Donkeys and Elephants and Delegates,oh my!
Check out the most popular
Capital One - No hassle card is not for people with disabilities
consumerist.com — Jessica, who is deaf, emailed the Consumerist explaining how Capital One refused to deal with her because she was using a relay service to make the call. Jessica was routed from department to department, each saying they couldn't help her and would forward her to another until she ended up at the first again, in a circle of ADA noncompliance.
- 547 diggs
- digg it
- captinherb, on 10/12/2007, -1/+55Oh man I hope she never has to cancel an AOL account
- fadeout, on 10/12/2007, -4/+11America Online has a deaf relay telephone number. Deaf customers can dial directly into customer service on their tty (text telephone).
- JHawk24821, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9I would love to read the transcript...
"I want to cancel."
"Yes sir/man, but please take a few hours to read why we think you should stay..." - anchorman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+15AOL is bad... horrible even. But Capital One is even lower than them. These guys, like many credit card companies, are raping the public.... and doing so legally... thanks to their high paid lobbyists and politicians that don't give a crap! Steer clear of Capitol One.
- captinherb, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2@fadeout
where have you been?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=1_knvtpENoQ - Celesteral, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3Capital One lists a TDD line on their Contact page. 1-800-206-7986 (TDD).
Bury it.
Capital One is so diverse that they even have visually impaired people working there.
- barktwiggs, on 10/12/2007, -0/+21I used to be a Tier I CSR for Macromedia (before the sellout...er buyout) and I received several calls from deaf and blind people. First time I got a call from a deaf person, I had no idea what to do or expect since we weren't trained for these situations specifically. The interpreter on the other end was really cool and we chatted a bit while serial numbers were being looked up. The whole call probly took about 80-90 minutes, because when a deaf person finally gets ahold of someone who can help, they will want to do as much as they can.
Also, doing tech support for blind people actually can be much easier than you think. Most have JAWS or some equivalent screen text reader which announces where they are at on the screen. If you listen well, you can know where they are at before they tell you.- super_spyder, on 10/12/2007, -4/+10what would a blind person be doing with macromedia products? I doubt they are using flash, director, or freehand since those are all visual programs.
(this is an honest question not sarcasm) - rkzda, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Unbelievable.
- yottabite, on 10/12/2007, -9/+2He said deaf, super_spyder.
- fadeout, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8to super_spyder:
Macromedia doesn't just make graphics apps. Breeze (a telecommunications web application) comes to mind. Not to mention products like Acrobat Reader. I would be very surprised if there wasn't a text to speech feature specifically targeted at helping people with vision problems. - geminitojanus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7"I doubt they are using flash"
You forget just how pervasive Flash is; it's not only a program for creating cute movies online, it's also used for making presentations/slide shows. And yes, the blind can make slide-shows. The beauty of software is that any disability can be overcome with the right combination of it. And that's exactly what we should try to impress on people who suffer these disabilities, that we're here to help them in any way we can.
It's a shame Capital One did so bad in this case, and I hardly think it's an isolated incident (it's likely highly under-reported, as many people with disabilities are used to a certain amount of grief, not that they should be used to it). We could do a lot better as a society in accepting the disabled and the technologies they require to overcome their ailments. - super_spyder, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3I used to be a Tier I CSR for Macromedia (before the sellout...er buyout) and I received several calls from deaf and BLIND people.
- purplegrog, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1bury
- VolatileWhimsy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1If we as a society have to incur a cost for the low income population it is not unreasable to incur a cost for the ones that do not have the same abilities as the majoritys..
Seriously how dare any of you put the need of others above another group.. For shame! - barktwiggs, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1A lot of software had to be 508 compliant (see http://www.section508.gov) or able to output for easier interoperability with screen readers. The favorites usually were Dreamweaver and RoboHelp (technical documentation). I don't think many of them used Flash, but there are actually a lot of templates they could use which could be useful. Though Flash doesn't like screen readers as much (unless they fixed it recently).
- barktwiggs, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@super spyder
Hehe, yes the deaf and blindness was mutually exclusive. I should have said deaf people and also blind people.
- super_spyder, on 10/12/2007, -4/+10what would a blind person be doing with macromedia products? I doubt they are using flash, director, or freehand since those are all visual programs.
- mugenkeiji, on 10/12/2007, -65/+4Why should the rest of society incur costs of varying magnitudes for the sake of disabled people? The disability is her problem, and the difficulties which flow from it are hers to deal with.
