Why we do this

Sometimes folks ask us why we spend so much time and energy on this free website. Rather than just giving you our reasons, we thought we'd show you some of the emails we have received from other consumers:

From: Montie K
Date: Dec 8, 2005 9:47 PM

My mother is 82 years old and is so frustrated with the IVR systems.
She usually just hangs up.  When it is really important, she has
called me crying and has asked me to do the calling for her.  She is
hard of hearing and has difficulty following all the instructions.
It makes her feel stupid and not capable to take care of business
anymore.  It has taken away her independence and dignity.


From: Melvin G
Date: Dec 11, 2005 2:34 PM

These automated systems do more than aggrevate the person attempting to
make contact. It actually covers up for the level of incompetency that
exists in both the private and public sectors that service the public.


From: Bill R
Date: Dec 15, 2005 12:35 AM

Five years ago I survived a stroke. Well, sort of: with the loss of my
right side, negotiating IVRs and telephone trees has been an unending
source of frustration. Having the cheat list is truly an answer to
prayer.

Now some companies have switched to 100% voice activated systems. Even
though experts say my speech is 100% rehabilitated, there is no voice
activated IVR (as in zero, nada, none, 0%) that can understand my
responses. SBC's customer prevention system recently reduced me to
tears. When I said "agent" the system replied: "You indicate you want
make a payment". And I was transferred! I finally emailed corporate HQ
and the following day a real person called me.


From: Leanne F
Date: Mar 14, 2006 8:18 AM

I realized their was a problem with automated telephone service in the
spring of 1999. My father moved in with us and tried to take care of
his questions with bills by telephone. He could not complete the
telephone call for various reasons: thought he was talking to a real
person, the person on the recording talked too fast, hearing
difficulty, response to automated system too slow, confusion,
frustration and his fingers were too large for telephone buttons.


From: Deb D
Date: Mar 14, 2006 9:00 AM

I stutter and when I get an automated message the computer does not
understand what I am trying to say.