Kyle Reese from the film The Terminator (1984): "Listen, and understand! That Terminator is out there! It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop... ever, until you are dead!"
The quote above is an extreme example of how the robots at Meta deal with people. OBVIOUSLY they are not trying to kill their client base at this point. However, once you navigate through the bad data, contradictory instructions, and circular responses, you quickly discover that bargaining, reason, pity, and remorse are not included in Meta's customer-service algorithm. Apparently, those features are still in beta.
To be fair, the actual human employees at the Meta Store on Fifth Avenue are friendly, knowledgeable, and fully aware of the difficulties created by their robot overlords. They seem less like sales associates and more like sympathetic survivors of a technological uprising. If you want a Meta product, the store will probably have it. Just keep in mind that your visit may be the last time you ever speak to a human being about that product. After that, you will be handed over to the machines.
My criticism of the Meta Store has little to do with that particular location and much more to do with the automated system controlling the company. My first warning came in the form of several emails sent on the day of my appointment, instructing me to come "tomorrow" while clearly displaying that day's date. It was less of an appointment reminder and more of a small experiment in time travel.
When I brought the error to an employee's attention, the response consisted of a shrug. In fairness, there was probably no button available for "acknowledge obvious computer error."
I could continue describing the customer-service challenges, but the bottom line is simple: If you enjoy communicating with cheerful, non-Terminator robots that cannot understand your problem, answer your question, or transfer you to a human being, this store--and the company behind it--may be perfect for you.
If not, stay away. The machines are already in control. read more