Well that's poor customer service!

[sld72382]

And other things customers have said to me over the last couple of weeks.

1. As the title says....

SC calls in with a problem with his internet. At nearly 5PM. After troubleshooting and determining we need to send someone out, I give him the earliest available date which was the next day in the morning hours.

SC: That's not good enough. I Want this done NOW!

Me: Sir, it's close to 5PM and that's when the techs generally go off shift. I'm sorry for your issue but if I found something sooner, I would have given it to you.

SC: Not acceptable! Cancel someone else's appointment and divert his tech to me!

Me: Sir, we can't do that.

SC: Why the hell not?

Me: We have to treat all customers equally, and plus it wouldn't be fair to the other customer.

SC: Well that's poor customer service!

Me: Sir the earliest available is tomorrow morning.

SC: Fine put me in but this is bull!

*click*

2. Heartless #1

Customer calls in wanting to know why her tech canceled on her. I looked in the notes and tech says that he fell behind and it went dark out before he could get to her, but he'll do it first thing in the morning.

SC: Why would he stop just because it went dark out? Come on!

Me: It's a safety issue to try and work in the dark, that's why he rescheduled it.

SC: So? He has insurance! Send him back out now!

Me: It's after 5PM and it's already been rescheduled for tomorrow, so there's nothing I can do right now.

SC: This is lousy customer service, I tell you!

*click*

3. Heartless #2

SC has an issue where her phone line acts up whenever it rains. She demands us send a tech out when it's raining.

Me: I'll try but usually for this type of issue the techs usually wait until it stops raining to do the work.

SC: Why? You need to send him out when it's raining!

Me: For this type of issue he might have to climb a pole that might be shared with electrical lines etc. It's a safety issue basically.

SC: I don't care! Not my problem! Send him out when it's raining or I'm cancelling my service!

Me: I'll schedule you, but there's no guarantee he can come exactly when it's raining.

*click.*

I checked the notes later on, and she requested to cancel because she said we value our employees over her, the customer.

[AmbrosiaWriter]

Uh, of course you value your employees more than the customer. The techs have get training and experience in order to fix stuff like that, one customer isn't going to make up for losing a tech.

[Hermione]

I feel your pain. I did satellite TV tech support for 4 years and had all of these exact conversations. Daily.

[Merriweather]

I checked the notes later on, and she requested to cancel because she said we value our employees over her, the customer.

Unfortunately, nowadays it isn't uncommon to find companies that value customers over their employees.

But to expect a company to value the customer's satisfaction over the employee's LIFE?

[Sandiercy]

Dont you love it that when you provide excellent customer service but tell them no, then it is automatically horrible service? Oh, and it must not be raining in their little area of their own little world. The thing is, if they were required to do the same thing in the rain, then they would bitch and whine about the safety issues and such but since they arent the ones doing it, it must be done NOW!!Eleventy!!!

[raudf]

Lawn and Garden.. oh dear lords of thunder, I hated it when it rained or stormed. Our L&G techs could NOT work on tractors unless it was under a shelter. The reason? We'd had far too many accidents involving techs and wet as heck grass. From what my early on coworker had said, we'd almost lost one to lightening. So no. Our techs didn't work in the rain.

Plus, sometimes a previous call takes longer than anyone could reasonably expect and the tech falls behind. Those that the tech (we weren't allowed to call and reschedule, the tech had to do it) had to reschedule would be first on the list for the next morning.. unless they became a rantasaurass. Then they waited until later in the day than those who were polite. Our techs also did not work after dark, if they could avoid it.

And my phone used to go all static when it rained. Turned out the box at the end of the drive was going under water when it rained. They elevated it and that stopped the problem.

[brucetiki]

And other things customers have said to me over the last couple of weeks.

1. As the title says....

SC calls in with a problem with his internet. At nearly 5PM. After troubleshooting and determining we need to send someone out, I give him the earliest available date which was the next day in the morning hours.

SC: That's not good enough. I Want this done NOW!

Me: Sir, it's close to 5PM and that's when the techs generally go off shift. I'm sorry for your issue but if I found something sooner, I would have given it to you.

SC: Not acceptable! Cancel someone else's appointment and divert his tech to me!

Me: Sir, we can't do that.

SC: Why the hell not?

Me: We have to treat all customers equally, and plus it wouldn't be fair to the other customer.

SC: Well that's poor customer service!

Me: Sir the earliest available is tomorrow morning.

SC: Fine put me in but this is bull!

