Whoever approved the "Pay-By-Phone" credit card payment system now being used by the RACQ should be sacked for being the most-incompetent dunder-head ever employed by this august, 102-year old organisation.The system is a complete shocker!
Most corporations with phone pay facilities such as Telstra, Australia Post, Origin Energy, Suncorp and local Councils have quick, efficient systems which respond immediately with self-keyed details being processed and finalised in seconds.
Not so with this supposedly voice-interactive, u-beaut RACQ system which has all of the efficiencies of a clapped out morse code set.
Its voice recognition capabilities rate somewhere between non-existent and hopeless, frustrating callers and forcing them to be handed over to a live operator at additional cost to the RACQ.
Which defeats the whole purpose of having an interactive system anyway.
Take this example this morning on 13 1905 which went along the following lines:
After a prolonged, meaningless, time-wasting introduction, the recorded computer voice asks:
"So tell me in a few words, what's the reason for your call?"
(Isn't it obvious what the reason for the call is, if a caller is ringing the quoted number for credit card payments!!!)
After 3 aborted attempts, the system finally recognised that I wanted to pay a membership bill.
Wow-ee!! In the same time to get this far, I could have paid a Telstra bill.
"And you're using a credit card, right?"
"Yes."
"Sorry, was that yes?"
"Yes."
"Sorry, was that yes?"
"Yes."
"Good. Is your payment overdue?"
"No."
"Is your payment overdue?"
"Not, it's bloody not."
"Just say, yes or no."
"Yes or no."
"Is your payment overdue?"
"Nooooooooooooooo."
"Please state your Reference Number located in the top or bottom right hand corner of your account."
"Nine, two, zero, zero, two, four, five six, etc etc.... ."
"Sorry, please say or key in your Reference number."
(Why didn't "The Voice" ask for the number to be keyed in, in the first place, because it wasn't going to recognise the voice anyway!)
What is the amount on the notice?"
"Sixty-two dollars."
"Sorry, I am having trouble with that. What is the amount on the notice?"
"Sixty-two dollars."
"Sorry, I am having trouble with that. Please wait while you are being transferred to an operator."
"Good morning. Can I start with your Reference Number........"
Here we go again!
Only a total dunce could have come up with this unfriendly, interactive mess.
Sure, they would have been "sold" on the new system by a suave,quick-talker from some external corporation who convinced the RACQ that this was the way of the future and that all of their pay-by-phone problems would be solved with this state of the art technology.
More like "state of the ark" technology.
The sooner it is ditched in favour of a simpler, consumer-friendly system the better.
And the clown who signed up for the system should be made to repeat 10,000 times:
"I will not be conned by computer geeks ever again."
Sorry, you didn't hear that? I will repeat it for you:
"I will not be conned by computer geeks ever again."
Sorry, your are the biggest loser, goodbye!
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