Hold music when ringing contact centres

[MargotMoon]

Is there any such thing as good hold music? I work in a job where I have to spend a large portion of my day phoning companies and therefore listen to a LOT of hold music/endless menu options/inane shit. I don't mind it so much when I am being paid to do it but when it's for myself it drives me up the wall.

The one exception I have found to this was Yorkshire Water when they used to have a brass band playing 'Mambo No.5' which was really cheerful. Unfortunately they've done away with it now.

I rang Apple for personal reasons a few months ago and they had an option for silence, which I chose. I was on hold for quite a while and it was really weird because I felt like it was never going to be answered!

Anyway I don't really know what I am asking if IABU about! Maybe to think that having to ring call centres about everything all the time is the real scourge of modern society?

[MargotMoon]

There are some good ones then - Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, Rescue Me, Motown...

I tell you what else fucks me right off though, is where they ask you enter your account number, date of birth, shoe fucking size etc, then when someone answers they just ask for it all again!!!

[KoolKoala07]

I love the current Yorkshire tea advert. That's proper on hold music

[QueenArseClangers]

Slightly different but I once had a very claustrophobic panic whilst listening to 'Killing Me Softly' during an MRI scan

[QueenArseClangers]

Andrew if they played that then I'd get all excited thinking I was waiting to speak to Nicholas Parsons.
I'd be gutted when Keith from the Co-op bank answered asking me to confirm my security details.

[5foot5]

Where I used to work the IT support hold music was "Always look on the bright side of life"

[Zafodbeeblbrox10]

I think it's generally a ploy to make you give up. I'm sure they would have a fully functioning department if they were going to benefit from the call. Speakerphone and get on with what you are doing all the way.

[LoriD]

I work for a bank and have to listen to the same hold music day in and out when transferring to other departments. Nightmare

[underneaththeash]

I called Disney the other day and though that my line was bad....it was actually beauty and the bees. Which sounded like my dd's class was playing it on kazoos.
Not great.

[The80sweregreat]

your call is so bloody important to us, we cannot be bothered to employ extra staff to deal with anything and we can let you run up a huge bill for the privilege of listening to Madness/ greensleeves/ plinky plonky music for an hour or more.

[WeAllHaveWings]

My bf used to work for a building society that had tom jones's song "help yourself" as hold music.

Not the best of choices for the beareavement department with lines like "and then lets really start to live"

[Tartle]

The printers we used to use had a Motown hits mega mix that they used to play which was great. I was upset when they picked up.

I HATE the constant interruptions to apologise. Just play the goddam music so I can put you on low volume speaker and get on with something. Not constantly panic that someone has answered!

[ThePants999]

Worse is when the music is OK, but they interrupt every 10 seconds to apologise for the wait and tell me that my call is important to them.

Worst is when that comes with a click and the sort of tone of voice that sounds like the call being answered, so I have to pay continual attention lest I miss out on it ACTUALLY being answered.

[ratspeaker]

This used to be the hold music for telewest
m.youtube.com/watch?v=YPMTwqNdd4E

Primal Scream right enough Aaaaaaaaaaargh

[HeartsTrumpDiamonds]

The other day I was offered a choice! Pop/rock, R&B, jazz, classical... then they answered my call. I was so disappointed I didn't even get to hear the whole menu

[Obsidian77]

Anything with pan pipes gives me the rage.
I did once have to listen to the one by The Kinks, "So tired" which goes "so tired, tired of waiting, tired of waiting for you-u-u" which was perfect

[WheresTheEvidence]

I once had to call EE as my phone didn't work, I was put on hold to the music; "you used to call me on my cell phone" Ironic?

[Topseyt]

Call centres are a pet hate of mine (no offence intended to those who have to work in them).

The inane music makes it all a million times worse.

[Andrewofgg]

The Minute Waltz would be ideal so you could count plays and know just how much of your life you weren't going to get back.

PEDANTRY POLICE PLEASE NOT; I know the Minute Waltz takes longer than a minute, don't bother to say so here

[abbsisspartacus]

Madison I'm glad I'm not the only one to complain about the.music when I'm on hold I told them it was making me cross could they sort out my issue without putting me on hold afuckingen they were shocked but complied

[Rainmaker1]

I work in this particular field. I always thought Livin' in a box would have been a great choice for our mortgage collections dept.

[MadisonAvenue]

I had to call Virgin Media a few years ago and was stuck listening to Coldplay's Viva La Vida (think it's called that?).
I added that to my list of complaints when I finally got through to an operator.

[Scribblegirl]

As a student i used to cold call companies to sell telephone systems... they would frequently put me on hold so they didn't have to talk to me. as a result, if a company hasn't personalised its hold music, I can still tell what brand of phone system they have

[NotMrsTumble]

I had the star wars theme recently, think it was the AA. That was actually pretty cool.