This article, 7 ways to win the customer-service game, offers some great advice on getting customer service. I highly recommend following these steps when having difficulty getting service from a company.
Through that article, I also found this database of human oriented contact information. The way to reach a human being with 500 companies.
Friday, February 09, 2007
Monday, January 22, 2007
Verizon Wireless / Palm - Waste of 30 Minutes
My phone does something different now after performing a mandated software update.
I phone Verizon and ask about it, and the person has no idea, so he transfers me to the Data Team. They also have no idea, so they say they will call Palm and ask them with me.
The rep says she has already called Palm and explained the situation, and will now transfer me to them, and that I will have a hold of some silence before they pick up the phone.
She then puts me on a musical hold for about ten seconds, and then hangs up on me. I receive no call back.
I call Verizon again and explain the situation. The rep there just blind-transfers me to Palm. When they answer, I explain the situation in what I thought were very clear terms.
"Hi, I recently did a software update on my phone, and it now acts different than it did before. I'd like to know how to get the old behavior back. Before the update, when I would use Outlook, and do a Send and Receive, it would immediately hang up when it was done with the Internet. Now, after the software update, it stays connected when it's done with the Internet. I'd like it to just disconnect when it's done with the Internet. Can you help me figure out how to do that?"
The person asked a couple of probing questions, then put me on hold for a while. When he came back, he said that he doesn't think that there used to be an option in the past, before the upgrade, to allow you to specify that you want your phone to disconnect from the Internet when it's done. I told him that it wasn't a setting I had set before, this was just the behavior. I said it only did this in Outlook, and that it would immediately disconnect when it was done doing the send/receive.
He asked me to hold again, and came back and stated that he doesn't know why it used to do that. He and his colleagues aren't aware of an issue that would make it do that. He then asked if what I use is Wireless Sync, or Outlook. I said I only used Wireless Sync once to download my contacts, and then went into Add/Remove Programs and removed it, so it's no loner installed. I use Outlook, only, now.
He said, that's why it was disconnecting - it is Wireless Sync. I said, no, I never installed Wireless Sync until just before I did the software upgrade, and after I did the software upgrade (to upload, and then download contacts). It had not been installed before that. He continued to try to blame the Wireless Sync for it, and I told him that it was doing that way, way before I installed Wireless Sync (like, for 11 months).
He then told me he is going to look something up, and this time I heard silence for 6-7 minutes (I even spoke into the phone several times and received no response), and when he came back he said there's no way to make it hang up after it's done doing a send/receive.
I said, OK, thanks, and then asked him to please tell their developers that there is at least one customer who would like it if the phone would automatically disconnect when it is done with a send/receive. I told him that it used to do this, and the software update undid it, and it is a great feature I would like back. I explained how this feature helps me out.
The entire time, he give the, "Uh huh, uh huh" response that clearly broadcasts that he's not listening. He was done with the call when he came back from his 6-7 minute mute, the rest of it is him just trying to get me to hang up. If that means making affirming noises while I yammer in to the phone, that's what he'll do.
Once I realized he was on this track, I stopped talking mid-sentence, and said, "Well, thank you." He proved he hadn't been listening by saying, "Thank you for calling Palm," and hanging up.
I phone Verizon and ask about it, and the person has no idea, so he transfers me to the Data Team. They also have no idea, so they say they will call Palm and ask them with me.
The rep says she has already called Palm and explained the situation, and will now transfer me to them, and that I will have a hold of some silence before they pick up the phone.
She then puts me on a musical hold for about ten seconds, and then hangs up on me. I receive no call back.
I call Verizon again and explain the situation. The rep there just blind-transfers me to Palm. When they answer, I explain the situation in what I thought were very clear terms.
"Hi, I recently did a software update on my phone, and it now acts different than it did before. I'd like to know how to get the old behavior back. Before the update, when I would use Outlook, and do a Send and Receive, it would immediately hang up when it was done with the Internet. Now, after the software update, it stays connected when it's done with the Internet. I'd like it to just disconnect when it's done with the Internet. Can you help me figure out how to do that?"
The person asked a couple of probing questions, then put me on hold for a while. When he came back, he said that he doesn't think that there used to be an option in the past, before the upgrade, to allow you to specify that you want your phone to disconnect from the Internet when it's done. I told him that it wasn't a setting I had set before, this was just the behavior. I said it only did this in Outlook, and that it would immediately disconnect when it was done doing the send/receive.
He asked me to hold again, and came back and stated that he doesn't know why it used to do that. He and his colleagues aren't aware of an issue that would make it do that. He then asked if what I use is Wireless Sync, or Outlook. I said I only used Wireless Sync once to download my contacts, and then went into Add/Remove Programs and removed it, so it's no loner installed. I use Outlook, only, now.
He said, that's why it was disconnecting - it is Wireless Sync. I said, no, I never installed Wireless Sync until just before I did the software upgrade, and after I did the software upgrade (to upload, and then download contacts). It had not been installed before that. He continued to try to blame the Wireless Sync for it, and I told him that it was doing that way, way before I installed Wireless Sync (like, for 11 months).
He then told me he is going to look something up, and this time I heard silence for 6-7 minutes (I even spoke into the phone several times and received no response), and when he came back he said there's no way to make it hang up after it's done doing a send/receive.
I said, OK, thanks, and then asked him to please tell their developers that there is at least one customer who would like it if the phone would automatically disconnect when it is done with a send/receive. I told him that it used to do this, and the software update undid it, and it is a great feature I would like back. I explained how this feature helps me out.
The entire time, he give the, "Uh huh, uh huh" response that clearly broadcasts that he's not listening. He was done with the call when he came back from his 6-7 minute mute, the rest of it is him just trying to get me to hang up. If that means making affirming noises while I yammer in to the phone, that's what he'll do.
Once I realized he was on this track, I stopped talking mid-sentence, and said, "Well, thank you." He proved he hadn't been listening by saying, "Thank you for calling Palm," and hanging up.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Microsoft Technical Support, Take 2
Note: This post is on a separate issue from my other Microsoft Technical Support blog post regarding support for Microsoft Digital Image Suite 2006.
On 10/15/2006, I set up a new computer. Formatted the hard drive and went to download the Beta for Office 2007. (I’ve been in the Beta for 6 months, and much of my data is stored in these files). It is now out of Beta and in to Trial. I went to download these files, but could not. The link for download, and the product ID key, were both missing. I tried it on 2 other computers, same results.
