Worst "Customer Service" Stories - Here's mine

I just went through a vein popping, brain draining, border-line wanting to cut someone event this morning with AT&T.

As a good techie person I moved years ago to all online billing with automatic withdrawals from most of my utils and other things. Many times I do not access my online accounts as the bills come in by email, I see the amount, and it gets paid. I usually don't log-in to an account unless I see a very weird billing amount.

I do however this time of year need to do business expenses for the past six months. So I tried to log-in to my AT&T account to access my office phone bills to print and send in for reimbursement. I logged in and got a window that directs you to three various areas of the ATT site...billing/account, new products/services, and something else.

None of the links work. The link that says go back and logout doesn't work. Nothing works. So I decided since I need these bills ASAP to call customer support. To find a customer support number on the ATT site is next to impossible. I searched for 15 minutes before I could find an f-ing phone number. So I called it and got through to...yes Mr. Robot.

"Hi, I'm Robert!" it said. Now lets get something straight. You are a fucking talking computer. You are not "Robert!" It should say "Hi, I'm a computer talking to you. ATT doesn't give a shit about you so they created me to field your petty bullshit annoying phone call before we let you talk to one of our $1.40 and hour outsourced people."

Any way so it is asking me questions. My blood pressure is starting to reach levels it hasn't seen in quite awhile. As "Robert" is asking questions I start becoming a smart-ass. "Please say YES or NO to DO YOU NEED HELP WITH BILLING..." "Maybe," I responded. "SORRY I DID NOT UNDERSTAND." "Right, you didn't understand because you are a fucking machine."

After I found my self screaming "Dickhead and douchebag" into the phone I realized I was as useless as Robert the Robot. I said "Operator" about 20 times and got an operator a few minutes later. Progress.

I spoke with Brandy who sounded quite nice. I gave her the scoop of what was happening and she said she would try to help but she is not a technical person. Gee, great. Nonetheless she tried to walk me through a couple of things to no avail. Then it goes downhill. She says she needs to put in a "working ticket" to send to an outside IT supplier who will then have to call me back after three business days. Today is Saturday. So that means next Wednesday before I will hear back. NEXT FUCKING WEDNESDAY!

Folks, I am trying to access MY BILL. The BILLS I pay every month. That Online Account system that they pitched as "FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE." Jesus Christ in a Pickle jar I am pissed. Brandy at that point said "I could mail you your bills you need." Great I told her, "How long until I would receive them?" Eight to ten business days. That would be sometime around a week from next Thursday. I said fine send them anyway. (It will make someone do something and cost them a buck or so.) Assholes.

Now I am the type to keep my cool with customer service people because they don't make policy decisions blah blah. I get it. But the final straw was after all of this she says "Are there any questions?" Besides me asking why her managers are such "boobs" I said no. Then she says "Well Mr. XXX, I notice there are some gaps in your services with ATT." I said "You're joking right? You are going to try to pitch me on your other services while I am beyond pissed off?" She says well "Let me ask you a few questions..." I told her to send my fucking bills and I hung up.

No wonder we are in a great depression. Business have failed us beyond imagination. People don't have jobs because of Robert the robot answering calls. The people who do answer are not customer service reps but really sales people in disguise. I need to drink and it is only 10AM.

I financed a scooter through GE FunNancing. I have been making on time payments. My next payment is due on 12/11.

On Oct 27 I was in a scooter accident and have been on disability since then. I get paid again on 12/12, ONE DAY past my payment due date. I called GE in an attempt to get a payment extension for ONE DAY!!!ONE FUCKING DAY!!! The customer service robot (I did speak to a human but she may as well have been a robot) repeated over and over that she could not alter the terms of my agreement and that if my payment is not received on 12/11, I will be assessed a late fee.

Of course being the good corporate robot, she offered me credit insurance at $12/month.

I tried to do the right thing by calling and advising the fucking bank I needed just ONE ADDITIONAL DAY to make my payment and was shot down. I was always told that if one called one's creditor then leniency and understanding would be shown.


Any advice is appreciated. If anyone has contacts at GE Money Bank let me know so I can call or write. Right now I'm SO tempted to call a local TV station and tell them and see whether adverse media coverage might change their minds.

or better, go in person and talk to a suit. Explain you need a one day overdraft. It will help if your disability check is automatically deposited, but it's not essential.

Sometimes a bank can be persuaded to be reasonable if they have a person sitting right in front of them. Dress nicely and keep your cool.

The problem with your creditor is that everything is done by computer and the computer is a rigid son of a bitch. It won't listen to reason which is why the nice people on the phone won't listen to reason.

The scooter was not financed through MY bank.

Yes my disability check IS direct deposited.

Warpy has a good idea. Your bank might help in covering a check for GE, especially if you have the direct deposit history.

