Disclaimer: I think there should be a special line where we (the dissatisfied customers- the ones who have been horribly mistreated) get to take their turn giving you (the customer service rep who is a total moron and a meany) a kick in the pants!
Can I just say- I have so had it with "I'm sorry for the inconvenience"? No they're not. They are not personally sorry for the inconvenience they have caused me, so why apologize insincerely? I actually had a rep argue with me the other day:
I'm just going to be blunt and spill it, even though it's usually not my style- I'm so ticked and I think that everyone should know how I was treated! An AT&T customer service rep told me the other day that I should just get used to the fact that I can't use my 3G network on my iPhone. I continually drop calls when I'm on the 3G- so I have to switch off that network (to the EDGE) to make calls- but you can't be on the EDGE and make calls and be on the internet simultaneously (which is what they are spending millions advertising). This guy actually told me that he has a Blackberry (whatever model) and that he pays the same amount that I do for the internet per month and he doesn't get 3G service- I asked him if that's what he was promised- he said 'no'. I said, "alright, well I was- this is the entire purpose of the iPhone- I need to multitask here Danny!"
He continued with "I'm sorry for the inconvenience", and whatever I said after that, this was his reply. I was getting nowhere (and this has been the case for the last six months with this company)- so I called Apple (my favorite company in the entire world).
I told them what had happened and then I proceeded to tell them that I didn't have problems with other products that I owned (and we have a few)...so what's the deal? Michael, a very kind and patient senior advisor, not only replaced my phone on the slight chance that this glitch might be a hardware issue, but he upgraded my phone to a brand new (not refurbished) 32 gig (I had a 16)- I was so shocked by the discrepancy between the two companies that I had to tell Michael that I hoped that they didn't stay with AT&T too much longer (although I know that the iPad is exclusively with AT&T).
I'm tired of being patient and kind with these people when they are not (although I will continue to be)- but customer service has just gone down the tubes! I'm so over it!
5 comments:
Yikes, that's horrible!!! Shame on AT&T, grrr.
I work for a company that has WONDERFUL customer service reps. I really wish every company did, it's such a shame that they don't invest more time, money, and energy into training and utilizing these employees. Maybe you should submit to CBS that they have the president of AT&T go on that show "Undercover Boss" so that they can see and understand for real what's going on in their own company. They often have no clue (which is why that show is so awesome).
Ugh. Hope your situation gets better soon. At least the guy at Apple knew what he was doing!
I had someone from the post office customer help line once be incredible rude to me. But what can I do? It's the post office. They are mean because they know they can get away with it. Is there really no integrity in our world anymore? :(
I can forsee the world going back to doing business at mom and pop stores where customer service means something. Corporations have no accountability!!!
Yeah...can't wait for Apple to switch to Verizon, which does have the best 3G coverage. Hehehehe. As for the insincere apologies...I'm soooooooooo with you on that. I can't remember the situation but some lady pulled the insincere apology crap on me and when she said "I'm sorry for the inconvenience" I responded by saying, "oh I'm so sure you are!" I know it was immature and petty but it did make me feel better!!!!!
I work in customer service and I take a lot of pride in the work I do. I spend my days helping people for the most part, but when it comes down to it, when there is a problem with a website or a product IT IS NOT MY FAULT, I think if more customers understood this, we would all be in a much better place. I find at times all I can do is apologize for the inconvenience because I have no way of fixing the problem. I can pass the word along and I can apologize, nothing else. I think it is a little harsh to call someone you have never met a moron. I have had callers speak to me this way, and honestly it gets you no where. I work in customer service because I choose to, I have a college degree from a private college and graduated in the top 10% of my class. Chances are the rep you spoke with also has an education and is working in customer service because of other circumstances, i.e. is still in school, got laid off, or of course might just be a strange bird like me and actually like working with people everyday. I think it is easy for people to be hard on people who are in positions they have never been in.
Ashley,
Thank you for your comments. While I appreciate that I do not know this person on a deep level, I did spend an hour on the phone with them and am making a judgement call that their behavior on the phone was moronic.
The irony is that I have worked in the customer service industry and do understand what it's like to have someone fly off the handle (which is not what happened here, nor did I call him any names on the phone).
I agree with you that it takes a special kind of person to be a successful customer service rep, and although I'm sure you have handled your share of phone calls where you were unfairly treated, I'm sure you've been on the other end of the phone where the customer service rep doesn't care what is going on and will not pass anything along to his supervisor. If you have not had this experience yet, I'm happy for you, but it's bound to happen sometime.
Post a Comment