So I was reading the online version of New York Times the other day. There was an article about customer service and how many people have resorted to online complaint boards to vent their frustrations.
I can completely understand this. A couple months back, I was having tremendous problems with my Sprint service. They had oversold the service prior to Christmas and now were so busy that no one could get through to me on my phone and I could rarely call out. Being that I was job hunting at the time, this may very well have cost me a job offer and certainly damaged the response rate to my resume. Not to mention the mere fact I was paying fifty bucks a month for a service that I couldn't even use.
I waited on hold for over an hour. When I finally got someone, they gave me a pat answer and wouldn't listen to me when I explained what the problem was. They told me turn off the phone and wait 48 hours. If it wasn't better, then I should call them back. So I could sit on hold for a fucking hour and then be given a pat answer? No way. So I argued for awhile with her, and demanded to talk to a supervisor. The supervisor condescended to me as if I didn't know how to operate a cell phone, then insinuated I was lying to get out of my contract. Well, I put Rob on. Since he is a highly paid consultant employed by one of the largest telecommunications companies in the country, he was able to throw his weight around enough to get them to listen to them. So, he went through a whole lot of banter before the woman finally admitted the first thing I had said at the beginning of the call: that they had oversold the service. Well, Rob convinced the woman that I should get two weeks free service, for the two weeks that calls had not been able to come through, as well as some extra minutes free of charge. Finally.
Well, this was in January. It is now March and I have yet to see the minutes. The woman outright lied to get us off the phone.
This is not an isolated incident, I learned, through the article. There have been numerous complaints on comment boards about such things. People subscribing to services under rebates they never see, being offered deals and not getting them, that sort of thing. An executive at Sprint apparently heard about the complaint boards and said he would never answer a complaint placed on a board. But you don't answer the complaints anyways, do you? You put them on hold for long stretches of time, get your reps to lie to customers about amending the situations, and promise things they have no intention of giving. Nothing ever gets done about it. And since the reps only give first names, and Sprint no doubt has a huge call center, it's not like we could track it down anyways. That's assuming these reps are using their real names. (After all, if they're going to lie about bill adjustments and rebates, what's to stop them from lying about their first name, too?)
But that totally misses the point. Whether Sprint answers complaints on a board or not, other people will read them. Do you have any idea how many people probably found these websites after reading the article? When a company gets a bad reputation, people are more hesitant to use it. They will weigh any potential offer with the rumors they have heard about services and in the end, the rumor mill will win out. It's that old adage, how a person who gets good service will tell one person, but a person who gets bad service will tell ten people. And they might afford to be callous now, but when they start seeing the dip in profits---and believe me they will--- they'll rethink the policy.
I believe people are getting sick of crappy service from large companies who hide behind their own beuracracy and anonymity. I predict more and more people will start looking at boards on the net *before* purchasing a service, to figure out who to avoid. More and more, you have people in customer service who are completely irresponsible and disinterested in doing their job. Only when a system of accountability arises that can cause a dip in process will the companies develop stricter policies regarding who they employ and just how far they take customer service.
So, in the interest of that I have included some links.
This is a general complaint page. You can also applaud good companies and view ratings.
northworstair
This is a company specific one, and has some funny cartoons making fun of northwest. Having had the misfortune of taking them and being stuck on the tarmac for too long a time, I found this to be an amusing one.
And let's not forget my favorite...
This one is truly priceless. There are some legitimate complaints on it, but for some reason, the starbucks employees are deeply offended by this and feel the need to rant about how the real problem is the customers (gee, wouldn't customer service be *so* much easier without all those pesky customers? Heh.) because they order complex drinks....now, is it just me, or doesn't logic dictate that if an item is on a menu, people will order it? Um, isn't it a little silly to blame someone for buying the product that you serve? And if having a detailed drink order is *that* challenging, you're likely to have problems all your live. Another employee felt it would be our just desserts (no pun intended) to let us know that they spit in our drinks. Ooh, you got us. You break health code violations. Now where's that number for the health department, and *which* Starbucks do you work at again?
But my absolute favorite was the person who gloated about how she told a yuppie to "get the fuck out of the store and don't come back". She was obviously very proud of this, like she really got this person back. Ooh, you sure showed them. I guess they're gonna have to go to one of the *other* five hundred starbucks in a twenty mile radius. Never mind, that said yuppie probably spends on a dinner what you make in a week. But enjoy your victory if it makes you feel good.
I know what you're thinking. "But didn't you just apply at a Starbucks?" And yes you're right, I did. For the sole purpose of taking a bullshit job for a month before I bail and go to Kalamazoo. But I have no illusions. It's glorified food service. In fact, about 80% of the people who applied at the job fair were trying to move up from McDonalds and Wendy's jobs. I don't see any reason to be self righteous and snotty because of working in a shitty cafe...and, to quote clerks, "and *badly* I might add." So, to feel such moral outrage because people have the nerve to complain about the half assed service (and even worse coffee) from someone who seems to actively resent having to work for a living....well, it's just funny. Don't like people complaining about the job you do? There's a simple solution. Do it right.
So there you have it, boys and girls,you have the links. Make your voices heard. At best, it will cause a loss in profits and make the companies change their practices. At worst, it will make you feel better.