My bank knows me and, on the very rare occasions when drafts and deposits don't line up, they cover me since they know I'm good for it.

your finance company will not listen unless you are deeply in debt and defaulted.

Your bank might extend you overdraft protection for one day if they are absolutely sure the money is coming in the next.

Get it? BANK, not finance company.

sometimes I miss the most obvious stuff. I'll call my bank on Monday.

:hi:

You purchased the scooter, and are expected to meet the terms of the contract that you signed. Just because your circumstances have changed, you shouldn't expect them to bend over backward to accommodate you. Why don't you just pay the stupid late fee? It's not like they are screwing you over.

There's no such thing as "customer service" anymore.

I get furious over the "have to read the script" approach to customer service. I'm fairly techie myself and always go through the basic diagnostic drills before I call customer service. Then comes Robert the robot who eventually directs my call to India or the Philippines or wherever the company is outsourcing. Then comes the customer service rep whom I can barely understand. Then they read the script. After wasting 1/2 hour going through what I have already gone through before I called them, they finally transfer me to a 2nd level rep who a.)speaks understandable English; b.)most often listens to me and what I have tried; c.)usually solves the problem.

And I do hope the damned calls are recorded.

I just say Yes, like I'm doing what they say. Then I tell them it doesn't work, because I've already figured out that it doesn't. Saves me some time as I ususally get to the 2nd level rep quicker. Then I explain the problem, and usually get a solution right away.

I do feel bad for these people I can't understand. They need a job, and I'm sure they get harrassed a lot. I blame the companies who put them (and us) in this position.

They gave me some bullshit excuse that they couldn't help because it was a bicycle.

What makes them think their service only applies to cars?

American Automobile Association would be a dead giveaway they don't include bicycles?

:shrug:

Why are you taking the side of "The Man"?

if I have a problem? I've been a member for 25 years.
:eyes:

Then you're probably going to crash and will have more important things to do than argue with a AAA CSR.

I've been very happy with them. Some of their partners include Working Assets, National Wildlife Federation, and the Green Restaurant Association. They use a carbon offset travel program. They donate 1% of their revenue to environmental causes. And they gave wedding presents of free (associate) memberships for gay couples (whether or not the state recognized the marriage) to celebrate the (pre-Prop 8) new California marriage law. (Yeah, it's sort of a promo, but did AAA do this? And, I suspect to avoid charges of discrimination, during the same period they extended it to hetero couples, too.) They noted that GLBT couples couldn't sign up with other clubs unless they lied about their relationship (don't know if this is true or not.) They give discounts for hybrids and yes, they cover bicycles.


http://www.betterworldclub.com/

http://www.betterworldclub.com/bicycles/bike_assistance.htm

Honestly I'm skeptical since there aren't many bike mechanics in my area and I don't know if they participate in Better World's program.

The last time I really needed service was on a trail 20 miles from the parking lot.

Fortunately a Good Samaritan saved my ass.

but got a flat and had to use them not too long ago. I remember using AAA under similar circumstances and they clearly didn't give a damn about me or my predicament. When I called BWC, they couldn't have been nicer and even called me back about 15 minutes later to make sure the guy they called had arrived. I was back on the road in about 45 minutes from the time I pulled over with a flat.

Their website says for bikes they'll service twice a year for a total of 30 miles. It also appears that there is a bicycle plus membership (kind of like the car plus that I have -- I live in a rural area and I need the longer towing distance....same with AAA) -- didn't see it outlined on the website but you could call them (1.866.238.1137 during PST working hours....breakdown stuff is 24/7/365) -- it looks like that is 4 times a year and don't know about distance.

All I can tell you is the they're very reliable for the car portion of their business.

If they include any of my favorite local bike shops I'll sign up

Love it. And a 15% discount on first year's membership for hybrids or electric.

Thanks for the tip.

Tell them you heard about it on The Thom Hartman Show.

Better World Club - Roadside Assistance, Insurance and Travel
With our Roadside Assistance Service, Better World Club is out to change more than just tires. We are the only roadside assistance and travel club that ...
www.betterworldclub.com

All these online bill payment services, e-bills, you name it, have saved companies like AT&T millions in postage and labor to sort through all those checks. Then they go and locate their call center in a slave-wage country. They've now saved millions more. Meanwhile, as you say, as long as everything's going along swimmingly, no problem. However something comes along that needs knowledgeable human intervention, and you're screwed. All the money they've saved, and they can't even bother to have a little safety net to catch you when the system fails. Fuckers.

retailers from QVC to Circuit City to Macys, I've run into Customer Service Stupid problems that made me decide to buy candles for everyone for Christmas and cost the retailers a couple thousand in sales. Its no wonder no one is selling anything.

