You're not worth keeping as a customer!

[greensinestro]

This is more of the return of the lady I mentioned who complains each and every time she calls in and gets our automated service. She spends more time bitching about that service before getting into the actual reason for her phone call.

Yesterday, I had just about had it with this woman. The moment I saw her name come up on a trouble report, I groaned, because I knew why she had called. She always has e-mail problems, but we don't get into that until she gripes about things not related to her problem. She had not received any e-mail since Thanksgiving, and was certain we did this malicious thing to it. Now, I was able to log in to her e-mail, and I told her I can see exactly what she does, and there is nothing showing except for today. I'm not sure what happened next, except I must have set off a bomb inside her, because it was like this:

SC: "YOU DID SOMETHING TO MY E-MAIL AND ARE KEEPING IT FROM ME! THIS IS MY BUSINESS E-MAIL (which she is paying residential rates on) AND I'M LOSING MONEY BY NOT BEING ABLE TO READ MY E-MAILS!!!! I WANT YOUR SUPERVISOR RIGHT NOW TO GET ME MY E-MAILS!!! WHENEVER I GO IN, I GET THIS ERROR, AND IT WAS FROM THAT STUPID REP I SPOKE TO EARLIER WHO DELETED MY E-MAILS FOR ME!!!"

Me: (Staying silent throughout her yelling and screaming)

SC: (After about 30 seconds or so pass) "Are you still there?!!!"

Me: "Yes, I am."

SC: "Why aren't you saying anything?"

Me: "I was waiting for you to finish. I will fulfill your request and have my supervisor call you back."

SC: "NO! YOU WILL GET ME HIM RIGHT NOW!!!"

Me: "I apologize, but he is not available right now. I will have him call you on your contact number within the hour."

SC: "THIS IS MY BUSINESS!!! I LEAVE IN AN HOUR AND YOU WILL HAVE HIM CALL ME IN TWENTY MINUTES OR LESS!!!!!"

Me: "I'm sorry, I will have him call you back within the hour. Thank you."

SC: (Hung up, but then called back ten minutes later. The supervisor had to be hunted down, and thank God, I was not the one who got her)

I know what will happen. This lady, as every month, will get her entire bill credited because she was not happy with anyone she spoke with. Other times, she lets the bill go delinquent, causing us to suspend her service, and when that happens, she gets all the restoral fees waived as well as a month's worth of free service for threatening to find another company. My belief is this. She isn't going to leave us being she has an old as Hell e-mail address that people who do business with her have. She has business cards and stationary printed up with that e-mail address on it. She won't leave.

We aren't making any money off this bitch anyway, so I don't see why managers note her account with "Saved customer by providing one month of free service, waived all restoral fees." Let her leave if she wants.

[Fawn]

Damn! I'd like to get everything free. Your managers are completely ignorant

[Enigma]

Once again, looks like your managers think they are saving their own skin, by typing "saved customer". Honestly though, if someone higher than them finds out, they probably would get in a lot of trouble. Sheesh, I feel sorry for you, I know how aggrivating it is when someone gets something they don't deserve.

Other than that, I find it hilarious when they scream at you, and then get angry when you let them do it. No pleasing you, huh?

[MrSunshineState]

I would suggest typing some sort of report on her and presenting it to your supervisor. Then your supervisor can send it up the chain. You may be able to get a "No more fees waived unless company error" on her account or something. That's what we do at *BANK*

[Slow-Jo]

dont these upper people understand they are just loosing money because of people like her?!
how do people like them even get into these postitions?!

[wagegoth]

Saving customers who are difficult but spend money is one thing, saving customers who cost the company is stupid. I agree, these supervisors think it looks good to say "saved the customer" rather than to go through the process of dumping her.

[bainsidhe]

Wasn't Sprint purging their customer accounts of customers who were, to sum it up, more trouble than they were worth? If only more businesses would follow this example. Might have a few less yahoos with entitlement issues going around. Just as when parents discipline children (which is appropriate, since many SCs behave like whiney little brats), companies should discipline and teach their customers that acting out and behaving irresponsibly will not be allowed. Not if you want that company's service.

