Customer service - or the lack of it

ratbert · Post by **ratbert** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 3:22 pm

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/ju ... sumerpages

Just leafing through that article (some gems on there) I was wondering what classic examples of bad customer service we've all come across in recent years... (the ticket allocation for the 2004 Carling Cup final notwithstanding

)

Lord Kangana · Post by **Lord Kangana** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 3:38 pm

Constant, unending tussles with phone companies is my biggest bugbear. The largest refund I've received is several hundred quid, but they threatened me with the baliffs over an unpaid £20 dating back a couple of years. Needles to say I said feck off, as it was they who had upgraded my account and then forget to ask for the full balance to be payed off.

They've also asked for payment up-front when my account was already £200 in credit, forgot to add items over which I'd specifically payed more for (thus costing me extra) and cut me off when I've been in credit. Utter sh*tbags to a man. And I always make sure they repay me the smallest amount, because they are clearly such a set of profiteering b*stards.

TANGODANCER · Post by **TANGODANCER** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 4:42 pm

Do companies have an arrangement with BT where they keep you waiting for ridiculous periods and keep playing the "Sorry, all our lines are currently busy. Thank you for your patience,blah, blah blah" and then split the call charge profits between them? If they do, then that's my number one.

superjohnmcginlay · Post by **superjohnmcginlay** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 4:45 pm

TANGODANCER wrote:Do companies have an arrangement with BT where they keep you waiting for ridiculous periods and keep playing the "Sorry, all our lines are currently busy. Thank you for your patience,blah, blah blah" and then split the call charge profits between them? If they do, then that's my number one.

The fooking ticket office must have!

warthog · Post by **warthog** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 4:52 pm

TANGODANCER wrote:Do companies have an arrangement with BT where they keep you waiting for ridiculous periods and keep playing the "Sorry, all our lines are currently busy. Thank you for your patience,blah, blah blah" and then split the call charge profits between them? If they do, then that's my number one.

I was working at BT Mobile (now O2) about ten years ago when the Beeb's watchdog programme rang the call centre in Leeds and then drove from Manchester to there, still not having spoken to anyone.

Work next day was kind of interesting.

General Mannerheim · Post by **General Mannerheim** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 5:50 pm

you ever tried to buy a pint from the reebok kiosks!?

KeeeeeeeBaaaaaaab · Post by **KeeeeeeeBaaaaaaab** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 5:58 pm

Years of grief with BT which now makes me dissuade anyone from considering them as a provider of broadband or phone lines ever again. If you are considering changing providers from someone who isn't BT, don't consider the schysters. Their customer service is easily the worst I have ever encountered, and they have even directly accused me of lying about the faults ony my service twice. I ended up getting a few hundred quid compo from them in the end, but I'll never use them again.

The FA's customer service rank up there as terrible, but that's more to do with their crap organisation skills rather than any level of rudeness/arrogance.

Virgin Media, on the other hand, have magnificent customer service, right down to the time their broadband had a fault. They texted me to tell me that the fault was affecting the whole area, an engineer was on hand to work on it, and that the fault would be mended within the next si hours. When I got back from work, all was good again. Without asking, they refunded me a day's subscription fee, and sent a letter apologising. It didn't affect me directly, but that's good. They've also been really helpful when I've called to ask them about anything.

Direct Line Insurance are good as well.

Bruce Rioja · Post by **Bruce Rioja** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 7:22 pm

KeeeeeeeBaaaaaaab wrote:Years of grief with BT which now makes me dissuade anyone from considering them as a provider of broadband or phone lines ever again.

Interesting. I have both and have never had a moments bother with either, which is why I continue to pay slightly over the odds for both. Well, except for them trying to bank my money with them through taking too much out, which I put them straight about

KeeeeeeeBaaaaaaab · Post by **KeeeeeeeBaaaaaaab** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 7:54 pm

It took me three months to eventually get up and running. Two weeks of that was spent on hold to various departments who claimed it wasn't their problem (three hours a night). The other two months were spent being told one of three things - that it would be up and running within 24 hours, that I would get a call from someone at a specified time to rectify the problem, or that it wasn't their problem. It was in this time I was accused of lying - once when I was told that I couldn't have spent two hours on hold, and once when I was told that I hadn't called every night for the past month.

Eventually I emailed the CEO directly after someone I knew, who worked at BT's advertising agency, gave me his address. It took two days to get up and running after that. It then took another six months of chasing and complaining before I was given some compensation. Many of the calls weren't logged but had been recorded, which shows the disdain most of these employees had of the company. And of how thick they were in thinking that it wouldn't come back to bite them on the arse.

