FUCKIN AT & T

[Carsman]

A T & T is short for: "American" Telephone and Telegraph Company. What a fuckin misnomer that is, these days!

I wanted to put my Florida phone on vacation mode for the next several, months. So I called the phone number listed on the bill, and after following the prompts, (Never had the option to speak to a human) and then waiting 10 or so minutes, I get connected to a foreigner that I can't understand.
So I said I wanted to be transferred to a person in the USA, and she said she did not have a number to transfer my call to. So I hung up, and repeated the ordeal "8" mores times! (I'm a glutton for punishment)
And every time thereafter, I got an "Off shore" (as they put it) operator, (in South East Asia, India, Nicaragua, &?) I asked one guy (Don) who said he was in America, I said where in America, he said, Michigan Detroit. I said you mean, Detroit Michigan don't you, and he quickly hung up. I could never get to speak to a AT & T operator in the USA.
So having no other choice, I finally dealt with 3 different hard to understand foreigners, as each time each one said they would put my phone on vacation mode, and all 3 times, none of them did what they said. FUCKIN SOB's!

Today, I called my AT&T phone number in NE, and got to speak to an operator in Louisville Kentucky, who really was in the USA, and I "CANCELLED" the Fuckin Florida Phone.

I'll show em, fuckin a, I'll get Verizon or Comcast phone next season. Rant over!!

[ramseycat]

You must really be mad because you never use the F word. Lol

[SIXFOOTERsez]

So why do you need a separate cell phone for here and home?

[ramseycat]

Not cells. Land lines.

[SIXFOOTERsez]

Ahh...in that case lose the hard line completely and just go cellular unless your running fax machine.
I have a fax line on my Vonage box, 2 lines about $70/month, connected to my router all the time

[crash]

Who even uses a fax these days? I haven't sent a fax for five years I reckon..

[HairOfTheDog]

We're still sending faxes multiple times daily out of the office.

Hard copy signatures are still required on a lot of health care related forms and we've got boxes and boxes of files in the storage cabinets -- gotta keep hard copy documentation of client files for 7 years in case of an audit (even though we've got them scanned and saved in electronic files which are backed-up to a secured server).

It's annoying and wasteful.

[crash]

We're still sending faxes multiple times daily out of the office.

Hard copy signatures are still required on a lot of health care related forms and we've got boxes and boxes of files in the storage cabinets -- gotta keep hard copy documentation of client files for 7 years in case of an audit (even though we've got them scanned and saved in electronic files which are backed-up to a secured server).

It's annoying and wasteful.

Umm..what's the difference between a scanned/printed copy of a signature and a facsimile of a signature? They're still both copies..

[sally]

I send out faxes daily too. I do it through the computer instead of a fax line because it's cheaper. Most residential customers have e-mail, but a lot of the commercial customers still use a fax number.

[crash]

Paper Checks, Faxes...do you still send telexes too.. beepers?

When did you guys just get complacent and lose the edge?

[Maggot]

Soon cash will be gone but I bet it still gets printed. I love cash, the last bastion of freedom.

[HairOfTheDog]

Paper Checks, Faxes...do you still send telexes too.. beepers?

When did you guys just get complacent and lose the edge?

It's industry-specific as far as hard-copy signature requirements.

Plus, most of my senior clients don't communicate and transact electronically anyway.

I don't think the US (if that's what you meant by "you guys") has lost its edge or fallen behind. When I left the corporate world, we'd gone completely paperless a year or more prior.

[HairOfTheDog]

We're still sending faxes multiple times daily out of the office.

Hard copy signatures are still required on a lot of health care related forms and we've got boxes and boxes of files in the storage cabinets -- gotta keep hard copy documentation of client files for 7 years in case of an audit (even though we've got them scanned and saved in electronic files which are backed-up to a secured server).

It's annoying and wasteful.

Umm..what's the difference between a scanned/printed copy of a signature and a facsimile of a signature? They're still both copies..

Long term care insurance and some medical providers often don't have a a dedicated representative for each client/patient, or centralized drop box or email. You fax the claims department the completed and signed form, it gets reviewed, and it gets delivered to the appropriate/available representative for processing.

Old school, for sure.

[crash]

Jesus wept..

I always thought Mexico was invading the US, maybe they're just overtaking you.

[HairOfTheDog]

So, in Australia, faxing is obsolete and even medical records and traditional or small business no longer require or prefer hard copies?

[crash]

Mostly, yes. Like I said, a printed hard copy of a scanned original is still a hard copy. Usually colour or better resolution b&w too, if you absolutely need one.

For important documents where an original signature would be required (loan documents etc.), you would scan, email and snail mail the original.

Sure, there are still a few good ol' boys that haven't worked out that fangled new Eee Mail yet, but ya no. Most people are pushing for paperless. Some utility providers actually charge you for a paper bill now.

[HairOfTheDog]

Mostly, yes. Like I said, a printed hard copy of a scanned original is still a hard copy. Usually colour or better resolution b&w too, if you absolutely need one.

For important documents where an original signature would be required (loan documents etc.), you would scan, email and snail mail the original.

Sure, there are still a few good ol' boys that haven't worked out that fangled new Eee Mail yet, but ya no. Most people are pushing for paperless. Some utility providers actually charge you for a paper bill now.

Thanks.

That sounds about the same as here for most industries and companies.

Electronic is definitely the norm.

[crash]

Thanks.

That sounds about the same as here for most industries and companies.

Electronic is definitely the norm.

When I say mostly, I mean like 99% of the time. The absolute majority of businesses I work with would be lucky to send a fax a month. If it was even that frequent.

[HairOfTheDog]

Thanks.

That sounds about the same as here for most industries and companies.

Electronic is definitely the norm.

When I say mostly, I mean like 99% of the time. The absolute majority of businesses I work with would be lucky to send a fax a month. If it was even that frequent.

Ok, crash.

I can't derive a meaningful estimated percentage that could logically be applied to the whole of US industries, businesses and individuals based only on my past or current personal observation/experiences.

CPUs, digital imaging, email, PDF (writable or read-only)...technologies invented in the US and used widely by US businesses and individuals. That I can say with certainty.

I don't have any basis or incentive to challenge your contention that Australia has adopted and used those technologies across all demographics and industries more so than the US -- you're the Jetsons, we're the Flintstones.

[Duchess]

I use the fax machine almost daily, it's just a fact of life for me when I'm taking care of business & I know they use it up in the stable too for sending/receiving documents from racetracks, owners/trainers, etc. I think it's going to be awhile before it's considered obsolete here.