Automated Phone Answering Systems Should Be Eliminated.

Automated phone answering systems do not work very well usually. The only ones that are not completely annoying are the ones that allow you to enter a number for an extension or to press 0 to speak to a person. Many of the ones that ask for verbal input do not work very well. This is especially true of the ones that ask me to say then spell my first name. People who are calling for customer service are usually not happy about something, and having to deal with an inefficient telephone answering does not help the situation. By the time I get through to an actual person I am frustrated already. This frustration is increased if the representative has a script to use when dealing with a customer. Things would go much smoother if customer service lines were answered by a person. Yesterday I had to contact the USPS to get a package redelivered. This is not the first time that this has happened. Every time it is frustrating. In the past if a notice had been left about the delivery notice about a package or letter further attempts would be made until you could sign for the item. This is no longer true. You have to request that online or on the phone the item be redelivered. For some reason I have not had much success doing this online. So I have had to call. As with many automated systems when they ask for verbal input it is not clear when to respond. Sometimes insufficient time is given. Every time I have eventually been spoken to a representative. This is after a long hold where annoying repeated music  with repeated messages have been heard. Yesterday I had checked the status of the Russian jersey for which I have been waiting since March. The tracking record showed no indication that it was out for delivery. Our mail arrived at around noon. There was no sign of the package, so I thought I might get it today. An hour later a notice was left concerning the package. I did not hear anyone knock at the door. After getting frustrated again with the system I was able to arrange for redelivery today. I have left the signed notice in the mailbox, so hopefully I will have the jersey when I get home. The postal service phone system is frustrating for the customer, for the mail carriers and for the customer service representatives. I have been told that they are working on fixing the problem. I will believe that when the system has actually been fixed. Automated phone answering systems should be eliminated. Phones should be answered by a person who does not speak from a script but actually listens to what the customer wants or needs. I do not know anybody who is happy to interact with these systems.