I'd rather pay a little more for a product and get Real Customer Service.

small boutique in Illinois. They quickly took the money from my Paypal account. Five days later they notified me that their inventory hadn't been updated and the ring wasn't available after all, but that they had issued a refund. Guess what? No refund was processed. It took several e-mails and increasingly hostile reminders from me before the refund was finally issued.

As convenient as shopping on-line can be, it definitely has its drawbacks.

Virgin Mobile cellphone in her possession at a rock concert. Somehow she managed to lose it. The friend she was was with notified me by text message that my daughter had lost her phone. Naturally, I wanted to contact Virgin Mobile to notify them that the phone was lost before whoever found it started making calls. My cellphone isn't Virgin Mobile, so I dialed 1-800 info and asked for the Virgin Mobile customer service number. Forget it. No listing. I then got another operator who patiently looked for a listing in just about every major city in America. Nothing.

It wasn't until I got home and went on-line that I was able to find a number, and only after considerable searching through the site. I read the rep the riot act. What kind of nationwide phone company doesn't have a listed phone number that can be accessed by calling information? I call bullshit.

It was her fault the number wasn't easily found?

Asshole customers are the flip side of asshole companies. They BOTH suck.

rude to her personally. In fact, I first asked to speak to a supervisor and then let her know politely that I was frustrated in not being able to contact the company quickly and efficiently, that it made no sense, and that in the long run it might well cost them in terms of disputed charges. She agreed. As a former travel agent who frequently had to deal with genuine assholes, I do have sympathy for the plight of the rep and did not take it out on her. I only stated the facts.

While I definitely understand your frustration in not being able to get your issue resolved in a timely manner... *insert calming statement here*

We (customer service) take (depending on the complexity of the job and the information provided), anywhere from Tens to hundreds of calls a day. We use, thousands of words attempting to help you with what you need. We're always the first person you talk to and, the ones who take the shit when you don't get what you want. Most of us do what we can to help you, regardless of your attitude and demeanor, when you let us. Often, we know what the problem is and how to fix it, but we have to wait for you to get done yelling, for us to say "this is the problem and, here's what you do".
When there's something we can't fix immediately for you, we have to operate within the framework we have, to get it fixed. It has to be that way or nothing would get done. Putting in a trouble ticket to resolve the issue as a condition of employment since there are always more tier 1 reps, than tier 2. As far as the upselling is concerned, as I understand it (since I don't work for AT&T, but I do work for the company that does their benefits), it is also a condition of employment. If you don't do it, you don't have a job.

I'm sure the rep didn't want to ask you a couple of questions, considering your state, but she had to. You could have given her an out, and said "no thanks, just send the bills" and hung up. While she was not trying to shit on your day intentionally (doing her job), it would seem the reverse was not the case (my assumption, of course). But I'm pretty sure that she didn't forget to put in that ticket and send your bill, even though you more than likely pissed her off as well.

From the other end of the customer service spectrum, I deal with people daily who feel that they are the exception to the rules of the plan. People who feel they shouldn't need a password to get financial information about their accounts. Or, that there is someone above me, who can give them a different answer, if the one I give is not to their liking. I can't change those rules, since my job is to operate within them.

I resent the implication that we are drones (though I do feel that way at times) and idiots, put there to make your lives miserable. We are human, just like you. Doing the job, to help you as best we can. Most of us do our jobs damned well.

There is rarely a day that goes by that I'm not reamed and cussed 6 ways to Sunday for something, that I cannot resolve "RIGHT FUCKING NOW!!!!!11111one"
And since I'm a supervisor I also get the "escalated" end of that as well. After some of these calls, I have to get up, go outside and smoke to avoid breaking something.
:argh:
At the end of the day, we wash off the shit we wade through daily, and come back again to do it all over again. A little civility and understanding goes a long way towards getting the help you want.

There are days when I think this job wouldn't be worth any amount of money you could pay me...

And before you say, "you could always find another job". Look at the economy and ask me why I took a paycut from 50K to 27 when I took this job 4 years ago. After 2 layoffs in 2 years, I can assure you it wasn't voluntary. I'm just getting back up to a livable wage (almost).
Though it's not near as bad as when I worked for the cable company...

Just a note from the other side, thanks for reading.
And remember, be kind to your CS representative. It helps a hell of a lot.


M0rpheus
HRO Benefits Associate/Supervisor
Huge Multinational Benefits Corporation

I knwo it was not Brandy's fault like I stated. Policy is policy and I get that. But the bottom line is the people in "customer serice" are our ONLY real way to vent. I coudl send an email into oblivion which will be deleted and forgotten. I could write a manager but in most cases no one will ever even give a name or address/phone number. I have had worse experiences with supervisors.

