AVOID VOICE MAIL HELL:
IVR Cheat Sheet to Find a Human
http://paulenglish.com/ivr/
Here are the secret numbers and tips to bypass IVR phone menus to get
to a human. Do you know a new cheat? Suggest it here. For more info or
to see how you can help, click here.
finance
phone
steps to find a human
American Express
800-528-4800
0
ATT Universal
800-950-5114
##
Bank of America
800-900-9000
1 loan; 2 account; 3 investing; 4 info; or 00 to human
Bank One
877-226-5663
0 thru the options to get a live person
Capital One Visa
800-867-0904
ignore prompts and invalid entry warnings; press #0 five times
Charles Schwab
800-435-9050
3 then 0
Chase
800-CHASE24
5 pause 14*0
CitiBank
800-374-9700
1 online support; 2 billpay; 3 non-online; 4 credit card; or 0 to human
Discover
800-347-2683
*****
E-Trade
800-387-2331
####
Fidelity
800-544-6666
ignore prompt for social security number, just enter ###
MasterCard
800-MC-ASSIST
000 on each menu
MBNA
800-421-2110
00 when menu starts
Paypal
650 864-8000
cf http://paypalsucks.com/PayPalPhoneNumbers.shtml
Sovereign Bank
800-SOV-BANK
1 english; 1 personal; 3 then social#; passcode, #; then 0 (1-3x)
Sun Trust Banks
404-588-7815
Yes
US Bank
800-US BANKS
000(0)
Visa
800-847-2911
000 (ignore prompts saying that it's an invalid entry)
Wachovia
800-922-1800
accounts personal banking
Washington Mutual
800-756-8000
At any time after the announcement(s) start 'O'.
Wells Fargo
800-869-3557
0,0,0
Western Union
800-325-6000
0
government
phone
steps to find a human
INS
800-375-5283
After selecting English, (with a 2 second delay between) 2 6 2 4
Social Security
520-364-1241
At prompt 0
Veterans Affairs
800-827-1000
1,0
insurance
phone
steps to find a human
Aetna
800-537-9384
"2, then say ""operator"" (check this)"
Aetna
800-680-3566
* then 0 anytime
AFLAC
800-99-AFLAC
***
Ameritas
8007451112
00000
BlueCross
800-800-4298
Press 2
CIGNA
800-516-2898
REGARDING A BILL
Cigna
800-849-9000
##
GEICO
800-841-3000
Wait for prompt then 6, 1, 5
Humana
800-4-HUMANA
After entering insurance number and details, 0.
Medicare
800-633-4227
"After the opening prompt say ""agent""."
Principal Life
800-247-4695
1 for english, 2, then 0 several times until it redirects you to an
operator.
pharmacy
phone
steps to find a human
CVS
local listing
dial local store, after promt. press 6 will connect to store manager
Eckerd
800-eckerds
0 for pharmacy, 8* for manager
Rite Aid
Local Store
Press 3 to speak to the pharmacy
Walgreens
local store
0 for a pharmacy employee
products
phone
steps to find a human
Bose
800-444-2673
Direct to human!
Sonos
800-680-2345
1 sales; 2 support
Sony
800-222-7669
"When prompted by the automated voice system to answer ANY questions,
just say ""Agent"""
retail
phone
steps to find a human
Advance Auto
800-314-4243
0 when the automated message begins
Amazon.com
800-201-7575
Direct to human!
Best Buy
800-365-0292
00
Best Buy
local store
wait for extension prompt (sometimes must 4), then ext. 2021
Circuit City
local store
0 for customer service or 218 for store manager
eBay
800-322-9266
0
Home Depot
800 677-0232
"When asked for account number, keep hitting ""#"". After 5 or 6 times,
a human appears!"