After three days of trying to make it work, I phoned Microsoft, and the person who answered couldn’t figure out if I needed MS Office Tech Support or Internet Explorer tech support. She finally directed me to talk to Internet Explorer support, which she said is free for the lifetime I own the product. I waited on hold for twenty minutes, and a person answered who told me to reinstall IE7. I explained it began doing this immediately after formatting the hard drive, installing Windows XP SP2, and installing IE7.
He said to clear my cache. I stated that I’ve done this repeatedly. He told me to go to support.microsoft.com and look for help there. I said thanks and hung up and went to that site and looked for help. I could not find support on this topic, despite 30 minutes of searching.
I hoped they would fix the bug and waited a few days before trying again. I ran in to the same issues.
On 12/26/2006 at 8:43AM, I phoned technical support again. This time, the representative I spoke with said there is no Office 2007 support by phone since it has not been released yet. I stated I can’t even get the software downloaded, so I don’t really need support on the software. I said that I can’t download *any* trial software from their Web site because the site doesn’t seem to let me download.
She refers me to talk to Internet Explorer support, which costs $35 per call. I told her I don’t want to pay to fix a Microsoft issue, that three separate computers are having this problem, with IE6, IE7, and Mozilla Firefox 2.0. I asked for a supervisor, and got Sandra.
Sandra’s first tactic was to refer me to support.microsoft.com. I told her I would be happy to go there, as long as she stays on the phone with me and helps me find the help I need, because the last time I tried it, I couldn’t find it. She then tried to get me to go to microsoftoffice.com, and to just hang up the phone now that I have that URL. Again, I stated I would go there, if she would help me find the link to download the software, and a product key.
After some cajoling, she agreed, and walked me through the steps. We found that the link and product key appeared for her, and did not appear for me. I tried to get her to give me the link and the product key, but she refused. She said she would talk to a different department about getting me some help with this, and get back to me on the same day. I asked her how she would get back to me, and she said telephone. I asked her what phone number, and she gave me my home phone number. I also gave her my cell phone number, in case she can’t reach me by home phone.
----
Two hours later, I talk a friend in to signing up, and he is able to get the links and product keys. He is able to send them to me through an Instant Messenger, and they work for me and allow me to download and install the software.
I call Microsoft Technical Support to let Sandra know that I have a workaround, and to let her know she can stop frantically trying to find an answer for me and call me back. The person I talk to has no clue who Sandra is, and doesn’t want to transfer me to a supervisor who might know, either. He tells me that if I have “worked around,” that I should contact Microsoft Corporate and let them know so that they can tell their technical representatives.
I stated that I’m talking to technical support, and want a supervisor so I can share the workaround with the supervisor. He told me again that any “working around” that I have done should be reported to Microsoft Corporate. He gave me their phone number, and then transferred me to them.
They are closed.
----
Today is 12/28/2006, and Sandra has not called me back, on either the home phone or the cell phone.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Microsoft Technical Support, Part 1
At 5:30pm on 12/07/2006 I telephone Microsoft's technical support phone number 866-834-8317 and reach someone who takes down all of the details about my case. He then tells me he will transfer me to a technician and I will have 5 or 10 minutes to hold.
I hold for 10 minutes listening to music, then hear someone pick up the phone and mute me. He won't answer me when I talk to him (I'm assuming it's a him) so I switch to speakerphone and try to wait him out.
10 minutes later he hangs up his phone and I hear it cut to the message the phone company sends you when you've had your phone off the hook for 90 seconds or whatever.
I call back, someone answers, I give the case number, and he says he will transfer me to a technician. He transferred me, and I have so far waited another 3 hours and 25 minutes. It is now 9:25pm. I have been listening to 2 recordings of a lady telling me web to download security updates online every 60 seconds the whole time.
Also during this time, I watched three episodes of Star Trek Deep Space Nine on DVD, among other things. I wsa reluctant to start a meal, for fear it might be interrupted and get cold while I was talking to technical support, so I guess I am going to bed hungry tonight.
My phone battery died. I had to hang up at 3 hours and 25 minutes (plus the 15 minutes from the previous call) and I have received exactly no support on this product. I'm starting to believe that this is a new tactic by support departments - wait until a phone battery dies, so they don't have to take your call.
I called back (at 9:30pm) to tell the frontline person (who asks what product you have so they can direct you to a queue) what my experience was and to notate the case. I hear a message that they close at 9:00. I'm wondering why I was still on hold at 9:25. This is another tactic by support agencies apparently - leave you on hold until they close.
--------
Update:
12/8/2006
5:22pm, I call and talk to a frontline representative, who takes my case number and tells me he will transfer me to a queue. He then hangs up on me. Entire phone call time: 6 minutes.
5:28pm, I call back and talk to a new frontline representative. I ask the representative for a supervisor, and explain why I need a supervisor. She asks me to wait on hold and I tell her I don't want her to disconnect me. She gets me a manager, and I explain to the manager why I wanted to talk to him - to explain my difficulty in getting technical support.
He listened without interrupting me, and then he read a script to me telling me that he's sorry and he will transfer me to technical support. I am absolutely sure that nothing positive will happen within the company due to my complaint.
He then transferred me to the technical support queue, and 18 minutes into the call (according to the timer on my phone) someone answers the call. He asks for my case number, and asks me to explain my problem. I begin explaining the problem, and 20 minutes into the call (again, according to the timer) he disconnects the call with no warning.
I call back to Microsoft technical support at 5:50pm and ask for a manager again. I'm told I'm being transferred to a manager, and hear hold music. A manager named Rishita tells me she's very sorry for all of the trouble and will transfer me and stay on the phone with me, and explain to the tech representative that he needs to give me good support.
15 minutes into this call, a representative named Daniel takes the call and tells me he will help me, and that Rishita has already explained to him what my problem is.
I begin describing my problem to him. 19 minutes into the call, he discovers that his department supports a different software package called Microsoft Works. I'm not calling about Microsoft Works, nor did I tell the manager Rishita that I am calling about Works. I told Rishita and Prisita and every single representative before that my software is Microsoft Digital Image Suite 2006. They even have my serial number, so they should know very well what product I have.
Daniel places me on hold for 3 minutes, and then tells me that he has good news for me - he asked permission and is allowed to transfer me to the correct queue. He then puts me on hold again.
