Luke writes, “I recently had a package delivered to me by UPS, and by ‘delivered’ I mean that they left a little yellow slip stating that they showed up and left.” Thanks to a burst of anger, he figured out how to get past the phonebot that intercepts calls. It turns out you don’t even need to add the curse word to the end.

Irritated, I called the number on the slip to see if I could have them leave the package next time they came by, or have the address changed so it would be delivered to where I go to work. But the robot who picked up the line only gave me the option of tracking the package which I already knew was at the depot. I pressed “0” and jumped through the menus for awhile, before getting exhausted and shouting “CONNECT ME TO A PERSON YOU BITCH!”

And that worked, I was connected to a CSR who talked to me and gave me some options.

When UPS messed up yet again and left yet another slip, I just answered “connect me to a person” to every query the computer put out, and it eventually connected me to a CSR who at least attempted to solve my problem.

I still don’t have the package, but it’s nice to be able to connect to a human being who will at least try to get me the damn thing.

So if you need to do anything with UPS, just chant “connect me to a person” constantly until the robot actually does so.

Hmm, we wonder if this would work with our real world USPS mailman, who won’t make eye contact and who throws packages up the stairs.

(Photo: Mykl Roventine)

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.