FRUSTRATED BY THE COMPUTER TAKEOVER!

While I was checking my e-mail today, which I feel forced to do because so many companies and help sources insist on communicating that way, I saw a notice that one of my credit card companies had approved a charge made on a closed account that I have not used for about 10 months.

I had come downstairs to my computer to update my mail and write a blog on a completely different subject. But this new topic gently entered my conscious mind like a jack-hammer at a demolition site.

After reading the notice, my first call was to my credit card company. The pleasant-sounding computer thanked me for calling, then added, “Para Espanol oh primo numero dos.” I don’t speak Spanish so my quote may not be accurate. Summoning up the vast knowledge I gained from my two years of freshman Spanish in high school (Yes, I flunked it and took it over again) I believe the nice computer recording was asking me to hit the #2 key if I wanted to continue in Spanish.

The computer then continued the pleasant tone saying, “This call may be recorded and monitored, so tell me, how can I help you?” I really don’t like dealing with these things. I feel they are taking jobs from humans, they seldom understand me- I am forced to repeat myself several times or bring up my keypad and race to get the information they seek typed in before they disconnect me.

The first thing I think of when my call is answered by a computer is, “I wonder if this company has a competitor that has humans answering their phones?” If the answer is yes, I hang up and call the competitor. In this case, obviously, that was not possible because only this credit card company could solve this problem.

I failed to communicate effectively with the machine and it, finally, passed me on to a human.

The humans I spoke to were friendly and efficient. The thought popped into my head that maybe they were all on their “A” game because the call was being monitored or recorded and if they slipped up, in any way, they would be replaced by the next generation of automatrons (Or whatever they are/will be called).

In my first call, I made three, I spoke to Maddie and she passed me on to Kaisha. Between them I learned that I was double charged $76.10 and it was accepted because the same large company had requested the same payment in 2022. I told them I wanted to contest at least one of the charges. I added that I would like to clarify exactly what the charges were for. Kaisha gave me a number for the merchant and encouraged me to contact them, as I might be able to resolve my problem faster. I agreed to do that but asked her to leave my request for a fraud investigation active reference the double charge. I told her I would call to update the investigators if I resolved anything on my own.

I called the merchant number Kaisha had given me.

You’ll never guess who answered! I don’t know if the merchant’s phone was answered by a relative of the credit card company’s AI (Artificial Intelligence) answerer, you know- same batch. I was listening to a female version of AI- I’ll call her AI 2. AI 2 insisted on more information before we could move on to the mundane topic of what I wanted. AI 2 spoke in a pleasant voice, then again, aren’t all of the AI voices pleasant?

I am always surprised when my GPS AI reroutes me with a pleasant tone even though I have not made the last two turns as she instructed. If I was doing their job my voice would surely show signs of stress as in, “What is so hard about turn left on Main Street in 350 feet?” My GPS AI “monitor” does upset me by the fact that if I ask for assistance when I have travelled 200 miles from home it will inquire, “From current location.” The first time it did that I thought, “I’m going to have to pull over and type in where I am.” instead my AI friend told me where I was. Maybe AI should be renamed “Big Brother?”

Getting back to AI 2, She answered by saying, “Hi, thanks for calling UNNAMED MERCHANT, para Espanol dija Espanol oh prima el dos. To help us to improve the quality of our products, services & training this call may be recorded or monitored and information collected on this call may be transferred to other countries. To help me best assist you I need to know if you are calling as a home user or business user.” I said, “Home.” She continued by asking me to say what I needed. I told her (or it- I have such a problem with pronouns these days) that I had a problem with billing. AI 2 then instructed me to bring up their website and disconnected the call. I tried saying, “Hey, wait, I need to speak to someone.” But she, evidently, was not programmed to assist.

I was taken aback by how politely AI 2 had blown me off. If this was back in my dating days, I would have been scratching my head, still wondering if I had a chance or not. Well, she did disconnect the call, but she was so polite, she didn’t raise her voice, use obscenities or tell me not to call back? Maybe I’ll give her a week and try again….

I’ve heard that there are AI programs that can produce presentations in a known commentator’s style that are similar enough to what that speaker would probably say that it could pass as their work. I don’t know why anyone would want this. I think it is scary but remember, I do live in the past. You know, when things were, literally, in black and white and you could go to one news source and get a good representation of both sides of a story.

I like HUMAN INTELLIGENCE! I do not like the thought that Artificial Intelligence can mimic humans.

While many people applauded “Self Checkout” lanes in stores, I boycotted them, until most large stores had self-checkouts. I still try to shop where I can talk to the cashier, and if I am in a store that has both types I will always go to the human- even if that means waiting in a longer line.

Some experts theorize that the lack of human contact could be helping to drive up the suicide rate- I don’t argue with that at all.

I believe the human animal needs hugs, face to face conversations, smiles, frowns, winks, human voices, human reactions, human sarcasm and all that comes with human interaction much more than it needs expedited checkouts or cheap (non-human) labor answering phones.

Well, that’s how I feel. What do you think about it? Let me know, or if you want, have your AI machine give me a robo-call.

Thanks for reading to the end! Please comment, if the comment section does not come up at the end of the blog tap on the title and it should. Thank you for your patience, I am working on the problem.