We have been told that new technologies are helping companies serve customers better, but is that actually the case? Here is some evidence from the past week…

Example 1:

• Place order online for a set of two items.
• Receive one item.
• Go to website to find out when the next item will arrive.
• See the order is marked “delivered” even though the delivery picture clearly shows one box, not two.
• Go to gigantic company website to find customer service phone number, which is not listed.
• Use chat to explain situation to a bot who can’t help.
• Be transferred to a customer service associate who can’t help.
• Request secret customer service phone number.
• Wait for 30+ minutes while listening to annoying, repetitive “song.”
• Advised to wait two days, in case the second item arrives late.
• Wait while nothing arrives.
• Call again.
• Am told to wait for company to research and get back to me in two days.
• Wait while they do not get back to me.
• Call again.
• Am told the only option is to bring single item to the store for a full refund.
• Say that I want to keep item and would be fine with partial refund for item not received.
• Am denied and given a return code to return the item that I do not want to return.

Example 2:

• Order food from a place we don’t normally visit.
• Am automatically signed up for a rewards program.
• Get email deals constantly.
• Want to unsubscribe but email says, “If you are a member of our rewards program, you cannot unsubscribe.”
• Search on company website how to not be a rewards member.
• Find instructions that say to go to profile and click cancel button.
• Go to profile, but there is no cancel button.
• Go to corporate site and fill out help form explaining everything.
• Never hear from anyone.
• Still receive emails from which we cannot unsubscribe, for a program for which we did not sign up.

Say it with me: arrrrgh! Where is the humanity? And yes, these may be small things, but there are so many things we have to navigate these days. It adds up!

How about you dear readers: are you finding that such technologies are helping or hindering lately?