Tweet
Just another exciting week at the call center...
The Numbers Game, Part 1
This wasn't a manager call per se. It was passed on to me by a rep who, after 45 minutes just could not get this guy to give up on what he wanted.
It was a simple enough scenario. His battery was draining faster than he expected. We checked the battery usage on his device and determined he had a game installed on there that he played frequently that was chewing up his battery. We recommended he uninstall the game to improve his battery life but he steadfastly refused to do it. No big deal right? Just tell him "ok, if you want to keep the game on there, sure but be aware it WILL impact your battery. Thanks for calling <red checkmark> and have a great day!"
Oh no, not this guy. He wants us to fix his battery issue WITHOUT uninstalling the app we can clearly see is causing the problem.
After trying repeatedly to convince this guy that's not just not going to happen, he requested I take over the call which reps are allowed to do in certain instances.
And so I step in...
Me: I understand exactly what you are saying sir, but playing a game on your phone will cause the screen to be used for an extended period, not to mention the background processing of the graphics, video and sound needed to run it. All of this puts a drain on your battery. Your best bet is going to be to uninstall the game. I'm sure you might find a similar game in the Play Store that doesn't use as much battery.
SC: But I like <GAME> and I play <GAME> and I want to keep <GAME>.
Me: That is of course your choice, but understand if you keep playing the game, your battery problem will continue.
SC: Unacceptable! You need to fix that right now. I need a working phone!
Me: The only way to fix it for sure is to remove that game. Now, I'd be happy to give you some battery management tips that should improve things somewhat but that's going to be the best we can do here.
SC: Ok, look dude. I'm on Google right now. According to this my phone is supposed to get 33 hours of battery life!! I am lucky if I get half that.
Me: Generally those numbers are expected battery life at low to moderate use. Playing a game constantly does not qualify as low or moderate.
SC: This is FALSE ADVERTISING!! The specs say I should be getting 33 hours of battery life! I have to charge my phone every day.
Me: As do most people. It's not false advertising sir. I think you would find if you charged your phone to 100% , removed all non essential apps, which includes your game, and used it several times an hour until the charge went down you could go over 30 hours without having to charge again.
SC: I will NOT remove the game. How many times do I have to tell you people this?
Me: I am just trying to give you as many options as I can sir.
SC: Yeah, well you're doing a pretty poor job of it.
Me: Would you like me to give you those battery tips?
SC: No, I would like you to fix my phone so I can get the battery life I am supposed to be getting and if you CAN'T do that then send me a new battery or a new phone that will work as I need it to.
Me: I'd be happy to send you a new battery but that won't fix anything. If you continue to use your phone as you do right now you will see drain on that battery too.
SC: Are you telling me you guys send out faulty batteries?!
Me:
Me: No sir, I'm telling you the battery on the phone you have is working PERFECTLY. The issue is not your battery or your phone. It's working exactly how it is meant to work.
SC: No it's NOT!! I'm not getting my 33 hours!!
Me: Correct and it's already been explained to you several times, both myself and the rep you spoke to before me, why that is. If you really, really want that 33 hours, you'll have to uninstall the game.
SC: NO! The game stays. If you can't get me 33 hours battery with this phone then send me out another one that can.
Me: I'm afraid I can't do that sir.
SC: Why the hell not??
Me: Because regardless of what kind of phone we send out you will not get top battery life if you are constantly using it to play games.
SC: That is such bullshit, get me your supervisor!"
Me: My supervisor is busy at the moment but I'd be happy to pass your information along to her and have her call you back in a couple of hours. Be aware though, she's probably going to tell you the same things I am.
SC: Why must you lie to me?
Me:
What?
SC: Get your supervisor on this line now.
Me: I already told you, she's busy at the moment.
SC: Bullshit, that's what they train you people to say! Get her on this line!
Me: I can't.
SC: Bullshit!
Me: Sir, I can't get her on the line right now because she is currently on a call with ANOTHER customer. I'm not about to have her interrupt one call to take another. I promise she will call you back as soon as she's able to.
SC: Yeah, right. I'll call back later and get someone who knows what they're doing. *CLICK*
The Numbers Game, Part 2
I swear this SC was related to the first. I spoke to a woman absolutely furious that her 64GB iphone did not actually HAVE 64GB of available storage because of you know, the operating system and stuff the phone needs to be able to work. Apparently she was upset because the infamous "Guy at the store" told her repeatedly it was a 64GB model. Like the previous SC she tore in to me about false advertising, etc, etc.
Then she wanted me to find some way to increase the memory of her phone. I explained to her that short of my physically opening the device and replacing components inside (which I am in NO WAY qualified to do) there is no way to boost the memory on her phone. She can of course, get extra storage space via iCloud but she doesn't want to do that.
Then she got worse.
SC: If you can't give me the full 64GB then put your supervisor on the line!
Me: Ma'am, no one in this building can do that for you, my supervisor won't be able to help you any more than I can.
SC: How about you give me the 128GB for free? That way I get the 64GB that I WAS PROMISED by YOUR store rep.
