Telephonophobia
Telephone phobia (telephonophobia, telephobia, phone phobia) is reluctance or fear of making or taking phone calls, literally, “fear of telephones”. It is considered to be a type of social phobia or social anxiety..
Not a great word, is it? It doesn’t have the gravitas of agoraphobia or pteromerhanophobia (flying) or ophidiophobia (snakes). Where’s the Latin, it sounds as it it was made up at lunchtime at the Dog and Duck.
Anyway, what I want to know is why the bigger the company, the more tricky it is to find a telephone number for them. I can’ begin to imagine the wasted trying to track down numbers. And what is the fear of receiving emails called? Did Paypal and Google overpay so much overseas tax that they can’t even afford an email account between the two of them. I am sure when somebody does manage to telephone Google the staff there all ask “What’s that noise?”
Sometimes it seems the worse performing a company, the more difficult it is to find a telephone number or email address for them. Instead, you are presented with an online form to complete which is far less fun. Completing this generates an automated reply that says somebody will respond to you within 10 to 15 days. It also proudly announces that there is no point in replying to this email address, wecantbebothered@google.com, as the mailbox is not monitored. I really can’t believe nobody at Google ever takes a peak at this mailbox – it must be jam packed with the rudest, most sarcastic emails of all time.
I recently sent a complaint to Google on their special complaint forms about a “misleading” advert that I came across on Google, via AdSense. Long story short, I purchased 6 tops for my wife from what I believed was an American-based company. Little did I know that they were a Chinese company and what arrived was complete rubbish – totally unacceptable. They copy designer clothes from the Internet, but don’t quite get it right in a Chinese sort of way and don’t get me started on what the Chinese consider “cotton”.
They guys then offer a 15% refund to go away, or if you want a full refund they have to be returned to China at a cost of around £30 plus duty, and the goods always disappear at Chinese Customs.
Of course people can charge these back through their cards/banks, but Google are fully aware of this crooked behaviour, but refuse to do anything about it. Why?
The main offender, ChicV International Holdings Ltd have advertised over 120 crooked websites and they are a great cash cow to Google, Facebook and Instagram where they push their rubbish extensively. While I believe Facebook and Instagram have given way to public pressure, Google still hang in there.
If this pushes us down a few thousand pages on Google rankings, that’s a shame, but not the end of the World.