Abstraction

I am endlessly frustrated by navigating through automated customer service messages. The absolute worst are the voice interaction messages, to which you are supposed to speak your request (instead of pressing “1” or whatever).

The problem is, I’m usually in a car, or at the airport, or in some other similarly noisy place. the stupid machine can’t understand me above the ambient noise. I’m amazed at how irritating this is. It’d be less irritating to just whack me in the head with the phone.

Phone: Welcome to AlwaysLate Airlines. Just speak your request, or say “Help” for a list of available options.

Me: Flight status

Phone: I’m sorry? I didn’t get that.

Me: Flight status

Phone: I’m sorry? I didn’t get that.

Me: FLIGHT STATUS

Phone: I’m sorry? I didn’t get that.

Me: FFFFFFLLLLLLIIIIGGGGGHHHHHTTTTTTTT SSSSTTTTTAAAATTTTUUUSSSS

Phone: I’m sorry? I didn’t get that.

Me: Help.

Phone: I’m sorry? I didn’t get that.

Anyway, check out www.gethuman.com. It’s a great site, with numbers and instructions for getting right to a real human being.