RICHARD LITTLEJOHN on the frustrations of calling a telephone hotline Can there be anything more frustrating on earth than having to ring a telephone hotline? You just know you’re going to spend hours pressing buttons and listening to recorded messages before failing to get through to a human being. Hotlines are what organisations set up to prevent them ever having to come into contact with the paying public. Government call centres are infuriating enough, but private companies — especially in the so-called ‘service’ sector — are just as bad. They’ve all got one: the NHS, the Old Bill, the utility … Continue reading →