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Yargh!! Why do they repeat themselves like this?

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  • Yargh!! Why do they repeat themselves like this?

    A little background since I haven't really introduced myself here yet. I work in a call center for a cell phone provider but now I only have to take calls when we get very, very busy. For some reason the suckiness of the customers annoys me WAY more now that I don't talk to them nearly as much. Anyway I've had to talk to a lot of the lovely customers this week and some of the calls are staying with me. Like this one....pretty standard SC, not sure why it's bugging me to the point that I'm thinking about it on my day off but if I don't vent I think I might explode.


    Me: greeting blahblahblah
    SC lady (who was very pleasant at this point in the call): Yes we have a family shared plan and we aren't using all our minutes so I want to get a cheaper plan.
    (I looked over her usage for the last few months and although she had 3 lines sharing those minutes they were only using about 200-300 minutes per month.)
    Me: Yes ma'am you certainly aren't using all those minutes. We do have a plan with this many shared minutes that's $10 less than what you're paying now.
    SC lady (very quickly getting huffy and condescending): Only $10 cheaper, well that's not a very big difference. It hardly seems worth it.
    Me: You're right, unfortunately it's only a $10 difference but that's the cheapest shared plan we have. I do apologize. It will add up to $120 savings over a year though.
    SC lady: Only $10, it's hardly worth it to switch plans. Don't you have anything cheaper?
    Me: No ma'am. That really is the cheapest family plan we have. Would you like to go ahead and switch your plan?
    SC Lady (by this point was super grumpy and irritated): What family plans do you have that are cheaper??
    Me: At this point I run down the list of every shared plan we have, and again apologize that I do not have a cheaper one.
    SC Lady: Okay let's try this again. ( ) My current plan has too many minutes and is much too expensive. I need something cheaper. What options do you have for me?

    Me (by this point totally losing patience and getting short with her, which I do regret.): I have already told you what plans we have. If I had anything else I would have offered it to you the first time you asked.
    SC Lady: I understand that. What I am trying to explain to you is that I need something cheaper than what you are offering. What plans do you have for me? Maybe you don't understand that I am not using all these minutes so there is no point in me paying for them.

    We went on like this for 5-10 more minutes before she finally accepted the fact that I did not have some magical cheaper plan that I was holding back from her simply because I enjoy going around and around with the customers. And she never would tell me to change her plan to at least save her the $10 a month because it "wasn't worth it". It wasn't even going to extend her contract.

    Calls like this really make me wonder what on earth SCs think they're going to accomplish by repeating and rephrasing their question.....over and over and over again.



  • #2
    Quoth joebubby here to serve View Post
    SC lady (very quickly getting huffy and condescending): Only $10 cheaper, well that's not a very big difference. It hardly seems worth it.
    If $10 a month doesn't seem like it's worth it, what would have been worth it?
    I pray for the strength to change what I can, the inability to change what I can't, and the incapacity to tell the difference -Calvin, Calvin & Hobbes

    Being a pessimist and cynical wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't right so often!

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    • #3
      What did she think? That you are like that guy in the Austin Powers movies (I think his name was Mustafa and he was played by Will Ferrill)? Maybe she thought that if she asked the same question three times that you would magically pull the answer she wanted to hear out of your magical repertoire of unlisted solutions.

      It's times like that when it's almost tempting to say, "Why yes ma'am, there is a cheaper plan. It's called canceling your service. It costs $0 a month, and you get fewer minutes included with your plan. Not only that, but you won't have to worry about those pesky cell phone bills ever again! Not only that, but it means that I don't have to deal with your dumb ass ever again either. It's a win-win situation for everybody involved!" Too bad that's not an option, though.
      Suddenly, Vermont became the epicenter of the dystopia.

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      • #4
        Quoth GolfCart34
        "Why yes ma'am, there is a cheaper plan. It's called canceling your service. It costs $0 a month, and you get fewer minutes included with your plan.
        Well, all right, why didn't you say that in the first place! Change my plan, then!


        2 days later:

        I called the other day to switch to a CHEAPER PLAN AND NOW MY PHONE DOESN'T WORK AT ALL!!!!!!!!!! WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT????

