Why are customers such c*nts at times?
Oct. 11th, 2004 09:25 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
lordstorm.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
techrecoveryA recent log, copied directly from my notes on the account. Broadband customers are told when they sign up that should they miss a payment we redivert them via a HTTP request to a reminder page, to which they have to acknowledge their account is overdue before we allow them to access the rest of the internet. This is standard practise for our ISP, on both dial-up and DSL. Also note, he had called around 2am, some 3 hours after both our helpdesk and accounts desk had closed, so as a graveyarder I wore my Accounts cap and took the call.
incoming:
- cust rather annoyed, was told he would be called back regards to account issues over 1.5hrs ago and had not been contacted
- apologised, offered my assistance
- cust acct has been [cut off due to not paying bill], cust very irritated that his account was restricted and he had been told it had been not
- no previous logs from other operators to verify, informed cust acct overdue and explained [grace period] to cust regards to [automatic HTTP reminder system] redivert
- cust had wanted to access online banking to transfer funds to credit card, mentioned he was very annoyed that he had to incur extra cost using phone banking to do so
- apoligsed again, offered to do a manual payment and clear up his account and get him back online
- cust cut me off and asked why he'd been lied to [regards to overdue account notice redivert], said I couldn't answer that as I had no knowledge of what previous rep had told him
- cust asked if there was a manager there, informed cust as it was after hours our manager had gone home
- cust stated he was a call centre manager himself and said there was someone there by law with the ability to take a complaint, was there anyone there senior than me he could talk to?
- told cust I'd look, placed on hold
- spoke to [senior network engineer], was instructed as it was an accounts call he was unable to take escalation, suggested cust call back accounts desk tomorrow to get it sorted out
- retrieved call, informed cust there was no one senior here to take his issue as the helpdesk was officially closed, tried to offer again to make payment and get back online but cust cut me off again, said by [operational health and safety] laws there had to be someone there senior than I he could talk to
- informed cust there was not
- cust did not believe me, stated again he was a call centre mananger, and demanded to speak to a supervisor, he had been waiting for an hour longer than he was promised, he was annoyed enough to keep waiting, and that he's wait for another hour if he had to
- informed cust yet again there was no one here available to help him
- cust asked for my name, gave first name
- cust once again asked for a senior person, stating we were breaking the law if there was not, and threatened legal action against our company if there was no other available person
- informed cust yet again there was no one here available to help him
- cust asked for employment/serial number, informed cust I did not have one
- cust rather pointedly told me every company had a way of tracking employees, informed cust again I did not have such an ID number, but if it helped, I was the only [person with my name] on the floor who worked these hours, and that I had blue hair
- cust remarked he'd believe that, asked for my last name
- politely refused to give last name
- cust asked for my last name again
- apologised to cust, but now I was legally invoking my rights not to give my last name
- cust accepted that, said he would call call his lawyer since we were lying, restricting his account against contract, deliberately blocking avenues for resolution and I wasn't helping things, he would call [department of fair trading] and [operational health and safety] and report us for unlawful operation....unless there was someone else to talk to
- informed cust yet again there was no one here available to help him, I didn't know how many times I could tell him that, and as polite as I have been I had to insist there wasn't anyone to take the call, and if he insisted on this path I would have no choice but to end the call
- cust acknowledged, stated we were operating illegally and any contracts or agreements we had with him were legally non-binding as of now, cust asked me to acknowledge
- I did not acknowledge, said simply "I am sorry you feel that way, sir"
- cust got annoyed again and cut me down for calling him sir, said it was impolite, his name was [well, his name]
- said again "I am sorry you feel that way.....[customer name]"
- cust accused me of being patronising, did not answer
- cust asked if I would be logging this call, told cust I would be typing notes regarding this call, yes, cust asked me to acknowledge in text that he had stated his agreements were now null and void
- carefully told cust I would type down the fact he had said that, still did not acknowledge the statement directly
- cust asked if there was truly no supervisor or manager there, why did I put the phone on hold to get one?
- told cust I did not say at any time I would get a supervior, stated again I was putting cust on hold to find one if one was available, which there was not
- cust politely informed me he would be calling tomorrow via the [AU telecommunications industry ombudsman]
- end of call
- call duration (incl. logs): 50min
incoming:
- cust rather annoyed, was told he would be called back regards to account issues over 1.5hrs ago and had not been contacted
- apologised, offered my assistance
- cust acct has been [cut off due to not paying bill], cust very irritated that his account was restricted and he had been told it had been not
- no previous logs from other operators to verify, informed cust acct overdue and explained [grace period] to cust regards to [automatic HTTP reminder system] redivert
- cust had wanted to access online banking to transfer funds to credit card, mentioned he was very annoyed that he had to incur extra cost using phone banking to do so
- apoligsed again, offered to do a manual payment and clear up his account and get him back online
- cust cut me off and asked why he'd been lied to [regards to overdue account notice redivert], said I couldn't answer that as I had no knowledge of what previous rep had told him
- cust asked if there was a manager there, informed cust as it was after hours our manager had gone home
- cust stated he was a call centre manager himself and said there was someone there by law with the ability to take a complaint, was there anyone there senior than me he could talk to?