- Creamedweasel, on 10/12/2007, -2/+34Real intellectual, right here. I bet a ancestor of yours had a disability, and I wish it would've been sterility.
- MalaysianMafia, on 10/12/2007, -0/+18yeah! lets just throw em in a big pile and the ones that survive, we'll put them to work in the coal mines!
- yttrx, on 10/12/2007, -0/+18Interestingly, if you live long enough, eventually you'll be in a position to have to rely on another person for something. Assuming this hasn't happened yet, I wish you the best of luck when it does, and I hope they're nothing like you.
- mugenkeiji, on 10/12/2007, -38/+1'Real intellectual'? Nice choice of pejorative for one who entirely subjugates reason to bizarre and misplaced emotion.
- limpidezza, on 10/12/2007, -3/+28He's right, why should the rest of society incur costs for the sake of disabled people. Jesus, learn how to be born correctly! Hell, why draw the line at disabled people, society should cut off anyone without the proper skin complexion or religious beliefs! Who could object to that?
*****. - eplawless, on 10/12/2007, -0/+20"'Real intellectual'? Nice choice of pejorative for one who entirely subjugates reason to bizarre and misplaced emotion."
Using big words does not make you smarter or less wrong. - mugenkeiji, on 10/12/2007, -36/+2Hahah. It is so amusing to see the comment being dugg down, as an example of how easy it is to convince the public to be pious crusaders for any cause, without applying any sort of critical analysis to the matter, no matter how irrelevant or illogical it is.
Explain to me, you ***** stupid illogical assholes: Don't just posit, or freak out in a petulant instance of moral cognitive dissonance and follow it with insults, that I am responsible for your problems, tell me the exact reason why I should have to pay for your problems. - rkzda, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12Not only an *****, but a smart-ass as well. Big words don't make one intellectual either.
- bennyboy371, on 10/12/2007, -1/+14No, its called "troll." They're generally hated and you are one.
- rkzda, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1Every normal human being believes your logic is utter garbage.
Explanation is optional, and since you would disagree with it anyhow, why waste the time?
@bennyboy371, I am a troll? How so? - super_spyder, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12throughout the evolutionary course of humans "community spirit" was one of the earliest traits in early man to separate him from the rest of the animal kingdom. there is evidence of early Neanderthals nursing their elderly, and their faimly members with disabilities and/or injuries. we know they did this, because we can find bones with healed injuries that would have been life threatening and would have prevented the Neanderthal from hunting for its own food causing it to stave, but because the injury was healed they obviously were kept alive by others in the community. so you can see this is just something that is in most humans genes to this day.
- MadOtaku, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11"Hahah. It is so amusing to see the comment being dugg down, as an example of how easy it is to convince the public to be pious crusaders for any cause, without applying any sort of critical analysis to the matter, no matter how irrelevant or illogical it is.
Explain to me, you ***** stupid illogical assholes: Don't just posit, or freak out in a petulant instance of moral cognitive dissonance and follow it with insults, that I am responsible for your problems, tell me the exact reason why I should have to pay for your problems."
because altruistic societies are more successful. why should society at large have to suffer for your worthless ass? or the worthless ass on any one person?
as an individual, you will almost certainly contribute nothing, it's a statistical fact. but together, people can achieve great things. thus we should take care of the group. - mugenkeiji, on 10/12/2007, -30/+0hahaha you ***** idiot. that isn't logic. that is inexplicable and irrational emotion. i'll take the ability to make a rational cost-benefit analysis over being a ***** cripple like you who acts on emotion and can't even begin to explain why you hold those morals, and can't even begin to apply reason to them. lol just try it for me. try establishing a logical basis for why you have an obligation to disabled people.
- mugenkeiji, on 10/12/2007, -30/+0super_spyder: dumbass. you are wholly ignorant of evolution theory. group selection is discredited and altruism is selected against.
madotaku: heh. i'm in private equity. i'll do more for the economy than 2000 lowly paid, unskilled digg ***** like you will do in your combined lifetimes. as for your notion that altruistic societies are more successful: hahah. the costs incurred in supporting disabled people are invariably greater than the benefits. they are a net cost to society. society would be better off without them. callous and indifferent? sure. wrong? no. - rkzda, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Emotion alone is good enough for me...