        I don't go in for ancient wisdom
        I don't believe just 'cause ideas are tenacious
        It means that they're worthy - Tim Minchin, "White Wine in the Sun"

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        • #5
          Quoth GolfCart34 View Post
          It's times like that when it's almost tempting to say, "Why yes ma'am, there is a cheaper plan. It's called canceling your service. It costs $0 a month, and you get fewer minutes included with your plan.
          Except there's the cancellation fee... :runs away:
          Ba'al: I'm a god. Gods are all-knowing.

          http://unrelatedcaptions.com/45147

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          • #6
            Quoth Broomjockey View Post
            Except there's the cancellation fee... :runs away:
            Too bad that's something you can't leave out when speaking to people like that. Although, if it were allowed, I'd almost suggest saying that like they quickly say the terms and conditions of some car ads on TV. Just say it quickly, then hang up.

            Then again, if you didn't mention a cancellation fee, she'd be calling up next month when the $500 bill arrives in the mail.
            Suddenly, Vermont became the epicenter of the dystopia.

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            • #7
              The problem is conditioning. This type of behavior in SCs is a learned behavior. Somewhere, possibly quite a few places they've dealt with, have pulled magical stuff out of their butt to appease the customer.

              SC - complains they want something
              Company - says there's nothing they can do
              SC - complains some more about wanting something - usually for next to nothing and usually citing they are entitled to said something because they are "good customers"
              Company - again says there is nothing they can do
              SC - whines and cries and asks yet again...
              Company - wanting to keep the customer happy - pulls something out of their butt to keep customer.

              Learned SC behavior - if I whine long enough, magical things will come out of the company's butt!!!

              It's classical conditioning.
              "I'm still walking, so I'm sure that I can dance!" from Saint of Circumstance - Grateful Dead

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              • #8
                Most likely a tactic they learned from a friend, relative, or some sort of pro sucky customer website or talk show on "how to reason with clerks" or whatever.

                I wish they knew how annoying they are when they repeat. We heard you the first time.
                You really need to see a neurologist. - Wagegoth

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                • #9
                  Blech, just a few days ago I experienced the same thing. A very annoying persistant customer asked me no less than five times (within the span of just a few seconds) if there was a discount on the item he was buying.

                  Annoying Idiot: (going for lucky number six) So, there's no discount?

                  Me: ......I believe that's what I just said.

                  And then my coworker in the next aisle attempted to stifle her laughter. A little sucky of me, I know, but dude was like a bratty child pestering his mother with a game of 'Are We There Yet?'
                  Mike: I'm gonna tell my boss I'm Puma Man, maybe he'll let me off early.

                  - "Puma Man", MST3K.

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                  • #10
                    isn't the definition of insanity trying the same thing over and over with the same results and expecting the outcome to be different each time?

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                    • #11
                      But past performace is no indicator of future performance!

                      I wish I could remember what that's originally supposed to be about.
                      Ba'al: I'm a god. Gods are all-knowing.

                      http://unrelatedcaptions.com/45147

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                      • #12
                        Quoth Broomjockey View Post
                        But past performace is no indicator of future performance!

                        I wish I could remember what that's originally supposed to be about.
                        Mutual funds and other investments. CYA bank speak giving them carte blanche to lose all of your money basically.

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                        • #13
                          Quoth yomiko View Post
                          Mutual funds and other investments. CYA bank speak giving them carte blanche to lose all of your money basically.
                          Ah, right. Thanks. Also applicable to human behaviour, and the operation of critical components during a crisis
                          Ba'al: I'm a god. Gods are all-knowing.

                          http://unrelatedcaptions.com/45147

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Quoth LizaMarie View Post
                            isn't the definition of insanity trying the same thing over and over with the same results and expecting the outcome to be different each time?
                            In IT, the same actions CAN have different outcomes. I've seen it. I've been the troubleshooter for it. I've solved the issues. This is probably why all us help desk types are reputed to be insane.

                            Play with a RAM chip that is bad, but not detecting as such, and has mostly good areas. Maybe one bad bit. It will have you talking to the electronics, threatening to turn them into programable toasters.
                            The Rich keep getting richer because they keep doing what it was that made them rich. Ditto the Poor.
                            "Hy kan tell dey is schmot qvestions, dey is makink my head hurt."
                            Hoc spatio locantur.

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                            • #15
                              Quoth Geek King View Post
                              Play with a RAM chip that is bad, but not detecting as such, and has mostly good areas.
                              Been there...done that...never quite regrew the hair.
                              "English is the result of Norman men-at-arms attempting to pick up Saxon barmaids and is no more legitimate than any of the other results."
                              - H. Beam Piper

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