[Sliceanddice]

do you have anyway to completely cancle an account? because you should you really sdhould

[theredbaron47]

Wasn't Sprint purging their customer accounts of customers who were, to sum it up, more trouble than they were worth? If only more businesses would follow this example. Might have a few less yahoos with entitlement issues going around. Just as when parents discipline children (which is appropriate, since many SCs behave like whiney little brats), companies should discipline and teach their customers that acting out and behaving irresponsibly will not be allowed. Not if you want that company's service.

As I understood it, they received quite a lot of attention by the media, mostly negative, saying Sprint wasn't behaving customer-centrically.

I agree with Sprint's decision, obviously, but I guess the moral would be don't do it if you don't have the financial backing and customer base to do so...?

[greensinestro]

As I understood it, they received quite a lot of attention by the media, mostly negative, saying Sprint wasn't behaving customer-centrically.

I agree with Sprint's decision, obviously, but I guess the moral would be don't do it if you don't have the financial backing and customer base to do so...?

But there is one problem with that. They are not profiting financially if they have the same customers over and over and over intimidating the company into practically paying their monthly bill for them. If I could be ugly and rude and nasty, and get a 30 day adjustment on my bill each month, how could the company call me a customer and find me valuable enough to keep? I'm the one who's profiting, because I don't have to shell out that extra $40 a month.

[Boozy]

In Sprint's case, their bad customers were not necessarily unprofitable due to credits given. If that were the case, management would have found it easier and more economical to rein in the credit-happy supervisors instead of dumping the customer entirely.

The problem with the majority of Sprint's bad customers was the sheer number of times they called. With Sprint and other companies doing all they can to staff and run their call centers cheaply, you can imagine how much phone time these people ate up in order to pass the point of profitability.

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

If I was the manager, I wouldn't give a crap how long she's been around for. Freeloading customers who verbally abuse my staff would have no place in my business.

[greensinestro]

The return

This bitchy lady is back. Today, my supervisor called her about her ongoing problem, and I got to hear what went on. Pretty much, she did all the talking while my sup sat there, taking what I took previously. When he was able to get a word in, all I heard was, "Maam, I called you back about your e-mail problem, and all you've done since I started talking to you is complain complain complain. Nothing you are talking about has anything to do with the current problem. Okay, if you continue with the language, I will disconnect the call. Okay, have a great day. CLICK!"

My supervisor then had me close out her trouble reports, and I saw a few minutes later, a representative in customer service noted she had called demanding to speak with a supervisor, but did not want to speak with anyone in our department, which is technical support. We are now all aware and weary of this woman, and she must know this if she's now wanting to speak with customer service. It's not over yet, I'm sure.

[greensinestro]

Her account is now suspended

Oooooh, how I hate this lady. I really wish she would drop her service with us and find another company that will put up with her shenanigans.

To keep me out of the loop, I referred this woman's account to a manager, advising it really should be suspended, because the bill has not been paid in over 30 days. This happens quite frequently. My manager agreed, and suspended it, and this also kept me out of it where my name and my sup's name were not connected to the actual suspension.

Within 15 minutes, this bitchy woman called, screaming and yelling at one of my reps. The rep transferred her to collections, noting how abusive once again she was.

As of right now, the collections rep's notes show this woman is now claiming she already paid her bill a year in advance (which she did not, she pays quarterly, and we even have it noted this is what she wanted), and will go to her local paper and attorney general about how we are "harrassing" her for shutting her internet off whenever she does not pay her bill on time. And again, she is demanding credit for this "inconvenience".

Stay tuned........

[greensinestro]

She was provided with credit - again!

After speaking with several different people in other departments, this bitchy woman received a $35 credit! Well, it has been referred to higher management, mainly because it's the last straw. This woman has not had to pay a bill in over six months now.

To be continued....