- super_spyder, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8beacuse one day, if you are lucky enough...you wont be able to see anything not in size 72 font, you wont be able to hear anything not turn to maximum volume , you wont be able to chew your own food, and you wont be able to hold your own feces and urine in your body..... but we will all still give you the senior discount when you go to the movies and denies, and people will still help you cary heavy things, and open doors for you... rather than decide that you are no longer beneficial to society and send you out to the desert to fend for yourself. its a what goes around comes around thing. you help people out, one day people will help you out. you are a prick to everyone now, one day everyone will be a prick to you. so if anything it is in your best interest to help people out.
- eplawless, on 10/12/2007, -0/+15What the ***** is wrong with you? After several good explanations you still can't grasp this. Human beings are by nature social creatures, intent on maintaining ourselves as a society which is why we've survived this long. Disabled people do not choose their disability and since any one of us could conceivably develop one, we fund services for the disabled out of self and group-preservation. I will not make a cost-benefit analysis of disability; read "A Modest Proposal" for a document similarly horrific to the one you're asking for. You keep touting logic as the only valid reasoning for anything, and call emotion inexplicable. I truly hope you don't mean that, because otherwise you're either a very unhappy or totally unbalanced person.
- blargman, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6@mugenkeiji
i hope you get hit by a truck. nazi ***** - lnf69, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4@Mugenkeiji-san
How is the rest of society incurring costs if a service company decides to ensure that disabled people can consume their products? According to your standards, (when you tell us how much you contribute to society,) any company that spends a little more to include a large part of the population otherwise excluded, is good for the economy, and therefore, again according to you standards, a contribution to society.
Please don't call me names, it's not necessary and not logical. - qwertydvorak, on 10/12/2007, -8/+0survival of the fittest. i know i will be dugg down, but this is evolution at work. when a right winger says anything about evolution not existing on this site, they get dugg to oblivion. but at the same time, those same people who dugg that person down are defending the blind person. you can't have your evolution cake, and eat it too...
it used to be the family who would take on the burden of disabled people (or they would be left for the wolves). nowadays we dump them on "we the people" because we are too busy with our own lives. how many nursing homes per capita were there 70 years ago ?
go ahead, digg me a hole to climb into. - ih8regs, on 10/12/2007, -7/+0In all the replies I've failed to notice a response to his question. If you feel so strongly, why not defend your opinion and explain why others should be forced to pay? Money equates to time which equates to life. Life is lost as time goes by to make the money to cover the cost. People forced to give up some of their life to someone else. There's mutual benefit and charity. Charity is something that's offered, not forced and this really isn't mutual benefit. If this were assigned to a debate class and I were on the "people should be forced" side of the argument, the closest that comes to mind is that it falls under the guise of insurance. That is, this cost of life in levied in the off chance that down the road you could benefit from the same handout. I've just gone further defending the position than I've seen so far. Though, forced insurance can also be debated. I agree to such in only that, for example a car accident, the innocent party doesn't pay for the others negligence.
- ISurfTooMuch, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Because, you ignorant fool, she's a human being. Tell you what. If you manage to live long enough to make it to old age, when you get sick, we as a society won't give you any sort of medical care. After all, you'll be dying of old age anyway, so it's just wasted resources. And since I'm sure you're not the brightest person out there, I'd like to know why we wasted valuable resources trying to provide you with an education. A far better solution would be to test all kids before they enter kindergarten, determine the brightest in the group, and only provide them with an education. That way, we focus our resources on educating those who will be in the best position to move society forward. And maybe that would work...except we would never have learned about the law of relativity, since Albert Einstein wouldn't have mde the cut. Remember, his teachers believed he was a terrible student.
Which reminds me, using your societal roadmap, we can kick Stephen Hawking to the curb. I mean, he's disabled, so what does he have to contribute?
Idiot. - halleyscomet, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9@mugenkeiji
The rest of society should step up to the plate and help the disabled for several reasons.
1. It could happen to you. I can't remember his name, but there was a NASCAR driver who spent most of his career crusading for the rights pf paraplegics. He was later in a crash, and ended up paralyzed from the waist down. Hearing loss is something all of us are experiencing. If we live long enough, we'll all go deaf.
2. The whole POINT of civilization is that we decided to work together and cooperate for the sake of the common good.
3. If you make any claims towards being Christian, "do unto others as you would have others do unto you" is the law that Jesus set above all others, ahead even of "Thou shalt have no other Gods before me."
4. If you're not Christian, the concept of the "Golden Rule" is a basic principle of a large number of religions, and an excellent guideline for constructing a functional civilization.
