on hold if I needed to speak to a human. Having one machine make me wait me five minutes for the privilege of speaking to another machine is staggeringly bad. I almost didn't manage to leave a message at all, because I was literally speechless with a mixture of umbrage and sheer bewilderment at this mindbogglingly stupid policy.

I did leave my address in the end. Perhaps they'll send me a black box. Perhaps they won't. I don't think I have it in me to try again any time soon.

Comments

Re: They're useless!

[hoiho.livejournal.com]

No, because I don't need one. I produce very little waste myself, and very little of that is compostable (I have a large bin as I have a two-bed house, but only me living here).

I'm more concerned about what's going to happen to the bins of those larger households in the area who currently fill a bin a week. Are we going to have two weeks worth of garbage overspilling full black bins onto the pavements?

Re: They're useless!

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Ah, ok.

Are we going to have two weeks worth of garbage overspilling full black bins onto the pavements?

Fortunately, the council faq addresses this:

(a) You may pay for a special, extra, collection
(b) You may take it to a landfill
(c) You may pay for an extra black bin if you have the space
(d) Rubbish not inside a bin with the lid fully closed will not be collected.

OK, I'll stop being sarcastic at them now. No, I have no idea, I hope there is some solution!