I once got told off by an automated voice
Instead of the usual 'press one for accounts and press two for billing' it was actually a voice recognition thingiemajig.

So as i tried to get through to the department i wanted, only to be halted by a female robotic telephone voice with an American accent.

Female American Robot voice: 'Please say accounts or billing'

Me: 'Billing'

FARV: 'I'm sorry I do not recognise that word, please say accounts or billing'

Me: 'Billing'

FARV: 'I'm sorry I do not recognise that word, please say accounts or billing'

Me: *sigh* 'Billing'

FARV: 'I'm sorry I do not recognise that word, please say accounts or billing'

Me: 'Billing'

FARV: 'I'm sorry I do not recognise that word, please say accounts or billing'

Me: 'Fucking Billing'

FARV: 'I'm afraid we cannot direct you to our service, please redial later'

Me: .............. (speechless)

--

Basically because me accent did not work with the voice recognition system, i was denied access to the service. Why on earth would an English company use an American voice recognition software thingimajig?

Bastards
(mr-lizard Hell's teeth man!, Wed 9 Sep 2009, 19:30, 2 replies)

My thoughts ...
exactly sir.

Americans don't do other languages, in fact they don't even do most of their own accents. A sad side effect of the Californian speech program used by Sir Stephen Hawking is that many Americans have not idea he is actually from Cambridge.

Having said that, BT's AVR works much better if you put on a hushed sexy voice. It gets a wee bit confused when you fake an orgasm at it though.
(Que?, Thu 10 Sep 2009, 4:29, closed)

Because
They're cnuts.
( snee held his breath since, Thu 10 Sep 2009, 8:37, closed)