Helpful Healthcare.gov Rep Tells Frustrated Customer to Not 'Lose Sanity'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8Q8a3vTyQ0

There’s a button on the healthcare.gov website to live chat with a representative if you have questions about or problems with the process. The House Republican Conference received a copy of one actual chat between a potential customer with one of these representatives, who had a few issues with spelling and a few more issues with, well, customer service:

[09:33:52 am]: Please be patient while we’re helping other people.

[09:33:57 am]: Welcome! You’re now connected to Health Insurance Marketplace Live Chat. Thanks for contacting us. My name is Dean. To protect your privacy, please don’t provide any personal information, like Social Security Number, or any other sensitive medical or personal information.

[09:34:17 am]: Dean: Welcome. How can I help you?

[09:34:23 am]: Adrian: In the application process I am at setup 7 of family & household. Clicking Save & Continue does not allow me to move forward.

[09:34:55 am]: Dean: I apologize for the inconvenience. I understand that it is frustrating.

[09:35:17 am]: Dean: Thanks for your interest in the Health Insurance Marketplace. We have a lot of visitors trying to use our website right now. That is causing some glitches for some people trying to create accounts or log in. Keep trying and thanks for your patience. You might have better success during off-peak hours, like later at night or early in the morning. We’ll continue working to improve the site so you can get covered. You have until March 2014 to enroll.

[09:35:43 am]: Dean: Don’t lose your sanity over this website. Try it. If it doesn’t work, walk away. Try it tomorrow.

[09:36:08 am]: Dean: You have two months to apply, enrole in a plan, and make your first premium payment, to get coverage starting Jan,1,2014.

[09:36:18 am]: Adrian: This isn’t a login problem.

[09:36:32 am]: Adrian: What you sent seems like a canned response.

[09:36:55 am]: Dean: It was .

[09:37:03 am]: Adrian: I had the login problems for the first 11 days.

[09:37:28 am]: Adrian: I have until Oct 30 to make a decision about coverage for my family. I don’t have until March

[09:38:13 am]: Dean: Inagine you are stuck in this site’s rush hour traffic . You still exist .You just aren’t going anywhere

[09:38:39 am]: Adrian: Rush hour?

[09:38:50 am]: Adrian: This isn’t rush hour.

[09:39:11 am]: Adrian: Do they pay you to make jokes?

[09:39:15 am]: Dean: Millions of people want to do this yesterday.

[09:39:30 am]: Adrian: Now you sound like a fortune cookie.

[09:39:49 am]: Adrian: Next you are going to tell me about advise from strangers?

[09:39:54 am]: Dean: I’m flattered.

[09:40:10 am]: Adrian: You have no way to assist those that ask for help?

[09:40:24 am]: Dean: Don’t run with sissors

[09:40:41 am]: Adrian: Why is there even a chat option on the page if you can’t lookup an application and assist?

[09:40:43 am]: Dean: You can contact the Health Insurance Marketplace Call Center. Their telephone number is 1-800-318-2596. They may be able to assist you.

[09:40:54 am]: Adrian: Then what is the chat function for?

[09:41:08 am]: Dean: Information

[09:41:27 am]: Adrian: What information? The phone number of the call center?

[09:42:01 am]: Dean: I can’t use your personal information, the call center can

[09:42:46 am]: Adrian: I am not talking about PII, just step seven that Save & Continue won’t work on.

[09:43:20 am]: Dean: We are available to help you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-318-2596. Hearing impaired callers using TTY technology can reach us at 1-855-889-4325. In addition to English and Spanish, we can provide assistance in a number of languages through an interpretation service. We are closed on Memorial Day, Independence

[09:44:59 am]: Dean: Thank you for contacting Health Insurance Marketplace Live Chat. We are here to help you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

[09:45:20 am]: ‘Dean’ has left the chat session.

[09:45:22 am]: Your chat session is over. Thanks for contacting us, and we hope we’ve answered your questions. Have a great day.