I tried the repeat ‘operator’ approach and the bot just hung up on me. I think the gibberish appears mentally disabled so they’re worried about being sued for not being accessible to people with disabilities.
I've also had the experience of being hung up on by a robot as well for repeatedly asking for the operator. Because I'm definitely going to be in a better mood once I reach a human having been hung up on by a machine. Who thought that one up?!
On the other hand, maybe people on average are so grateful to reach a human that they're extra polite?