5. Individuals with disabilities are able to contribute to society instead of being marginalized.
6. Karma. If it's real, ADA compliance is a no brainer.
7. And last, the only reason mugenkeiji is likely to care about at all. Chicks dig activists, especially the kind that aren't foaming at the mouth. If your job is to advocate for the disabled, then you've got an immediate edge unless your goal is to find a Gold Digger. In other words, helping the poor, disabled or otherwise disadvantages increases your changes of getting laid and reproducing. Admittedly, this is more of an edge among Religious and Hippie chicks than the populace at large, but I knew guys in college who volunteered for Habitat for Humanity largely because of what it did to benefit their sex lives. - halleyscomet, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9@mugenkeiji
"heh. i'm in private equity. "
This explains a lot. You're one of those elitist little ***** who thinks because they can do basic money management that they're some sort of superior species.
I used to run one of the Continuing Education companies that services your industry. Collectively, you morons are, due to your crack pot theories about money, the cause of far more trouble than anything else. Hell, the Great Depression and the Dot Com bust were both the result of morons like you.
And having been the one who built the reporting systems for your industry's Continuing Education, I know just how stupid, immoral and irrational you asshats are.
There are entire firms that don't want to know what score their reps got on things like the Legally Mandated Ethics courses, because they don't want to know that it takes an average of 30 tries for their reps to pass a 25 question multiple choice exam, that tells you what questions you got wrong, and lets you use the Back button to retake the exam.
You, sir or madame, are a member of a group that does a lot of DAMAGE to our economy. By your logic, you should be locked in a room to starve to death, so we can use your remains as fertilizer, because that's the only way your ignorant, elitist and incompetent little arse will ever be of any value to anyone.
You are a parasite and a troll. - anachronaut, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Ahh, I see old mugenkeiji is back up to his/her same old trolling tricks again.
He/she is a perfect example of intelligence and egoism untempered by any sort of empathy or concern for other beings -- a purely predatory being operating on primitive first and second-circuit emotions. If an entire society were made up of people like that... it wouldn't remain a society for very long. *shudder*.
Put down the Ayn Rand and try being considerate to your fellow occupants of this planet for a change. - dBLiSS, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@halleyscomet
I was just about the write something like that. good job. He is mocking the engineers and doctors of the world because he's in "private equity" whoopty-*****-doo. He'll buy and sell your ass three times before you hit the ground. When he does anything worth while for society other then sell some property then maybe we'll start listening to his nihilistic ideas. - mugenkeiji, on 10/12/2007, -10/+1The rest of society should step up to the plate and help the disabled for several reasons.
"1. It could happen to you. I can't remember his name, but there was a NASCAR driver who spent most of his career crusading for the rights pf paraplegics. He was later in a crash, and ended up paralyzed from the waist down. Hearing loss is something all of us are experiencing. If we live long enough, we'll all go deaf."
See point about being in PE. I have money and, unlike most ***** , I am provident. If my fortunes were to change, I would therefore be able to take care of myself, rather than instantly holding my hand out and expecting the government or society to fill it.
Know what that is? Foresight. Responsibility for myself. Not be so ***** inadvertent to pretend that income is not variable, and failing to take precautions against that.
2. The whole POINT of civilization is that we decided to work together and cooperate for the sake of the common good.
It is because it allows specialization.
3. If you make any claims towards being Christian, "do unto others as you would have others do unto you" is the law that Jesus set above all others, ahead even of "Thou shalt have no other Gods before me."
Do I sound like a Christian?
4. If you're not Christian, the concept of the "Golden Rule" is a basic principle of a large number of religions, and an excellent guideline for constructing a functional civilization.
Crackpipe. Down.
5. Individuals with disabilities are able to contribute to society instead of being marginalized.
If they can produce a net benefit, go for it. I doubt most can.
6. Karma. If it's real, ADA compliance is a no brainer.
I place my stock in myself, rather than fairies and superstition.
7. And last, the only reason mugenkeiji is likely to care about at all. Chicks dig activists, especially the kind that aren't foaming at the mouth. If your job is to advocate for the disabled, then you've got an immediate edge unless your goal is to find a Gold Digger. In other words, helping the poor, disabled or otherwise disadvantages increases your changes of getting laid and reproducing. Admittedly, this is more of an edge among Religious and Hippie chicks than the populace at large, but I knew guys in college who volunteered for Habitat for Humanity largely because of what it did to benefit their sex lives.
