I'm TRYING to make a switch on the TRP website for someone else. He knows what I'm doing. I know what I'm doing. I can sign in and SEE EVERYTHING. In the process, the STUPID website freezes. Clearly, it's the allocations that are the problem. Having selected three funds, it's impossible to get to EXACTLY 100%. Using the traditional 33.3% for each doesn't get me to exactly 100%, see?
Ring ring ring wait wait wait. Hello. I need an I.T. guy. The website is frozen. Who are you? What's your zip code? Can you give me your SS #? .....
Look I'm already signed-in, which makes all that stuff redundant. I'm IN, I just need you to coach me as to how to make the lovely, wonderful, splendid, USELESS website make the switch for me. The nature of this question doesn't even have to involve ANYONE'S specific account information. Just tell me how to make the WONDERFUL website do what it tells me I can EXPECT to have it do for me.
.....More redundant questions. Stonewalling. I hang up. Crap. Is EVERY person at the other end of the phone incapable of understanding, or are they INSTRUCTED not to understand? Ya, computers sure have made everything simpler, eh?
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You can see, can't you, that all of the ID crap is what's got me at boiling-point. When yer already "in," yer IN, godammit. But they want you to prove who you are ANYWAY--- even though I COULD have simply posed as Joe Nobody, who has no account, asking a hypothetical question. Would they have gone through with me, step-by-step, anyhow? Probably not. Everything's wonderful and convenient, always--- for THEM, at THEIR end.
...And the issue is not that the website can't deal with fractional numbers and decimals. I check this guys stuff all the time for him as a favor, and the individual fund balances ALWAYS show up on-screen with percentages that look like:
PRSVX 33.62
OTCFX 32.91
PREMX 34.05
....which may not add-up to 100. Just an illustration. Anyhow, nice to get your replies, thank you.
The problem occurred when I needed to tell the computer to split the number 100 (percent) into 3. Because what he and I --- the actual account holder--- had in mind is to REPLACE OTCFX with PRASX, going forward.
I love it when I go to the doctor now, too. Under the category called "Cover Your Ass," the greeting I always get from the nurse when I'm called back to the examining room is not hello, how are you, how's yer mother or even "F*** YOU."
...No, I'm greeted with: "what's yer birthday?" Once, it was a male nurse. I turned to him and laughed and said: "why? You looking to DATE me?"
...But no. Of course, it's offered to us that they don't want to get anything wrong. They don't want to be giving the wrong stuff to the wrong guy. The REAL reason is that they don't want to treat someone who doesn't "deserve" to be treated, because they have no insurance. So we are ALL presumed, now, to be criminally impersonating someone else. Until we prove to them that we are NOT criminals. You all can have your own opinions, but I RESENT being treated that way. The tail is wagging the dog, but there is no hew and cry about it. The masses just go along with it. Go ahead, treat me as if I'm a criminal, it's OK. Insult me. I'll just overlook it and smile.
Can't get a simple answer, delivered directly, anymore. What if I insisted at every turn that my teachers along the way answer a bunch of meaningless, arbitrary questions which don't matter, to prove their identity, each time they expected an answer out of me? Nope. I won't answer that question, Mr. Professor, until you give me your SS #. It matters not WHAT the question is. In effect, I refuse to acknowledge not only your question, but your EXISTENCE, unless you give me your SS #. .............
Secondly site problems are probably not going to be solved by these end user support. Sometimes the back end systems to execute the transaction is having problems when the main web site is up. It could be a database problem, another backed server, connection to 3rd party site or app from their site etc. it could be the programmer has not designed it to be used that was.
So happiness goes through being flexible. If fractions do not work, try entering whole numbers closest to your numbers. Or, enter the exact shares instead of percentage. There are generally ways to make it work.
Nothing is perfect and believe me you would be pissed of with other financial websites more. Make lemonade or choose a different site.
Also, patience and treating the support persons nicer goes a long was towards solutions if you must talk to one.
Not laughing at you. We've all been up against these "brick walls." Just adding some perspective.
I can't ever recall being asked for my zip code, even re: my OWN accounts. And I was already IN. Just makes me crazy. Yessir, you DID indeed jump through that hoop. Do it again. This time, we'll remember to light it on fire the way it was supposed to be, prior to the first time you authenticated yourself. So entertain us. Jump through it again. ("Hey, Joe! Let's see how long it takes to get this fellow so crazy-nuts livid that he starts to threaten me! LAUGH!)
...Anyway, I just hung up when asked for the SS #. And there's an end to it.