Archive through December 05, 2001
The ClubHouse: Archives: Consumer Issues: Share your experiences:
Archive through December 05, 2001
Whoami | Monday, November 19, 2001 - 08:36 pm     I am a real b*t*h when it comes to customer service. I expect to be treated in a respectful manner, and to have quality for what I pay for. Unfortunatly, customer service is nearly non-existant now, and quality is...well...not always up to par. I'd like a thread where we can share experiences good or bad. Many times I have gone on-line with a store's corporate office to complain about service. Sometimes I get a response, sometimes I am completely ignored. When it comes down to that, I refuse to do business with that store (or, if necessary the whole chain) again. I also believe in sharing that experience to let others know just how customers stand in some business's eyes. It would actually be refreshing to know of positive experiences, so I can know who or who not to patronize in the future! The experiences are in a future posting, this post is just an introduction. |
Whoami | Monday, November 19, 2001 - 08:41 pm     Product: Farberware cookware. The pots and pans have a non-stick coating that were guaranteed for life. When the coating began peeling off of our skillet, I contacted Farberware. There response was "we did not manufacture that cookware. Please contact the manufacturer for your warranty. Thier number is...." My issue is, if emboss your name on a product, and sell it under warranty. YOU are responsible for honoring that warranty. It wasnt' my decision for you to farm out your manufacturing, and it is not my responsibility to contact your vendor to have that warrenty honored. |
Whoami | Monday, November 19, 2001 - 08:52 pm     Product: Domino's Pizza I called out for delivery one night for a group of us at home. I orderd pizza, cheesy bread sticks, and cinnamon bread sticks. When I got the order, I got two orders of cinnamon bread sticks and no cheesy ones. I called to let them know they had the order wrong, and they said if they got around to it, they'd send the right thing over. Hours went by, and nothing. I called and asked for the manager, and he said he'd "try" to send some out. More time went by, and still nothing. I called again, and he was non-chalant, and clearly didn't care about getting the order right cause it was "only breadsticks." I finally told him to take my name out of his computer because I wouldn't be ordering from him again. He very flippantly said, "Okay." I laughed at him and asked him if he really cared if he was losing a customer, and he said "well, you're getting what you want aren't you?" NO, what I wanted was for someone to CARE about getting my order right, regardless of whether it was pizza or "just breadsticks." By now, it wasn't about breadsticks, it was the principal of customer service. I e-mailed their corporate office to let them know how one of their store managers was handling things. I ended the e-mail stating I would not be ordering from that store again, and that their response to my e-mail would indicate whether I patronized any Domino's outlet again. They completly ignored me, and never responded to my e-mail. Now Domino's is completly off my list of pizza joints. Like I said, I'm a real b*t*h about customer service. |
Moondance | Monday, November 19, 2001 - 09:00 pm     I had a GREAT experience with Conair... my year old blow dryer started shooting sparks ... my last conair lasted years! So I wrote to & sent the blowdryer to their customer service really not expecting anything but I wanted them to have it so they could see why it was shooting sparks... I did have it a year ... anyway they sent me a brand new top of the line blow dryer along with a travel one with a wonderful letter!... That's good business! |
Angelnikki | Monday, November 19, 2001 - 09:27 pm     those cinnasticks are really good |
Max | Monday, November 19, 2001 - 09:39 pm     Good experience: For my 10-year anniversary at work, they gave me a little catalog of items I could order. Tiffany's administers the program. I ordered a lead crystal decanter and glasses set. When it arrived, beautifully packaged in the famous Tiffany blue box, with silky ribbons tying it together, three of the glasses were broken. I called their service line and almost before I could get the sentence out of my mouth, the gal was apologizing and saying they'd send replacements right away. They sent them air express and packed REALLY well. I guess I should expect that kind of service from Tiffany, but you never know! Bad story: I had an old, analog cell phone through Verizon NW. I never used it much, but that was starting to change, so I went to their local Verizon wireless store to see what I could upgrade to. I went in and there were three guys working and only one customer. The two idle guys were just chatting behind the desk. I explained what I wanted to do and asked what plans/phones they had to offer. The guy picked up a brochure, opened it and circled something, then shoved it