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Never Deal with Automated Phone Support Again...

gethuman.com — Reach a Real Person Immediately Using this Database Charting 500 Business Support Phone Systems.

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  • spoonyinc, on 10/11/2007, -2/+111After spending, collectively, several days on these prompts over the course of my life for various services, this is a great project to have. This person deserves a medal.
    • Akaji, on 10/11/2007, -26/+11Also, if you manage to hit one of those "Voice Recognition" prompts, saying "Person" or "Human" will occasionally get you through (or if you intentionally spout gibberish until it decides that it has no clue what you're saying, and transfers you to a person - Bush has been known to use this strategy ( /obligatory anti-Bush comment for diggs )).
      • akira117, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1It has to be noted that most of these often direct you to customer service.
    • aldenhg, on 10/11/2007, -0/+9If you swear angrily when you're on hold sometimes you'll get a person faster. With my cable company before you even get to tell anyone that your internet service is down you have to be walked through power cycling your network by an automated system. I found out that by saying "I hate you, Robot" after the third direction gets you a person immediately.
    • kingfoot, on 10/11/2007, -1/+17"W Hotels - 888-625-5144 - Press 16."

      Where the hell is the "16" button!?
    • Modizzle, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Just want to get in to the top to say that this list should be turned into a website which has some sort of user editing capabilities
      • Modizzle, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2oh snap, duh, I just realized it does
  • cindylauper, on 10/11/2007, -5/+70Could be the most useful thing ever posted on Digg
    • migitalwarfare, on 10/11/2007, -1/+9... again
    • Mouser58907, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3I think he deserves a Nobel Peace Prize.
    • ki85squared, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4Unfortunately, this list will probably become partially obsolete in a year's time.
  • KMye, on 10/11/2007, -4/+6Can't say I won't look this up if I'm home, but depending on whether it's on old system, or voice recognition, pressing 0 or */saying "Operator" or "agent" or "customer service" (then repeating, when it says "I think you want to talk to a ***** human being, but I want to better direct your call) works pretty effectively 99% of the time as shorthand.
    • heavyd14, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Last time I called HSBC they hung up on me when I tried pressing 0, even though this list says thats what I'm supposed to do.
    • n0t0kayipr0mis3, on 10/11/2007, -1/+199%? Where did you get your statistics?
  • funkdoc, on 10/11/2007, -41/+2This list is like 3 years old. Buried.
    • iamhrh, on 10/11/2007, -1/+38And yet, I had never seen it and am thusly willing to digg it and bury you.
    • richmessenger, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Every time a story comes up that's been on here a couple years ago, why does someone feel compelled to read it again? All they ever do is make a comment about seeing it before. That's fine if you've seen it before, the rest of us haven't. Most members of digg weren't members three years ago, so go read another story if you've read this one and don't complain.
  • EmileVictor, on 10/11/2007, -2/+11Is there a list that's relevant to any other countries outside the US?
  • capiCrimm, on 10/11/2007, -2/+83"US IRS 800-829-1040 Don't press or say anything."

