topic Re: Customer Servie Anywhere-Does anyone experience this?! in Community Chat

Customer Service Anywhere-Does anyone experience this?!

on the bay — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 16:52:41 GMT

I hope it's not just me.

I find I am explaining the problem or question and no matter how many times I repeat it, the answer is just a pat answer as if they are reading from a page that doesn't in any way answer the question!

Once in a blue moon I get someone who actually understands and helps! I had this experience the last few days with after about 6 or 7 calls I got someone who was really knowledgable about how to figure out a stupid website and figuring out how to fix a complicated problem! I could have cried from relief and gratitude and I told her that.

I think people are hired who have limited knowledge and just are given a script to read.

That and getting past the horrible automated voice that repeats I can help you and clearly it doesn't so I am finally yelling over and over "representative"! or "let me speak to a human being!" so by the time I get to a poor live person I am so

frustrated I am trying very hard not to take it out on that real person!

And when they say can I help you with anything else, I make sure to mention to adjust their automated voice and make it easier to speak to a live person. And hitting 0 doesn't seem to be an option anymore as it will say that is not an option.

I just hate things like this and am so glad when I am not having to deal with stuff like this and finally get it solved.

Whew! Ok vent over ,now onto Christmas movies!

Re: Customer Servie Anywhere-Does anyone experience this?!

MaverDaver — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 15:39:54 GMT

I do all the time. It's very difficult to find someone who understands your issue AND can resolve it. Oh yeah, those menus -- I believe they do it just to p*ss us off and give up.

My dog recently had a medical issue and was hospitalized overnight. On Dec. 11th I called the emergency vet and asked them to e-mail his records and bill to my pet insurance company. I also called my vet and asked the same of them. Guess what -- just checked and neither has done so.

Will be making the second round of calls come Monday morning.

IT'S HARD TO FIND GOOD HELP THESE DAYS.

Re: Customer Servie Anywhere-Does anyone experience this?!

on the bay — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 15:43:13 GMT

@MaverDaver,

Yes! It shouldn't be that way!

I hope it gets straightened out on Monday!

Tell them, "Do you know who you are talking too?!"

They will wonder

Re: Customer Servie Anywhere-Does anyone experience this?!

Tori3569 — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 15:51:00 GMT

@on the bay wrote:
@MaverDaver,
Yes! It shouldn't be that way!
I hope it gets straightened out on Monday!
Tell them, "Do you know who you are talking too?!"
They will wonder

Well, that definitely wouldn't work. Vet offices are very chaotic at times and admin tasks often have to be delayed.

Re: Customer Servie Anywhere-Does anyone experience this?!

TheWanderingOne — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 16:04:16 GMT

I am so fed up with "cut and paste from a script" customer service that I could scream!

Delta Air Lines has 2 venues that they direct customers to for support - their X feed and a messaging feature thru their app. Both start out with bots, which are unable to comprehend the simplest of tasks - thankfully most travelers can figure out how to execute those things themselves. When you insist on a "real human", you get an offshored contract employee who doesn't speak English, and doesn't really need to because they just grab prompts from their script and paste the response. It's horrible. When I call the medallion line, I do get thru right away, but maybe only 10% of the time do I get a rep who will actually listen. There have been numerous complaints about it, but the airline doesn't care.

The same thing with American Express. They no longer have fluent English speaking, US based customer service. Just offshored contractors who pick and choose from a script. It's infuriating.

Re: Customer Servie Anywhere-Does anyone experience this?!

CelticCrafter — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 16:27:47 GMT

Most times they don't understand or care to understand.

We are dealing with a carpet installation issue and have told the schedulers DO NOT send the same the crew back and who have we seen walking up the driveway 3 times.

I guess TPTB figured they already paid the crew and they aren't sending someone else because they don't want to pay someone to do it right.

There are times when they have to bite the bullet...

Re: Customer Servie Anywhere-Does anyone experience this?!

