This is Progress?

No one in my building got their New York Times today. I called the 800 number (which if you misdial you end up at a phone sex line, wonder how many bearded snooty upper west side intellectuals ended up getting their rocks off today instead of filing a complaint) and even tried out their new thing which is enter your phone number and they call you right back instead of holding.

So I do that and literally fifteen seconds later the phone rings. Heck, I could've held. Especially since I'm right back in automated hell and the first thing a person asks when I finally get a human on the phone is for my last name even though my phone number is my account number! But the best part was when I tell him I didn't get my paper and he asks where I live. Shouldn't that be on the computer screen if he's already got my name and number? I give him my street address and apartment number. He then asks what city and state.

I know, it's a national newspaper but if they are going to ask for all this information and not have the basic information. I wonder if I had said an address on Broadway if he would've asked what city and state. I'll be he would. And I know, it's not his fault but just once it'd be nice to talk to a customer service rep or an operator in the city I'm actually calling from.

I'm really not cranky old man dude. I will be, but I'm not. It's just that all these things that allow big companies to slice costs in the name of progress and an illusion of providing better service, really do not help their customers very much.