    Priceless
    • petepete, on 10/11/2007, -0/+44SUNOCO: Press 00000; mumble when prompted for an account number.
    • petepete, on 10/11/2007, -31/+1SUNOCO: Press 00000; mumble when prompted for an account number.
  • MikeonTV, on 10/11/2007, -10/+5I really hate those damned automated assholes.
  • davecor, on 10/11/2007, -4/+29Sometimes the automated system is more productive than the guy in India, especially if you use one of these "hacks" and get the WRONG person and have to depend on them to transfer you to the RIGHT person.
  • shuuy, on 10/11/2007, -14/+2116 digs in 13 minutes... not bad.
    • nullmind, on 10/11/2007, -2/+3Thank you for your useful digg meta-data
  • flair1, on 10/11/2007, -15/+13this link must win an award for the most reposts ever.
    • nullmind, on 10/11/2007, -2/+14Yeah this link should win the award for the mos-- wait.. people are finding it useful and enjoying it!
  • timusca, on 10/11/2007, -3/+9Finally I can reach someone from Bank of America so I can bitch them out for screwing up my bank account! Then, I'll bitch them out for making me press buttons on the phone for an hour just to leave a message and never have anyone call back! Thank you, Jesus!
    • Error601, on 10/11/2007, -0/+9Go to a branch...bitch in person.
      • timusca, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Tried that... they told me to call HQ via the 800 number.
    • fujita, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2I hate BofA's phone customer service. Way too many automatic menus to get to the place I need to go to.
  • gts1983, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4wow we used to use this website alot where i work i am suprised at how much it has grown.
    Impressive
    • shark615, on 10/11/2007, -7/+5***** "a lot" is two words. Seen this stupid mistake too many times had to comment. Remember A {SPACE} LOT
  • avnerlevit, on 10/11/2007, -5/+4There is a service I use that does the calling for you. www.nophonetrees.com is a real useful tool if you don't want to search that list eveytime.
    • nullmind, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3Thanks for the link, I'll use that when I call my work!
  • gelte, on 10/11/2007, -5/+0terrrrrrrrrrrible...
  • DivisibleByZero, on 10/11/2007, -1/+12A lot of the ones that have speech recognition will forward to a live person if you start using profanity.
    • Error601, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I've never seen such a thing and I've worked on many of them. You have to give it a list of words to listen for in each context.
    • DivisibleByZero, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3If it's VoiceXML based, you can have global phrases that trigger in any context. I do voicemail, so same technology but generally there's not a real person involved.

      The gas company in Blacksburg is who I was referring to. Maybe it just defaulted after so many unrecognized words. But phrases like "let me talk to a real ***** person" always sent me straight through. If I was designing such a system, I'd make sure phrases like that worked.

      Probably not a good idea to assume that company did the smart thing though. They're the same ones that wanted me to read my 16 digit account number out loud and wouldn't accept DTMF. Because god forbid I should use buttons with numbers on them to input numbers...
  • englishpaulm, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3see also http://www.gethuman.com/tips.html and http://www.gethuman.com/sitemap.html
    • kylehoward, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1everyone should be thanking this guy for actually making the site
  • the311neo, on 10/11/2007, -8/+12Not to bitch, but I posted this weeks ago...i guess its better to be here from someone else rather than not at all...
    • russvirante, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2Sorry, it said it got past the dup submission. It is a problem with the algo, but I felt this was something that needed to hit the front page - it is so damn useful!
  • abenage, on 10/11/2007, -2/+12nd to last line...
    500 companies as of Tue, 03-Jul-2007 09:39 CDT ?
    • Bonekhan, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Gasp. You mean there is a reason the description of this digg said: "Reach a Real Person Immediately Using this Database Charting >500< Business Support Phone Systems."?

      Get out. I guess the digger must be some sort of person with an average intellectual level!
  • Error601, on 10/11/2007, -2/+1Or just wait as most have a timed dump out for people without a touch tone phone. Or it may just hang up on you.

  • timsline, on 10/11/2007, -7/+2Everybody wants instant gratification. Screw everyone else who is waiting their turn to talk to a customer service rep, and who cares if I'm actually calling the right department who can actually help with whatever I'm calling about. I'm special and I demand to talk to a real person NOW!

