You know the ones! Each time you call a company for any reason the phone is answered by a robot! You are then given the option of pushing 1 for English or 2 for Other Language. THEN the fun begins. And I say fun only because I would be banned from the internet for the rest of my life and the next 5 lives if I ever said the things that go thru my mind and sometimes trip out across my tongue when I have to deal with these robots. “Please choose from the following options” never seems to cover the option I’m calling about. And has anyone ever noticed they NEVER give the option of speaking to a representative? It takes hours of frustration and begging and nearly selling my soul to finally get across to the robot that when I’m saying “I want to speak to a representative”, what I actually mean is “I WANT TO SPEAK TO A REPRESENTATIVE”.
I’ve spent the past month having this argument with my cable company over the WiFi in my apartment. Each time I call I am informed “We don’t show an outage in your area”. I tell them there is no outage in my area, just in my apartment, and they inform me that they don’t understand my answer — because it isn’t one of their programmed options! Of course it isn’t. It would take hours to listen to all of the possibilities if they were all programmed in, so why not just a single “What is your problem?” and let you explain? Or “how can we direct your call?” But that would probably require human interface and that is asking too much in this day and age of computers and robots. Hmmm, I wonder what would happen if I just bark the next time? Unfortunately, I’m sure there will be a next time.
Maybe I should start answering my own phone that way — at least the spam calls I am receiving on a minute by minute basis lately. “You have reached the telephone of so and so. If you are calling about health products push 1 now. If you are a political party, push 2 now. If you are calling to sell something that was not ordered, push 3 now. If you are a nosy neighbor calling to complain about the noise, pust 4 now. If you are still on the line just hold for as long as you like and maybe the call will be answered in the near future. I suggest you don’t hold your breath while waiting though.”
MY three kids a few years ago! Sometimes I think it would be nice if we could go back to those simple days again. No robots back then.
Y’all have a good week!
KYAngel's Reflections On Life 
Oh, the aggravation of both robots and no wi-fi! What do we pay for? Service provided by a non-English understanding robot that directs us in circles only for it to end in the slamming of the phone!! Well, hell, we don’t even slam phones anymore. I completely understand your frustrations but unfortunately, I foresee the near future being operated solely by robots. Most business these days is conducted online eliminating the brick and mortar stores leaving empty buildings scattered across town. People rarely visit shopping malls anymore and when you do they are near empty. Things have changed more than ever in the recent years because of advancements in technology. I can’t imagine what the world is going to look like in 2030. Perhaps flying cars driven by monkeys?!
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Good answer! Fortunately I won’t be around in 2030 — at least I sure hope I won’t, although with the advances in medicine I’m not sure they will continue to accept our DNR’s and Living Wills much longer. I already have to fight off the medics if they are called when I fall, but I’m more fortunate than you in that at 76 years of age I won’t have to hang around that much longer, plus I can remember a kinds, slower life in the pre-technology age when an airplane flying over was cause for wonder, watching people on a train was a thrill, and it just never crossed our minds that one day we would sit at a little flat thing with a keyboard and type something like this in, and in an instant it would go out around the world. Usually it would require an air-mail stamp and a couple of weeks to send a message overseas, when regular postage stamps went up from 3 cents to 5 cents we couldn’t imagine it ever going any higher, and as a new driver I could fill my car up for less than it costs for a gallon of gas today. Robots were only found in science fiction, but then, so were computers and most other technology. If I had known what my generation was coming up with I think I would have had some friends get together and invent a time machine that would keep us in the late ‘4o’s and early ’50’s when life was so simple and trees grew in our green grassy yards.
