To: Minister for Communications, Eamon Ryan

Make essential services' call centres accessible

Ensure that all essential services have accessible phone-lines for people who may have difficulties navigating automatic systems. 

Create a law that states, electricity, gas, telephone, broadband, television, insurance and banking services, must provide a dedicated phone number that connects directly with a human and not an automated service. 

Why is this important?

Many people in society have difficulties navigating often long and pointless automated systems when they are trying to get help in relation to essential services. The private companies, providing these public services have completely stripped back their customer care teams and have implemented difficult to navigate systems. Often times the systems are set up to discourage customers from reaching a human representative in order to keep their cost low and profits high. 

For some of us this is a mere inconvenience and we are either tech savvy enough to figure out how to resolve our issue online, or we stick it out and speak to a human representative. However for many these systems often stops people from getting the help they need. 

This is an issue that has a bigger impact on older members of society, often used to being able to go to a local branch to sort out an issue, are now faced with complicated systems that stop them from getting the assistance they need. 

Any company that is providing a public service, should have accessible help lines for those who need them.