Friday, October 05, 2007

Saturday phone lines

Joining the gym six months ago at a discount rate seemed such a great idea.
It was something to do, something healthy, not too time consuming and close to home. I'm not a sporty guy so I needed something to keep me fit.
So I sign the dotted line and get taken into a year contract.
I attended two months and the past four months Ive been shamefully paying for a service I've got out of the habit of using.
While it's my intention to return in the very near future, I managed to miscalculate a direct debit and left insufficient funds in my account for two days.
As lady luck would have it, it was at this point, the company attempted to claim their money and since then I've been left with a £30 service, sorry, punishment charge for withholding money from them.
Fair enough, my own stupid fault.
So i phone up to pay and it's a premium phone line. Great, as if they're not getting enough money out of me. I'm paying double for something I didn't use at all this month but hey, only myself to blame.
I take myself through the several choices and then am faced with silence.
After five minutes of trumpet music I hear a voice. About time!
Unfortunately it's an advertisement informing me what a great investment joining a gym has been. Errr hello!? You don't need to advertise to me, I'm already stuck in your contract otherwise I wouldn't be sitting here, wasting my lunch break away trying to make an overdue payment to you!
As the guy drones on about less risk of diabetes and additional promotion opportunites due to lack of sick days from work (All due to the gym, I kid you not!) I wonder what kind of phone charges I am now building up.
Eventually, after a severely long and repetitive (not to mention utter bullshit) advertisement, I hear a phone ringing. Hooray, am I finally getting through!?
Here was what I heard.
"Sorry, our customer service department is closed on a Saturday. please call again later. goodbye"

Grrrrrr.
And double grrrr.
Could you not have informed me of this first!?
I look at my phone and see 13 minutes and 42 seconds on the call timer.

I HATE phone lines!

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