To reach an extension, press the pound key. Otherwise, please enter your USAA or Social Security number."
I am considering getting a new car, meaning it's time to shop around for a new auto loan. There are a lot of choices out there when you start to think about financing a new car, but I ended up looking at USAA because they seemed to have some good discounts. My husband was in the military ten years ago, and I believe that makes our family eligible to take out a USAA loan based on the advertisements I have seen on the television.
I wasn't sure how quickly I would be able to talk to someone because I know they must get a lot of phone calls. In addition to new clients, they also have to deal with everyone who already has some type of policy with them. USAA offers many financial products, including auto loans, home insurance, life insurance, and driving insurance, which I am sure means they get a lot of phone calls daily.
To my delight, it was easy to navigate my way through the directory tree, and within just two minutes, I was waiting to talk to someone about a potential auto loan. I will note that I spent about 14 minutes on hold while waiting, but I didn't have to waste too much time getting there. The agent spoke clear English once I got to them, which is always a perk.
When I called, I was greeted by an automated female voice and told, "Welcome to USAA. For English, press 1, or stay on the line." I chose English, and then it told me that if I had an extension number, I could press the pound key; otherwise, I should say or enter my USAA number or social security. There was a brief pause, and then it said, "If you're not a member, press 1."
I pressed one, and it acknowledged that I said I wasn't a member and stated, "If you are a business or need help with a claim, press 1. If you are interested in joining USAA or want to learn more about our products or services, press 2." Then it asked me to tell it what product I was calling about, so I said auto loans.
The automated assistant quickly responded, "Okay, to serve you better, I will need to ask you a few eligibility questions. Are you currently serving, or have you ever served in the US military?" I answered yes, and that was all it took. I was sent to the hold line, and after waiting for a bit, I was able to talk to an extremely helpful agent.