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Friday, December 07, 2012

 

At the Tone


To Leave a Message…

 

This has been a week of “to leave a message, please press one.”  Or “We are experiencing a high volume of calls, please call back at a less busy time.”

 

When you get in an accident through no fault of your own, there’s a lot of paperwork and phone calls to be made.   I don’t like making phone calls.  Due to my continuing neck and shoulders issues (that certainly were NOT helped by that Silverado), I have to use the speakerphone option. 

 

I’m not found of speakerphone.  People complain that they can’t hear you, I complain that I can’t hear them and if I’m on hold and have started writing something-I forget that I’m waiting and they when someone finally answers, I then forget who and why I’ve called!

 

My absolute “favorite” is when they place you on hold for 5 minutes or more (and yes, I’m sure that’s some sort of gimmick to get you p-o’d and not want to deal with the issue on hand) and then either hang up on you OR tell you “we are experiencing a high volume of calls, please call back later.”

 

Later, as if later is going to improve their lack of answering or my mood?

 

I also hate leaving messages for all these various insurance people.  This week I left literally 6 messages and I gave them all 48 hours to call me back.  Do you know NONE of them did!  Not even ours!

 

Honestly, I’d probably be more patient if I weren’t a “patient”.  Also, I’m pretty sure those muscle relaxants are only relaxing my brain which has turned me into a very cranky curmudgeon.

 

Everything is irritating me.  I was snippy to the Social Security agent who finally helped me change my address.  I had to wind through all the various departments just to leave a message to have them call me back.  My mention of this to this poor woman wasn’t met with sympathy at all.

 

My new general doctor gave me a referral to a rheumatologist.  We’re getting off on the wrong foot.  I called and was put on hold for over 6 minutes and then the line went dead.

 

I’m taking a few tallies:  6 calls to various insurance companies.  4 calls to the IRS-none of which were successful (they said to call back at a less busy time!).  3 calls to the new arthritis medical group and the 2 to my regular doctor.  Oh, almost forgot-I had to call my HMO in California to let them know that Medicare will not allow me to have both my husband’s PPO in Arizona and them on stand-by as my Medicare account.

 

Of course Medicare will still be deducting my Part B money that will do absolutely nothing for me as long as my husband is providing me with medical care.  If I opt out however-should I ever need it, it could take 6 months to a year to get it re-instated.

 

This they were able to tell me on only the first call.

 

To share some good news, which I’m sure you’re all wondering if I’ll ever share with you again:

 

Family room is done.  Kitchen backsplash looks beautiful and the kitchen is together.  By the time you read this-our new dresser and the bed will have arrived and we’ll have finally had a good night’s sleep!  (The frame to the bed and the nightstands will follow in several weeks.  My husband has finished:  installing 3 fans, our desks, the laundry sorter and a few other “honey dos”.  And thank goodness, the replacement slats on the family room blinds will be done by the end of the weekend.

 

Now I need to heal enough to look for a new car and get the nerve to drive it.

 

All in good time.  I’m really hoping for a “quiet” December.  I could use a little “boring”.

Comments:
One reason I don't want to go to one of those cut-rate insurance companies, like Geico or Progresssive, is that I fear that you'll be on the phone forever if you even have a claim. Our AAA has worked fine thus far (please don't tell me they were one of the six).


 
no, Dave-while we don't have our insurance through AAA, we have their roadside service, our IRAs and do all our trip planning through them. they've always been wonderful. Our agents are working on my behalf through State Farm. But it's the guy who hit me who has the "fly-by-night" company. So far, no return calls, double sets of asking me for the police reports and some "in print" disparaging words that confirmed the one person I did talk to's personality.
I have a feeling this isn't going to be a fun and easy closing of the problem.
thinking it may turn as ugly as my left knee.
 
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