Me: I'm afraid that won't be possible. You got a 64GB device exactly as you were supposed to. It's not the fault of the store rep that there was a misunderstanding over what that storage is used for.
SC: This is unfair! This is deceitful! This is wrong!
Me: I realize there was some confusion here over how the storage works. I'm happy to give you a one time $25 credit because of the issue.
SC: No, no! You will fix this. I DEMAND COMPENSATION.
Me: I just offered you $25.
SC: That's not compensation, it's an insult. The amount of money I pay you people every month and you are only going to offer me $25?!?! I would expect at least ten times that much!
Me: $250?? There's no way I can approve that much for this.
SC: Well then we have a major problem here!
Me: (thinking) I agree with you, but not in the way you think...
Me: I realize there was some confusion and I've already explained to you how everything works and offered a credit. At this point the issue has already been properly addressed.
SC: NO IT HASN'T!! YOU ARE LIARS!!! CANCEL MY ACCOUNT, I'M GOING TO <DEATH STAR> WIRELESS!! *CLICK*
Of course she disconnected BEFORE I had the chance to cancel her lines and I was sure to put that in her notes...so until she actually does port to <Death Star> or calls us back, she'll have to pay all the charges on the account.
We've got 100 reasons...
...to hate you. I saw an account the other day. This lady had started service with us on January 12th of this year. Since then she has called us 102 times. That is NOT a typo. ONE HUNDRED AND TWO CALLS. In one case she called 13 times in one day! Her MO seems to be one of two things:
1) She will refuse to verify her account and demand help anyway, then disconnect the call when she gets nowhere.
2) She will call claiming someone has hacked into her phone and wants us to find out who is doing it and forward that information to the proper authorities if necessary.
Almost every one of the 102 calls are those same things over and over and over.
Needless to say, I forwarded her account info to a special group we have that monitors folks who call in excessively. I'll post an update if I get one.
Greed is good?
It never ceases to amaze me how customers will try to take advantage of my apparent generosity. I go to great lengths to arrange to send them out a free replacement phone but instead being thankful, they get all frustrated because I'm not willing to kick in a free case/free screen protector/free 2-day shipping or in some cases all THREE!
Good grief people, this is a business! We're in this to make money, we don't make money by giving away the farm. Hell, we're already LOSING money by sending you out a free phone, you really think we want to go deeper in the hole?
And considering how expensive the higher end cases and screen protectors are getting, adding those for free could nearly DOUBLE the loss we are taking on the transaction.
All of this leads me to two conclusions, both of which apply to virtually all the SCs I get around here:
1) People are cheap
2) People are greedy
The Numbers Game, Part 1
This wasn't a manager call per se. It was passed on to me by a rep who, after 45 minutes just could not get this guy to give up on what he wanted.
It was a simple enough scenario. His battery was draining faster than he expected. We checked the battery usage on his device and determined he had a game installed on there that he played frequently that was chewing up his battery. We recommended he uninstall the game to improve his battery life but he steadfastly refused to do it. No big deal right? Just tell him "ok, if you want to keep the game on there, sure but be aware it WILL impact your battery. Thanks for calling <red checkmark> and have a great day!"
Oh no, not this guy. He wants us to fix his battery issue WITHOUT uninstalling the app we can clearly see is causing the problem.
After trying repeatedly to convince this guy that's not just not going to happen, he requested I take over the call which reps are allowed to do in certain instances.
And so I step in...
Me: I understand exactly what you are saying sir, but playing a game on your phone will cause the screen to be used for an extended period, not to mention the background processing of the graphics, video and sound needed to run it. All of this puts a drain on your battery. Your best bet is going to be to uninstall the game. I'm sure you might find a similar game in the Play Store that doesn't use as much battery.
SC: But I like <GAME> and I play <GAME> and I want to keep <GAME>.
Me: That is of course your choice, but understand if you keep playing the game, your battery problem will continue.
SC: Unacceptable! You need to fix that right now. I need a working phone!
Me: The only way to fix it for sure is to remove that game. Now, I'd be happy to give you some battery management tips that should improve things somewhat but that's going to be the best we can do here.
SC: Ok, look dude. I'm on Google right now. According to this my phone is supposed to get 33 hours of battery life!! I am lucky if I get half that.
Me: Generally those numbers are expected battery life at low to moderate use. Playing a game constantly does not qualify as low or moderate.
SC: This is FALSE ADVERTISING!! The specs say I should be getting 33 hours of battery life! I have to charge my phone every day.
Me: As do most people. It's not false advertising sir. I think you would find if you charged your phone to 100% , removed all non essential apps, which includes your game, and used it several times an hour until the charge went down you could go over 30 hours without having to charge again.
SC: I will NOT remove the game. How many times do I have to tell you people this?
Me: I am just trying to give you as many options as I can sir.
SC: Yeah, well you're doing a pretty poor job of it.
Me: Would you like me to give you those battery tips?
SC: No, I would like you to fix my phone so I can get the battery life I am supposed to be getting and if you CAN'T do that then send me a new battery or a new phone that will work as I need it to.
