Does Screwfix customer S have the most annoying “on hold” music deliberately ?

I guess it’s quite amusing really but a few minutes ago I went from being mildly irritated to almost incandescent with a horrible headache during my third call to Screwfix customer services about a refund I had been promised many times but never received. The catalyst on top of tiredness and frustration was actually the appalling call hold music which I had to endure for 20 mins ( and had grown to hate each time I called. )

It consists of a very loud ( ok you can turn the vol down ) repetitive concoction of stress inducing noises /beats and rhythms which stops and starts at short intervals and must surely be designed to get people to hang up and call back ?

If you’re unhappy before making the call and you make it through to an advisor you’ll almost certainly be more annoyed than before and I feel sorry for those taking the calls to be honest. I mentioned it to the lady and she said many had complained both about the volume and content of the “music” but despite referring to management nothing was ever done.

Having googled a little it seems this is a common complaint across the board and I’m starting to think it genuinely is done to reduce the backlog of calls to understaffed customer services.

I have had the same experience when phoning our dental surgery . Once again the call holding soundtrack is truly vomit inducing , hard on the ears and certainly cortisol inducing.

Is this a deliberated ploy that companies won’t admit or am I just a 57 yr Victor Meldrew Snowflake ?

Our Local Authority Educational Psychologist phoneline had “Closest Thing To Crazy” by Katie Melua, and the Social Work had “Walk On By” by Dionne Warwick. It was commented on and it was changed.

I phoned the cat’s protection league rehoming centre recently, instead of hold music they just had cats mewing.

My local Screwfix experience is pretty poor across the board. They are one of the businesses that seemed to relish the extra control and process that they could put in due to covid.
Strange that the Toolstation, 3 doors down interpreted what they needed to do significantly differently. Toostation is now my default choice for that kind of stuff. Screwfix can do one!

HSBC?

I’m not entirely sure what tune it is. I presume that they have a fixed bandwidth for their VOIP system and by the time it’s busy and you join the hold queue it’s all used up and you’re reduced to some classical piece payed at 2 bits.

The actual customer service is fine, but I can’t do it with the phone to my ear, it’s just painful.

Nothing will make you get a job faster than the tortuous sound of Greensleeves from the DWP.

Screwfix used to have a very good rep for customer service but it seems it’s gone to pot a little recently.

The Jamaican embassy played 10cc dreadlock holiday followed by Bob Marley’s greatest hits. Most enjoyable time I’ve spent on hold ever I think.

Green Flag used to have Fontella Bass – “Rescue Me” on loop when waiting at the roadside for assistance.

IKEA bed with 25year guarantee didn’t last 2 years.

Lots of fun listening to mama Mia on repeat.

It would benefit them to have callers hang up and try later or give up completely. They can get away with it. Therefore they probably are doing it.

Probably some arse tasked with “optimising” the call centre workload. I’d be very surprised to find them commissioning deliberately-annoying music though, more pick the most annoying free music.

My local Screwfix experience is pretty poor across the board. They are one of the businesses that seemed to relish the extra control and process that they could put in due to covid.

Must be a local thing as they are very similar in what they have done down here, and I have been to several of both.

Our local Screwfix does have a couple of employees that do show there must have been a staff shortage when hiring. Most are god’s but a couple need turning to face the right direction half the time. Feel sorry for thiwr colleges.

I second the HSBC or in my case first direct who used to be so quick at answering the phone but now it can easily be ten mins if a busy time of the month but your call is important to us
What’s just as bad if not worse is the lingerie ad on here , springs up at full volume , does my heid in