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

[sonicdrift.livejournal.com]

I got a shiny new blue box with a leaflet telling me what days to put it out. The next day I got an almost identical leaflet through the door, except this one has different days on it. Hmmm, will try putting *everything out* and see what goes.

They did send me a replacement black box when I left my address though.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

I got a shiny new blue box

VWOORP VWOORP VWOORP

The next day I got an almost identical leaflet through the door, except this one has different days on it.

I have none, I will have the spare one. Except not, because in this universe, in contrast to most well organised ones with magic in such as JS&MrN and Archer's Goon, writing something down doesn't make it happen like that.