Daniel transfers me to RK. I tell RK I have 3 issues. The first issue is printing business cards, and Avery (the company who makes the business cards) told me when I called them to talk to Microsoft. Well, RK told me to talk to Hewlett Packard (exactly what I expected them to say).
I then told him about a different problem I had, printing pictures and how I've wasted a lot of money on ink and paper printing pictures and business cards. Again he refers me to HP.
My third issue is that the software hangs whenever I zoom past a certain level, or zoom out past that certain level, when I have one (1) large image loaded. RK keeps telling me that my computer will probablyr un slow whenever I have too many large images loaded. I told him I have 1GB of RAM, it's a 9MB image, and there's only 1 loaded. He repeated to me two more times that I should not open too many large images. I patiently and slowly explain that it is one (1) image, not too many.
He then offers me a refund on the software. I bought it 6 months ago. He said that's fine, and he will call me on Monday after 4:00pm Pacific Time and conference me with the refund department and get me a refund on the software.
Call ended at 6:30pm.
-----
Update 12/11/2006, Monday
4:00 Pacific Time came and went. At 6:05 I phoned Microsoft's technical support, and asked when this representative was going to call me.
I was informed by the frontline representative that the technical support representative is supposed to call me after 6:00am IST (I'm assuming this means India Standard Time) on Tuesday.
Now is 6:00am IST Tuesday = 4:00pm PST on Monday, or on Tuesday? Because the day he told me he would call me is 4:00 PST on Monday. So either that representative who gave me the time either does not know how to convert time zones between India and the US, or he just told me the wrong day and really meant Tuesday when he said Monday.
Either way, he told me Monday and that day came and went without a call.
----
Tuesday 12/13/2006 came and went without a call. Still waiting. Meanwhile, I am going to have to learn some other software to do what I used this software for.
----
Wednesday, 12/14/2006, a representative calls at 3:32 to give me refund information. Note that this call comes two days later (and 30 minutes earlier in the day) than the scheduled appointment. I told them I would not be home until after 4:00pm, why would they call at 3:32 (and two days after the fact)? So basically, they called 47.5 hours too late - at a time they knew I would not be home.
Rep leaves message on my voicemail, because I am not at home.
----
On 12/14/2006 at 1:54pm, R.K. e-mails me (and calls me Shaun, despite my e-mail address being yoSEAN.com) and tells me he will try to call me at 1:30pm on Friday, 12/15/2006.
Mind you, I try to communicate with every message that I get home at 4:00pm and to call me after that time.
I write back and ask for escalation to someone who can contact me during my time frame. (It seemed obvious to me his shift just ends before then.)
----
On 12/15/2006, someone (not R.K.) did call me on 12/14/2006 in the evening, and tried to connect me to the refunds department, but they were closed. He asked me to leave a message on their voicemail. I do.
Each time I leave a message with the company, I clearly state my case number, phone number reason I'm calling, and usually the rep's name who transferred me or who I last spoke with.
----
On Saturday, 12/16/2006, at 8:11AM, a Microsoft phone number from Washington State called and did not leave a message on the voicemail.
When I saw the call at 8:30, I called technical support and asked if they could get me to the refund department. They sent me to tech support who sent me to the refund department, who was closed. I called the local phone number that called me at 8:11AM, but they were closed.
I called back to tech support and asked for R.K., or anyone who could help me with the issue. I was transferred to tech support, who just said they could only transfer me to refunds. I asked them to just get it done and let me know, and they said they can only transfer me to refunds. So they did, and they were closed, still.
Still Saturday, 12/16/2006, 2:55pm, RK calls to connect me to the refund department. The refund department is closed.
RK tells me that he will stay late after work on Monday or Tuesay and make sure that I get connected to the Refund department. I tell him that’s not necessary – he should pass this off to someone else who already stays later so they can handle it. R.K. said he wants to make sure this gets handled personally, and he will stay late to make sure it gets done.
12/26/2006 9:30am
I’ve spent the last several days wondering whether or not I should call Microsoft and follow up on this issue, since it doesn’t seem like R.K. is going to call me back.
At 9:30am, a Microsoft Survey Department calls regarding this case, and asks what I thought of the service. I explained that the case is not resolved, and that I am waiting for a call from R.K. to get me a refund.
She tells me that R.K. closed the case on 12/19/2006. His notes state that the issue was resolved!
I told her the issue is not resolved and that I need service on this now. She said she understands my situation and she will help me out. She will issue a “Red Alert” and put a “Red Flag” on this, and it will be sent immediately to a manager (not a supervisor) who will handle this personally. She said I would receive a call the next day (12/27/2006).
My caller ID shows 1 more call from a friend on 12/26/2006, and 2 calls on 12/27/2006 (1 from a friend, 1 a wrong number), all calls that I answered. No contact from Microsoft.
---
01/03/2006
Still no reply from Microsoft.
I don't even know who to contact about this issue.
I hold for 10 minutes listening to music, then hear someone pick up the phone and mute me. He won't answer me when I talk to him (I'm assuming it's a him) so I switch to speakerphone and try to wait him out.
10 minutes later he hangs up his phone and I hear it cut to the message the phone company sends you when you've had your phone off the hook for 90 seconds or whatever.
I call back, someone answers, I give the case number, and he says he will transfer me to a technician. He transferred me, and I have so far waited another 3 hours and 25 minutes. It is now 9:25pm. I have been listening to 2 recordings of a lady telling me web to download security updates online every 60 seconds the whole time.
Also during this time, I watched three episodes of Star Trek Deep Space Nine on DVD, among other things. I wsa reluctant to start a meal, for fear it might be interrupted and get cold while I was talking to technical support, so I guess I am going to bed hungry tonight.
My phone battery died. I had to hang up at 3 hours and 25 minutes (plus the 15 minutes from the previous call) and I have received exactly no support on this product. I'm starting to believe that this is a new tactic by support departments - wait until a phone battery dies, so they don't have to take your call.
I called back (at 9:30pm) to tell the frontline person (who asks what product you have so they can direct you to a queue) what my experience was and to notate the case. I hear a message that they close at 9:00. I'm wondering why I was still on hold at 9:25. This is another tactic by support agencies apparently - leave you on hold until they close.
