Customer Service Tricks: How to Escape Voicemail

[AsahinaKimi]

Press "0" at the Prompt. GetHuman.com says this works when trying to get through to big companies like Delta Airlines and Bank of America. GetHuman also has a free iPhone app, which lets you know shortcuts to getting a live operator on the phone for many large firms and retailers.

Press "#" at the Prompt. According to GetHuman.com this trick also works in some cases when trying to desperately get through to a live operator. It works, for example, when calling Comcast.

Pretend You Have a Rotary Phone. Sometimes you're asked to hold if you have a rotary phone and that may get you to a live customer service rep faster than following the menu and pressing buttons (and waiting and waiting and …)

Pretend You're a Foreign Caller. Some companies have special phone lines for international callers, which usually aren't as clogged up as their domestic lines. If you need to reach a live rep as soon as possible, try this trick. It's worked for me with Pottery Barn, which has a special number for international callers: After failing to get through the domestic line for more than 15 minutes once, I tried the international line and got through within a couple of minutes.

full story here
http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/113423/customer-service-trick-speak-live-person-moneywatch

[CTyankee]

1. I ALWAYS pretend I have a rotary phone. It just makes sense to do so.

I don't need anyone to tell me that!

I also say pretty upfront that I AM OLD and that means I don't understand any of this crap about the newest technology. I just want to talk to someone. I don't give a sh*t that people know I'm OLD because I AM. So what?

Besides, this gives me the chance to be cranky. It is expected that old people will be cranky, so I take advantage of it.

I also take advantage of the fact that, being old, I don't give a damn what anybody thinks of me...

That helps enormously...it has silenced a few idiots on DU...

[malaise]

7. LOL

:rofl:

[Brigid]

8. Mark Twain, is that you?

:rofl:

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. What works best for me:

going to Get Human dot com and typing in the name of the company I am going to call, so the specific prompt codes come up before the call. 98% of the time I can go directly thru.

[AsahinaKimi]

3. Thats a good tip!

http://www.gethuman.com bookmarked!

[TalkingDog]

12. I find cussing works just fine.

It may be an apocryphal tale, but I was told that some companies monitor people on hold with a computer program that detects certain words, volume and tone of voice.

Now, in reality, I may not stay on hold any longer than ordinary, but I have fun while I'm on there.

[tblue37]

4. It is revealing that we have to TRICK companies into serving their customers! nt

[saras]

10. Oh, no. Getting them to serve us is MUCH harder than merely getting through the phone system.

Getting them to actually serve you may require lawsuits, not merely finding phone numbers.

[pnorman]

5. Thanks, Kimichan!

I'll book that site!

[Shagbark Hickory]

6. Here's a novel idea. Why not just not do business with companies that don't pick up the damn phone?

[Warren DeMontague]

9. Right. Like all those locally owned mom n' pop airlines.

And credit card companies.

[searchingforlight]

11. I work as a Customer Service Rep in a medium sized power company

We always tell our customers how to get to a representative faster. We do use a telephone tree at the introduction of the call but only because some calls can be taken care of automatically saving the customer time. i.e. finding out a balance, making an arrangement, reporting an outage. Automatic response systems also save money which results in cost-savings that benefit the customer as well as the company. If we had to have enough people on payroll to answer each call with a person we would have to hire at least 3X's the staff and even then the wait time would be a lot longer.

Everything is a trade-off. As a consumer I like the automated systems when I am just trying to unsubscribe, find out a balance, make a promise to pay or see if a check has cleared. I don't like them when I have a complaint or want specific information. I hate them when the tree just goes round and round with no apparent option to get to a real person and I hate them when the real person I finally get to can't understand me or be understood by me.

[treestar]

13. Agree. I go through the system to see if it's going to take care of

whatever it is, and only when it fails, try for a human. Most of the time the common questions are answered in the system.

[Exilednight]

14. Anyone have a tip on how I can get through to the Oval Office? n/t

[Fumesucker]

15. A big check would probably be a start.. n/t