at me saying, "These are our calling plans, you probably want this one. The phones are on that wall over there." I asked if he could recommend anything and he just said, "Everything we have is on that wall, just pick one." I said I'd have to think about it and left, muttering that I hoped he didn't work on commission! Went to the AT&T Wireless store and they were busy, but kept checking in with me and apologizing for my having to wait. When the gal was free to help me, she was very nice and explained all kinds of options. Needless to say, my cell service is through AT&T now. When I cancelled Verizon, they asked why. I said I got service from someone else. They didn't even blink, just said OK and gave me the disconnect date. How they stay in business like that, I'll never know. |
Angelnikki | Monday, November 19, 2001 - 09:49 pm     because not everyone is like that little twirp you delt with. they have thousands of customers. and even if he does work on commission, he obviously doesnt care what one person out of 30 thinks. i know this cause i work in customer service. i have such rude and obnoxious people that i talk to every day and when one of them says screw you no thank you i got a better deal somewhere else, i say "thank you for calling Budget" and hang up. Im sure it ticks them off cause what they really want me to say is "oh, what rate did you get cause Im sure I can make you a better deal." I have had bad experiences with Pizza hut. Alot of the young people that work there are rude and dont hide it. Im sure they laugh when they hang up the phone also. |
Whoami | Monday, November 19, 2001 - 10:16 pm     Angel, "because they have thousands of customers." That's precisly the reason for this thread. Get the word out, and maybe those customers won't be around once they find out that a)that type of customer service is typical with that company. and b)what options for better service are out there? As for those rude and obnoxious people you deal with, why were they saying screw you? Was it something you did, or company policy? Unfortunatly there are people like that out there on both sides of the counter. The difference is, on your side of the counter, it's your job to serve the customer. (and yes, I've worked in customer service before too!) |
Angelnikki | Tuesday, November 20, 2001 - 06:31 pm     exactly whoami but I am never rude to a customer, thats the difference between myself and some of the other employees. It was not something i said or did that ticked off the customer: oh wait, it was something I said, they just didnt want to hear it And as for that old saying "the customer is always right" I think they can take that phrase and shove it. I have people that are constantly rude to me all day long and all i said was "thank you for calling budget, how may i help you" then out comes with the attitude and cussing. They dont like the rates, they dont like the policies, they are ticked cause they dont qualify and all the sudden I am the BIT%#!!!! I think NOT. Dont get me wrong, I love my job and there are thousands of great customers and happy ones at that. I have never once had a complaint and I have had alot of compliments and thats always nice. I work at a very very busy location and I am on the phone for the full 8 hours im there and there have been customers that were so rude for no reason that have literally made me cry. I had to get up from my desk go to the rest room and cry and want to scream, but i keep going back and BTW, the above quote was not a diss to max I fully understand that situation, that was just my take on the whole thing. enough said |
Whoami | Tuesday, November 20, 2001 - 10:31 pm     Sounds like you're pretty good at your job Angel! I know how frustrating it can be at times, especially when you must work under the constraints of corporate policy, and the customer gets so po'ed at it, and there's nothing you can do about it! The way I try to think about it is, when the customer calls and starts yelling at you right after you say "hello" there must have been a long line of frustrating events that have led up to that explosion. It takes nerves of steel to deal with it, and is probably exactly why I avoid that kind of job now! My problem is the attitude of some of these so called CS people these days. For instance, when I buy a couple of six packs of soda, I like to have them bagged so I can carry them and the rest of my groceries in (especially since I have to muscle through the door past two large inquisitive dogs who want to see what I've brought home!). EVERY time they just throw the soda into the cart unbagged and every time I have to ask to have it bagged. The bagger will then roll his eyes and begruddingly yank the soda back out of the cart to bag it. A few times, I would start to explain why it's easier for me to carry the items into the house bagged, but now I have the attitude of "you know what? I don't have to explain myself to you. I'm the customer, and I want the damn pop bagged!" Of course I don't really say that, I just say, "will you please bag the pop?" But sometimes I just want to slap those rolling eyes across those smug little faces! |
