Livinglies's Weblog

For those frustrated with the process of automated attendants and talking with people who have a screen in front of them with a script written for them (and where they will be fired if they don’t use it), we offer the following:

1. To get to a live operator

• Push zero repeatedly or say “operator” or “agent”
• Stay on the line until the automated attendant hangs up or it pus you through to a live attendant. Keep waiting until you are sure it hung up on you — an operator will come on the line and tell you “if you’d like to make a call, please hang up and try again.”
• http://www.gethuman.com lists hundreds of companies and phone shortcuts.
• Try the back door — a favorite of mine. Call or fax corporate headquarters and shotgun it to a number of high level execs. Try sales or investor relations. 
• Select Spanish-only option. They speak both and you’ll usually get through faster.
• Call from a friend’s phone or a phone they don’t have on file. Their automated system might be queued up to put new customers to the front of the line.
• Call the company’s international customer-service number COLLECT. Its incentive for keeping you on hold will drop because of the cost. 

1. Once you get to a live person, you ask for a supervisor.
2. ALways threaten rescission or cancellation of the loan or transaction you are calling about.
3. Always threaten to write to the Attorney general’s Department of consumer affairs
4. 5. Don’t be afraid to write to consumer help lines in news media and fill out the form on the Attorney General’s Consumer Affairs website.

Filed under: bubble, CDO, Eviction, foreclosure, GTC | Honor, Investor, Mortgage | Tagged: foreclosure defense, human contact |