--------
Update:
12/8/2006
5:22pm, I call and talk to a frontline representative, who takes my case number and tells me he will transfer me to a queue. He then hangs up on me. Entire phone call time: 6 minutes.
5:28pm, I call back and talk to a new frontline representative. I ask the representative for a supervisor, and explain why I need a supervisor. She asks me to wait on hold and I tell her I don't want her to disconnect me. She gets me a manager, and I explain to the manager why I wanted to talk to him - to explain my difficulty in getting technical support.
He listened without interrupting me, and then he read a script to me telling me that he's sorry and he will transfer me to technical support. I am absolutely sure that nothing positive will happen within the company due to my complaint.
He then transferred me to the technical support queue, and 18 minutes into the call (according to the timer on my phone) someone answers the call. He asks for my case number, and asks me to explain my problem. I begin explaining the problem, and 20 minutes into the call (again, according to the timer) he disconnects the call with no warning.
I call back to Microsoft technical support at 5:50pm and ask for a manager again. I'm told I'm being transferred to a manager, and hear hold music. A manager named Rishita tells me she's very sorry for all of the trouble and will transfer me and stay on the phone with me, and explain to the tech representative that he needs to give me good support.
15 minutes into this call, a representative named Daniel takes the call and tells me he will help me, and that Rishita has already explained to him what my problem is.
I begin describing my problem to him. 19 minutes into the call, he discovers that his department supports a different software package called Microsoft Works. I'm not calling about Microsoft Works, nor did I tell the manager Rishita that I am calling about Works. I told Rishita and Prisita and every single representative before that my software is Microsoft Digital Image Suite 2006. They even have my serial number, so they should know very well what product I have.
Daniel places me on hold for 3 minutes, and then tells me that he has good news for me - he asked permission and is allowed to transfer me to the correct queue. He then puts me on hold again.
Daniel transfers me to RK. I tell RK I have 3 issues. The first issue is printing business cards, and Avery (the company who makes the business cards) told me when I called them to talk to Microsoft. Well, RK told me to talk to Hewlett Packard (exactly what I expected them to say).
I then told him about a different problem I had, printing pictures and how I've wasted a lot of money on ink and paper printing pictures and business cards. Again he refers me to HP.
My third issue is that the software hangs whenever I zoom past a certain level, or zoom out past that certain level, when I have one (1) large image loaded. RK keeps telling me that my computer will probablyr un slow whenever I have too many large images loaded. I told him I have 1GB of RAM, it's a 9MB image, and there's only 1 loaded. He repeated to me two more times that I should not open too many large images. I patiently and slowly explain that it is one (1) image, not too many.
He then offers me a refund on the software. I bought it 6 months ago. He said that's fine, and he will call me on Monday after 4:00pm Pacific Time and conference me with the refund department and get me a refund on the software.
Call ended at 6:30pm.
-----
Update 12/11/2006, Monday
4:00 Pacific Time came and went. At 6:05 I phoned Microsoft's technical support, and asked when this representative was going to call me.
I was informed by the frontline representative that the technical support representative is supposed to call me after 6:00am IST (I'm assuming this means India Standard Time) on Tuesday.
Now is 6:00am IST Tuesday = 4:00pm PST on Monday, or on Tuesday? Because the day he told me he would call me is 4:00 PST on Monday. So either that representative who gave me the time either does not know how to convert time zones between India and the US, or he just told me the wrong day and really meant Tuesday when he said Monday.
Either way, he told me Monday and that day came and went without a call.
----
Tuesday 12/13/2006 came and went without a call. Still waiting. Meanwhile, I am going to have to learn some other software to do what I used this software for.
----
Wednesday, 12/14/2006, a representative calls at 3:32 to give me refund information. Note that this call comes two days later (and 30 minutes earlier in the day) than the scheduled appointment. I told them I would not be home until after 4:00pm, why would they call at 3:32 (and two days after the fact)? So basically, they called 47.5 hours too late - at a time they knew I would not be home.
Rep leaves message on my voicemail, because I am not at home.
----
On 12/14/2006 at 1:54pm, R.K. e-mails me (and calls me Shaun, despite my e-mail address being yoSEAN.com) and tells me he will try to call me at 1:30pm on Friday, 12/15/2006.
Mind you, I try to communicate with every message that I get home at 4:00pm and to call me after that time.
I write back and ask for escalation to someone who can contact me during my time frame. (It seemed obvious to me his shift just ends before then.)
----
On 12/15/2006, someone (not R.K.) did call me on 12/14/2006 in the evening, and tried to connect me to the refunds department, but they were closed. He asked me to leave a message on their voicemail. I do.
Each time I leave a message with the company, I clearly state my case number, phone number reason I'm calling, and usually the rep's name who transferred me or who I last spoke with.
----
On Saturday, 12/16/2006, at 8:11AM, a Microsoft phone number from Washington State called and did not leave a message on the voicemail.
When I saw the call at 8:30, I called technical support and asked if they could get me to the refund department. They sent me to tech support who sent me to the refund department, who was closed. I called the local phone number that called me at 8:11AM, but they were closed.
I called back to tech support and asked for R.K., or anyone who could help me with the issue. I was transferred to tech support, who just said they could only transfer me to refunds. I asked them to just get it done and let me know, and they said they can only transfer me to refunds. So they did, and they were closed, still.
Still Saturday, 12/16/2006, 2:55pm, RK calls to connect me to the refund department. The refund department is closed.
RK tells me that he will stay late after work on Monday or Tuesay and make sure that I get connected to the Refund department. I tell him that’s not necessary – he should pass this off to someone else who already stays later so they can handle it. R.K. said he wants to make sure this gets handled personally, and he will stay late to make sure it gets done.
12/26/2006 9:30am
I’ve spent the last several days wondering whether or not I should call Microsoft and follow up on this issue, since it doesn’t seem like R.K. is going to call me back.
At 9:30am, a Microsoft Survey Department calls regarding this case, and asks what I thought of the service. I explained that the case is not resolved, and that I am waiting for a call from R.K. to get me a refund.
She tells me that R.K. closed the case on 12/19/2006. His notes state that the issue was resolved!
I told her the issue is not resolved and that I need service on this now. She said she understands my situation and she will help me out. She will issue a “Red Alert” and put a “Red Flag” on this, and it will be sent immediately to a manager (not a supervisor) who will handle this personally. She said I would receive a call the next day (12/27/2006).
