Dealing with automation can be lots of fun:
"If this is a Medicare Part D member, please press 1. Otherwise, please press 2."
Me: "Representative."
"Ok, you want to talk to a representative. First, I need to get some information. Is this for a Medicare Part D member? Please answer 'yes or no.'"
Me: "Yes or no."
"I'm sorry, I didn't understand that. Are you trying to process a claim? Please answer 'yes or no'."
Me: "Yes or no."
"I'm sorry, let me transfer you to someone who can help. But before that, I need to get some information. Please say or type the ID number of the person you are calling about."
Me: "Six one one eight five seven one two three."
"Did you say, 'six one nine two seventeen one-hundred-eighty? Please answer yes or no.'"
Me: "Yes or no."
"I'm sorry, let's start over. If this is a Medicare Part D member, please press 1. Otherwise, please press 2."
Me: "May I please just talk to someone? I don't have time to fuss around with an automated system that doesn't understand a F----ing thing I'm saying, my patient is bleeding on the floor and my technician is busy doing Quake-N-Zap. Now let me talk to someone, NOW!"
"Please hold."
<pleasant music plays>
"Hello, this is Insanity Insurance, what is the nature of your call?" said by a human, finally....
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I can swear (and I often do) that this is an accurate account of interaction with the mind-numbing uselessness of medical insurance. I've worked in medical billing for over 20 years... Most of those, I've spent trying to get a human that 1)speaks American/English, 2)has at least HEARD of the company they work for, and 3)is actually willing to try to help. I usually find that rare individual only to be told that this policy is "special" and I will need to start over at another phone number...
ReplyDeleteAt least I have job security.
It's not just you lot dealing with insurance companies. As a plain old person, we get the same "menu" recording when trying to:
ReplyDeleteAdd minutes to a cell phone.
Renew a prescription.
Activate a "chip" card with your bank.
Contact a family member at their place of work.
Ad infinitum.
Used to be that one could get in touch with a real person by hitting the "Operator" button but those days are gone forever.
Representative.
ReplyDeleteREPresentative.
REP-RE-SEN-TA-TIVE!
AAAAAARRRRRGHHHH!!!!!!!! REPRESENTATIVE! SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!!
\ShootMeNow