Marsha2003 — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 16:36:36 GMT

Oh, I agree with the frustration. I was dealing with ATT for hours last week. I'm not exaggerating. They have call centers in the USA, but to get to one of those is almost impossible. As you said, you get an offshore representative who can only read from a script. That's fine if you have a common problem, but if your problem is complicated and uncommon, you cannot get help. I can't tell you how many times I would just hang up and call back trying to get someone who could actually help me.

It took three in-person service calls multiple hours each time at my house to resolve the problem. After each visit, I had to go through the whole rigamarole again to get the next service person out and they STILL haven't buried the cable after two weeks.

For a few days, calling and dealing with ATT was my full-time job.

Re: Customer Servie Anywhere-Does anyone experience this?!

on the bay — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 16:49:33 GMT

@Tori3569 wrote:
@on the bay wrote:
@MaverDaver,
Yes! It shouldn't be that way!
I hope it gets straightened out on Monday!
Tell them, "Do you know who you are talking too?!"
They will wonder

Well, that definitely wouldn't work. Vet offices are very chaotic at times and admin tasks often have to be delayed.

@Tori3569,

I know, I was just kidding. I often think of that though. I have a well known relative and laugh with them while saying this.

Re: Customer Servie Anywhere-Does anyone experience this?!

on the bay — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 16:52:07 GMT

@TheWanderingOne,Exactly! Everything you said.

I know it used to be if you asked to speak to someone from America they would transfer you, but I bet that doesn't work everywhere anymore.

Re: Customer Servie Anywhere-Does anyone experience this?!

San Antonio Gal — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 16:52:17 GMT

I despise having to call customer service with any company these days. It's so frustrating.

Re: Customer Servie Anywhere-Does anyone experience this?!

Estellee — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 16:55:17 GMT

Sometimes it takes a few tries to get someone to help.

Re: Customer Servie Anywhere-Does anyone experience this?!

on the bay — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 16:56:06 GMT

@Marsha2003,

Yes, for me too! It was almost a week trying to straighten out this problem. Like you said, it was like a full time job!

Re: Customer Service Anywhere-Does anyone experience this?!

drizzellla — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 18:07:20 GMT

When my Dad was not doing well health wise, He went from his nursing home to the hospital (for 10 days) back to the nursing home. During that time someone opened a credit card in his name with Dell. Whoever it was made sure that they were well supplied. They ordered numerous computers, monitors and digital cameras.

When I got the bill, I called Dell to say my Dad was presently in a nursing home on oxygen and an IV. He was not buying all the items that were on this bill. I was told that on the application my Dad was born in 1965?!?!?! I asked did they even check my Dad's credit? He was born 40 years before 1965.

So Dell told me to take him to "his" police station and file a report. They used my Dad's home address which was miles from his nursing home. I said the man is confined to a bed with oxygen and an IV. She told me "then take him to the nearest police station".

Dell wasn't going to do anything without a police report! I was not about to drag my Dad out of his bed (he couldn't walk) to file the report. And he died in 3 days.

I found out that Dell sent his account to collections, when I got a phone call at work. I had started a new job (talk about bad timing) about 2 weeks before Dad was sent to the hospital. So here I am on my new job getting collection calls, as I am being trained and closely watched for my new job.

The collection calls went on for 8 years.

BUT there was a time I actually worked in Customer Service. I really worked in the Accounting Department. But Accounting Department was in the room next to Customer Service. We knew very little about the Customer Service Department.

There were about 8 people in the Customer Service Department. The company did medical testing. The customer service department had a feature on their phones and the button was called "Make Busy". So if the customer service person didn't want to answer their phone they just pushed the "make busy" button.

Well, as you might guess it was a popular button. And certain people used it frequently. So there would be complaints about calls not being answered - if at all.

So one day my boss came into Accounting Department and asked me to answer Customer Service's phones. I said "sure". They didn't tell me what to do other than answer the phone. So I answered the phone.

And to no surprise, it was someone complaining. The tests cost too much, etc. I asked the people about their insurance and checked that we had the correct information. And basically listened to them express their complaints. So I made sure all information was correct and we submitted the correct information. Didn't know what else to do. The ONLY other thing I knew to do was to write off the bill. AND no one gave me any direction. They just wanted a warm body answering phones. So that is what I ended up doing writing off everyone's bill.