I was tied to a contract, and during that contract the connection ballsed up at least once a week. When I terminated the contract at the earliest opportunity, they then "forgot" to cut the service off, and tried to charge me for the time when they said they'd cut me off.

As it is, I'm now paying less for broadband, phone and cable TV. Chew on that, BT.

Gertie · Post by **Gertie** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 8:45 pm

Aaaaarrrrggghhhhh

I'm having big trouble with a company who have my money, but haven't delivered the furniture I've ordered and keep e-mailing me telling me they will be delivered "next week" and lo and behold, when next week arrives my goods don't. I stupidly ordered using my debit card (I don't have a credit card) so I've no chance of getting my money back.

It's a very long and dull story but I feel a right tool that they've got my £299 and don't answer the phone, it goes to an answer machine or a fax machine. Every time I e-mail them I get an automated response to say that someone will respond to my e-mail within 24 hours. I'm writing to them every day and my messages are getting stroppier and stroppier so no doubt they just get deleted. But let's me feel better venting my frustration, however it's not getting me closer to my furniture or my moneyback.

I wonder if my next stop is small claims court?? I'm sure I read that money should not be claimed until the goods are dispatched? I feel so daft as a relative gave me the money as a gift and I've gone and got it lost because I'm stupid and trusting of everyone in the world.

My lesson is do not go near www.babies247.com they are not to be trusted.

communistworkethic · Post by **communistworkethic** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 8:47 pm

Gertie wrote:Aaaaarrrrggghhhhh

I'm having big trouble with a company who have my money, but haven't delivered the furniture I've ordered and keep e-mailing me telling me they will be delivered "next week" and lo and behold, when next week arrives my goods don't. I stupidly ordered using my debit card (I don't have a credit card) so I've no chance of getting my money back.

not actually true.

TANGODANCER · Post by **TANGODANCER** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 8:50 pm

I'll add Powergen to the list. A: I'm sure they're in cahoots with BT. B: They send you fictitious bills then do the "can't bother answering today" bit C: If you ever do get it sorted they make it all look like your fault in the first place.

Leyther_Matt · Post by **Leyther_Matt** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 1:20 pm

Try buying a 'bundle' from T-Mobile, and then BT will seem like customer service trend-setters in comparison!

FD · Post by FD » Tue Jul 29, 2008 1:22 pm

Gertie wrote:My lesson is do not go near www.babies247.com they are not to be trusted.

All three of their stores are within 40 minutes from me yet I've never heard of them.

KeeeeeeeBaaaaaaab · Post by **KeeeeeeeBaaaaaaab** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 1:37 pm

Leyther_Matt wrote:Try buying a 'bundle' from T-Mobile, and then BT will seem like customer service trend-setters in comparison!

Is this their Flext service? If so, was treated really well by T Mobile when setting it all up, and transferring my number from Orange (another no-go company).

Ah well, shows how one person's experience of a certain company differs so much.

Leyther_Matt · Post by **Leyther_Matt** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 1:42 pm

KeeeeeeeBaaaaaaab wrote:
Leyther_Matt wrote:Try buying a 'bundle' from T-Mobile, and then BT will seem like customer service trend-setters in comparison!
Is this their Flext service? If so, was treated really well by T Mobile when setting it all up, and transferring my number from Orange (another no-go company).

Ah well, shows how one person's experience of a certain company differs so much.

No, I'm on a pre-pay contract with 30 mins of calls and 500 texts inclusive - once they run out, I effectively revert to pay as you go but have to pay the full whack of 12p per text because their own incompetence means that they haven't actually got the phone transferred in to my name; it took them 3 months to set up the Direct Debit from the correct account!

enfieldwhite · Post by **enfieldwhite** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 2:00 pm

Halifax Bank of Scotland = Shower of Sh*te.

Nationwide Building Society = Can't help enough.

Lord Kangana · Post by **Lord Kangana** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 2:04 pm

enfieldwhite wrote:Halifax Bank of Scotland = Shower of Sh*te.

Nationwide Building Society = Can't help enough.

Brand new customers only?

enfieldwhite · Post by **enfieldwhite** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 3:20 pm

Lord Kangana wrote:
enfieldwhite wrote:Halifax Bank of Scotland = Shower of Sh*te.

Nationwide Building Society = Can't help enough.
Brand new customers only?

David Lee's Hair · Post by **David Lee's Hair** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 3:24 pm

HSBC - Individuals = shocking

HSBC - Businesses = Superb!

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Customer service - or the lack of it

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