    Clearly it's much better trying to explain the reason I'm calling to the guy in the Middle East or Asia with the thick accent who can't figure out the difference between transferring and dropping a call.
  • trongod05, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4It really depends on the company and it's product but my opinion is that if their companies are more accessible and helpful when it comes to their website, you never need to talk to anyone in the first place. If your support documentation is good enough online they why talk to automated support?
    • kungfoolou, on 10/11/2007, -2/+2It's sad, but most people do not want to read. I personally find manuals, guides and the sort great reading material for the crapper. Take a dump, learn something. Feel refreshed, feel enlightened.
  • joerod, on 10/11/2007, -0/+6i just keep pressing 0 that usually gets me to an operator, good list though
  • yunus, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2If pressing 0 does not work the first time just keep mashing it about 5 or 10 times. That has always worked for me.
  • jman8888, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1This is great
  • magstheaxe, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3I've known about this site for a few years, and they just keep getting better and better.
    • jesuschrysler, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1Well thanks for submitting it, jerk
  • Gsicht, on 10/11/2007, -8/+2Microsoft: Press Ctrl + Alt + Del
  • 566f6c74726f6e, on 10/11/2007, -1/+5There is an easier way if you are calling Cingular (at&t). A person will always pick up at these numbers without you needing to press anything.
    866-894-2464
    866-220-8446
    866-684-0579
  • weizbox, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2I'd rather have automated unless its the type where it attempts to understand what your saying.. those are god awful. Real people also put you on hold.... :/
    • jj2me, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2I think it's natural to get enraged by voice recognition 'bots. They trick some inner part of you to react as if you're talking to a real person, who is blowing you off by pretending to not understand you.
  • kungfoolou, on 10/11/2007, -8/+5For most, pressing 0 or saying "operator" works, but this list will only hurt the consumer at the end. These interactive voice/push-button menus cost these companies millions to implement, and they spend that much due to the presumed savings these systems will produce. Bypassing, this will only hurt their bottom line, which in turn increases the cost of their products and/or services. For some of these companies, it's irrelevant, but to telecoms, insurance companies and others whose costs factor into almost everything we do everyday, whether we realize it or not, this does actually matter.

    But go ahead, run up costs just so you can have some one tell you to read your bill or turn on your PC. Then at the same time, complain when you call the number it is not a native english speaker on the line, or complain that it is not a person. What do people expect? Someone on the other end of the line to speak in the same exact accent you have? Sorry bring in outsourcing into this but it is as much a part of this issue as IVR/IDR systems.

    Granted, these systems are horrible for those of us who call as a last resort after spending days googling for a solution. Unfortunately most people call at the drop of a hat, and these are the ones running up OUR costs in the end.

    BTW, I am a consumer, not a large mega-corp exec. So take it for what it's worth.
    • RandoTheKing, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3I love how people are digging you down. Just proves how retarded the digg community is.
    • harpwn, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I suppose you also believe in the "trickledown effect" and other reaganomics *****. Savings come from the ground up, not the top down.
  • mobber, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5the last place a business should cut back on costs is customer service.
    amazing the businesses that think this is acceptable. a robot or someone with poor communication skills is not what you want your customers interacting with.
    if a customer calls, you can bet it is because something is wrong. you should make that situation as pleasing as possible. "spend money to make money" is something business forget about. i'm sure executive salaries are never considered. they sometimes claim that "all the competition is doing it". that is short term & myopic. a business should hope their competition is sacrificing customer support. you are going to win in the long run.
    sure, robots have their place if a customer chooses that route, but most people are never given a choice.
    • Error601, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3Work the phones for a while and you'll understand.
    • RandoTheKing, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0If costs on customer service reps can be cut back, then there is money to improve on other areas of the company so the customer can have an even better experience. It's really not a matter of profit. Besides, it would take a ridiculously large amount of more customer service reps if you got rid of the vru. That's the problem with Americana's these days. You're too ***** impatient.
  • Mapper99, on 10/11/2007, -16/+0Check out some other interesting iPhone user stories here:

    http://iphone.corank.com
  • usajag, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2you can also use this site: http://www.nophonetrees.com/ - not as many listings, but it does all the prompt-work for you
  • rmetzger, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1i have been using irvhacks. i cant tell which database is larger or better but check it out. it includes a filter including such restrictons as country.

