Close to Home by John McPherson for November 11, 2016

Pfft, insurance companies have had those for years.

Or try the IRS.

But your call is very important to us.

I happen to know that at least (ahem) one large bank identifies nuisance callers and gives them a phone-menu run-around.

Experian credit bureau. Their website proudly displayed a phone number with “speak with a representative…” next to the number. There was absolutely no possible way to get a person to answer that number or any of its options or sub options. I know. I methodically went through them all. And when you tried to put a fraud on your credit record, the button that was to “Activate…” your fraud alert, instead caused a screen to pop up that you had been logged off due to inactivity. They skillfully blocked every path that a consumer might use to contact them for anything that didn’t result in them collecting money from you. Warning – credit bureaus are not there for the benefit of consumers. The gather data without your permission, and then sell it without compensating you. If you want them to stop, you have to pay them. This should be illegal. It’s extortion.

This is probably where they got it.

PayPal uses this too.

These guys are now billionaires. Every company in the world bought their invention. Next step, buy an election.

I hate it where it is a computer that if I speak normally I’m going too fast for it. They have those things so slow that you have to talk way slow just for it to understand you.

Initially if it couldn’t understand you after three tries it would transfer you to a human. Now days if it can’t it says “I’m sorry your having difficulty, please try again.” then it hangs up on you.

Happened with my wife when she was trying to call about a unpaid medical bill she didn’t know about, she could never reach anyone to actually find out what it was for.

My telephone service has such a system.