Automation

Automation …just how much have we allowed into our lives? how much have we removed the “personal”  touch ? Way too much is my opinion…let me explain ..

Got a call from my bank manager ( no im not in trouble ) he wanted to talk to me  so we set up an appointment time and day. Then I discovered that I could not go that day so rang up ( or tried to ) this is where the fun started , after trying to phone in, first press this button,then press that  button, now key in your  card number and every other number you can think of , while trying to juggle a phone, hear what they are saying  all at the same time.  These systems are not made for anyone but jugglers and people with super hearing, they do not make provision for anyone who can’t hear well, have trouble with using  their hands , or any other disability . Fine you get through to a human , finally, then you explain that you cannot make that time the  manager made and want to change it. Right job done , so you think, then you get a text message telling you the appointment is  fixed , for the exact day you  just finished telling them you cant make!!! This after being promised that the time/day would be re set and then they would call you to confirm. If you have at this point not thrown the phone across the room in disgust ,you try (again)  to ring them,get told to hang on ?? No !!! you are not paying for this call I am and  I won’t hold on for hours while you try and sort it out .So what now?  Off to the branch to try and sort it out , but its Saturday so manager not in, make the appointment again , cross fingers go home , hope for best.

Fine get to bank on  Monday , explain to manager what’s just gone on in getting to this point ,he says ok lets try it out, so he set up his phone, nice big one  propped up for easy access , big numbers on the front , start call ,press buttons ,easy !! 46seconds best  phone line for a bank in the country so he says. At this point  what I should have done was to hand him my mobile phone and said now do it from this, not from a phone all set up, that you don’t need to even  hold ,nice big numbers you just push with a pen,or that has a nice loud speaker on. Try juggling it, try to hear what the robot is telling you ,then press the right buttons, see then how long it takes. Owing to the fact my pain level that day was very high I forgot to do this .

So automation ?? it is   alright in some things , yes it makes life easier , but in this instance why  not have a central number you can call to talk to a human? Or be able to ring the branch direct ? in this instance it is all wrong  this is a place that needs  the human touch .

How many other places we have to deal with also have this system ? I bet if you check  you will find an amazing amount of places have the “automated system ” long gone is the human  touch, the friendly touch.seems it is more important to go with the flow and have all automated systems .The customer is just an inconvenience ,a nuisance in the running of the business, they forget its the customer who keeps them going.

Please hold the line , your call is important to us ..NO  it is not or you would have a real person there to help .

Please hold the line we will check this for you  …No  you are not paying the phone bill I am.

All our operators are busy please call again ..No  I need to talk to you now not when it  suits you.

Let me leave you to ponder ,and to ask  Good things come to those who wait…. May I ask?… How long is the line?

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What Do We Have To Do ???

What do we have to do to be left alone ??

Isn’t it ever  enough ?

First there was all the other robberies (see blog1 ) then after a while there  was  my oh  having his bag pinched out of the van he was driving . Now this….( this is written in pure anger  ,I will admit it )

We are struggling along with everyone else to survive ,all we mostly have is my pension to live on . Once in a while tho he  gets a day here and there of driving work , and he was driving as usual today  ,stopped did his delivery,walked back to the van. Where he was jumped on by 2 thugs ,early 20’s ,who attacked him and stole his new Blackberry, didn’t get his wallet  as he was able to fight them off…but he and I are very shaken by this.

I cannot believe why we keep getting singled out ,we try to keep to ourselves,do the right thing by people and this is what we get  ?? Someone please tell me what we have to do for them to leave us alone . All we want,  all we have ever wanted, and the reason I came here ,is to get married and go back to Australia to live. We were right on track for 14 months , then the rot set in, neither of us has done a thing wrong  so are staggered by yet another blow. I gave up drinking some time ago ,had been cutting back for a long time , but recently stopped altogether .I can tell you now I have a triple strength  rum here , am so shaken up by all this , he has now just had a sandwich and gone back to the police station . Have no idea how long he will be , but will worry till hes  back here .

Every time we even look as tho things are finally going the right way for us , the actions of others bring us right back down .People these days are so dam self centered they do not care 1 bit that what they do might cost others dearly. We have lost this entire year of getting things together  1 way or another . Now yet again ,we have to start again , we are trying to get an exchange on this place but it is going so   slow its painful. We would have been married and back in Australia  at least 2 years ago had we been left alone.

I have not been this angry in a very long time , am supposed to be looking after myself , but how  can I ?? I actually have a headache right now that I know full well is because of all this , and people wonder why i never go out unless I have to. I am also crying writing this , just do not know what to do, whatever we do its wrong ..have never  felt so lost in all my life , never had this much shit thrown at me in all my life , well once i was old enough to leave home. Never before have I been at such a total loss as to how to proceed now , have always been able to work out what to do  , not now, now I am angry , hurt, confused  ..

I freely admit this is a rant , but also feel I have the right to , we do not deserve this , we do not want this ,what do we have to do ??

They say home is where the heart is , and in my case ,especially now it has never had more meaning for me , miss my family more and more every time something like  this happens . I know  that we are not alone, that things like this happens ,but why so many times?

To say I just want to go home is a huge understatement , but how ? we can’t even get out of here , so what hope do we have  of doing what we want ? Of making our dream come true ??