I made lots of friends while I was in customer service. BUT I was never asked to do it again. I wonder why.

Re: Customer Service Anywhere-Does anyone experience this?!

BalletBabe — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 18:46:12 GMT

@on the bay wrote:
I hope it's not just me.
I find I am explaining the problem or question and no matter how many times I repeat it, the answer is just a pat answer as if they are reading from a page that doesn't in any way answer the question!

Once in a blue moon I get someone who actually understands and helps! I had this experience the last few days with after about 6 or 7 calls I got someone who was really knowledgable about how to figure out a stupid website and figuring out how to fix a complicated problem! I could have cried from relief and gratitude and I told her that.

I think people are hired who have limited knowledge and just are given a script to read.

That and getting past the horrible automated voice that repeats I can help you and clearly it doesn't so I am finally yelling over and over "representative"! or "let me speak to a human being!" so by the time I get to a poor live person I am so
frustrated I am trying very hard not to take it out on that real person!
And when they say can I help you with anything else, I make sure to mention to adjust their automated voice and make it easier to speak to a live person. And hitting 0 doesn't seem to be an option anymore as it will say that is not an option.

I just hate things like this and am so glad when I am not having to deal with stuff like this and finally get it solved.

Whew! Ok vent over ,now onto Christmas movies!

@on the bay This is one reason I treasure the Social team here. They have always been able to help me, and I am so grateful to them for all their help

Re: Customer Service Anywhere-Does anyone experience this?!

on the bay — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 18:23:04 GMT

@BalletBabe,

Yes, I so agree! The Social Team here is so unusual and wonderful!

Wouldn't it be great if every customer service we dealt with was like them!

Re: Customer Service Anywhere-Does anyone experience this?!

wagirl — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 19:01:33 GMT

For the most part, when I've had to deal with any CS, the outcome was favorable. But when dealing with the government--that's a whole different beast. It took me about 10 months or calling and waiting to talk to---a real person--- to get a social security issue straightened out---I would wait and wait to talk to someone and THINK......it was squared away, only to have to do it over and over again, until I spoke to ONE man who actually did his job and while I was on the phone with him he made sure ---before we hung up --that the process was correctly inputed and all should be righted in a timely fashion-----and it was!!! Probably spent at least 10 hours in total, just on hold--so maddening!!

Re: Customer Servie Anywhere-Does anyone experience this?!

Biftu — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 19:05:39 GMT

@on the bay wrote:
@TheWanderingOne,Exactly! Everything you said.
I know it used to be if you asked to speak to someone from America they would transfer you, but I bet that doesn't work everywhere anymore.

Why would you care if they are from America as long as they can resolve your problem?

Re: Customer Servie Anywhere-Does anyone experience this?!

on the bay — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 19:10:45 GMT

@Biftu wrote:
@on the bay wrote:
@TheWanderingOne,Exactly! Everything you said.
I know it used to be if you asked to speak to someone from America they would transfer you, but I bet that doesn't work everywhere anymore.
Why would you care if they are from America as long as they can resolve your problem?

@Biftu,

I don't care where they are from unless I can't understand them.

But I'm actually getting pretty good at understanding the Pakistan/Indian accent though many times have to say wait you are going too fast!

The last one who helped me after 6 tries did have a heavy accent and she was wonderful because she listened and knew a lot about websites.

Not everyone without an accent is always helpful either.

No matter where they are from I just want to be able to understand them and have them really listen to what I am saying, as I'm sure we all do.

I grew up with people from all over so I'm not saying anyone has to be from a certain place to give good customer service.

Re: Customer Service Anywhere-Does anyone experience this?!

bikerbabe — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 19:21:41 GMT

Not a popular thing to say but I had a really nice experience with a medical insurance CS rep this week. Also the call had about a 10 second wait to talk to someone.

I’ve had good experiences with small retailers as well.

Re: Customer Service Anywhere-Does anyone experience this?!

occasionalrain — Sat, 14 Dec 2024 19:37:15 GMT

I've had good experiences with small businesses, Discover, UPMC insurance, and Medicare.