I now officially hate phone voice recognition systems. I was trying to call the US Postal Service central number to find the number for my local post office so that I could arrange for the pick up of 1500 packages. The phone call went like this:
USPS: Welcome to the US Postal Service help line. Por espanol numero uno. If you have a question about delivery say “delivery.” If you want to look up a zip code say
I sharpen my pencil, the noise of the pencil sharpener makes the phone voice go silent for a moment.
USPS: Okay. If you have a question about delivery say “delivery.” If you want to look up a zip code say “zip
Patches: Mommy! I want a drink
USPS: Okay. If you
Patches: Mom!
I attempt to shush Patches
USPS: Okay. Which zip code are you looking for?
Patches: random squealing noise
USPS: Which
Patches: Wah!
Me: Grr
USPS: A series of partially begun sentences each different than the next.
I quickly realized that the system was picking up all the ambient noise and had taken me down some unknown branch of its possibility tree. There was no way to salvage the phone call. I hung up.
I then tried to schedule pick up via the USPS website and was faced with a form which did not fit my needs at all. I finally resorted to calling the business mail regional center in Salt Lake where an actual person spoke with me. She nicely tried to tell me where I could find the phone number of my local post office on the phone number. I grumpily didn’t follow along and asked that she simply read the number off of her screen since she had it right there and once she gave it to me I would no longer need to use the USPS’s clunky website. (For curiosity’s sake after I got the phone number I tried her instructions and came up with a blank page.)
My local post office was wonderfully helpful. The pick up is scheduled exactly when I need it. I love my local postal service employees, they have repeatedly solved problems and made my life easier. One more thing I can cross off of my list of things to do.
As usual, individuals are helpful when they’re not being constrained by the weight and complexity of the bureaucracy. Glad to hear the story has a happy ending.
Good luck with Book Week! Sounds like you’ll need all the luck you can get.
As usual, individuals are helpful when they’re not being constrained by the weight and complexity of the bureaucracy. Glad to hear the story has a happy ending.
Good luck with Book Week! Sounds like you’ll need all the luck you can get.
If I’d run into this problem, I just would have called my neice who works for the post office and is an assistant postmaster.
If I’d run into this problem, I just would have called my neice who works for the post office and is an assistant postmaster.
Other things to try next time
1) A phone book
2) An online phone book (though, I just tried with no luck)
3) Many phone trees have an “escape” number that gets you straight to a human – try hitting 0 (most common), #, or * as the first thing you do.
4) Find the “mute” button on your phone and hit buttons for menus. If they don’t allow number entries for menus, it may forward you to a human when you don’t respond.
5) Go to the USPS.com website. In the upper right there’s a link that says “locate a post office.” That brings you to this page, and once you get a list of ones near you, pick the more info link, and they sometimes have a phone number for that individual post office.
Good luck!
Other things to try next time
1) A phone book
2) An online phone book (though, I just tried with no luck)
3) Many phone trees have an “escape” number that gets you straight to a human – try hitting 0 (most common), #, or * as the first thing you do.
4) Find the “mute” button on your phone and hit buttons for menus. If they don’t allow number entries for menus, it may forward you to a human when you don’t respond.
5) Go to the USPS.com website. In the upper right there’s a link that says “locate a post office.” That brings you to this page, and once you get a list of ones near you, pick the more info link, and they sometimes have a phone number for that individual post office.
Good luck!
Re: Other things to try next time
1) I started with the phone book. It gave me 888 ASK USPS which led me to the voice recognition system.
2) I didn’t try this, but from your comment it would not have solved the problem.
3)I could never hear enough of the message to get to the escape information. Also I was frustrated enough that I didn’t want to deal with it.
4) This system did not offer pushing buttons as an option.
5)Those is exactly the instructions that the the lady at the business mail center gave to me. The “locate a post office” link led me to a blank page. Fortunately I the lady had already read off the phone number to me, so I didn’t scream in frustrated rage.
On a calm day I would have handled this better. Today is not calm.
Re: Other things to try next time
1) I started with the phone book. It gave me 888 ASK USPS which led me to the voice recognition system.
2) I didn’t try this, but from your comment it would not have solved the problem.
3)I could never hear enough of the message to get to the escape information. Also I was frustrated enough that I didn’t want to deal with it.
4) This system did not offer pushing buttons as an option.
5)Those is exactly the instructions that the the lady at the business mail center gave to me. The “locate a post office” link led me to a blank page. Fortunately I the lady had already read off the phone number to me, so I didn’t scream in frustrated rage.
On a calm day I would have handled this better. Today is not calm.
Re: Other things to try next time
3) Don’t bother waiting for the full list. Hit 0 as soon as they start giving choices. If that doesn’t work, hit # (with or without trying hanging up and redialing first). Repeat with * if necessary.
5) Hm, perhaps the switchboard.com webpage was down temporarily.
Anyways, I’m glad you solved it one way or another. 🙂
Re: Other things to try next time
3) Don’t bother waiting for the full list. Hit 0 as soon as they start giving choices. If that doesn’t work, hit # (with or without trying hanging up and redialing first). Repeat with * if necessary.
5) Hm, perhaps the switchboard.com webpage was down temporarily.
Anyways, I’m glad you solved it one way or another. 🙂
Ugh. I hate voice recognition systems on automated phone systems. The first one I ran into was microsoft’s windows activation system. Those things are abominations. I finally pressed enough buttons where it would let me type in the number on the touchtone instead of saying it. I always feel absurd talking to a computer.
Ugh. I hate voice recognition systems on automated phone systems. The first one I ran into was microsoft’s windows activation system. Those things are abominations. I finally pressed enough buttons where it would let me type in the number on the touchtone instead of saying it. I always feel absurd talking to a computer.