Frankly, I think I could do without most of today’s technology except for the air conditioning! It was just beginning in the early ’50’s but we all looked for the stores DOWNTOWN that stated “air conditioning inside”. No malls around here back then, everything was downtown, mostly on main street whatever the name of the main street in town. Ours is Second Street, but we all called it Main. And our only enclosed mall here is bankrupt, mostly closed down with a few stores scattered here and there until their leases are up. The owners priced the place out of business. I’ve always said we are a small town with large town pretensions, and they just don’t work out very well together. My real sadness is for those of you who will have to live so many more years in this so called “new and better” world. I’ve walked in grass and down dirt roads, shopped in country stores and eaten in Mom and Pop diners (a couple of them owned by my uncles) and I have the memories. I know where milk comes from and how to get it from the cow if I have to, have raised my own food, and breathed in fresh air unadulterated by exhaust, but I have a great-granddaughter who just celebrated her first birthday who might never know these pleasures. She will grow up thinking robots have been here since the beginning of time, that concrete playgrounds are the natural way of things, and that trees are just objects found in old story books. Provided there are still any old story books in existence.
I apologize for this lengthy tirade, but I just had another lost argument with a robot earlier today and I’m becoming a very bad loser!
Again, thanks for your response.
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Hi dear Angie, so pleased I spotted this post on my way around WP friends today.. And agree with you, Nothing worse than talking back or pressing buttons to a robot on the other end..
Loved the photo.. And hope all is well with you ❤
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Most of the time all is well here, if you count working constantly to get my Christmas projects finished. The ideal would be to just purchase ready made things to give as gifts, but I was never one to take the ideal way out, so am working feverishly around the clock to finish the things begun many weeks ago. I’m so far behind for this year that I might just consider myself ahead for next year and go shopping after all.
Seriously, Sue, I’m having the time of my life quilting again after being away from it for so long. Not spending much time online lately, mainly because I have too many other things going on. Plus I think I’ve run out of things to say! Can you imagine tht? All very scary.
How are you, my sweet friend? I miss everyone but until I can figure out how to add about 8 more hours in each day my online life will have to take a backseat. I need the rest anyway.
Many hugs coming your way.
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Angie, dear Angie, Life is all about doing the things that bring us JOY and I am delighted that Quilting has ignited that spark within you again my friend.. WP can wait..
And I always love hand crafted gifts, shows so much more love has been poured into them..
I am very well, and going to step back myself from WP this week as I begin a series of meditations live broadcasts this next week, I feel the world needs some extra love ..
So take care Angie, so pleased you are doing OK and enjoying your needlework again..
Take care and Stay Blessed.. ❤
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I have to admit to being addicted to my needle and thread now, Sue. My granddaughter also asked me if I could make some teaching aides for her special needs kids in the classrooms. That is so much fun because I can create my own ideas for these, using stuffed dolls, pillows and animals and bright colors to keep them interested. Much better than the boards the school system supplies for the therapy sessions she has with theml
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Oh wow that is wonderful, what a great idea Angie.. 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.. ❤
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I’m having a lot of fun with this project for my granddaughter, even if it is going slower than I had hoped. I’m taking photos as they are finished and will post them when I have a good enough display. I just keep adding to the lineup almost every day and now have a lot of handword to do to get them finished. Now if I could only find my needles before sitting on them! I’m being very careful about sitting for that reason. No feeling in my fingers has had me thinking i was sewing a whole seam when actually I had dropped the needle and have to start a new search.
I mainly celebrate “Friendsgiving” because no one in my family ever comes here. This year though I don’t feel much like doing all that cooking, so I think I’ll settle for a movie on TV and a turkey sandwich! Hugs ((()))
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Enjoy your Movie Angie, and yes please do watch where you place those needles.. ❤ sending well wishes and hope you have a peaceful day.. ❤
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I’ve been enjoying several movies, Sue. The Christmas movies are now showing up everywhere and I am loving them all. Nothing more peaceful than watching movies as I quilt, even though I tend to cry like a baby at some point in each of the movies. Can’t seem to stop the waterworks so I don’t try any more, just always have a box of tissues handy. Life is quiet and good right now. This hiatus from blogging is working wonders for me.
I hope you are well and getting rest also. Love ❤ and Hugs ((()))
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