Got a girlfriend and not interested in vapid, inane chicks who are ostentatiously bougeois-charitable. Moreover, I work 15 hour days at a minimum: you think I'm going to be spending the time I'm not in the office or bid room helping cripples across roads to get some pussy? haha yeah. yeah...
dBLiSS: You *****' know I would. - dBLiSS, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@mugenkeiji
"See point about being in PE. I have money and, unlike most ***** "
That's funny. Since not EVERYONE can have money, in fact most people do not have a lot. All the money you make often comes from the result of hard worker people with low wages. The real workers, not the pretentious jackass that sites in his ivory tower scoffing at the "little" people. Just because daddy let you work at his firm or just trust fund matured allowing you to buy property doesn't make you better then anyone and it certainly doesn't mean you gained your enormous wealth by yourself. So if you want a real reason to care about the rest of society then it's because you need them. Without the rest of society you would be as useless as the people you seem to be mocking. We are all intertwined, so we have a duty to take care of the people that are "under" us, because the proles are the ones with the real power, they just haven't realized it yet. So give back to society so everyone can be happy, productive and you can continue to amass your fortunes. - maffiou, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4@mugenkeiji:
What about compassion ? What if it was your kid that was struggling to get by on a daily basis ? She didn't do anything to deserve her disability, isn't having to live with it punishment enough already ?
I think you're so privileged you don't even realize how tough some people are having it: They're certainly achieving a lot more on a daily basis than you probably will in a lifetime... You've got so much to learn... I wish you pain and distress because it's an eye opener: It certainly worked for me !!
Well, deep inside, I stil hope you're just riding an easy troll and don't really think any of what you wrote... - blindbug, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8mugenkeiji, you're an idiot.
---------------------------------------------
"See point about being in PE. I have money and, unlike most ***** , I am provident. If my fortunes were to change, I would therefore be able to take care of myself, rather than instantly holding my hand out and expecting the government or society to fill it."
So if you are paralyzed from the neck down, you apparently have enough money to fend for yourself? So you are telling me that you have enough money to hire someone to be there by your side 24/7 for the rest of your (miserable) life to feed and wipe your ass? And even if you could, then you STILL could not do what the lady was attempting in this article, because stupid little ***** like yourself think that allowing access to all is such an injustice to your bottom line.
-------------------------------------------------------
"It is because it allows specialization."
Societies allow specialization only because people decide to work together you douche. Specialization is only as beneficial as far as you are willing to share your specialized abilities with the rest of society and in return reap the benefit that other socialites specialization can return.
----------------------------------------------------
"If they can produce a net benefit, go for it. I doubt most can."
Albert Einstein - learning disability and did not speak until age 3
Alexander Graham Bell - learning disability
Thomas Edison - learning disability & couldn't read until he was twelve years old
Franklin D. Roosevelt - Polio
George Washington - learning disability
Goya (Famous Spanish painter) - deaf
Beethoven - deaf
Stephen Hawkings - Lou Gehrigs Disease
Woodrow Wilson - learning disability & dyslexic
John Milton - Blind
Harriet Tubman - Epilepsy
Stevie Wonder - Blind
Ronald Reagan - Dementia
And not to mention the amount of people who have prompted research into curing and preventing disabilities throughout time: Helen Keller, Christopher Reeve, Michael J. Fox
-------------------------------------------
"I place my stock in myself, rather than fairies and superstition."
WTF? You have never known anyone who was blind, in a wheelchair, deaf, or any of a number of other things? If so, then you are definitely a spoiled little child from a rich neighborhood. In fact, this would further explain why you are such an arrogant and ignorant *****.
-------------------------------------------
"Got a girlfriend and not interested in vapid, inane chicks who are ostentatiously bourgeois-charitable. Moreover, I work 15 hour days at a minimum: you think I'm going to be spending the time I'm not in the office or bid room helping cripples across roads to get some pussy? haha yeah. yeah..."
You work 15 hours a day, yet over 4.5 hours you have been complaining about disabled people on digg? Sounds like a hard job, where do I sign up? I hope you fall down the stairs, cracking your spine and end up in a wheelchair, and your 'girlfriend' leaves you alone and miserable, you magnanimous little twit.
Mainly, I just want to inform you that you really are an idiot if you truely do not understand why organizations like the ADA exist and why they are (usually) government funded. - purplegrog, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@mugenkeiji:
I hate to feed the trolls, but maybe you're working 15 hour work days because you're spending time posting diatribes on digg. - halleyscomet, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4@mugenkeiji
That's an interesting point to try and make. You have money, and yet you started your rant because of a woman who was applying for a credit card. You weren't just attacking the social services, but things like the ADA. If you were disabled, you'd could tings like wheelchair access or TTY systems. You seem to think that if you were injured you should just lock yourself up in a room and pay to have food shoved under the door until your money runs out or you die.