My caller ID shows 1 more call from a friend on 12/26/2006, and 2 calls on 12/27/2006 (1 from a friend, 1 a wrong number), all calls that I answered. No contact from Microsoft.
---
01/03/2006
Still no reply from Microsoft.
I don't even know who to contact about this issue.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Writing good complaint letters
Marshall Loeb wrote a great article on writing a good complaint letter. His advice is great - here's a few highlights:
If you've been mistreated by a credit-card company, a grocery store or even your child's school, you don't have to sit back and take it. In fact, taking action via a well-worded complaint letter can get you the results you expected in the first place and even put money in your bank account.
- Write a courteous letter to the company stating the problem and what you hope to achieve. Never use profanity or harsh language.
- Include a date for when you expect to hear a response.
- Limit your letter to one page.
- Don't make threats of lawsuits or other such action in your initial letter.
- Keep good records and never send original documents with your letter.
- Always remain businesslike and polite.
To read the rest, plesae follow this link.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Bank of America, 9/18/2006
Around 4:30pm, I enter Bank of America to withdraw some money from my account in the form of laundry tokens (I really mean quarters - unless you own your own washer and dryer, you know exactly what I'm talking about...)
I get in the regular line, and by the time I'm first in line, the next "open" counter spot is the V.I.P. Banking line, and she waves me over.
I go up to the counter and tell the bank employee that I would like $100.00 in quarters for laundry. Foll0wing her instructions, I slide my card and key my PIN.
While I am doing this, another bank employee enters the security door next to us and sidles up to the counter that she works at (from behind the bullet-proof Plexiglas). He begins talking to her, and they obviously think I can't hear what they are saying. While I can't hear the entire conversation, I know that the subject matter was not work related. He was talking about music and doing some casual flirting.
The clerk servicing me prints some things out, and has me sign for a withdrawal. Meanwhile, she's laughing at the guy's jokes and talking back to him. I'm thinking to myself, "This is the kind of thing you do on a break, not while handling a customer's money."
She does some more paperwork, some more laughing and casual banter with the other employee, some keying and work on her computer keyboard, some more shuffling of papers, some more semi-flirting with the other employee. Since their conversation is loud enough for me to hear through the protective barrier, all of the other employees behind the Plexiglas should be able to hear every word. So am I to understand that this kind of distraction and non-work-related conversations while the employee is helping a customer is OK and work-sanctioned?
Then she tells me she has to go to the coin vault to get my quarters, and that she will be right back. I said fine.
The flirty guy follows her! He and her go in to the "coin vault" for a few minutes, and then she returns pushing the cart, and laughing at his jokes and repartee.
They walk past several other employees on the way back, and Mister Must-Be-On-A-Break engages other employees in conversation about his conversation with the person handling my money.
-----
Here comes the helpful part of this article
-----
I called Bank of America from my cell phone on the way back and pressed the right buttons to get to an employee. I very politely told her that I would like to report a bad experience in a branch, and she pleasantly took my complaint. She filled out some kind of in-house form for me, and not only listened closely to what I had to say about my experience, but commiserated. At the end of the call, she recapped everything she entered in to the form and apologized profusely.
As a customer, I believe it is incumbent on us to demand good service when we receive low-quality service. Bank of America will not change overnight due to one phone call, but hopefully the branch managers and supervisors will be more aware of their employees actions in front of customers.
If everyone who received this kind of service reported it – no matter what company you are dealing with – then companies receive valuable feedback that will help them improve their customer service.
I get in the regular line, and by the time I'm first in line, the next "open" counter spot is the V.I.P. Banking line, and she waves me over.
I go up to the counter and tell the bank employee that I would like $100.00 in quarters for laundry. Foll0wing her instructions, I slide my card and key my PIN.
While I am doing this, another bank employee enters the security door next to us and sidles up to the counter that she works at (from behind the bullet-proof Plexiglas). He begins talking to her, and they obviously think I can't hear what they are saying. While I can't hear the entire conversation, I know that the subject matter was not work related. He was talking about music and doing some casual flirting.
The clerk servicing me prints some things out, and has me sign for a withdrawal. Meanwhile, she's laughing at the guy's jokes and talking back to him. I'm thinking to myself, "This is the kind of thing you do on a break, not while handling a customer's money."
She does some more paperwork, some more laughing and casual banter with the other employee, some keying and work on her computer keyboard, some more shuffling of papers, some more semi-flirting with the other employee. Since their conversation is loud enough for me to hear through the protective barrier, all of the other employees behind the Plexiglas should be able to hear every word. So am I to understand that this kind of distraction and non-work-related conversations while the employee is helping a customer is OK and work-sanctioned?
Then she tells me she has to go to the coin vault to get my quarters, and that she will be right back. I said fine.
The flirty guy follows her! He and her go in to the "coin vault" for a few minutes, and then she returns pushing the cart, and laughing at his jokes and repartee.
They walk past several other employees on the way back, and Mister Must-Be-On-A-Break engages other employees in conversation about his conversation with the person handling my money.
-----
Here comes the helpful part of this article
-----
I called Bank of America from my cell phone on the way back and pressed the right buttons to get to an employee. I very politely told her that I would like to report a bad experience in a branch, and she pleasantly took my complaint. She filled out some kind of in-house form for me, and not only listened closely to what I had to say about my experience, but commiserated. At the end of the call, she recapped everything she entered in to the form and apologized profusely.
As a customer, I believe it is incumbent on us to demand good service when we receive low-quality service. Bank of America will not change overnight due to one phone call, but hopefully the branch managers and supervisors will be more aware of their employees actions in front of customers.
If everyone who received this kind of service reported it – no matter what company you are dealing with – then companies receive valuable feedback that will help them improve their customer service.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Del Taco, July-August 2006
In July I go to Del Taco in Chatsworth on Topanga and Lassen. Their posted time of opening the dining room is 6:00AM, and the drivethrough is open 24 hours a day. I arrive at 6:15AM to find the front door locked. I rattle the door and try to get the attention of the guy behind the counter, who is pointedly ignoring me. I go to the side door, also locked. Again I rattle the door and am ignored. I walk back and forth between the doors for a few minutes, rattling doors, being ignored. There's not even any cars in the drivethrough.
