What a performance !

Yesterday I realised it was time to renew our EHIC cards, we've never had to use them, but we do need to keep them up to date, just in case.

Okay so I can renew by phone, bearing in mind for us it will be premium rate, no free calls to these numbers. We do get 5 hours free each month to call anywhere in Europe, plus one free call outside Europe, but not to numbers such as these.

First a good few minutes having to listen to what to do, what options to press which button for only to find the option pressed "card replacement" is not really the one you want, because the automated questions asked are only relevant if you reside permanently in the UK and the answer you give is replied by an automated voice saying "sorry we do not understand that answer", please hold whilst we connect you to an agent.

Okay, hold, listen to music, listen to "thank you for your patience" etc and finally get a real person. Explain to the person what is needed and suddenly you are told "you need replacement" and puts you right back to where you first started without so much as a word.

Okay, try again, no luck again. By now I'm ready to throw the phone and all the details needed through the door and have a really good tantrum. I gave up for the day.

This morning I thought it is probably easier to do it online, by email, so that done and an automated reply received to confirm the email has been received, along with the biggest load of waffle in the confirmation, I now await to be told it's the wrong department and to go back to option 1.

I didn't have this trouble last time the cards were renewed and that was by phone. I am now beginning to wonder if we are all being fooled and there are no real flesh and blood people working in these establishments.

Re: What a performance !

It's quite amazing isn't it. If we did our jobs so inefficiently we'd be sacked I'm sure.

Re: What a performance !

Well Julie, I have just this minute received another email, following the automated reply, I guess it´s what I should have expected.

This is it...

"To request a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or renew an expired one, you should contact the Department of Work and Pensions Overseas Healthcare team:
•0191 218 1999 (option 1) if you are calling from the UK.

•0044 191 218 1999 (option 1) if you are calling from outside of the UK.
The telephone line is open Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm."

I´m right back where I started Such friendly and helpful people, robots, or whatever they are....NOT.

Re: What a performance !

They might be more helpful if they were robots