How can foresight help a blind man who was born blind?
Besides, the fact that you made your money as a parasite doesn't exactly encourage others to see you as a role model.
"If they can produce a net benefit, go for it. I doubt most can."
So, Hawking is worthless in your eyes?
I guess the real question is, why have I wasted time replying to you.
You're either a liar and a troll out to piss people off, or a self centered, egotistical parasite on society, devoid of value or worth. The average janitor is more useful to society than you are, and I mean that quite literally. You're a vile, hate filled excuse for a human being, and I have no doubt that your alleged girlfriend is as much a waste of skin as you are.
mugenkeiji hates disabled people, and he / she's proud of it. - ub3rgeek, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4@mugenkeiji
as some one who is paralyzed, i pray that you get in a car crash and DONT die. but get paralyzed and be incapable of using your legs ever again.
***** YOU.
- H3BR3W, on 10/12/2007, -19/+9She deserved it for trying to use a phone. Silly handicapped.
- maffiou, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1oups wrong reply...
- dangermen, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Capital One has been sued for treating their customers like crap. They are anything but no-hassle. Frankly, they suck.
http://www.ag.state.mn.us/consumer/PR/PR_041230CapitalOneBank_FSB.htm- mateo60, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5capital one = evil
(i'm a customer of theirs)
- mateo60, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5capital one = evil
- cmscott, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1did anyone else go straight to sprintrelayonline.com after reading this?
- fadeout, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8I worked as a deaf relay agent for about 2 years and this is very, very common. I've been hung up on by just about everyone imaginable from emergency services (the fire department!) to stock brokers.
A lot of people honestly just didn't know what the call was about or what deaf relay is, assume it's a prank and hang up. And then of course some people are just asses and don't want to waste their time trying to talk to a deaf person. Technical support and low end customer service tend to be the worst about it as they're so frequently outsourced and have to keep their call times low. There's also a growing problem with Nigerian scammers using tty services to pose as deaf Americans to commit credit card fraud but I don't think this is really well known enough yet to impact the deaf community.- Thinine, on 10/12/2007, -4/+2There was also some concern after 9/11 of terrorists using such a service to order various things, since the relay agent is sworn to secrecy. But I have no idea if that actually happens.
- fadeout, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Thinine: Yes, there was a pretty strict code of confidentiality and people could get fired for talking about calls but I think most operators would display some common sense and just go to the FBI or the police if they were really worried about it... assuming that he or she wouldn't just dismiss it as a prank. It's not like the FBI is really all that concerned about being privy to the breaking of a law or two, especially something like the Americans with Disabilities Act. :P
- FearNLoathing, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Someone I know owns a small business and they received a phone call from a scammer using a TTY service. Although there were other obvious ways of telling that the call was a scam, the person doing the relay call let my friend know that they had calls like this before and it was most likely a scammer.
- foobarra, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Cheers to you, fadeout, for taking and sustaining a noble job. It is sad that this is so common. I managed a mainframe tape library for a little while, and two of my employees were deaf - they were more reliable than most of my hearing folks... The first time I received a relay call from one of them, it took a minute to get used to the rythm of the conversation, but the interpreter was awsome and I was very impressed by the whole process.
I don't understand why this is such a difficult thing for professionals, and I am also quite shocked by some of the comments above. Some of you digg users are total asses - they are only deaf, they are not diseased, or whatever your tiny mind thinks they are - same goes for Capital One customer service and anyone else that takes their physical capacities for granted... Try one day of doing without your eyes, a leg or two, your dominant hand - really, try it as an experiment for just one normal work day in public. You will have a completely new perspective on what you have, and some insight into the bravery of those that might be missing limb or one of the senses. - bitbytebit, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I have taken about a half a dozen relay calls where I work, each time I dread it, however I do my best and usually end up resolving any issue the customer has.
I dread them just because they are so time consuming, but I have never .. ever .. thought of not taking the call or hanging up.
I guess im just not a sociopath like mugenkeiji
- dalmationnation, on 10/12/2007, -4/+0If I were a deaf person I would focus on closing issues like this with email or written mail. It's too easy to miscommunicate via phone anyway and the record of communication is much stronger with an email trail.
