Here are a few recent technology stories I have had to which you may be able to relate. A few months ago, our Xfinity service stopped providing internet. Our neighbors were receiving theirs. I gave up on trying to penetrate Xfinity’s phone and chat systems. If he were alive, George Carlin would have a field day with that word. I can imagine him proclaiming he did not want to chat; he wanted help solving a problem. Of course, we now have ChatGPT.
Anyhow, I drove to the local Xfinity store, and after waiting for roughly twenty minutes, I met with a nice enough woman who informed me that she could see a problem at my address; but she could not see what it was. She inquired if I would like to schedule a visit by a technician. The next availability was two weeks out. With my patience running thin, I asked if this could be sooner. The best she could do was put me on a waiting list in case there was a cancellation.
My next move was to drive to the AT&T store. After waiting for half an hour, I showed my Xfinity bill to the attendant and asked if they could beat it. They did. The transition of services took four hours.
And then I got a bill from AT&T. It did not jibe with my memory. I tried calling the number listed on the bill and after pleading several times that I wanted a person, I got one. I gave her the account number that was on the bill and then guessed right on my password. So far, so good. The next step was for her to send a verification code to my mobile phone. I never got it because it was not the number they had on file. But she reassured me that she would send the code to my email. Evidently, my email address, which I have been using for decades, was not the one she had on file. Therefore, she was not able to open my account and answer my questions.
Totally exasperated, I reasserted the account number and my identity emphasizing that I simply had questions. No can do, she replied. I asked to speak to her manager. She responded that it was not company policy to make those kinds of transfers.
Sound familiar? Has technology made our lives easier? I think not.
The larger question is what can humans do that computers and robots can not? Care. My Dad, a career salesman, had a saying: Nobody cares what you know until they know that you care. I have heard it since, and I don’t believe it is original to him. I do believe it applies to all fields.
By the way, after cancelling Xfinity and returning their modem and other stuff, I got a reminder of the tech appointment. I cancelled. He arrived anyhow.