Kep421 | Wednesday, November 21, 2001 - 02:32 am     Ohhhh, I want to go shopping with Who!!!!! |
Car54 | Wednesday, November 21, 2001 - 04:48 am     Angelnikki, I want to call YOU the next time I rent a car! I have worked in retail at all levels for almost 20 years and I have always said the world would be a nicer place if everyone had to work in public for a while. Of course it is our job to do whatever it takes to help the customer, but most people have no idea what strange things happen in public places! In one of our stores, we have an elderly customer who comes in, and if we do not have what she is looking for, SMACKS the salesperson! We have another customer who for several years has bought boxed Christmas cards, opened them, sent 2 or 3 cards, and then tried to return the rest for full price... We try very hard to teach our associates how to give good service, but dealing with some of the odd things is really hard to teach! Personally I have always found that when a customer has a problem, the first thing you do is apologize- a simple recognition that there is a problem instead of being defensive- goes a long way in helping to defuse the frustration the customer has. There is an art to helping people- and we just have to realize that most of the time, a customer's impression of our business is based on the experience they have with our staff. |
Whoami | Wednesday, November 21, 2001 - 09:05 am     Kep, I only get that way after I've had repeated experiences from the same establishment. I'm probably a pretty boring person to shop with otherwise! I usually try very hard to be polite. And I've only created a scene once inside a store (I usually go home and fire off well thought out e-mails to corporate offices). That was with JC Penney, who held my watch in their repair service for a full year. In that time, they sent me to their vendor to find out what was going on (stupid me, I did it), and all kinds of things to put me off. When I finally got the watch back, it didn't work. I marched right back to the jewelry counter to show the clerk it didn't work. She said "well, we can credit your account and send it back to the shop." I remember thinking "you've got to be f**ing kidding me if you think I will let you send it back to the shop after they had if for a year!" What I told her was, "No, you're going to credit my account and get your manager down here NOW." By this time, I am crying (I always cry when I'm supremely frustrated-which frustrates me all the more!). The manager ended up giving me the full original price for the watch back (from when it was purchased over a year ago). The clerk asked for my Penney's card to credit my account for the original repair cost. I told her to cut it up and keep it when she was done. She said she couldn't do that, and I told her to give me a pair of scissors, which she did. I cut the card up, and refused to shop in Penney's for several years after that. To the manager's and clerk's credit, they handled the situation pretty well. But their department couldn't have handled the situation worse over the year they had the watch, which was why I swore off their store for so long. The best part of that whole Penney's experience is, I had a killer look on my face when I left the store. One of those darned "mall interviewers" started to approach me with his clipboard, took one look at my face, got a "oh sh*t" look on his face, and scurried away! Car, I agree with you, I want Angel working with me the next time I rent a car! And you put it very well about "there is an art to helping people.." And most definelty I base my impression of a business on my experiences with their staff. And yes, the general public has no idea some of the strange things that can go on out there! I have a few wild stories of my own from that side of the counter! But I also find that many people end up "getting their own" in many cases. One man tried to create a scene in a convenience store I worked, and started to make a grand exit by kicking the the door open in front of him as he left the store. He picked the side of the door we had locked. It didn't fly open in front of him as he planned, and he basically splatted himself into the door. It was hilarious! The other customers and myself just cracked up. He, of course, turned from red to purple and couldn't get out of there fast enough.  |
