Translation: "We can't be bothered to employ enough people to answer the phones off peak, let alone at 9.48 on a Wednesday morning."
Lookin' at you, Lloyds.
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Message should say: "We are permanently experiencing high call volumes". That's my bank too. Thinking of switching to www.handelsbanken.co.uk/shb/Inet/IStartRb.nsf/vFrameset?OpenView&id=reading
Last edited by: Alanović on Wed 26 Feb 14 at 10:27
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What gets me with all these automated systems is all the unnecessary waffle beforehand so they can exploit even more money out of you by calling their 0845/0870 numbers.
This website, www.pleasepress1.com , might help to cut down some of the waiting and get through quicker.
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"We deliberately create long delays in the hope that you will go away"
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I had to call DWP the other day, which was an 0845 number, no way! me thinks and looks them up on "say no to 0845", which gave me an 01 prefix number which I called. A nice-sounding young lady answered almost immediately and told me I had used the wrong number to get to the department I needed, and she gave me the same 0845 number I already had.
After three failed attempts and being put on "hold" for five minutes, my call was finally answered,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,by the same young lady who had redirected me earlier, saying she "would put me through"!!
Aaargh!!
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>> I had to call DWP the other day, which was an 0845 number, no way!...
You'll be pleased to hear the Government has told departments to phase out 0845 numbers.
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>> I had to call DWP the other day, which was an 0845 number, no way!.............
devonite, I have to ask. Why bother? 0845 is local rate AFAIK. You're not going to get a cheaper call, except 0800. You found an 01 number, which you may well have been paying national rate on, and then got sent round the houses, wasting time (yours and the taxpayer-funded theirs) and getting frustrated.
I'm struggling with what you're cross about, if you'd just dialled 0845 it would have been less painful.
Am I missing something?
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Alanovic
>>
>> Am I missing something?
>>
Yes, if you're on a deal including local and national calls, then 0845 numbers are extra.
8o)
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Ah. The complexities of the modern world. I dunno if it's a good thing that I wouldn't/don't have to worry about something like that.
Carry on, devonite.
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"We are currently experiencing high call volumes"
Are you sure you didn't phone Minusnet (Plus) be mistake?
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My daughter waited for 38 minutes to get through to PlusNet "help" centre.
After trying all their suggestions it became obvious there was a line fault.
"OK - can you please fix it?"
"No - you are not the account holder - your husband is. As there may be a charge we must speak to him".
"Er - he's in the Army and away on a course in Israel".
"We must speak to him".
"Er - he's in the Army and away on a course in Israel".
"We must speak to him".
End of conversation!
Last edited by: Roger on Wed 26 Feb 14 at 12:10
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>> he's in the Army and away on a course in Israel".
>>
What's he doing is Israel (apart from being on a course)? What do the Israeli's teach/show us?
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>> >> he's in the Army and away on a course in Israel".
>> >>
>>
>> What's he doing is Israel (apart from being on a course)? What do the Israeli's
>> teach/show us?
Certain technical stuff. (Enough said on an open forum)
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>> >> >> he's in the Army and away on a course in Israel".
>> >> >>
>> >>
>> >> What's he doing is Israel (apart from being on a course)? What do the
>> Israeli's
>> >> teach/show us?
>>
>> Certain technical stuff. (Enough said on an open forum)
Drones.
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I had a similar type of conversation with Esure.. trying to transfer car insurance.
After that I changed insurers and have never gone back,,, nor will I.
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"My daughter waited for 38 minutes to get through to PlusNet "help" centre."
I'll have to check, but I think our Plusnet account is in joint names. Generally, we've found Plusnet to be pretty good - they also give you free access to 0845 numbers.
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>> "My daughter waited for 38 minutes to get through to PlusNet "help" centre."
>>
>> I'll have to check, but I think our Plusnet account is in joint names. Generally,
>> we've found Plusnet to be pretty good - they also give you free access to
>> 0845 numbers.
That lesson has been well and truly learnt by daughter & SIL!
He's away for four and a half months fairly soon, so a change of all suppliers accounts into joint names is scheduled!
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"………………..so a change of all suppliers accounts into joint names is scheduled!"
Having said earlier that I thought that our Plusnet account was in joint names - I was prompted to check …………… and it wasn't! The Plusnet contact I spoke to this morning said that my wife could be added - not as a 'joint name', but as an 'additional user'. I guess this is a bit like a credit card where I am an additional user on my wife's account - I suppose that ONE named person is ultimately responsible for paying the bill regardless of any possible argument. I was further told, yes, it's a good idea to have another person named because there are quite often difficulties when a solely-named user is 'indisposed' for whatever reason.
It is essential, though, that the additional user knows the 'Account username' and 'password' if they want to discuss the account.
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>> Translation: "We can't be bothered to employ enough people to answer the phones off peak,
>> let alone at 9.48 on a Wednesday morning."
>>
>> Lookin' at you, Lloyds.
