After decades in call centers I can assure you this is what is happening better than 80% of the time.

Like many others have said, this is a terrible LPT. You're just wasting time and goodwill which will result in you not getting what you want. If you aren't thrown back into queue, the person you get to will 'warm xfer' you to the other dept. The 'warm xfer' is first agent calling 2nd agent and saying something like "this joker called me to get out of the system to talk about a refund so handle accordingly (nudge nudge"). 2nd agent will take call and then deny your request because you were basically trying to be sneaky and waste others time. See how that works? So just use the system and get to the right person. That's what it's designed for. If you don't like the system or can't xfer, then use chat or email.

Here's a copy/paste of my answer to another "LPT" about automated systems.

I built these systems for a couple decades and these LPTs are getting annoying. There is no secret to any of it. It all depends on the individual design choices. Some companies don't want you to talk to an agent so no amount of pressing 0 or * or # will get you there.....ever.

It's not like there is a documented set of ISO design standards for IVRs. Sure there are best practices, but management will ultimately decide when/if you talk to someone.

Edit: Ok, rant over. You want tips from a designer?

Tip 1: try using the system. You might be surprised at how much time it could save you. It also helps keep costs lower by reducing operating costs of having much more expensive agents handle your rote transaction.

Tip 2: Option not available in the IVR? Ok, listen for the option to transfer. If it's not there, then try 0. If using a speech reco system, say agent or representative or person. In speech reco, you have to pass or fail a defined grammar of responses. A well designed system might have these. I say might because if the company doesn't want you to transfer, you won't no matter what you say or push.

Tip 3: You will likely have to fail 2 or 3 times. Many of these systems are designed to handle your error and prompt again, and again. That's right, there's error handling and call recovery designed in.

Tip 4: As someone else said, some of these systems do sentiment analysis. If you sound angry or frustrated, they will detect that prompt accordingly (maybe next prompt will ask if you want to speak to someone). These are likely companies with lots of money and focus on customer service....so not that many. This feature is pretty expensive.

TL;DR there's no one trick that works because each system is uniquely designed and has unique feature set. Don't like the phone system? Use email or chat instead.

I wanted to add a light switch to my kitchen. I just felt it made sense to have one in the location. The electrician came out, told him what I wanted. He says "you know we wired a bunch of these houses and I remember doing this one" because it was one of the first.

I show him where I want the switch and I could see his mind melt away. He rubs the wall a few times, stands in silence for 20-30 secs, turns to me and says..."I swear I put a box there. Why wouldn't there be a switch there? It just makes sense there should a switch there and I'm certain I put a box there". I ruined his day.

Wait, that's not Alan. That's Steve.

Steve. Steve. Steve. Steve. Steve. Steve.

Biocomputer, eh? Better Off Ted has something about this...

Ass-Goo

Ass-Face

Good for them. Too bad it takes a tragedy. We could all play nice if we really wanted to.

I agree with you. Parents doing their kids homework doesn't help. I told my kids basically the same. "Homework is for you to exercise and practice what you've learned. It doesn't need to be perfect. Just do your best, make notes of questions where you struggled for teacher followup." My assistance was as you described. "Show me what you're doing" and I might course correct, suggest a resource, but never give the answer. I would affirm a correct answers and walk back incorrect answers. If there were ridiculous deadlines, I told my kids not to worry too much about it.

Most of us have been through it with a bad/boring/vindictive teacher. As a parent, I try to be understanding (of both sides). I don't hate homework or teachers. I do hate poorly planned or executed assignments/projects. That includes my (former) jobs too.

You'd think so but books aren't even issued for some classes. Some teachers rely on online sources to teach "just watch this Kahn Academy video". Or it's all online and the site is down or links don't work properly. Not to mention the number of mistakes I've seen in my child's homework. Sometimes, the homework doesn't even make sense or is not aligned with the course. And there's unrealistic deadlines that almost feel punitive sometimes.

Something is wrong, more frequently than it should be, and it's that art/science of teaching is lost on some teachers. As a parent, I've had to address with more than I'd hoped I would need to.

Not to say there aren't good teachers out there...there definitely are. And I know it's challenging and they lack resources. Yes, homework is for students. But students need support at home as well (and teachers will tell you that). Learning doesn't happen solely at school.

If you have room, get a Japanese Cameila. Mine is blooming now and it's gorgeous.

Give it a minute...the Fed monetary and political fiscal policies will take care of that.

This is when you vote with your wallet. Get a card at another bank or better yet a credit union. Commercial, for profit banks are usury.

I would say leave the card open, get paper billing (if free), and charge once a year just to have them service the account. But then, they could report that as part of their numbers and people might keep investing with them. Just stop doing business with them and if enough people follow then they'll go out of business eventually. Bad businesses that don't treat their customers right should go out of business....not be bailed out.

From a relationship stand point, which one do you want to maintain longer: friends or family? Your friends might be friends for life. Or a few missed rent payments and you're struggling to keep your home. On the other hand, your parents are offering to support you fully for the remainder of school and reward you for that. It's almost like they know something about college roommates. Option A is fraught with financial & relationship risk whereas Option B is much less so. In college, your goal should be completing your education which means being able to focus on that...not adding layers of risk outside of school.

Others have mentioned how bad dorm life can be. They may be romanticizing off campus life a bit. Just think about what you are literally signing up for. You are going to sign a legally enforceable contract with other people while being dependent on those other people to execute said contract successfully. You're basic cosigning a debt with a couple of college kids. If something goes wrong, you are legally and financially responsible. That could mean it ends up in collections or on your credit report for 7 years!! That's quite a risk when compared to Option B. Not to mention the damage it could do to your friendships and relationship with your parents when/if you ask them to bail you out. What if they say no? You opted for this and this is what being an adult looks like.

Make your parents happy and take the dorm and car. College is a few short years in a lifetime of relationships. If your friends are true friends they will understand and you'll hang at their place a lot anyway. Your parents have wisdom from years of life...leverage that wisdom and take Option B. It's the smarter long term choice.

If I were in your shoes, I would take Option B. Many of us weren't as lucky as you to have such caring and supportive parents. Take advantage of that. And then spend the rest of your life being appreciative of everything they have done for you.

I get these as free samples when I attend law enforcement conferences. The prison commissary vendors hand them out along with other prison snacks. I can confirm they are quite tasty.

Actually, they are federally limited to very specific uses of data sold.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driver%27s_Privacy_Protection_Act

In Florida "emergency contact information and email addresses are restricted pursuant to Section 119.0712(2), Florida Statutes." And this "Non-personal information contained in motor vehicle and driver license records such as vehicular crash records, driving violations and driver status information are considered public information." https://www.flhsmv.gov/privacy-statement/driver-privacy-protection-act/

There is also a complaint form for Florida but I can tell you from personal experience it won't do anything. I got 2 email responses that were bollocks and phone call telling me "we don't handle these types of complaints" from FLHSMV when I complained a local car dealer sending direct marketing info. The dealer straight up told me they get their data from DMV but the guy from DMV said "probably not" and left with no recourse.