I walk up to the drivethrough window and ask the guy what time they open the doors (it is posted visible to where I am standing) and he tells me 6:00. I ask him what time it is (it is really 6:20 now) and he says, "oh, it just turned 6:00." Rather than point out to this guy (who is going to work with the crew who will make my food) that he is outright lying to me, I smile and say cool, and he opens the door and lets me in.
I come in and order my food. Dude shorts me $10 on my change. I point it out and he gives me the rest of the money. I get home and all three items I ordered are horrible tasting. The hash browns are stale, oily, and overcooked. The burritos are put together poorly, with ingredients falling out and in improper portions. Very little of the food is edible, but I have to go to work so I can't go back and ask them to fix it.
When I get home that afternoon, I call the Del Taco consumer hotline, and the lady who answers is not equipped to take my complaint! She can only take a message to have someone call me back in the next two hours. It is two DAYS before some guy named Jason from their HQ calls me and leaves a message. I call back the same day and leave a message for the guy at his extension, and tell him how and when he can reach me.
I get no reply.
A week later I call and leave him another message, asking him to call so I can talk to him about my experience in one of his stores. Again no response.
Another week later, I leave him another message. Still no response.
Next I leave him another message, and by now I’m pretty pissed off. I say, “Hey Jason, this is Sean. I’ve left you several messages to call me and discuss my experience in one of your stores. Apparently you’re too busy to listen to the complaints of one of your paying customers. Do me a big favor, please, and forward this message to someone who works there who is not too busy to talk to a customer. If I do not hear a response from someone in your company, I will assume that your company no longer wants my business. Thanks.”
I think I'm going to contact the BBB about how misleading this is.
-----
Have a suggestion, a question or just want to comment on your visit to one of our almost 470 Del Taco's? Call us at 800.852.7204. Our ULTRA friendly Del Taco phone team is just sitting here, waiting for your call. (Between you and me, they really could use someone to talk to…) We’re here on the phones from 8am - 5pm PST Monday - Friday. If you catch us after hours, then be sure to leave a message so we can call you back on the next weekday. Be sure to tell us: * The store number you visited (located on top of your receipt) * Your name * Telephone number with area code * Your message. Thanks for caring enough to contact us. We really appreciate you! World Headquarters 25521 Commercentre Drive Lake Forest, CA 92630 tel: 800 852-7204 fax: (949) 462- 7444
Upon further investigation, I find that Del Taco's rating with the BBB is this:
-----
D We have enough concerns about this company (for example, their offer, customer complaints, advertising, etc.) that we recommend caution in doing business with it.
-----
Interestingly, I find only two complaints against the company (in the last 36 months):
1 Agreeing to perform according to their contract
1 Unanswered
Considering that they have not answered 50% of their complaints, I only get even odds that they will answer my complaint. (That may be why they have a D rating?)
Also interestingly, now that I have filed my complaint with the BBB against Del Taco, I have increased their number of complaints by 50%.
Jason did eventually get back in contact with me on 8/30/2006 at 8:50pm. He asked me for the story, and I gave it to him. He said that recently they fired someone from the store location for misconduct, but since it's been so long since my personal experience (almost three months by this point) that it would be difficult for him to figure out who was at fault.
I agreed.
I offered to let him go, but he stated that he wanted to make it up to me. He said he could offer me VIP passes for two other stores, neither of which were a convenient distance from here (20+ miles each). He also said that those VIP passes would also work at this same store if I wanted to try this same store again. I said OK, I will try it (because I can't envision him having the power to offer any other kind of recompense) and he said he would send me 3 or 4 free menu item passes.
I will update this thread if/when I receive them, and with any further experience I have with that restaurant.
-------------
9/5/2006
I have received four VIP passes. I will try them at the local Del Taco soon and relate my experiences.
I walk up to the drivethrough window and ask the guy what time they open the doors (it is posted visible to where I am standing) and he tells me 6:00. I ask him what time it is (it is really 6:20 now) and he says, "oh, it just turned 6:00." Rather than point out to this guy (who is going to work with the crew who will make my food) that he is outright lying to me, I smile and say cool, and he opens the door and lets me in.
I come in and order my food. Dude shorts me $10 on my change. I point it out and he gives me the rest of the money. I get home and all three items I ordered are horrible tasting. The hash browns are stale, oily, and overcooked. The burritos are put together poorly, with ingredients falling out and in improper portions. Very little of the food is edible, but I have to go to work so I can't go back and ask them to fix it.
When I get home that afternoon, I call the Del Taco consumer hotline, and the lady who answers is not equipped to take my complaint! She can only take a message to have someone call me back in the next two hours. It is two DAYS before some guy named Jason from their HQ calls me and leaves a message. I call back the same day and leave a message for the guy at his extension, and tell him how and when he can reach me.
I get no reply.
A week later I call and leave him another message, asking him to call so I can talk to him about my experience in one of his stores. Again no response.
Another week later, I leave him another message. Still no response.
Next I leave him another message, and by now I’m pretty pissed off. I say, “Hey Jason, this is Sean. I’ve left you several messages to call me and discuss my experience in one of your stores. Apparently you’re too busy to listen to the complaints of one of your paying customers. Do me a big favor, please, and forward this message to someone who works there who is not too busy to talk to a customer. If I do not hear a response from someone in your company, I will assume that your company no longer wants my business. Thanks.”
August 18, 2006:Jason from Del Taco leaves a voicemail message on my answering machine.
Despite the fact that every single message I have left Jason in the past has stated that I get home at 4:00pm Pacific Time, this message is at 10:10am. Is he intentionally calling at a time that he knows I will not be in? I've got to wonder.
The phone number he is calling me from is a California phone number, so he is going to be familiar with what 4:00pm Pacific Time means - I dont' know why he's calling at 10:10am. His message says that he's sorry that he couldn't get in touch with me.
Despite the fact that my last voice mail message to him was pretty rude, his voice was very pleasant sounding. He said that he was sick for a couple of days after leaving my initial message, and that after he wsa back in the office, he couldn't reach me because I was out of town. I have not gone out of town. I have been home every day, and he has only left me the one message before this one. I don't know where he got this thing that I am out of town - I have left him a total of four messages. So I call him back immediately (it's right around 4:00pm Pacific Time) and reach his voice mail again (what a surprise), and leave him another message telling him how he can reach me and after what time.
