Do they even READ these dang things?

[Ghengis51]

This is probably my first post of many considering i've worked some form of customer service all my adult life.

A few years ago I got a new game for my PC (C&C Renegade, i don't care what anyone else says, i enjoyed it) I ran into a problem every time i finished the first lvl, the game would just freeze up and then boot me out. I tried it about 5 times using various suggestions on their tech help site. So I shot their tech support an email. I'm computer savvy enough to get me into trouble, so i give them the usual things, comp specs, windows version all that stuff. I figure that'll make it easier to get this taken care of, I think i titled the email something like "Can't get past first level." Less than a day later I get an email response and i'm like WOW that's fast. Then I open it. . .

They sent me the strategy guide to the first level I sent a detailed email explaining my problem and everything i've already tried and they sent me a STRATEGY GUIDE?!? Do they even actually READ these emails before they respond?

Luckily it only took 1-2 more emails to get it fixed, but thinking back on it, it still boggles my mind.

[GyroKat]

Might have been a mistake, but it sounds like they didn't read your email at all :S Weird. At least you got it sorted quickly.

[JustADude]

Heya. Welcome you aboard the Good Ship CS.com. Please, let me be the first to say KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHN !!!!!!

*ahem*

Now that that's out of my system...

No, they probably didn't read it, given the title. 99% of things saying "Can't get past first level" are requests for game help, not bug-reports. If you'd put "Crashes after level" they'd have gotten back to you right away.

[Ghengis51]

The fact that people email tech support because they're stuck in a level is another level of mind boggle, haven't these people ever heard of http://www.gamefaqs.com

[JustADude]

The fact that people email tech support because they're stuck in a level is another level of mind boggle, haven't these people ever heard of http://www.gamefaqs.com

Trust me Ghengis, emailing tech support because you're stuck on the first level is TAME for customer stupidity. They're at least sending mail to the right company about the right product. Just ask the people who work for cell-phone companies who get calls about the problems with the customer's land line.

Oh, and that link is on my hot-bar right between the folder I keep my web-comic bookmarks in and here.

[Naaman]

Might have been a mistake, but it sounds like they didn't read your email at all :S Weird. At least you got it sorted quickly.

Not normally a mistake - quite often the 'first line' is an automated key word linked to the FAQ. Given how many customers would never deign to do something as grubby as RTFM it's an understandable plan.

[wagegoth]

I've run into the same thing. Many companies have software that just does an autorespond based on key words in your message. It even signs the reply email with a fake name.

Then you have to email back in one of several different ways to finally get a human to respond. The latest one I got actually had a link at the bottom of the message that said to use the link if the email hadn't answered my question, but most of them don't admit it's an automatic response.

I went round and round with emails like that from Gateway. I hate Gateway.

[Aldous]

It took me a month to get my WoW information corrected. Dozens of E-mails, about changing my personal info to the correct info. They all came with the reply "Thank you for contacting Blizzard, we'll change your info ASAP" or something along those lines. Finally I called the company to get my info changed, bottom line, one year later, I've stopped playing WoW, and they still haven't changed my contact information and I've moved twice.

[BravoOrig]

I emailed Target once praising them and basically I was just looking to get coupons as I had emailed several different companies that night. Their response was almost an exact rehash of what I said.

Me: I like the brown wooden bowls you carry in Home Decor.
Target: We are glad you like the brown wooden bowls that we carry in Home Decor.

It was seriously as bad as that. I wondered if it was some program or just the intelligence level of the person answering my email.

[ShockQueen]

Sadly, it seems to be the way e-mail support is going these days. They have a bazillion scripts to choose from, so they choose the one that looks the closest according to the quick glance they give it, and VOILA! Instant well-written answer! Too bad oft times it's an answer to the wrong question. I hate scripts, and even when I do use them at my work, I try and tailor them to the customer's situation - changing and editing what needs to be done.

It's just too bad most e-mail support people don't do that much, and praise be to those that do!

[Rapscallion]

There is potentially one factor in the scripts you may not have considered. We have to use 'fill in the blanks' letters for dealing with complaints about product quality. The problem is that if we do something that sounds reasonable to us, but not approved by our insurer, we may not be covered by insurance in the event of a serious claim.

There are times when you have to follow a script for legal reasons.

Rapscallion

[BravoOrig]

I'm on a small team of people who respond to customer emails at night for the ISP I work for. We do have a bunch of Word document templates that we copy and paste, but how many times am I expected to write out the steps to setup Outlook Express? I do frame my response around the template though, so I customers do get a personal response. You should have seen my response to a non-customer who traced a hack into their account on some website back to one of our customers. I basically said they'd need some course of legal action to get the info of our customer, have them contact or their counsel contact our legal department, and that I am not a represenative of our legal department or a company executive and my suggestions should not be taken as a legal directive or advice, etc. They made a template out of that.

[Andara Bledin]

Hey, if it works, go with it.

I have a ton of template correspondence on my system at work. All sorts of official documents that I write variations of all the time.

No point in rewriting the same thing over and over.

Of course, I've run into companies that respond to everything with a half-assed form letter than often has nothing to do with the concern that was stated.

But my real favorite are the form reponses that ask for information that was provided, entirely, in the original email.

^-.-^

[BravoOrig]

My pet peeve is customers who don't know their account number, entering some random sequence or just put ?'s. And its usually those who need to send that information in order for us to help them. I'm talking about billing issues, requesting credits, or asking for an account change. And when did it come acceptable to fill out a form and not give all the information it asks for. What kind of response do people expect from that? I usually use their email address if they have one with us, and back link that to their acct #, or try their phone #, etc.

[Trisnic]

I work with escalated customers and, as a second priority, work with emails.

I have templates but have never used a "script" and tailor every answer correctly.

People get so irate in emails, it's actually is quite funny.

Sometimes people will assume that your response is an auto-reply.

Then there are the people who write back and refuse to do the troubleshooting steps and demand onsite techs or parts shipped because "it's your product and you should stand behind your product" ("stand behind your product" is getting to be a pet peeve of mine ever since working in escalations). It's funny to close their ticket two weeks later because they don't want to do the troubleshooting.