*click*

Sounds like you dealt with my 'mates' (well, people with a similar attitude anyway) I referred to in this thread http://www.customerssuck.com/board/s...ad.php?t=96462

They're having issues connecting their internet at their new house, and have been on Facebook (and their ISP's Facebook page) bitching and moaning along these lines, referring to a consultant they spoke to as a 'disgrace' (including naming the consultant on said Facebook page) because they didn't get their way.

Needless to say I spend less and less time with them (and they wonder why...)

[sld72382]

Unfortunately, nowadays it isn't uncommon to find companies that value customers over their employees.

But to expect a company to value the customer's satisfaction over the employee's LIFE?

The retention department that the call got routed to actually didn't cave for once and basically told her to piss off, in nicer terms of course.

[drunkenwildmage]

2. Heartless #1

Customer calls in wanting to know why her tech canceled on her. I looked in the notes and tech says that he fell behind and it went dark out before he could get to her, but he'll do it first thing in the morning.

SC: Why would he stop just because it went dark out? Come on!

Me: It's a safety issue to try and work in the dark, that's why he rescheduled it.

SC: So? He has insurance! Send him back out now!

Me: It's after 5PM and it's already been rescheduled for tomorrow, so there's nothing I can do right now.

SC: This is lousy customer service, I tell you!

*click*

I'm somewhat confused how working in the dark itself can be a safety issue. Our service techs work regularly in the dark getting service calls as late as 8pm or so..

[cindybubbles]

I'm somewhat confused how working in the dark itself can be a safety issue. Our service techs work regularly in the dark getting service calls as late as 8pm or so..

Could be that the tech would have to drive to the SC's place at night, and maybe his/her night vision isn't so great either.

There's this joke about a construction worker standing on one of the beams telling a coworker that he stopped going out at night because it was "too dangerous". If a construction worker building a high-rise thinks that going out in the dark is "too dangerous", then working in the dark must be a definite safety issue!

[mrstrish]

Ok, as someone who has had that problem, phone and internet going out when it rains, what would be the correct, not SC way to handle it, and get the problem fixed?


I just dealt with it until my lease was up and moved.

[Pagan]

I'm somewhat confused how working in the dark itself can be a safety issue. Our service techs work regularly in the dark getting service calls as late as 8pm or so..

I was wondering that, too. There was one time that Comcrap (yeah, that surprised me too) was working on something about 10pm one night. Wound up with about 4 trucks, too.

[Jetfire]

I would assume that trouble shooting a problem after dark (and/or in the rain) would be a safety issue because you just don't know what the issue is, so you have to do a lot more testing which could be riskier.

If they know exactly what the issue is, then working in rain or after dark might be doable. (and may even be necessary depending on the size of the fix and the severity of the problem). Something that required 4 boom trucks was probably affecting a significant number of people; enough to warrent after dark time.

[Sonoma]

The only issue I've had with "Prairie" Communications was when it came to getting a HD box for the new TV in my bedroom. I called to request one, and they said they'd send out the HD box, along with a box to ship the old SD box back. Timeframe given was 3-5 business day. A week later, I had the return box, but no HD box, so I called. The rep that answered told me it was not a self-install item, and she'd request a tech to come out. Add another week to the process. The day of the install came & went. After the timeframe was up, I called (again), to be told that the install was set for the next week. Now, when it comes to setting appointments, I make a note at the time of the call, so I know what date & time I was told. I explained what had already taken place (now 2 weeks after I requested the new box), but there were no openings. I didn't blame the rep, or take it out on her, since she hadn't given me the wrong information.

Feeling frustrated, I went to their website, and in the "contact us" section, they had a link to some executive contacts. Found the local rep, and e-mailed her a summary of what had been going on. I got a response w/in 5 minutes, and by the next day, had an appointment for that Friday (this was on Wednesday). She also told me if I had any problems, just contact her directly.

After the runaround we had with Comcrap getting my grandmother's phone switched to her new residence when she moved to assisted living, my Mom is dropping Comcrap.

[PepperElf]

SC: Not acceptable! Cancel someone else's appointment and divert his tech to me!

So, how about we cancel YOUR appointment and divert your tech to someone else too? O wait you wouldn't like that now would you? So why should it be good service to screw someone else for YOU but not to screw you for someone else?

Selfish jerk!

actually that applies to everyone else who you wrote bout.

people who put their internet over the lives and safety of other humans? who cares if someone dies as long as you get your email and your game shows?


Do these people ever look in the mirror?