I think they really need to work on how to report problems succinctly. A simple error tone would be fine, combined with some recognized follow-up command like

I think they really need to work on how to report problems succinctly. A simple error tone would be fine, combined with some recognized follow-up command like “what happened” or “tell me more”; in other words, assume by default that the person probably just mumbled and is about to repeat the real command. Instead, Alexa likes to spew out multi-sentence explanations when there is a problem, and trying to talk over all of that to get Alexa’s attention again is very irritating. Usually I end up trying to talk at the same time and it may or may not listen. Imagine Alexa saying all of this kind of stuff: “I am sorry, the Thing I Think You Asked Me About But You Did Not Actually Ask Me About is not available right now. I cannot find a solution. Please go to Amazon dot com slash Something Else You Most Definitely Did Not Ask About, and visit the solutions web page.”. While all of that unnecessary verbiage is being barked out, I am usually saying something like: “Alexa...Alexa...ALEXA, turn on the...ALEXA, turn on the...ALEXA STOP!!! Alexa, turn on the lights.”.