whale and babbling brook sounds therapy

I had my coat on to go with my wife to the post box, then the postman arrived with genuine letters from HMRC.
It seems like I owe HMRC £XX,000.00p, and they gave me the dates when I needed to have paid my instalments, that's considerate of them. They calculated my income for last year to be £76000 more that it was.
We're not going out for a walk now, I'm straight on the phone to speak to HMRC. Not so fast, I'm on the phone for over an hour hearing repeatedly how important my call is to them, how there's a lot of answers to be found by visiting their website, interspersed with a few bars of classical music.

When I eventually get through to a helpful chap and after putting me on hold, he finds that a nought had been added to what state pension I actually received last year, so a x10 error.
Panic over, cue the music of soothing whale and babbling brook sounds.

We're finally about ready to go to the postbox providing the postman doesn't arrive with a special delivery.

Moby-Dick isn't the only dick around here, this time it's Amazon.
I bought a frying pan on Amazon to use with our new Vango induction hob but when it arrived on 18th November it wasn't the one that I ordered. Other customers had left negative reviews because they had also received the wrong pan as I had. The same day I actioned a return with Amazon, printed the return label for 48hr Tracking and dropped the parcel off at our local Post Office. Only a few hours later Amazon issued a refund.

My listening of soothing whale music was interrupted at 8pm this evening when arrived another email from Amazon.

"We've issued your refund in advance for the item below, but we were expecting to receive the return by Thu, 8 Dec. Because we've not received the item yet, your credit card has been charged again."

I returned the frying pan, they give me a refund, then they take my money again, WTF !

It takes me a while to find the right page to contact Amazon. Their first offering is some sort of AI as in artificial intelligent assistant. Eventually after giving them our land line number which doesn't work, my mobile number is recognised and I get to speak with someone helpful and human. After he speaks with the Return Department all is well, I finally get another email from Amazon cancelling any charges.. --- slowly breath in deeply and slowly out, there there

There was just another sort of irritation a few days earlier. After I received the wrong frying pan I made 3 attempts to leave a 1 star review, none of them were accepted, even the last one where I mostly copied and pasted another person's negative review for the same reason. Slightly odd that.

I've been subjected to Christmas songs each time I rang BT which has been a lot lately (sorted now after 4 weeks), each time it was 28 minutes before getting to an service agent. Im sure the switchboard or whatever handles the calls is set to not answer you for 28 minutes to persuade you to use their online reporting of faults which I did use as well but that only ended with 'you need to book an appointment ' which is why I rang in the first place.

Paulmold wrote:I've been subjected to Christmas songs each time I rang BT which has been a lot lately (sorted now after 4 weeks), each time it was 28 minutes before getting to an service agent. Im sure the switchboard or whatever handles the calls is set to not answer you for 28 minutes to persuade you to use their online reporting of faults which I did use as well but that only ended with 'you need to book an appointment ' which is why I rang in the first place.

I always use the option "I want to leave BT" Seem to get through very quick, when agent answers I say not really leaving, that's ok what's your problem they ask.
Richard

rgermain wrote:

Paulmold wrote:I've been subjected to Christmas songs each time I rang BT which has been a lot lately (sorted now after 4 weeks), each time it was 28 minutes before getting to an service agent. Im sure the switchboard or whatever handles the calls is set to not answer you for 28 minutes to persuade you to use their online reporting of faults which I did use as well but that only ended with 'you need to book an appointment ' which is why I rang in the first place.

I always use the option "I want to leave BT" Seem to get through very quick, when agent answers I say not really leaving, that's ok what's your problem they ask.
Richard

If you want to complain it can be the best way if they offer it, to opt for the "I want to buy your shiny new £100,000 motorhome" or equivalent if you are trying to reach Amazon or another non motorhome selling company. You get through instantly if you have the option of choosing the sales department.