Automated customer service - Yeay or Nay?

[GimmeAy]

In the last few days I've found my contracts with 3 service providers coming to an end. So I've been forced to engage with the talking machines. More often than not I get 'I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that'. for about 5 minutes before I get through to a human. At that stage, I'm so stressed, that the poor human gets it with all guns blazing.

I cannot stand talking to a machine. I have to fake an English accent and even then I get put through to civil engineering or something random when I just want to report a bill.

AIBU to think that this automated service is not cost effective. I will turn down providers who have this sort of service as I will turn down providers whose call centres are based in India - for the simple reason that I can't understand their English accents.

I can't be the only one surely?

YANBU Fucking HMRC have this utter shite and I'd love to know what cunt trousered a fat bribe to get it installed there as it simply doesn't work.

It doesn’t always work, but I’ve found that at least half the time with automated phone lines that if you say “speak to a person” in response to the robot, they connect you to a person instead.

I hate them probably cost me loads over the years i phone bills trying to speak to an actual person

Hate hate HATE speaking to machines. Give me a human every time.

It's a massive draw for me if their call centre is manned in the UK. The talking machine never understands me and drives me bonkers. I'm usually shouting at the machine in a put on English accent when someone picks up and I'm so fucking frustrated that I either vent my frustration or hang up!

I've found myself shouting You awr a cant or 'You are a bawstad* to the machine. (I'm Irish, so it doesn't understand my Irish accent).
As you can imagine, by the time I get through to a human, I'm extremely stressed.