Hospitals support procrastination

I don't often need to phone anyone who is in hospital (touch wood) but I recently phoned and heard an automated response that said hello to me. That's nice. I was through to the bedside number of someone in hospital. Good because that's the number I phoned. I was told that maybe I phoned because this number was a missed call. Well no. Good guess but I had phoned because I had been given the number.

Then the automated voice said that this call will cost me more than usual. It would be nice to have been put through but I was sure that I was nearly there and I suppose there is an obligation to tell me that phone calls cost money. Then I was asked politely if I could be patient. Well I was feeling patient so that piece of advice wasn't really needed, but who knows, some listeners may have been feeling impatient so the advice could have been useful.

I was told the name of the hospital that I was phoning and it was the right one! I was starting to feel the need for the advice about patience. Then there was a full spiel about the costs of the call from various kinds of phone but that wasn't too bad because the automated voice was very polite and thanked me for listening.

When someone you know is in hospital then it can be a difficult time so it is nice to be told that I can make a gift to them over the phone so that they can use the phone. I was given a number to ring if I wanted to make this gift, and then I was told very calmly and slowly that they were connecting me now... and then I received a message that the person in hospital was not available.

Apart from not speaking to the person to whom I wanted to speak, my main concern is that the automated waffle is sanctioned by hospital authorities. I am not keen on procrastination at the best of times and I am even less keen when it costs me money. Still, it only cost me £1.50 to get nowhere.

Change the world