    http://www.ivrhacks.com/
  • fLUx1337, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Most phone support lines I ring which are automated just automatically put you though to somebody if you ignore all the prompts.....although, it does take a min or 2 for it to "timeout" (but if your in a line waiting for 10 mins, a minute or so is nothing)
  • nattylife, on 10/11/2007, -2/+1+1 to whoever created that. best idea in a while
  • pittpat, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2Better list:

    http://gethuman.com/us/
    • ultrafez, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Not everybody on Digg lives in America...
  • Create, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1just fyi, i can see 2 errors i can confirm straight off the bat, the Time Warner Cable advise is... inaccurate at best, for two reasons: one, calls are handled on a division by division basis... so not all IVR's are the same (if you know what i mean) and two, at least here locally, pressing '0' at each prompt will actually prolong your wait, the true fastest way is to do nothing, and the IVR connects you to a person in under 1.5min, and truly, if it is not busy, it is still 100% faster to follow the prompts, you could likely have a rep in under 30sec

    second flaw i see is the Time Warner Cable Road Runner number... its close to a non-public number, but it is wrong, thats all i am gonna say

    other than that, i applaud the idea... i have used this list before, and it is pretty good for most things :)
  • astyanax, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3I was surprised reading the old story about how yelling and swearing can also get you to a real person, and didn't believe it would really work. When trying to call T-mobile to ask a plan question, I was attempting to use their voice-only routing system, which I REALLY detest because no speech recognition will ever be more accurate than 'press 1 for X' tone-based routing. After at least three incorrect guesses about what I said, the voice system said 'Im sorry, I didnt catch that, can you try again', to which I screamed at the top of my lungs 'then FIX your ***** SYSTEM ALREADY'. The response was ."Ok, let me get you to someone who can help you out', and within 15 seconds I was talking to an operator.
  • kjcdude, on 10/11/2007, -2/+1I spent 2 hours getting 4 replacement xbox 360's. We have a over 1/3 replacement ration on 360's.
    I hate customer support.
  • bfaulk04, on 10/11/2007, -0/+6I got FedUp with FedEx and yelled "***** YOU!" into the phone and it took me directly to a representative. I am completely serious. If you'd prefer to maintain a level head, do the "representative at every prompt" trick, but if you want to talk to someone immediately, drop the F-bomb.
  • exec721, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I know some automated systems can be a pain in the ass, however, they are there for a reason. If everyone requested to speak with a human being, then the hold times would be even worse than using the automated system. I've worked for call centers for a few years now (oh god that's awful) and I can't tell you how many times I've heard stupid ***** like, "Oh my god! Do I have a real human being on the line? I've been on hold for 30 minutes! So what's my balance?" I then proceed to give them the same exact balance they could have easily obtained from the automated system in 1 minute. See the problem? Its self defeating. Ultimately, call centers could just hire more reps to speak with each customer, however, they would just pass the cost on to the consumer (as they ALWAYS do). You can't have your cake and eat it too.
    • Bungledust, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Well if I can't eat my cake then I don't see the point in having it at all.
      • exec721, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Ok think about this one long and hard: you can't HAVE your cake and EAT it too. Nobody said you couldn't eat your cake, reality will just make you pick one or the other.
  • RandoTheKing, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0Guys, the entire point of VRUs is to weed out customer's who don't need to even speak with a phone rep and also get them to the proper deparment. For instance (and these numbers are pretty close to the actual thing), 80% of the calls that come through a credit card company can be handled by the VRU. If everyone starts bypassing the VRU then hold times increase dramatically. So which would you rather do. Wait 45 mins to speak to a rep, or wait a few mins speaking to the VRU?
  • omega255, on 10/11/2007, -2/+0wow this site is about 2 years old now and u just discovered it gratz
  • meshman, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I have to say, the worst thing about automated phone systems is "Listen carefully, as our menu options have changed." They ALWAYS say this. And the never say WHEN it changed. What's the point?
  • Noncentz, on 10/11/2007, -2/+1What an awesome Idea this waz
  • chowderdick, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I think I'm going to cry.... this is the most beautiful thing.
  • jazzjeff, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1I could kiss the person that posted this up. Thank you.
    Dell answering service is a terrible, terrible mess of a system.
    I'm tired of being put through to India where they do NOT understand me, my family or my friends who ring too!!!
  • Drewboy64, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1Now just getting past the moronic foreign people on the other side of the Xbox 360 number!
  • Bassplayer, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1i was so close to submitting this.
  • Ksg89, on 10/11/2007, -0/+9http://gethuman.com/uk/

    uk :)
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