Home Shopping Net
800-284-3100
0
Ikea
800 434-IKEA
"0000000 (hit ""0"" many times fast, if you do it once, or too slow, it
will merely repeat the menu)"
K-Mart
local store
0
Kohl's
800 5645740
After providing account info, press 0 three times
Lowes
local store
0 for customer service or #450 for commercial sales
Old Navy
800-OLD-NAVY
0
Overstock.com
800-843-2446
At the main menu, 0 three to four times to bypass the menu
QVC
800-367-9444
0
Safeway
local store
As soon as voice prompt starts type 1200 to get human
Sears
800-4-MY-HOME
Silence don't push numbers just sit there and you will be placed at
front of que.
Target
local store
0 during greeting.
"Toys ""R"" Us"
local store
0
Wal-Mart
800-546-1897
0
shipping
phone
steps to find a human
DHL
800-225-5345
press 1, press 5, press 0, enter your phone number.
FedEx
888-GO-FEDEX
"At message say ""Representative"""
UPS
800-pick-ups
yes
USPS
800-275-8777
7-3-2 or send them some junk mail
technology
phone
steps to find a human
AOL
888-346-3704
0
Apple
800-275-2273
"000; if virtual rep answers, say ""operator"""
Compaq
800-652-6672
No easy escape
Dell
888-560-8324
2 order; 3 support; 4 purchase help; or 00 to human
Dell Service
800-624-9897
option 1, xt 7266966, option 1, option 4, option 4
Earthlink
888-earthlink
1 find a dialin number; 2 billing; 3 sales; 4 support
Epson
800-922-8911
yes
Gateway
800-846-2301
00#
HP
800-474-6836
"Say ""agent""."
HP
888-560-8324
00
IBM
800-IBM-4YOU
You go into a hold queue immediately
Microsoft
800-936-5700
Always 0. This is true for just about any MS number.
QuickBooks
888-729-1996
1 purchase; 2 billing; 3 registration; 4 tech support or 0 to human
Symantec
800-441-7234
00
telco
phone
steps to find a human
AT&T
800-222-0300
..
AT&T Wireless
800-888-7600
No easy escape
BellSouth
877-678-2355
*0
Cellular One
888-910-9191
"4, say ""agent"", then #"
Cingular
800-331-0500
For faster service, the option that you are looking to close your
account, You get the same ppl but an immediate answer
Cricket
800-274-2538
313
Nextel
800-639-6111
0 five times
SBC
800-585-7928
Again, an (intelligent, this time) IVR wants YOUR phone number first.
Sprint PCS
888-788-5001
"00, then say ""agent"""
T-Mobile
800-TMOBILE
"Say ""representative"" at any time."
Verizon DSL
800 567 6789
"Say ""I don't know it"" then ""technician"""
Verizon Wireless
800-922-0204
#00 or enter phone # then 0 then 4
travel
phone
steps to find a human
American Airlines
800-433-7300
"00, then say ""agent"""
Amtrak
800-872-7245
"0 or say ""agent"""
Continental
800-523-3273
"Three Delta 800-221-1212 0 then say ""operator"""
Delta
800-221-1212
"say ""agent"" four times - every time it asks for a response from you"
jetBlue
800 JET-BLUE
1 flight status; 2 reservations; 3 vacation packages
Kayak.com
203 899-3120
0
Northwest
800-225-2525
Star, 0, after initial greeting
Southwest
800-435-9792
Calls answered by operator; during busy times you might have to hold
United
800-864-8331
Do nothing, wait for human.
US Airways
800-428-4322
4, wait, 1
Walt Disney World
407-824-4521
Direct line to Magic Kingdom Guest Relations
tv/satellite
phone
steps to find a human
Comcast
800-266-2278
Customer service, but an IVR wants your number first.
Direct TV
800-347-3288
0 repeatedly
Dish Network
800-333-3474
0 during menu
Sirius
888 537-SIRIUS
0
TiVo
877-367-8486
"Say ""Live Agent"""
Xm Radio
800-998-7900
Direct to human!
111 companies listed as of Sun 20-Nov-2005 8:53 PM. For more info,
click here.
http://paulenglish.com/ivr/info.html
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