Customer Service- Are You Kidding?
Posted: Monday, December 19, 2005
by straight talk
American businesses say they pride themselves on Customer Service. In fact it is a major aspect of any Marketing or Sales oriented business. However, have you ever tried to get through to many of these so called “service" departments? Here is a hint, try Collections and you get right through. They seem to put you right through when they smell money. With this article I have outlined my opinion based on real life experiences encountered and I have identified just a few of the industries where these occurred. Perhaps some of you have had similar experiences? I hope you can relate in some way to what I am saying?
So you never really have any problems? You are very fortunate, but if you think this is not the case then ask someone who has a Cell Phone that isn't working properly. You purchase the phone with all kinds of assurances they have the best service, quality phones, towers and support. What you really get is sporadic capability from day one, limited support to no support, miles of aggravation, delay and excuses and a cheap phone that does not work. You go back to where you purchased it only to find out they don't sell that providers phones anymore. I wonder why? They ask you to switch providers. Do you have a bridge I can purchase? After months and repeated attempts to resolve the matter they finally tell you they will replace the phone and they give you a number to call who will be happy to send out a new phone. However, once you get there you get the third degree again, they tell you no one but they are authorized to replace a phone and when they finally say they will they read you their terms and conditions and ask if you understand them. These Terms and Conditions caution you that if you dropped it or they find water you will have to pay for the phone. Now I can tell you first hand - they always say you dropped it and sometimes they will tell you they found water, from where who knows, but they seem to find it. By the way, who hasn't dropped a phone at least once? Are they that cheap- you bet they are - made in China!
After being annoyed by this you most likely get so disgusted you go to another provider, [hey, where is that bridge?] and you get to pay an exorbitant penalty to cancel their lousy service, all for the pleasure of getting more lousy service from another Customer Service oriented company. At the new provider you repeat the process. For what I ask you- the ability to have someone call you when you don't want to be called- like your boss when your on vacation.To boot this industry is not regulated by anyone and they have card blanche to do what they want to do regardless of what the government professes. After all, think of all the taxes our government gets and it is the American free enterprise system with bottom line profits all that counts.
What about airlines. Have you ever been stranded somewhere? Well then you know what I'm talking about. There is a very well known one who has been in the paper recently as for having problems. I and my family and those we know who travel frequently will avoid using their service. They can forget all the gimmicks, they are just not worth it. They have the most arrogant and non customer service oriented people you ever want to meet. "We're sorry", your flight has been cancelled due to weather. Now get lost and go away since we cannot control the weather. Do they offer any help? You got it, just the minimum because they are not impacted. As for the people they call "Station Managers", they are little more in my opinion than want to be important types who offer nothing. By their tone and disposition you could figure what they are like? Basically, their saying- you should plan ahead because you know the type of service we provide.
Lets move to another big industry, the retail business. The same holds true for most of these “Customer Oriented" organizations. Sorry, unfortunately, regretfully and I apologize the tune of the day but little results. What about a refund? You rarely ever hear about that, but you will hear the old store credit gimmick. Also, try paying with a check [ which banks don’t even honor in many situations, even though they are still considered legal tender ] and see what you get as a reply. You have my check, my license and many times my money comes out on the spot and you can’t afford me a refund because it is a check. Who is floating who’s money? That leaves me with a question I must ask myself, why would I want to continue shopping in a store like this when I am already soured by my experience? [Do you have another bridge?]
Here is a good one. A purchase was made of a glass item, which was accidently dropped by the clerk during check out. After the manager checked the merchandise they assured us it was ok. We should have insisted on a different one or left because we were pressed for time. We paid with a discount store coupon of $10.00 off and left. Upon arrival home we reopened the package and found a small crack. Oversights happen and since we were told if we had any problem bring it back and they would make good, we did. Upon return they stated they had to cancel the one sale and make a new entry. They needed an entire new transaction. I asked, why not just have a scan field for the Bar Code on the old computer generated order and capture the replacement Bar Code. They can then do what they want with the returned item? No, they have to go through an entire re-entry, and they call this technology. Back to the issue. All was well until they had to apply the discount coupon, which we had given to them at the time of the first sale. We said “you have the coupon, you took it cancelled it and kept it“. They responded “sorry you have to have the coupon" - Duh! Excuse me, you have the coupon and it is noted on the sales slip. Sorry- duh! I would like my coupon credit or some other credit so I do not have to pay more for a replacement because you dropped the first one, or keep your merchandise. The sales clerk, calls a manager over. Manager says- "do you have another coupon on hand to replace the original"? Yes, we have one we wanted to use today. Manager says, “we can use that one“. We respond, we will be happy to give you this but are you going to replace this with another or we will still be short a coupon? How will you replace it? The manager says "we will give you a store credit". Ok, and the manager leaves. The sales person starts to ring up the sale with the new coupon but has to ask a “supervisor" how to make up the new store credit card since they are new. The “supervisor" says, you need the original coupon. OK, here we go again, etc. After a long dissertation the “Supervisor" says - ok, we’ll give it to you and leaves abruptly looking somehow like we ripped them off. Does this sound like “Customer Service" in this day and age!
Now we finally address the “Customer Service Staff" , who have little authority to do much except defuse the situation and get the customer to pay for something else. Some of these people are actually being trained to be bill collectors [just kidding] because they have a worse disposition then those people do and really belong there. These people are there to reiterate the regrets, unfortunately and sorry responses without doing much to resolve their poor service and your problem. But, just think, you may feel blessed you do not get a voice from somewhere distant, that while polite, you have to listen intently to try to understand just what the heck it is they are talking about. Nice people but in the wrong line of business to service Americans. They do work cheap and long hours though.
In closing I must state that I would not be fair unless I did say there are shining stars here and there. But I feel justified in using their Customer Service Terminology in saying "regretfully", they are far in between. So to you out there who try your best to help people, but can’t because “you have to follow company guidelines", I will say I hope it gets better for your sake. We all need a good job. To those of you who do assist in every way, are polite and like your work and truly help, I say great job, but "unfortunately" [the new word of the century]you will probably move along out of eventual dissatisfaction and be replaced by an automated system or someone far away. Finally. to those of you, who should have never showed up for work and just needed a job and took this one, I say, keep it up, in my opinion your in line for a promotion to Supervisor, Collections or Management.
Robert T. Melaccio Sr. Copyright ©2005 Robert Melaccio
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