Customer Service - It's a Myth! - Part Two

Customer service. It did exist at one point. Now it seems to be non-existent. It's been shrouded around in that veil of fog. It's become legend. Customer service, it's based on ancient fact (ancient in the terms of technology), but today can't be proven. As I say, it's a myth. It doesn't exist anymore.

specific I'm talking about the wireless companies.

How many times have we heard this while we have been waiting on hold?

This call may be monitored and recorded for training and quality control purposes.

Well, I'm not sure...... Well, I am pretty damn sure that none of my calls to customer service have been used for quality control purposes.

The other things I'm pretty sure of, my calls have been used for training purposes. The service has been so bad, and it's been continually bad, there's no way they couldn't be using my experiences as training. Training on how NOT to provide customer service.

What happened to the days when the corporations were there to provide a service and provide it better than anyone else! Are these days gone? By wireless companies, it would seem so.

Over three weeks ago, my partner and I wanted to get another phone added on to our existing wireless service. It should not be that hard.

We called up customer service and got in the virtual line to talk to a real person. Time marches on. After being blasted about how we could use the internet for support at www.blah-blah.com and how the new "blah blah blah" plan would be the cure all to all my issues, and constantly of being told how "IMPORTANT" our call is to them. How important could it be? After all, after 45 minutes in queue, how important could we be? Not very........

So, finally we get to talk to a real live person, and get things figured out how to get this second phone and number. We have to change our current plan, to BLAH such-n-such a plan... Ok, fine, do that, and then we need to adjust this... Fine, do it. And lastly, to choose a phone that we want. Ok, fine we pick one. And it will be sent to us in 3 to 5 business days... Excellent, we can get on with our lives, and carry on, with only 60 minutes of our day.

Easy isn't it? Simple! Can't wait for that phone to arrive....... But (there's always a but isn't there?)

The allotted 3-5 business days pass, and guess what!

NO PHONE!

So we make our call to our wireless carrier to figure out why our phone hasn't arrived. Guess what, a nice long wait in the queues AGAIN! Man, they gota change that hold music. After another 60 minutes enqueued, we finally get through to a live person.

It turns out that there was an issue with the order, and the order was therefore never completed. One would think, since this was being added to another existing plan, that a simple phone call could have been made if there were issues. I guess this is too much to ask.

The CSR that we were talking to was very apologetic, and assured us that things would be taken care of and the phone would be shipped expedited. Everything was to be done, we should be receiving in 3-5 business days.... (what? 3 to 5 business days is EXPEDITED?? ) Asked to talk to their supervisor. Put on hold... gota love that music... After explaining the situation, the supervisor authorized a phone upgrade. Very kewl. Perhaps we are getting somewhere.

Guess what happened this time?

The allotted 3-5 business days pass, and guess what!

NO PHONE!

Are we surprised? No, not really. After all, they just don't care do they?

So we call AGAIN.... As it turns out (after our token 45 minutes wait, and 2 disconnects) we get through and talk to a live person again.... As it turns out, they were unable to send out the phone due to the fact that there was an outstanding charge on our account of $19.99. WTF?!?!?!?!?!?? We are on auto pay, and have been for the past 2.5+ years. Let alone, they can't tell us what this charge is.....

Ok, time to pull out the guns.... Let me talk to you supervisor..... ok, please hold..... (no change on the hold music I might add, and our call is very important to us, blah blah blah)

Well taking with the supervisor, the phone that we had been upgraded to, caused the problem. We weren't supposed to be upgraded to it, and therefore it was unable to be shipped. Why isn't there a phone call to let us know there is an issue? Blah, blah, blah......

Enough is enough. As it turns out, trying to get this supervisors Name is like pulling hens teeth. Still things aren't resolved. Fine, let's drive down to the face to face store.

All I can say is what a pleasant change. We were greeted, only had to wait about 5 minutes. After some talking and finally getting some understanding from the store clerk, it was mentioned that it was very common to have experiences like that. (This from the store of the same name that we were calling) That has to tell you something right there! Needless to say, we finally got what we needed, the phone we received wasn't the exact one we were promised, but it was a decent phone none the less.

