When I purchased my television I paid for a warranty plan because one thing I know about electronics is that weird things can happen. I wanted to be protected in case anything happened to me, and I wasn't too surprised when I couldn't get it to turn on. I figured this is what insurance is for and immediately Googled a number to call Hisense Appliances to talk to someone about what to do. While it took me about five minutes to get through the call, I did get answers and help.
The phone call began with a recorded message that told me, "Thank you for calling Hisense," and informed me the call would be recorded. It asked me to press one if I wanted the call in English, which I did. Another recorded message played asking me to make sure I was near the product I was calling about and have the serial number, model number, and manufacturer number available. My TV was mounted on the wall so I was slightly concerned about getting this information, but figured I'd worry about that part when I got there.
Then the first directory started, which said to press one for product issues or press two for Lowes representatives. I chose the first option and was taken to a second directory tree. This one told me to press one for Hisense orders, press two for questions about Toshiba TVs, press three for questions about Sharp TVs, and press four for questions about motor devices.
Once I pressed two, an automated sales associate answered. She introduced herself as Jennifer from Toshiba and stated that she was here to hear my questions. The automated voice asked what she could help me with, and I responded, "TV won't turn on."
She then went through a list of troubleshooting options that could probably help a lot of people. Among her recommendations were to ensure the power cord is securely plugged into the wall and TV outlet, try a different power outlet, check the remote control, try using the TV power button, and to unplug the TV for 30 seconds and plug it back in. She ended by saying if this doesn't fix the problem, call back for further assistance.
I was a bit confused because it didn't answer my question and this was the service line. Therefore, if I called back it seemed like I would end up back here in the same spot. The line was silent but didn't hang up on me, so I spoke into the silence and said "Talk to someone." To my surprise, it worked! The recorded voice said it would connect me to a live agent.
I was told to hold and asked if I would like to participate in a survey at the end of the call. It took about a minute, but a representative picked up and helped me with my problem. I'm not sure everyone has this experience, but it's a nifty trick if you know it.