And another thing…

To be fair, we probably do have the technology but the companies who are making the money don’t want to use it.

As I’ve just said on Twitter, I’m not chuffed you’ve reminded me that that was on.

She’s looking much more demure than she was in the interview earlier this year. Clearly a desperate attempt to reclaim some public sympathy.

Nor apparently do we have the technology to stop mobile phones turning filling stations into blazing infernos. At least according to the signs on the forecourts

Just think if there was a 1 in 100 million chance of a mobile phone call causing a petrol station to go up in flames, we’d probably still have at least one major fireball each week.

Guess we’ve just been lucky so far !

er we have (i should know)

Simply return an engaged tone – its simple to do and would cost the caller nothing.

Simon_G_1 for all your telecom related queries (and I’m much cheaper than OFCOM)

Nor, unfortunately, do we have the technology to let automated call centres know that it is not a good idea to phone me up with a recorded message offering me a better deal on my car insurance at 5:30AM on a Saturday morning.

I am, however, mindful that if we knew where said call centre was based, nuclear weapons have been in existence for almost 65 years.

Not that I’m feeling grumpy or anything.

My dad had this argument with a BT customer service rep (they really ought to change the name of those. Irritating voice at the end of a phone who doesn’t do anything is closer).

In the old days, when you rang someone who was already using their phone you got an engaged tone and, more importantly, you weren’t charged. Then BT unveiled 1571, a brilliant service that meant when person A called person B (who was already on the phone), instead of receiving the free engaged tone person A was put through to a voicemail service (and was charged before they could refuse), and then person B would be charged for returning the call as they were told by their voicemail.

My father, being a Yorkshireman, decided this was ludicrous and wanted BT to turn off 1571 at his home, so that people calling him would receive the time tested engaged tone. The customer rep couldn’t get her head around this. “But it’s free”, she protested. “No it isn’t”, my dad retored and then proceeded to map out the situation I had above. “But it’s free” she said again, completely missing the point. Still, eventually the rep disabled the service and order was restored.

Which bring me to another moan. Why, when I ring up customer services, do they insist on trying to talk me out of doing what I rang up to do (which usually involves me paying less money to the company)?

Keldorne – I seriously believe that recorded message calls should be illegal, but I believe many come from foreign soil. Nuclear intervention would hurt too many innocent people. I would suggest hiring a sniper to take out the directors.

Seriously though, what could be more annoying than that? Perhaps this: what it costs to phone someone in hospital.

My mum was in a hospital 80 miles away and I called here almost every night. The cost at the end of the week was horrendous.

Maybe Tom can remind us who allowed patients, or rather their friends and family, to get ripped off like this.

I have to tell you I have no idea ( honest)who Katie Price is.

I read on and saw the words ‘game show’ and I now know why I have never heard of her. You must only watch rubbish. Its about time you tried to improve yourself Tom, Is that not what the Labour party is all about.
I would suggest you obtain the DVD set ‘Civilisation’ presented by Kenneth Clark. It a good starting point.you can find it here http://www.amazon.co.uk/Civilisation-Complete-BBC-Disc-Box/dp/B00077284C

You’d've been better off watching “Terror! Robespierre and the French Revolution”…

“…we still haven’t been able to produce advanced enough technology that will prevent people who call into game shows getting charged when the phone lines have already closed.” (Tom)

…or convince people that it’s not worth phoning in the first place.

My pet hate is Virgin Media’s new voice recognition technology which evidently can’t cope with regional accents…

Neither have we managed to figure out what exactly makes Nick Clegg tick. Personally I think he’s a cyborg gone rogue.

Think about it. You know it makes sense.

‘You’d’ve been better off watching “Terror! Robespierre and the French Revolution”…’ which again demonstrated how the french always go ‘too far’

Stewart Cowan
Maybe Tom can remind us who allowed patients, or rather their friends and family, to get ripped off like this.
****************************************

It started with the Tories.

(Of course)

This seems to have turned into a moan about modern day communication networks, so here are a few of mine.
Phoning with a query (Halifax are vying for the no.1 spot) when you have to listen to several recorded options, then another set of options, (I have been known to press the wrong button and have to start again), then get either a) a recorded message or b) being told that because they are busy you have to wait, then listen to Nigel Kennedy play the Four Seasons by Monteverdi THEN THE PHONE GOES SILENT!!!
Or there is the similar problem on the internet, when at the end of searching and linking and huffing and puffing you are expected to read through countless FAQs to see if you can find the answer.
What about the customer services which you cannot understand, it was bad enough when they were in Livingstone, but Mumbai and the Philippines – what was that about voice recognition Jay?