Brandy was the only human at AT&T that I could reach so she was the person I needed to vent on. I did reply "No thank you" when she started to pitch me and she continued to push. I'm in sales and you need to have proper timing. Obviously this was NOt the proper timing. Maybe they will replay the call in some sales training and realize that when a client is pissed off and fired up that isn't the opportune time to pitch new products. I'm even thibnking of changing my home from back to ATT because of the crappy cable modem service I have now.

I feel for people in your industry but it really isn't any different than anyone else on the firing line. I am a rep for my company. We have certain policies that piss off clients. Clients take it out on me many times and I have to deal with it just like you do. A person at a restaurant who has to tell the old lady that she can't replace the cole slaw with a cesar salad without a charge gets the same crap.

The bottom line is companies don't care. And as a client I have the right to get pissed off.

You have the right to yell, scream, berate, curse and whatever else to the representative on the phone. They can't tell you what they think, they can't say anything out of the way to you as the customer. They just have to take it, because they can't hang up on you. Hardly sporting.

Now, I'm pretty sure again, that she's required to try to upsell you. If it were me, mostly because I follow the rules only as far as they make sense to follow, I would have just let it go at the "no thank you", but again, I don't work for AT&T.

I'm sorry you have bad luck with Supervisors/managers, but the reality is, that if you want something heard, that's the path you need to take. That's how things like getting that call listened to, happens. That's how the representative get's feedback. That's how something like that is fixed.

As the customer you have the right to be pissed off. As a person, you might want to consider that you're berating the person you you just asked for assistance...

:D

AOL Customer service is a close second. They will not let you discontinue service as long as they hold your credit card number.

Talking with HP Computers in India is always a treat (not).

I called them because they refused to ship to any address other than the one listed on my credit card. I called and tried to explain that I live in an apartment and am not home during the days, so I wanted them to ship it to my uncle's house instead. Of course I got stuck with some outsourced customer service rep who couldn't understand a word I was saying, and vice versa. I tried to be as polite as I could, but it gets frustrating when there's such a lack of communication.

Anyways, I found out later that if you pay extra, Dell will let you talk to customer service reps that are located in North America. How idiotic is that?

Besides, they laid off my 2 oldest sons, so I really don't give a rats ass about
how bad you have it! Did you care about the workers at AT&T Until now?!/!

SUFFER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :grr:

If it was not then forgive me in advance.

As I mentioned, I don't work for AT&T, I work for the company that does their benefits. In that capacity I do have some knowledge of who is laying off whom. Even though that's not my client, word does get around.
What I didn't mention because it wasn't my point, is that I have relatives that do and have worked for AT&T since it was AT&T the first time. Some of those are refugees from the Worldcom, just getting back on their feet after being screwed. In this case, I care about them just like I care about other people who are doing their jobs. They don't need to be berated needlessly.

My point: If you're mad at the company, be mad at the company. The reps just answer the phone and try to help you get what you want. After all, that's their job. Unless they do something to you, they don't deserve the scorn. The job is thankless enough already.

My own suffering, you really don't want to know. But, I'm sure I don't really corner the market on that. Things suck all around.


:smoke:

and they shut off your Internet and send you to a collector. Then you call and talk to people all around the world to try and correct their mistake but you get nothing, only another threat 6 months later. AT&T sucks big time!

that once they consolidated to the point of leaving us no choice, they no longer have to bother with customer service. After all, where you gonna go?

The next big surprise will be when they start seeking bankruptcy protection so they can abandon US operations, we will find out that there's nothing left of them but the name and the debt. All real assets have been sold off to their outsourced "partners".

:evilgrin:

The ones with the overexcited voice expressions are so irritating.

A couple of years ago I bought an Apple iBook because it was small and had good battery life, I had used Macs before and didn't mind them.

This machine turned out to be the single worst computer I had ever owned.

The long and the short of the problem is every iBook ever made is prone to failure due to problems with the logicboard, however Apple never actually fixed the logicboard design, they just replaced the same defective part with another defective part that would see the problem return in days to weeks.

Eventually they replaced the entire machine with another iBook that had the EXACT SAME PROBLEM fresh out of the box!

One day while waiting at the Apple Store to talk to a Mac Fucktard there was an entire crowd of us with our broken iBook's comparing notes as to which logicboard or system we were on.

I eventually got a new HP notebook for Christmas and drove over the iBook with my car.

about my cable modem :P

I did Activision, Tivo, Greyhound.... I'm still on some systems. Using the systems makes me crazy - I know to say 'operator' immediately. Recording in a tiny soundbooth also made me crazy.

Funny tale - We found out that the Activision support line had lots of ppl trying to turn the voice app into a sex call or cursing at it. We recorded a number of replies "does your mother know you talk like that?", "Ouch, that's not very nice", "I'm not that kind of girl".... It worked for 3-4 days, but got cut (?!).