>>
Not surprising really, Lloyds have just finished closing the building holding a couple of their call centres in my town, 865 jobs gone between beginning of December and last week.
According to Lloyds the jobs have been moved elsewhere under a 'rationalisation plan', lot of experience lost though.
Antonio's bonus has to be paid from somewhere, you know, you waiting a few extra minutes all helps.......
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#1 son has inherited British Gas as a supplier in his new home. 40 minutes hold is not uncommon and the "modify your direct debit amount" part of the website has been "temporarily" unavailable now for a couple of months.
He's giving up and switching supplier.
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I handle all the utilities for my old Mum, and getting 'her permission' is a real PITA. have to go to her home, hand her over to the person at 'other end of line, then back to me to continue the conversation.
Recently changing her landline and call package was a saga I do not wish to repeat. Several phone calls to two suppliers, seemingly hours on hold etc. I almost gave up the will to live.
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Enduring Power of Attorney is what you require Sir.
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Thanks MD. Got it, or at least something similar as I believe it has changed recently. Will check finer details tomorrow.
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people on the phone don't accept it
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Even with LPA/EPA's big brother, a Court of Protection order appointing a Receiver/Deputy, organisations will blindly spout the 'due to data protection' line.
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>> people on the phone don't accept it
>>
On the other hand they cannot tell one female voice from another (or one male voice from another)
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yes its all a bit pointless really.
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>> yes its all a bit pointless really.
>>
Indeed. My flatmate Chris(tine) claimed to be my wife 35 yrs ago to sort out some issue with a phone bill.
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>> >> people on the phone don't accept it
>> >>
>> On the other hand they cannot tell one female voice from another (or one male
>> voice from another)
>>
If you have Power of Attorney anyway, are you committing any offence by impersonating the subject in order to speed things up?
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>> I handle all the utilities for my old Mum, and getting 'her permission' is a
>> real PITA.
Similar issues when my dad passed away and I had to phone all the utilities people to notify of change of name. Every one of them insisted on first speaking with my mum to ask her permission for me to deal with the call. She had to keep asking me what the answers were to the security questions they required (I set most of them up for my dad in the first place). Now most, if not all utility bills are in both her name and mine, which makes things a lot easier when I have to phone them up.
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"Now most, if not all utility bills are in both her name and mine, which makes things a lot easier when I have to phone them up. "
Now why didn't I think of that. Thanks for the info. I too handle much of my mum's utility/insurance issues and it can be a pain as others have said.
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>> "Now most, if not all utility bills are in both her name and mine, which
>> makes things a lot easier when I have to phone them up. "
>>
>> Now why didn't I think of that. Thanks for the info. I too handle much
>> of my mum's utility/insurance issues and it can be a pain as others have said.
Much can be done on email. I have set up my mothers internet banking, moved most insurance onto email, and apply for most things on-line using her email address.
She has never touched a keyboard in her life.
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>> Now why didn't I think of that.
I didn't either. It was actually the house insurance company that suggested it, and I then changed all the other utility services into joint names as well.
>> Much can be done on email. She has never touched a keyboard in her life.
Yep, done that too where you get reductions for having paperless bills, etc.
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We did same with Mrs B's mother as Z suggests. She did try to use the PC we gave her for her 70th birthday. Her inability to grasp the basics was, with hindsight, an early sign of the dementia that eventually overwhelmed her.
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>> We did same with Mrs B's mother as Z suggests. She did try to use
>> the PC we gave her for her 70th birthday. Her inability to grasp the basics
>> was, with hindsight, an early sign of the dementia that eventually overwhelmed her.
I never had any intention of giving her a pc. For all intents and purposes, digitally, I am her.
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>>
>> Much can be done on email. I have set up my mothers internet banking, moved
>> most insurance onto email, and apply for most things on-line using her email address.
>>
>> She has never touched a keyboard in her life.
>>
I did that for my mother. I always wondered a little about the legality, but I suppose if you preserve the fiction that she is there at your shoulder, and you are merely pressing the buttons at her request then it is all right.
As the executor I had a hard job getting Lloyds to recognise my right to close her accounts.
The solicitor couldn't get any response from Lloyds either, so in the end I just moved the money to the solicitor's client account using her on-line details. A bit naughty I suppose.
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>>> I just moved the money to the solicitor's client account using her on-line details. A bit naughty I suppose.
We had all the same issues with my late mother in law when we were supporting her. Online banking was probably the biggest single help. We took her into the branch and all the passwords etc were set up by her but like Zero said once we got home she never touched a keyboard.
On the morning she died we decided not to touch the bank accounts despite there being some transfers to savings from current that would have made sense. We used a solicitor to do all the legal stuff related to her death and thankfully her bank were helpful.
As far as I was aware all her accounts were frozen the moment they were informed of her death so we couldn't have done anything anyway.
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"We are currently experiencing high call volumes" - Alanovich