Me: I'd be happy to send you a new battery but that won't fix anything. If you continue to use your phone as you do right now you will see drain on that battery too.
SC: Are you telling me you guys send out faulty batteries?!
Me:
Me: No sir, I'm telling you the battery on the phone you have is working PERFECTLY. The issue is not your battery or your phone. It's working exactly how it is meant to work.
SC: No it's NOT!! I'm not getting my 33 hours!!
Me: Correct and it's already been explained to you several times, both myself and the rep you spoke to before me, why that is. If you really, really want that 33 hours, you'll have to uninstall the game.
SC: NO! The game stays. If you can't get me 33 hours battery with this phone then send me out another one that can.
Me: I'm afraid I can't do that sir.
SC: Why the hell not??
Me: Because regardless of what kind of phone we send out you will not get top battery life if you are constantly using it to play games.
SC: That is such bullshit, get me your supervisor!"
Me: My supervisor is busy at the moment but I'd be happy to pass your information along to her and have her call you back in a couple of hours. Be aware though, she's probably going to tell you the same things I am.
SC: Why must you lie to me?
Me:
What?SC: Get your supervisor on this line now.
Me: I already told you, she's busy at the moment.
SC: Bullshit, that's what they train you people to say! Get her on this line!
Me: I can't.
SC: Bullshit!
Me: Sir, I can't get her on the line right now because she is currently on a call with ANOTHER customer. I'm not about to have her interrupt one call to take another. I promise she will call you back as soon as she's able to.
SC: Yeah, right. I'll call back later and get someone who knows what they're doing. *CLICK*
The Numbers Game, Part 2
I swear this SC was related to the first. I spoke to a woman absolutely furious that her 64GB iphone did not actually HAVE 64GB of available storage because of you know, the operating system and stuff the phone needs to be able to work. Apparently she was upset because the infamous "Guy at the store" told her repeatedly it was a 64GB model. Like the previous SC she tore in to me about false advertising, etc, etc.
Then she wanted me to find some way to increase the memory of her phone. I explained to her that short of my physically opening the device and replacing components inside (which I am in NO WAY qualified to do) there is no way to boost the memory on her phone. She can of course, get extra storage space via iCloud but she doesn't want to do that.
Then she got worse.
SC: If you can't give me the full 64GB then put your supervisor on the line!
Me: Ma'am, no one in this building can do that for you, my supervisor won't be able to help you any more than I can.
SC: How about you give me the 128GB for free? That way I get the 64GB that I WAS PROMISED by YOUR store rep.
Me: I'm afraid that won't be possible. You got a 64GB device exactly as you were supposed to. It's not the fault of the store rep that there was a misunderstanding over what that storage is used for.
SC: This is unfair! This is deceitful! This is wrong!
Me: I realize there was some confusion here over how the storage works. I'm happy to give you a one time $25 credit because of the issue.
SC: No, no! You will fix this. I DEMAND COMPENSATION.
Me: I just offered you $25.
SC: That's not compensation, it's an insult. The amount of money I pay you people every month and you are only going to offer me $25?!?! I would expect at least ten times that much!
Me: $250?? There's no way I can approve that much for this.
SC: Well then we have a major problem here!
Me: (thinking) I agree with you, but not in the way you think...
Me: I realize there was some confusion and I've already explained to you how everything works and offered a credit. At this point the issue has already been properly addressed.
SC: NO IT HASN'T!! YOU ARE LIARS!!! CANCEL MY ACCOUNT, I'M GOING TO <DEATH STAR> WIRELESS!! *CLICK*
Of course she disconnected BEFORE I had the chance to cancel her lines and I was sure to put that in her notes...so until she actually does port to <Death Star> or calls us back, she'll have to pay all the charges on the account.
We've got 100 reasons...
...to hate you. I saw an account the other day. This lady had started service with us on January 12th of this year. Since then she has called us 102 times. That is NOT a typo. ONE HUNDRED AND TWO CALLS. In one case she called 13 times in one day! Her MO seems to be one of two things:
1) She will refuse to verify her account and demand help anyway, then disconnect the call when she gets nowhere.
2) She will call claiming someone has hacked into her phone and wants us to find out who is doing it and forward that information to the proper authorities if necessary.
Almost every one of the 102 calls are those same things over and over and over.
Needless to say, I forwarded her account info to a special group we have that monitors folks who call in excessively. I'll post an update if I get one.
Greed is good?
It never ceases to amaze me how customers will try to take advantage of my apparent generosity. I go to great lengths to arrange to send them out a free replacement phone but instead being thankful, they get all frustrated because I'm not willing to kick in a free case/free screen protector/free 2-day shipping or in some cases all THREE!
Good grief people, this is a business! We're in this to make money, we don't make money by giving away the farm. Hell, we're already LOSING money by sending you out a free phone, you really think we want to go deeper in the hole?
And considering how expensive the higher end cases and screen protectors are getting, adding those for free could nearly DOUBLE the loss we are taking on the transaction.
All of this leads me to two conclusions, both of which apply to virtually all the SCs I get around here:
1) People are cheap
2) People are greedy
Comment