All this time in the store, took less time than the time we were on hold for any of the other three times we called.

Sometimes it just easier to do things face to face, no matter how inconvenient it is to get there.

So, why has customer service gone down the tubes like this. When there was an issue discovered, why wasn't a simple phone call made to let us know? Why did we as an existing customer not provided with that minimal amount of service?

If this was any other service or product, we would have the choice. But with the contracts that we must sign, there are no incentive for them to keep us as happy customers.

Never have I been called, or sent an email, or even a letter or survey asking how their service was. How can they say they are improving service when these things continue to go on, time and time again.

They have us for the term of that contract. Why do they need to keep us happy? There is no reason for them to. We are locked in as customers.

A movie theater would not be able to operate like this. Neither would a shoe store, or recreation center, or record store. If any of them treated there customers like this, they would go to their competitors and they would be out of business. Since we are locked in, we don't have that luxury to move to a different carrier.

More thoughts on what we can do on my next post...

Customer Service - It's a Myth! - Part One

It's no secret that people have been having problems with wireless companies. My friend Rod Trent at myITforum.com has documented his issues with Cingular for quite a while now. You may have to go back in his archives somewhat, but it's there.

What issues have you encountered? What have you done to resolve them? Has speaking to a supervisor provided any success. Has speaking to a supervisors, supervisor had any effect? When you have though you may have been getting somewhere, and making some progress, only to have your call be disconnected?

What is up with this? How can companies stay in business like this? As customers what can we do? It's not like you can contact someone to complain about it. You just get put on hold, and you hold, and hold longer, and hold longer, and longer, and if your lucky, you get transferred to the wrong area, and when you get transferred again, you get dropped.

It's no wonder why the email address of the customer service VP is posted. If you think SPAM is bad, imagine what that email inbox would look like? Perhaps it is understandable why they don't post an email address like that.

But that creates a problem. The people that make the rules, the ones that direct the direction of the company, never really hear or know about the problem. And because of that, they have no clue. No one in a position of power would permit their customers to be treated like that. They must be blind to the issues that the customers are facing.

Or are they? After all, they have us locked in a contract for x number of years. So does it really matter to them? Honest, I think it's easier than that.

Simply, they don't care.

Its not even a case of burying their head in the sand, it's a case of who cares. There are no problems providing you have someone locked into a x year plan.

What can we do as lowly consumers.

It's really simple, well, it's simple, but not really that simple. Perhaps I should rephrase that. It's a really simple solution. The problem is that it's not a practical solution.

Hit them where it hurts. Money talks! Hit them in the pocket book. Stop purchasing their product.

Easier said then done isn't it? You can switch to another company but you will likelihood encounter all the same issues that you did before. It's a revolving door. And if you keep doing this, eventually you will end up at your original company again. And know what the real kicker of that is?

You've come back to our service! That's what they see. You've returned because you were unsatisfied with their competitors service. That makes their numbers look great! We have returning customers.

What they don't realize that you're back because of a lack of an alternative.

Pretty sad isn't it.

All of our customer service representing are busy helping other customers, but please remember your call is important to us and we will be with you shortly.

Or better yet

This call may be monitored and recorded for training and quality control purposes.

If the call is so important to them, why am I on hold? Actions speak louder than words. SHOW me that I'm important. Don't make me ask why am I on hold for 45 minutes? If I'm in queue for that long, your actions are telling me something different. You are telling me that I'm not important.

Quality control? Don't get me started. That one I will save for another post.

Meanwhile, I'm still on hold. Couldn't they get some better hold music?

It's been a while since my last post.

Amazing how one can get caught up in all the Xmas preparations. Isn't life busy enough already?

Ahh well. Regardless, I'd like to wish everyone a happy and enjoyable holiday season.

Take care,
Cheers,
Greg