Max | Wednesday, November 21, 2001 - 10:11 am     Angel, I admire your willingness to hang in there! I worked for several years as a technical support rep for a computer networking company. We only dealt with dealers who sold our products, not the direct end user, but those guys (and it was almost always guys back in the early '80s) were sometimes exceedingly ignorant AND rude. Trying to be polite and help someone when all they are doing is yelling at you on the phone is very stressful. I always try to be patient when dealing with customer service folks and remember that it's the company or the product that is the problem, not the poor person on the phone. When I do lose it, I try to be civil enough to at least tell them that my frustration is at the company, not them. I had a problem with EarthLink a while back where they charged me for services they never delivered. I asked for a credit back to my credit card since I never received the services. Over a period of 2 months time, I was told that the computers weren't accessible due to maintenance, that databases were being combined and my account couldn't be accessed, and finally, that the account showed they had credited as much as they could, period (they still owed me over $100). At that point, I asked to speak to a supervisor. The gal left me on hold for 20 minutes, then came back and said there were no supervisors in the building. I told her I felt bad that she was stuck in some dismal phone center (I can just picture the environment) with seemingly no support from her superiors. I then asked her if she was in my shoes with the company owing her over $100, what would she do? She gave me another number to call and the address of the home offices where I could write. I did. Never got a reply, but a month later, the credit appeared on my account. Man, I bet there are lots of days she hates her job! One of the things that makes people be rude is that the squeaky wheel often DOES get the most attention. I've seen too many times when someone is acting like a total jerk and then they get special treatment while another person is being nice and patient and gets nothing. People see that often enough and start to conclude that the only way to get satisfaction is to be a jerk. There's no easy answer. I just try to remember that the karma of the whole situation will ripple somewhere and I want to effect it in GOOD ways if I can, rather than negative ones. |
Car54 | Wednesday, November 21, 2001 - 01:06 pm     Max and Who, you are exactly right to ask for what is due to you. I make it a point when I am a customer to try to tell someone when they give good service, and if the service is poor, I try to tell the manager or person in charge. If a customer had a bad experience in one of our stores, I would want to know, so I could correct the problem. The business environment is so competitive now, we have to work harder for our customer's business, and at my company, we try to imprint that on people in training- that you have to go the extra mile, and do whatever it takes to have the customer leave with a positive experience. As for the jerks... I find the best response that gives them very little to complain about is to listen carefully to their complaint or tireade, look very sympathetic then shake my head & say "Thats unfortunate."- it usually confuses them, and they aren't sure if I am apologizing, and I have not committed to any thing that is against our rules or policies! |
Oregonfire | Wednesday, November 21, 2001 - 02:34 pm     I had a bad experience with ordering a floppy disk drive online with Sony, and then with a rude UPS customer service guy. First, I tried to order the disk drive online, but it wouldn't accept my credit card because the credit card address didn't match my current address, which I can understand. I called the credit card company and had the address updated. I went back online to the information that I had changed, but I hit "send" before I changed all of it, so the address was a garbled mess. Mind you, when I had tried to send the address before, it wouldn't go through. But now that I had half of one address, and half of the other, THEN it goes through. I tried desperately to change the address, but to no avail. I called customer service, and they said too late, can't change the address now. The address they were sending the disk drive to DIDN'T EXIST, but it couldn't be changed until UPS got a hold of the package. At this point I was irritated, but not rabid. When UPS got a hold of the package, it became a hostage to the checkpoint system, meaning that it had to go from city to city across the U.S. Until it got to the city nearest me, I could NOT get the address changed, even though it DIDN'T EXIST. (Can you say Kafkaesque?) Finally, I talked to a UPS customer service guy, and I was fuming. The worst part is, he tried to argue with me when I told him that I had been trying to sort out this whole mess for a week, and he says "Well, according to OUR records, we've only had your package for five days, so it's hardly been a week, now has it?" I pretty much went ballistic after that. He was like "You can complain as much as you want, it won't change anything." I'm sorry, but WHAT an *ssh*le. One of the worst aspects of all this is that UPS distributors, like the Post Office, are not listed locally. You have to call the national 1 800 number to get some help. Finally I got a hold of a nice gal who actually gave me the local UPS address/phone number, which no one else had even thought of doing before. I went down there, told them about the address change in person, and they were really nice about it, like it was no big deal. I guess the moral of the story is, yes, I was being somewhat bearish, but do not further irritate an enraged customer. Sometimes all I want to hear is "yes, I know it's frustrating," even if nothing can be immediately done about the situation. |
