Imagine you own a restaurant and you get all your reservations online through your booking system; you even tell people to book online when they call, via an automated message. But then, all of a sudden, Google decides to hijack that booking link and replace it with Google Assistant’s calling feature.

So instead of Google linking to the booking system you selected, let’s say OpenTable booking integration. Now Google uses Google Assistant to try to call the restaurant and speak to a person. But no person will answer the call, the call goes to a message to tell people to book online. So the next thing that happens is that Google gives up calling, thinks there are no reservations available and tells those trying to book online that there are no reservations available.

  • BombOmOm@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    While that is shit, if I call a restaurant to make a reservation and they just tell me to go to their website, I’m probably going elsewhere anyway.

    Why even have a phone number if it is useless?

    • slumberlust@lemmy.world
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      20 hours ago

      Tried calling a new Indian place in town and they wanted a credit card to book a reservation. Didn’t end up going.

      • placatedmayhem@lemmy.world
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        17 hours ago

        Not sure about your situation specifically, but restaurants requiring a credit card during reservation is on the rise to combat reservation scalping and the no-shows that res scalping causes.

        • FackCurs@lemmy.world
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          16 hours ago

          That is a thing? Restaurant reservation scalping ? Who is the market for that? I can buy restaurant reservations on eBay now?

    • c10l@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      I, on the other hand, prefer to do it online and wouldn’t mind this. Horses for courses.

      Why even have a phone number if it is useless?

      Really? Are reservations the only use for a phone?

      • Nindelofocho@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        The restaurant seems to think so if it just plays an automated message to book a reservation online

        • c10l@lemmy.world
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          1 day ago

          Yeah possibly. The article doesn’t specify it but I’ve seen systems that would give you the automated message but still put you through if you stayed on the line.

      • Zorque@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        Why even have a phone number if it is useless?

        Really? Are reservations the only use for a phone?

        A publicly shared phone number for the restaurant? Pretty much. It has limited uses for checking hours and holidays and such, but the primary use is going to be checking availability to eat at the restaurant. If that’s not something you can get over the phone, 99% of the reason to have a public facing phone number is negated.

    • jet@hackertalks.com
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      1 day ago

      Why even have a phone number if it is useless?

      • forgotten glasses
      • arranging a special event
      • deliveries and business coordination
      • employees calling out
      • etc
      • zout@fedia.io
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        1 day ago

        These all require someone to actually pick up the phone, instead of playing an automated message.

        • Microplasticbrain@lemm.ee
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          1 day ago

          Because many third part services require a phone number and will post that phone number around without permission.

          I have a restaurant and we don’t offer phone service at all, phone goes to voicemail which tells you to send an email or order online.

          I posted the number nowhere, but guess what, apple maps requires a phone number, uber grubhub dd require phone numbers, and lo and behold my fucking pos was posting the number on my website without my permission and gave me no way to remove it until I called repeatedly and complained, but even then it still pops back up sometimes.

          Edit sorry I replied to the wrong person and im too lazy to change it 😬

      • Zorque@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        employees calling out

        Why would the employee have to look up a publicly listed number to call their employers to call out? That’s something a private line could easily take care of.