4 ms·

This article is hilarious and well written. Despite it being about suffering a little too much pain over phone calls, I think it's also meant to be funny. Take

This article is hilarious and well written. Despite it being about suffering a little too much pain over phone calls, I think it's also meant to be funny. Take for example his story about being too nervous to call his own doctor and eventually getting just better on his own, and therefore how he wonders if telephones are a tool used by the national health service to cut costs. I wonder how he would have survived in the days of only telephones and no text messages, or in the days of no telephones and only unexpected raps at the door. His indictment of telephone customer service is thorough. Even people who don't normally dread phone calls probably dread trying to call a company.

hrktb 9y ago
I can’t speak for the author, but people going incredible length to avoid phone calls is a real thing. What surprises me is the author not having the online credentials handy. I also hate phone calls with a passion, and the first thing I look for in a bank is the online interface and how good their app is maintained. I had to give up on well regarded local banks because of how they focus on “human touch” and had sub-par online tools. Same with doctors, it took a lot of time to find a range of doctors that had online reservation systems but that’s definitely doable in europe at least. I survived the years where phoning people was the only way, but even then I tried to have alternatives (actually going to the company’s office was usually a lot better for instance). Basically I think telephone was a mistake, and wish it a painful and quick death so we forget about it yesterday.
grkvlt 9y ago
> he wonders if telephones are a tool used by the national health service to cut costs that just lowered my opinion of him. first he mentions there is an online service, but for some reason he can't be bothered to obtain the user id required to use it. similarly with his bank, he can't use facebook messenger to communicate with them (and why on earth would he want to) and mentions their other digital banking services for online access, but again refuses to use them. the report of millions of people with 'telephone phobia' is misrepresenting things - there are not 4.5 million people with a mental condition that causes them fear and anxiety when confronted by a telephone, there are that many people who don't like phones, the same as there are that many people who don't like spiders. and the idea that the NHS might be trying to save money by providing a telephone service staffed 24/7 is just so ludicrous it's hard to know how to respond. the author obviously has mental health issues regarding social interactions, and should seek help for that issue rather than trying to replace the telephone.

hrktb 9y ago

I can’t speak for the author, but people going incredible length to avoid phone calls is a real thing. What surprises me is the author not having the online credentials handy. I also hate phone calls with a passion, and the first thing I look for in a bank is the online interface and how good their app is maintained. I had to give up on well regarded local banks because of how they focus on “human touch” and had sub-par online tools. Same with doctors, it took a lot of time to find a range of doctors that had online reservation systems but that’s definitely doable in europe at least. I survived the years where phoning people was the only way, but even then I tried to have alternatives (actually going to the company’s office was usually a lot better for instance). Basically I think telephone was a mistake, and wish it a painful and quick death so we forget about it yesterday.

grkvlt 9y ago

> he wonders if telephones are a tool used by the national health service to cut costs that just lowered my opinion of him. first he mentions there is an online service, but for some reason he can't be bothered to obtain the user id required to use it. similarly with his bank, he can't use facebook messenger to communicate with them (and why on earth would he want to) and mentions their other digital banking services for online access, but again refuses to use them. the report of millions of people with 'telephone phobia' is misrepresenting things - there are not 4.5 million people with a mental condition that causes them fear and anxiety when confronted by a telephone, there are that many people who don't like phones, the same as there are that many people who don't like spiders. and the idea that the NHS might be trying to save money by providing a telephone service staffed 24/7 is just so ludicrous it's hard to know how to respond. the author obviously has mental health issues regarding social interactions, and should seek help for that issue rather than trying to replace the telephone.