By 8/26/06, it had been 5 full business days since I left him the last message, and still no reply - not a call during the hours I gave him, nor a voicemail. No apparent contact attempts at all. As I said in one of my voicemails to him, if I do not receive any contacts from Del Taco, I must assume that they do not wish my business. The one representative who I am given to contact, who is in charge (I think!) of Customer Satisfaction, is somehow not capable of contacting me to listen to my experience.
Just so you know, their page on contacting them (located here: http://www.deltaco.com/dtcontact/) makes them sound so amazingly available to talk to you about your experience. I've been trying for almost two months to relate my experience to them, and have been unable to do so. I think they need to update their contact us page to more reasonably set customer expectations about this experience.I think I'm going to contact the BBB about how misleading this is.
-----
Have a suggestion, a question or just want to comment on your visit to one of our almost 470 Del Taco's? Call us at 800.852.7204. Our ULTRA friendly Del Taco phone team is just sitting here, waiting for your call. (Between you and me, they really could use someone to talk to…) We’re here on the phones from 8am - 5pm PST Monday - Friday. If you catch us after hours, then be sure to leave a message so we can call you back on the next weekday. Be sure to tell us: * The store number you visited (located on top of your receipt) * Your name * Telephone number with area code * Your message. Thanks for caring enough to contact us. We really appreciate you! World Headquarters 25521 Commercentre Drive Lake Forest, CA 92630 tel: 800 852-7204 fax: (949) 462- 7444
Upon further investigation, I find that Del Taco's rating with the BBB is this:
-----
D We have enough concerns about this company (for example, their offer, customer complaints, advertising, etc.) that we recommend caution in doing business with it.
-----
Interestingly, I find only two complaints against the company (in the last 36 months):
1 Agreeing to perform according to their contract
1 Unanswered
Considering that they have not answered 50% of their complaints, I only get even odds that they will answer my complaint. (That may be why they have a D rating?)
Also interestingly, now that I have filed my complaint with the BBB against Del Taco, I have increased their number of complaints by 50%.
Jason did eventually get back in contact with me on 8/30/2006 at 8:50pm. He asked me for the story, and I gave it to him. He said that recently they fired someone from the store location for misconduct, but since it's been so long since my personal experience (almost three months by this point) that it would be difficult for him to figure out who was at fault.
I agreed.
I offered to let him go, but he stated that he wanted to make it up to me. He said he could offer me VIP passes for two other stores, neither of which were a convenient distance from here (20+ miles each). He also said that those VIP passes would also work at this same store if I wanted to try this same store again. I said OK, I will try it (because I can't envision him having the power to offer any other kind of recompense) and he said he would send me 3 or 4 free menu item passes.
I will update this thread if/when I receive them, and with any further experience I have with that restaurant.
-------------
9/5/2006
I have received four VIP passes. I will try them at the local Del Taco soon and relate my experiences.
Friday, August 18, 2006
Harassing Idaho Survey Company
Some survey company has been calling us lately at 8:00pm – it shows up on Caller ID as Idaho Call.
We had been not answering the phone when we saw that. Monday night (8/14/06), I answered, and some guy introduces himself as from a research firm calling to do a survey, and asks for the lady of the house. Since we’ve had calls similar to this in the past, I tell the guy, there is no “Lady of the house,” please don’t call again. He asked me to clarify, I said look, we don’t want these kinds of calls, please don’t call again. He says OK, and hangs up.
The next night (8/15/06), they call again. I answer the phone, and some guy asks for the Lady of the House to do a survey. I tell him there is none, and please don’t call anymore.
He says, “Look, I just want to talk to the lady of the house.” I say, “Don’t call here anymore.”
He says, “Can I speak with the lady of the house?” I say, “Don’t call here anymore.” He says, “I’m calling for the lady of the house.” Very, very slowly, I say, “Do … not … call here … anymore.”
He says, “This is for a survey. I just want to speak with the lady of the house.” I said, “Listen, I want you to hang up this phone right now, and for your company to never call us again. Is that clear?” He says, “Sir, I am calling for the lady of the house.” I said, “I must be using the wrong language. I thought I told you to hang up and to not call here anymore. You’re making me angry. I want you to hang up this phone and DO NOT CALL AGAIN. Am I clear enough now?”
He says, “Sir, look, I just want to talk to the lady of the house.” I said, “I want to speak with your supervisor.” He says, “Sir, I’m just calling to talk to the lady of the house. This is for a survey.” I said, “You must not be good at this. I want your supervisor, and I want your supervisor now.” I hear him tell someone, “Uhm, he says he wants to speak with my supervisor.”
Some lady gets on the phone and says, “My name is Lisa, I’m a supervisor on the floor here. How can I help you?” I put on my super-sweet voice and said, “I have told this guy eight or ten times to never call here again, and all he can do is keep asking for the lady of the house. Is it possible for us to make it so your company does not ever call my phone number again?” She says, “Sure, no problem.”
“Thanks” We hang up.
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Prostar
I ordered my computer from pro-star.com. Despite their site stating shipping within 2 days, they couldn't ship for a week. I wanted it in time for the 3-day weekend so I can enjoy it. I paid extra for shipping. I explained repeatedly I needed it sent to my work as I wouldn't be at home to sign for it.
They ship it to my home anyhow, and we have to drive to pick it up (on a Friday on a 3-day weekend, we're talking about serious traffic, long lines, and over an hour round trip).
I call them and they admit it's their fault, but won't do anything to compensate me driving that far. I verified with the UPS guys that it should have cost them less than $30 to ship it to me even at the rush shipping we used, and they charged me $65 for shipping. So I asked them to refund shipping, which they refused.
So, I asked them to just split it in half, it being their fault, and refund half the shipping. They refused.
I figured, whatever, I have the product, I'll write some reviews to let people know what to expect.
Even told some people at my work who were looking to buy notebooks to not buy from this company - purely because of their response and customer service to this issue.
Two weeks later the computer starts acting up. After a short diagnostic period, they told me to ship it in (at my expense) so they could fix it. I told them they can make up for their previous error and pay for shipping both ways this time. They refused.
So I returned it for a full refund (except for the rip-off shipping). Apparently they're happy to take a refund and keep the $35 profit they made by charging me so much for shipping (no, not Shipping and Handling, just shipping - none of it was taxed) than to keep my business, and that of possible referrals.
They received the package on Thursday last week (6/23/05) and the money will be back in my account 6/30/05.
Thursday, February 26, 2004
Bank of America 2003-2004
Story of my attempt to change my address with Bank of America after I moved.
