• PotatoesFall@discuss.tchncs.de
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    3 months ago

    actually, it is. let me explain.

    Let’s simplify and say that there are peak hours and low hours. 100 people call during a peak hour, and 25 during a low hour. The chance of calling during a peak hour is 80%, since you are four times as likely to be one of the 100 rather than one of the 25.

    The same effect means that you are almost always on planes and trains that are very full, even though every now and then they ride almost empty. Fewer people get to experience empty train rides by definition.

    Of course this effect falls apart when your usage patterns differ from everybody else’s. If everybody takes the train at rush hour, you might ride an empty one at noon. Or, if you call the hotline while everybody else is sleeping, you might have a better chance.

    But yeah companies also just lie to make themselves look better lol

    • KevonLooney@lemm.ee
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      3 months ago

      Yes, this is exactly it. You are calling when other people are calling. You are the congestion.

      If you call before 11 AM you will have a much better time, as will the customer service operators.

  • owenfromcanada@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    It depends on their window.

    If they include call volume data back to the Neolithic period in their calculations, then yes, call volumes are higher than average (the average being 0.001 calls per century, rounding up).

    Pretty sure that’s how they do the math.

  • Mercuri@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    “Your call is very important to us… but not so important that we would actually do anything about it like hiring more representatives. This message will repeat every 5 minutes until you get frustrated and hang up.”