Today I needed to conduct some personal business by telephone. This business involved changing a couple of medical appointments, researching a new healthcare provider’s affiliations to learn if it is in-network with our insurance, and requesting several recent medical films and records be sent to me so I can take them with me to the new provider at my next appointment. The process took almost two hours total with multiple phone calls during which I was repeatedly put on hold with raucous music blaring in my ear (pure pain when you have tinnitus).
I am not bitter because of the many menu options I mis-selected. Nor am I angry about the repeated calls that sent me back-and-forth, back-and-forth, necessitating that I speak with different service people each time I return-called with new information, requiring me to start at square one and repeat myself over and over. Rather, I am astounded and mind-boggled by the long, drawn-out process of accomplishing relatively simple business, and the way this process compounds stress for the customer - especially one who is hearing impaired.
My head is now spinning and I feel like I’ve just run an auditory marathon. Please, please, it is only just past noon but I don’t want to talk to anyone else for the rest of the day! I feel like crawling into a cave where the whistling and screaming inside my head is all I can hear. Believe me, it is enough.
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