Speaking of Capital One, as far as I can tell, Capital One is the best credit card around.
They don't charge me a currency exchange fee, free miles, helpful customer support, no eons in phone-tree. If there is a better card around I'ld be interested in knowing.- snoski, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I think that the Citi Dividends card is leagues ahead of Capital One.
- dangmoss, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8Capital One sucks, they had a huge call center in Richmond, VA and laid off all of those folks and send the jobs overseas.
Screw Them! - VTmruhlin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10Man, my hearing's great, and they do this ***** whenever I call them too.
- scabbers, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Credit is for suckers.
- Jaymoon, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2So they go ahead and give her the card through the relay, and within a month, Capitol One is being sued by people who had credit cards opened in their name through a supposed "relay"...
This is not discriminating against her disability... They are simply doing their jobs correctly.
If they won't give you a credit card, then simply GO TO SOMEONE ELSE!
It's not like they are starving you... It's a credit card. Sheesh.- dan7000, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Nice. This is exactly what they used to say about racial minorities during Jim Crow in the South:
"If they won't serve you because you're black, just go to another diner!"
I'm sure Jaymoon would have supported that type of bigoted attitude too, just as he supports telling deaf people "just get another credit card!"
- dan7000, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Nice. This is exactly what they used to say about racial minorities during Jim Crow in the South:
- derekknight, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Credit cards are evil. Avoid them and your life will be your own.
Can you imagine Ford or Honda calling and telling you that your car payment interest has just gone up to 25% because you were late on your water bill? They can't, but your credit card company CAN.
What other industry can a company change the terms of a loan after the fact-- for ANY reason?
Don't like the new terms? Tough luck. You can accept them and keep paying your slave masters, or reject them and pay the money back immediately.- mousky, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Credit cards are great. I use them as an interest free loan - sometimes up to 45 days interest free. On top of that, I also get various points, dollars or other rewards. My wife and I have been able to save over $2,000 on auto purchases. We redeemed our Air Miles for free admission to various attractions.
Where does a credit card company change the terms of a credit card after the fact? The cardholder agreement and most statements provide the terms of the account. What do Ford, Honda or a credit card company have to do with your water bill? If you don't pay your bill on time, interest will accrue - that is the whole idea behind a credit card. Besides, if you missed a few payments on your auto loan or lease, I'm sure that the repo man will be making a visit, and he won't be calling you. - VolatileWhimsy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I have to agree, but not with the same reasons as the orginial poster, credit cards are something to be avoided not embraced.. :/ American's as individuals on average are living above their means via cards.. :(
- mousky, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Credit cards are great. I use them as an interest free loan - sometimes up to 45 days interest free. On top of that, I also get various points, dollars or other rewards. My wife and I have been able to save over $2,000 on auto purchases. We redeemed our Air Miles for free admission to various attractions.
- VolatileWhimsy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1This is extremely tragic. I have a friend who is a quad and it is really annoying when we go out to eat and he can't get on the damn sidewalk and has to pop a wheelie, scares the crap out of me every time.
We all really and truly take alot of things for granted and it's not like being deaf is that unusal for them to not be able to take care of it.. Very very sad.. :( - Celesteral, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I worked for Capital One for 8 years. They focus on the customers moreso than their employees, but that's the norm for many companies.
Capital One lists a TDD line on their Contact page. 1-800-206-7986 (TDD).
They also have email and customer service correspondence. Actually it's better to write to this company because there are stricter laws and guidelines for written mail vs. a telephone call. They have to handle written issues waaaaay faster than a phone call! Capital One's timeframes for written correspondence is actually faster than what the banking regulations require. There are all these regulations and privacy act things that they made us learn and abide by there. :(
The associates are based in Richmond Va and in the past year there have been hundreds of newhires, so it could have been a simple miscommunication. It happens, the last I checked we were all human and mistakes happen. I'm not sure how a deaf person would hear an Indian accent, but more power to them. Just because the accent is Indian, does not mean the person is living in India. I've seen a few around in the US. omg
Capital one does not speak with just anyone about accounts and setup of accounts. If I called on my boyfriend's account, I would have to verify that I was him. They would not talk to me unless I were listed by him as 'okay to speak with' on the account notes. This is the law.
People sling around the discrimination tag like crazy these days.
As far as being a customer of a credit card, Capital One is definitely the way to go. The people that feel they have been 'wronged' by Capital One are the same that don't pay their bills on time. Thus the fees and increased APR occur, which they agreed to when opening the card. It's called the customer agreement.