10/03 I go into the Chatsworth branch and tell them I moved to Chatsworth, give them new address.
10/03 I receive an e-mail telling me that I can now receive electronic (paperless) statements. I sign up for this service.
10/03 The first paperless statement arrives, still shows old address. Chalk it up to the time it takes companies to push things like address changes through.
11/03 The second paperless statement arrives, it still shows old address. Phone the bank; explain I need it changed to the new address. They inform me that they will mail me a special statement that will show my new address on it.
11/03 The special statement arrives, cover sheet shows new address, and statement still shows old address. Phone Bank and complain.
12/03 The third paperless statement arrives, still shows old address. Phone bank and complain. They state I will receive a special statement within a week that will show new address.
12/03 Special statement never arrives. Call bank and complain. Tell me they will send a new statement showing new address.
1/04 Special statement never arrives. Fourth paperless statement finally shows correct address.
Story of my attempt to reverse charges, then cancel the reversal
2/2/04 Request a dispute against Dell’s charge of $386.26. Money is added to my checking account while they perform the dispute.
2/9/04 I call to ask for it to be removed, because Dell finally refunded the money, and am told it will be removed within 48 hours.
2/16/04 I call again and ask for it to be removed (because it has not been) and am told it should have been removed on my first request, they do not understand why it has not, and it will be removed within 48 hours.
2/26/04 I receive a letter telling me that they are investigating the situation with Dell. I phone and ask why it has not been dealt with, and I am told that it should have been taken out within 48 hours of each of my previous calls, and it will be taken out by tonight.
10/03 I go into the Chatsworth branch and tell them I moved to Chatsworth, give them new address.
10/03 I receive an e-mail telling me that I can now receive electronic (paperless) statements. I sign up for this service.
10/03 The first paperless statement arrives, still shows old address. Chalk it up to the time it takes companies to push things like address changes through.
11/03 The second paperless statement arrives, it still shows old address. Phone the bank; explain I need it changed to the new address. They inform me that they will mail me a special statement that will show my new address on it.
11/03 The special statement arrives, cover sheet shows new address, and statement still shows old address. Phone Bank and complain.
12/03 The third paperless statement arrives, still shows old address. Phone bank and complain. They state I will receive a special statement within a week that will show new address.
12/03 Special statement never arrives. Call bank and complain. Tell me they will send a new statement showing new address.
1/04 Special statement never arrives. Fourth paperless statement finally shows correct address.
Story of my attempt to reverse charges, then cancel the reversal
2/2/04 Request a dispute against Dell’s charge of $386.26. Money is added to my checking account while they perform the dispute.
2/9/04 I call to ask for it to be removed, because Dell finally refunded the money, and am told it will be removed within 48 hours.
2/16/04 I call again and ask for it to be removed (because it has not been) and am told it should have been removed on my first request, they do not understand why it has not, and it will be removed within 48 hours.
2/26/04 I receive a letter telling me that they are investigating the situation with Dell. I phone and ask why it has not been dealt with, and I am told that it should have been taken out within 48 hours of each of my previous calls, and it will be taken out by tonight.
Thursday, February 19, 2004
Dell, 2003-2004
My story on ordering a computer from Dell in 2003
12/03 Two separate salespeople on two separate phone calls tell me the Axim X3i accepts CardFlash memory. I order it online.
1/5/04 Axim X3i arrives. This design does not accept CardFlash memory. I call and get RMA#041114776. I am told I will receive a full refund to my credit card within 7-10 business days of the receipt of the device. I order the Axim X5, which takes CardFlash memory.
1/6/04 I Ship the X3i back, USPS delivery confirmation # 0303 2460 0000 7805 7964. 1/12/04 X3i arrives at Dell, as per the tracking number. “Your item was delivered at 1:47 pm on January 12, 2004 in CARROLLTON, TX 75007.”
1/27/04 (11 business days after they received it) Brandi from Idaho claims to be a manager, as did Leena before her. Brandi said she will have a refund to my Visa within 24-48 hrs. I verified it will be done by Thursday 1/29/04.
2/4/04 Amount still not refunded. Loriana said refund issued yesterday, and it will take up to 30 days to get into my account.
2/6/04 Mark told me in e-mail that they received my shipment on 2/6/04 (today) and 7-10+30 days from now I would get my refund. I then called in... Natalia gave run around before transferring me to a manager. Serena, supervisor, 800-624-9897, x47530 said refund of $386.26 would be done by 2/13. Cliff x76982, says $13.89 for the shipping amount will be credited by 2/11/04.
2/9/04 (3 days short of a month after they received it) $386.26 refunded to my account. Still missing the $13.89 for shipping. RMA# for shipping: 042381641
2/19/04 finally(!) credited $13.84 shipping.
I'm through with this company now!
12/03 Two separate salespeople on two separate phone calls tell me the Axim X3i accepts CardFlash memory. I order it online.
1/5/04 Axim X3i arrives. This design does not accept CardFlash memory. I call and get RMA#041114776. I am told I will receive a full refund to my credit card within 7-10 business days of the receipt of the device. I order the Axim X5, which takes CardFlash memory.
1/6/04 I Ship the X3i back, USPS delivery confirmation # 0303 2460 0000 7805 7964. 1/12/04 X3i arrives at Dell, as per the tracking number. “Your item was delivered at 1:47 pm on January 12, 2004 in CARROLLTON, TX 75007.”
1/27/04 (11 business days after they received it) Brandi from Idaho claims to be a manager, as did Leena before her. Brandi said she will have a refund to my Visa within 24-48 hrs. I verified it will be done by Thursday 1/29/04.
2/4/04 Amount still not refunded. Loriana said refund issued yesterday, and it will take up to 30 days to get into my account.
2/6/04 Mark told me in e-mail that they received my shipment on 2/6/04 (today) and 7-10+30 days from now I would get my refund. I then called in... Natalia gave run around before transferring me to a manager. Serena, supervisor, 800-624-9897, x47530 said refund of $386.26 would be done by 2/13. Cliff x76982, says $13.89 for the shipping amount will be credited by 2/11/04.
2/9/04 (3 days short of a month after they received it) $386.26 refunded to my account. Still missing the $13.89 for shipping. RMA# for shipping: 042381641
2/19/04 finally(!) credited $13.84 shipping.
I'm through with this company now!
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