How much time do you have to waste waiting on the phone?

Not such a little one from me today because I rather enjoyed some of the statistics in the Daily Telegraph. I am NOT promoting the solution mentioned in the article, as I know nothing about it. The article itself is definitely well worth a read:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/consumer-affairs/companies-outsourcing-customer-service-to-other-customers/

I'm sorry if you have to buy into the Telegraph to read the article. The article speaks very much about the appalling state of affairs within the UK with customer services. Okay, so all of us have experienced the gruelling telephone waiting time for the likes of Banks and Doctors' Surgeries.

Regarding surgeries, my wife spent 45 minutes on the phone yesterday trying to speak to get a prescription signed by one of the Doctors for painkillers. The name eludes me now as it is never the same one twice that you speak to if you wait goodness knows how long to get through reception to a new Triage Doctor.

It was clear from the start that the doctor concerned didn’t want to prescribe the painkillers in the first place. Because I had run out of painkillers, the Doctor relented and prescribed and said her words exactly – “I will write you out a subscription for 7 days.” I said why only 7 days? Surely, I am going to run out again?”. Her response was, “I am seeing you the day after tomorrow; it will certainly cover that time period.”

Although I thought what a farce it all was, it’s just going to keep running. At least I was covered - or so I thought. Altogether, with my time on the phone, that was an hour, of which 45 minutes was waiting time. The prescription arrived 2 hrs later. Great, you might think.

Next Calamity. Opening the prescription, it reads, “Take 1-2 tablets 4 times a day. “We don’t need a Maths degree to establish how many tablets are required for a week. I’ll help with the calculation. Should I take only one tablet 4 times a day for 7 days, that would be 28 tablets. Agreed? If it is severe pain [which it happens to be] and I need to take 2 tablets 4 times a day, that makes, you’ve got it, twice as many, a total of 56 tablets, twice as many.

You remember from above, “At least I was covered. Or so I thought.” The total number of tablets is 14. That is less than two days, with my legs as painful as they are. Guess what? My wife is back on the phone again today for 45 minutes to explain the anomaly. No chance of speaking to any doctor today, triage or otherwise. Response from receptionist, “I will pass the message on”.

Result: 1hr45 minutes on the phone. Some of you might ask, surely it is quicker to send an email? OK, so it takes less time to send an email, although you do get advised that you will receive a response within 48 hours. You will remember I have less than two days' supply of painkillers.

?I did go on about it a bit, didn’t I? Only because it gives me opportunity to promote another podcast. Do read the article in the Telegraph first, though.

Tomorrow's podcast is titled: ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? “Property Quorum: Cracks in the Code: Exposing Gaps in Building Control”

You may be asking, what the heck has that to do with the article on wasted waiting time? That's a good question, it's an even worse answer. If I have a query on Building Control, the majority of the time, I cannot speak to anyone directly; that service has often been removed. Instead, I have to send an email. Of course, I could instead, send the query in by post.

It would be daft, methinks, to put it in the post. There’s the time factor, and naturally, at a cost of over ￡1 now, the email is a better bet; it gets there sooner and has?no cost attached. It’s normally a very swift response only because it’s automatic. The slow response can take up to a couple of days. Either way, the content is the same: “We will respond as soon as we are able to your query; it will be a maximum of 20 working days.”

That’s the response, urgent or otherwise. Please remember that you cannot speak to anyone on the phone either.

Back to our podcast tomorrow, then, the topic “Cracks in the Code: Exposing Gaps in Building Control.” OK, for starters, they are short-staffed. We have the usual suspects for our Property Quorum, live at 10am Thursday. Chris Gilsenan , the highly respected Developer/Conveyancer of Root Home . Alongside Chris, the equally respected and highly experienced Juliet Baboolal LLB (hons), LLM construction , partner at gunnercooke .

This week, our very special guest, Michelle Carr , although not yet a regular on our podcasts, is a repeated rejoiner. With her own company Construction Alchemy Limited , and in various other capacities as a qualified surveyor, Michelle has vast experience in Quality Control and Building Control in particular. A great subject then at 10am live. Or listen in laid-back with your choice of drink at a time that suits you.

My choice of drink today, as I joined with the great Silas J. Lees of WiggyWam , gives good cause to point to Friday’s explosive podcast. It will feature the 5th Earl of Lytton, John Lytton BSc FRICS , on the subject of “How Safe Is The Building Safety Act?” The Earl of Lytton, famous for his work on establishing https://buildingsafety.org/along with Stephen Day , who himself is surrounded by fire-risk cladding in the Royal Artillery Quays Residents . Some serious stuff there! Silas will be with us too of course, perhaps some water to hand to help reduce the danger of sparks flying.