101 service

[Bill]

That wind was a bit wild last night. I was driving through Woolston Grange and narrowly missed colliding with a load of scaffolding from an advertising hording that the wind had taken down. It wasn’t safe to stop, and I doubt my mate and myself could have moved it anyway given its size, so we tried to contact the police on 101.

What an utter waste of time. Great if you like listening to loads of options and menus that seem to go on forever and especially so in the dark in a howling gale. Then to cap it all, the line just goes dead. We try again but by the time we’d got through all the options, we were at the pub, but being the good citizens we are, we sat in the car continuing to hold for another ten minuets before it cut off again.

I’m sure the police were mega busy last night but the rigmarole of their 101 service makes me wonder who the heck thinks these things up.

 

Bill 😊

[Confused52]

I understand that the Police and Crime Commission may well agree with you on that sentiment.

[Observer II]

999 ?    

[Evil Sid]

Get the number for Warringotn police station.

If you call 999 and ask for the police they will ask you what town and then put you through to Warrington police station, or used to. (not had to call them for a few years so things may have changed)

Arpley street station does have a number listed that i have used before now. The number is 01925 652222..( they are only open between 8am and 6pm, after that you are on your own.)

It's been a while since i called them on that number as well so not sure if it goes through an options menu or straight to the custody desk.

 

[ninearches]

Is Whitehall 1212 still in use for Scotland Yard ,i wonder ?

[Latchford Locks]

It's a disgrace and someone somewhere is to blame .

But with all the usual buck passing you won't find out who. 

Best(only) option is to make a stink in the media with letters etc, they don't like bad press and maybe would do something who knows.

[Confused52]

45 minutes ago, ninearches said:

Is Whitehall 1212 still in use for Scotland Yard ,i wonder ?

Well yes and no. The original number WHI 1212 was dialled as 944 1212. In 1966 that would have changed because of all-figure dialling and London sectorisation to 930 1212. The STD code was 01 for London so the full number was 01 930 1212 and the exchange was in the central sector. So in May 1990 it became 071 930 1212 and then in 1995 it changed to 0171 930 1212. Only to change once again in April 2000 to 0207 930 1212. The Metropolitan Police can still be called direct at the New Scotland Yard switchboard on 0207 230 1212, another number but clearly intended to convey continuity, as well as dialling 101 from a telephone in the MPS area. 

[Bill]

To be honest when I suggested ringing 101, I wasn’t quite sure if that was the nonemergency police number or the national health service but it’s not the memorable number that’s the issue but the time it takes before the phone even begins to connect. You can’t help but feel that at the other end there’s someone sitting there waiting for the machine to stop talking.

I just want the phone to be answered, without my life being wasted telling me my how important my call is and how all calls are recorded for my own security. There were so many options that you had to listen through twice to be sure that then took you to even more options. They should employ the very nice Alexa at the call centre then she’d only need to say, “What’s your problem love.” 😊

It’s all a bit old tech and and needs replacing with something more modern or even better, a real person that just answers the phone.

 

Bill 😊

[Confused52]

I thought all call answering systems were now as bad as you describe. The delay as you navigate options is taken as part of your queueing delay  so it is made as long as possible. I recall the one at DWP having a special mumbling man so you couldn't understand him and had to call a second time. That got the call attempts up! The problem as you well know Bill is that the issue is that however important it is the Police would rather not actually talk to you so the number of hoops you have to jump through is as high as possible to get you to clear down. The network technology connects yo quite quickly to a police service that doesn't give a monkey's. Your call is very important to us, indeed so important that we have under dimensioned the number of call agents so badly that we can tell you in advance, on every call, that we are receiving an unprecedent number of calls at the moment and that call answering time will be longer than you expected. We suggest you look at the internet instead and just go away! Modern service at work....

[ninearches]

Every call centre which involves public services & doctors is geared to discouraging use & ultimately fobbing off the people they are supposed to serve. The only time call centres are on the ball is when you are of use to them.