What's an acceptable amount of time to be on hold?

[Skipppy]

On hold with a French owned utilities company, I'm attempting to close my account as I am moving at the end of the month. I have already endured 23 minutes of their hold music before being forced to hang up and have come back for more, this time around I've been sitting here for 15 minutes.... so far.

I need to get this done, so it's unavoidable but at a combined 38 minutes I feel they're taking the piss!

[Mr Darcy]

Any more than 7 minutes and I hang up.

[TuxRacer]

I don't think it is acceptable.

[Petrolhead_Rich]

cancel the Direct Debit and let them call you...

[andyjo1982]

Time to ask for the manager/supervisor...

[R60EST]

Have the same trouble with a certain media company beginning with V . I usually just put the call onto loudspeaker and try and get on with something else

[Pothole]

you do know if you hang up and redial you're at the back of the queue. Speakerphone is your friend or write a recorded delivery letter to the CEO.

[Deva Link]

If only you'd signed up with British Gas - they'll call you back. (So it says in their TV adverts, anyway)

[Jackleman]

I don't know why these companies just don't put an answer machine on after 5 minutes so that you can organise a call back. It would save everyone from getting wound up etc.

[Skipppy]

That one last 35 minutes before hanging up, so a total of 58 minutes on hold for them today.

I have now emailed a generic address with my contact details and cancelled the direct debit.

If they choose to call I might leave them listening to the lighthouse family for an hour or so to see how they like it!

[Nardies]

Jackleman said:

I don't know why these companies just don't put an answer machine on after 5 minutes so that you can organise a call back. It would save everyone from getting wound up etc.

Because the monkeys wont bother calling back.

[Justayellowbadge]

I'll get back to you.

[Deva Link]

I really don't know how they get away with it when many people these days are calling from mobile phones and they're typically 20p minute for 0845 numbers.

And they change their numbers so frequently that SayNoTo0870 is less and less useful for finding the geographic numbers.

[Glassman]

it's a real test of your patience when the call finally does get answer, you're told your call needs to be transferred... and then they screw up the transfer and cut you off.

[gareth.e]

after 5 minutes I start to get a bit pissed

[Rags]

I was on the phone at 11pm friday night trying to pay my congestion charge and was on hold for 14minutes.

Their online system was down and to avoid being stung at the normal rate ( I get a residents discount) I had to stay waiting....

Tw*ts.

Only blessing was that I called the 0207 number as opposed to an 0845 one.

[Shinobi]

People moan in our place when they get through to us after wait for it ............ 48 seconds. Yes we have a 32 second Legal Script to save us having to advise customers it and they still moan. The remaining 16 seconds is the ringing and switch over seconds of the IVR.

Customers can be so impatient. Personally I would say anything over 4 minutes is to long.

[Deva Link]

Shinobi said:

Customers can be so impatient.

[TuxRacer]

Shinobi said:

People moan in our place when they get through to us after wait for it ............ 48 seconds. Yes we have a 32 second Legal Script to save us having to advise customers it and they still moan. The remaining 16 seconds is the ringing and switch over seconds of the IVR.

Customers can be so impatient. Personally I would say anything over 4 minutes is to long.

You have virtually a minute's delay by default as a minimum?!

[Olivero]

UK - 4 minutes
Italy - 4 Hours
India - 4 days