- told cust I'd look, placed on hold
- spoke to [senior network engineer], was instructed as it was an accounts call he was unable to take escalation, suggested cust call back accounts desk tomorrow to get it sorted out
- retrieved call, informed cust there was no one senior here to take his issue as the helpdesk was officially closed, tried to offer again to make payment and get back online but cust cut me off again, said by [operational health and safety] laws there had to be someone there senior than I he could talk to
- informed cust there was not
- cust did not believe me, stated again he was a call centre mananger, and demanded to speak to a supervisor, he had been waiting for an hour longer than he was promised, he was annoyed enough to keep waiting, and that he's wait for another hour if he had to
- informed cust yet again there was no one here available to help him
- cust asked for my name, gave first name
- cust once again asked for a senior person, stating we were breaking the law if there was not, and threatened legal action against our company if there was no other available person
- informed cust yet again there was no one here available to help him
- cust asked for employment/serial number, informed cust I did not have one
- cust rather pointedly told me every company had a way of tracking employees, informed cust again I did not have such an ID number, but if it helped, I was the only [person with my name] on the floor who worked these hours, and that I had blue hair
- cust remarked he'd believe that, asked for my last name
- politely refused to give last name
- cust asked for my last name again
- apologised to cust, but now I was legally invoking my rights not to give my last name
- cust accepted that, said he would call call his lawyer since we were lying, restricting his account against contract, deliberately blocking avenues for resolution and I wasn't helping things, he would call [department of fair trading] and [operational health and safety] and report us for unlawful operation....unless there was someone else to talk to
- informed cust yet again there was no one here available to help him, I didn't know how many times I could tell him that, and as polite as I have been I had to insist there wasn't anyone to take the call, and if he insisted on this path I would have no choice but to end the call
- cust acknowledged, stated we were operating illegally and any contracts or agreements we had with him were legally non-binding as of now, cust asked me to acknowledge
- I did not acknowledge, said simply "I am sorry you feel that way, sir"
- cust got annoyed again and cut me down for calling him sir, said it was impolite, his name was [well, his name]
- said again "I am sorry you feel that way.....[customer name]"
- cust accused me of being patronising, did not answer
- cust asked if I would be logging this call, told cust I would be typing notes regarding this call, yes, cust asked me to acknowledge in text that he had stated his agreements were now null and void
- carefully told cust I would type down the fact he had said that, still did not acknowledge the statement directly
- cust asked if there was truly no supervisor or manager there, why did I put the phone on hold to get one?
- told cust I did not say at any time I would get a supervior, stated again I was putting cust on hold to find one if one was available, which there was not
- cust politely informed me he would be calling tomorrow via the [AU telecommunications industry ombudsman]
- end of call
- call duration (incl. logs): 50min
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-10-10 04:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-10 04:40 pm (UTC)You're going to go to the TIO? Sure, would you like their phone number? (Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman)
no subject
Date: 2004-10-10 04:50 pm (UTC)post the hair
and i have the shirt your icon is on... :)
no subject
Date: 2004-10-11 11:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-11 11:42 am (UTC)And yes, I visit Thinkgeek from time to time myself. ;)
no subject
Date: 2004-10-10 05:13 pm (UTC)"You'll know she just presents the show, then, she doesn't actually make it? Would you like me to give your email address to my friend on the production team?"
Ahhh, laywers
Date: 2004-10-11 01:26 pm (UTC)They like to threaten to sue, until they realize you're really not impressed.
no subject
Date: 2004-10-10 05:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-10 05:55 pm (UTC)I take it you've read this disturbing metaphor (http://www.livejournal.com/community/customers_suck/7651810.html)?
no subject
Date: 2004-10-10 08:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-10 08:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-10 08:55 pm (UTC)"I keep getting error 691 when I try to dial in"
"You're out of prepaid hours. You need to get a top up"
"Oh." *silence*
It's not only your ISP, but probably every other one as well :)
no subject
Date: 2004-10-10 11:03 pm (UTC)You surely developed a lot of patience.
no subject
Date: 2004-10-11 12:46 am (UTC)Only I worked daylight hours, when you EXPECT a management type around ...
In a retail store ... as tech help ...
and yes ... there were managers around.
I swear, these guys could out-do me in the cammoflauge department, as thier phones never worked, pages went unanswered, and the only time they'd show up is to fire you. They were always in the building, but mysteriously absent or invisible. ^_^
no subject
Date: 2004-10-11 12:08 pm (UTC)Bottle
no subject
Date: 2004-10-11 03:02 pm (UTC)Otherwise, I pity you immensely.