Karuuna | Wednesday, November 21, 2001 - 05:17 pm     So I bought this new house, and it came with a spiffy built-in microwave/hood combination. So fancy it took me a week to figure out how to warm up a cup of coffee. Last week I got a letter from Kenmore, saying that these thingies were a fire hazard, and I should stop using it IMMEDIATELY, and unplug it even sooner. If it was such an emergency, why did they send me a letter? So I'll stop using it, but since it's directly wired, "unplugging" it is a bit difficult. No problem, they have also mailed me an EMERGENCY number, to call RIGHT AWAY, so that they can send a technician out to disconnect it. I call the emergency number, and after making 13 selections to get to the right person, I get put on hold. I hold for ten minutes, and get disconnected. I call RIGHT AWAY again, make my 13 selections, get put on hold, get disconnected again. I go to their website, and register my recalled microwave so they'll come out and fix it. But they have to fix so many, the website says it may be 4-6 weeks before they can get here. They warn me again to stop using it IMMEDIATELY, and to disconnect it RIGHT AWAY. I note on my registration, that I can't unplug it. They called me today, and gave me a new 800 number to call to get a technician to come out and disconnect the friggin' thing. The service department says they can't get anyone out until next week (that's RIGHT AWAY?), and that I have to make one of those four hour window appts, during which time someone will theoretically show up to disconnect my EXTREMELY FIRE HAZARDOUS microwave. I tell her I'll call an electrician. Geez. |
Spygirl | Wednesday, November 21, 2001 - 07:33 pm     Can you spell l-a-w-s-u-i-t? hehe |
Oregonfire | Tuesday, December 04, 2001 - 07:43 pm     More of an advice type question: Which is better, a cable modem, or DSL? I had a cable modem for a few months (got the special deal). At the time, DSL was quite a bit more expensive. But now they both seem to be around $50 a month. Should I take the plunge, and if so, with the cable modem or the DSL? I really just want to download MP3s, which is reason enough for the upgrade from 56K. Thanks in advance. |
Max | Tuesday, December 04, 2001 - 10:11 pm     I finally got a "real" DSL account through Verizon and I like it a lot. However, I've seen a cable modem in action at a friends (not available yet in my neighborhood) and it was MUCH faster. One click and pages, including lots of graphics, appeared almost before you could blink. It's hard to tell what's going to prevail, though, and friends who have cable modems got cut off from email rather abruptly because of the Excite @Home debaucle. If I had a choice, I'd get a cable modem. |
Pcakes2 | Wednesday, December 05, 2001 - 07:47 am     Hubby has DSL thru AOL, and I have cable thru AT&T...AOL is easier to deal with, and charges $19.95 a month, plus the basic AOL unlimited service of $19.95 a month. |
Oregonfire | Wednesday, December 05, 2001 - 08:10 am     Hmm, interesting, interesting, one to ponder. Good ideas, definitely. Thank you for taking the time to reply. An additional problem is that I have an erratic paycheck, so being locked into a contract might be a problem for me at some point in the future, especially in the summer. |
Pcakes2 | Wednesday, December 05, 2001 - 08:32 am     DSL thru AOL might be a good option for you. They bill you monthly (either by credit card or direct withdrawl from checking account)...best part is, you can cancel at anytime |
Weinermr | Wednesday, December 05, 2001 - 08:56 am     I don't have either cable or DSL. I'm still struggling along with a 56K modem. I have heard though that there can be concerns with cable in that you are sharing the access and the bandwidth with others on your system. You have to be real careful by having a firewall, and be sure your PC settings don't allow file sharing. Also, if there is high usage by the other users on your cable system, then your bandwidth decreases accordingly. If and when my area gets DSL service, I think that is what I'm going to go with. Until then, I will struggle with my at home 56K modem, meanwhile coveting the T1 line we have at work that makes downloading files and pages a real snap. |
Max | Wednesday, December 05, 2001 - 09:41 am     Weinermr brings up a good point. Whether you are using DSL or cable modem, make sure to install a personal firewall, such as Norton Desktop Firewall or Norton Internet Security or a variety of other options. Actually, even if you are dialing in, it's a good idea to run a firewall. As soon as you are online, your computer is subject to trolling by hackers. |
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