It was always funny when I had to take calls or received correspondence when someone hadn't paid their bill in a few months and then blamed the company. hahaha
Even better were all the sex site charges that are blatantly obvious. *wink*- VolatileWhimsy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1"Capital One lists a TDD line on their Contact page. 1-800-206-7986 (TDD)."
-.- So once again the journalist was full of *****.. Meh.. Ok, I'll go stand with the cattle, but only this once................ - SmoovyG, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1No, the journalist wasn't full of ***** - Capital One screwed up. If they have a TDD line available, then the customer should have been given that information immediately upon explaining their situation rather than being shuttled around from department to department and being treated like crap.
- VolatileWhimsy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I completely agree you to a point.. But the article implied that there wasn't one at all... :/
- Celesteral, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0The phone number has been clearly listed for a long time. The article implies that there wasn't one because obviously the person did not put any effort into looking for it.
- VolatileWhimsy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1And that brings up a dilemma, who is responsible? The company for going out of their way to provide the info on every piece of paper they send out. Or on the individual for not utilizing this and expecting to use a different number?
I do think the user messed up, but on the other hand in all fairness, the employees did not handle the call appropriately. So the company is in the right, and the individual and the employees are in the wrong, but since the company is the employees the company ends up at being at fault.. :/ - acerbaluna, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0fine, i'm commenting on this to clear up a few things- yes, they have a TDD number listed, but the girl stated that she used an internet relay to place her call. this is a different system than making a TDD to TDD phone call (which is what the TDD specific numbers are for). the way relay systems work (whether through an internet system or by dialing up a state-sponsored relay system through a TDD) is that a relay operator is acting as the go-between for the deaf person and the party that they are calling. when TDD-specific numbers are given out, they're numbers used for a direct connection between a TDD and another TDD- no relay operator comes into the process, so it's just machine to machine contact.
this isn't possible through an internet relay system, since the deaf person and the relay operator are communicating through computers, and no actual TDDs are involved in the process- so, a internet relay operator can't call a TDD-only number. sometimes people don't have TDDs, or they're just not available for whatever reason (for example- they're at work/a friend's house/wherever). it's much easier to access the internet these days no matter where you are, and that's where internet relay systems come in handy. so, it's pointless to whine about there being a tdd number listed, because i'm sure the girl had some various reason for having to use an internet relay instead of a TDD. and consequently, the only way she could conact capital one through an internet relay system is to call their non-TDD specific line.
anyways, capital one's behavior was pretty lame, but sadly all too common. i'm kinda glad this issue is being dugg so much because this is a major peeve of mine. in addition, there are plenty of rude asses out there who will hang up the phone within seconds of the relay operator's announcement without giving them any time for explanations. in times where a phone call is a necessity, calling back over and over trying to get someone to TALK to you over the relay can drag a simple phone call into several minutes of agony and a total waste of my life. so, the more awareness of this issue, the happier i'll be :)
- VolatileWhimsy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1"Capital One lists a TDD line on their Contact page. 1-800-206-7986 (TDD)."
- kidego365, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1On a completely unrelated side note, I have been a capital one customer for five years. I am getting offers all the time for better credit cards; but I am a loyal customer and didn't have a problem with Capital One, so I just stayed put. Well I finally gave in and wanted a new line with better features, as happens every couple of years. In the past, Capital One has worked with me to increase credit limits, offer incentives or whatever because I have a responsible and loyal customer. Not this time though. I called up and asked for a reevaluation of my account and they refused to do it (despite the fact that they have done this TWICE before in the past). The customer service rep I got on the phone was a total dick. I asked him what Capital One could do for me since I am solicited all the time with better offers: his response was that they do not "respond to ultimatems". LOL!!! Way to work at keeping my business after all these years. The next day I paid off what little remaining balance was on this old card, cancelled it (and told them why) and then signed up for a better deal. I couldn't believe their complete apathy!!
Sorry, I feel better now that I have shared. - bryanedds, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Hmm... maybe she should change credit card services...
Nah, that would require her to respect other people's property rights to run their business how they want. And god knows that we can't just go around respecting people's life, liberty, and property in modern-day fascist America.
To hell with liberty! More important than liberty is the government-granted priveleges of politically-appointed victim / minority groups. Why have freedom and free competition when you can just use violence to force other people to run their lives according to your personal preferences?
Freedom? Pffffft... Make mine fascism!
Browsing Digg on your phone just got easier with our enhancements to the