Customer Service... sometimes....
By wooitsmolly
@wooitsmolly (3613)
United States
August 1, 2007 1:08pm CST
I understand that working customer service sucks. I really do. But that does not mean you should not try to help the customers... I deal with a lot of customer service because at least once a month I am being charged for things I didn't order (damn Treasure Trooping) and also I sign up for a lot of offers and I cancel a lot of offers.
I am usually pretty friendly and patient. I don't mind waiting or being on hold.. my longest has been 2 hours I think just to cancel an account on something.
Lately I have been getting somewhat annoyed with some of these places though. I recently had to call Readers Digest because they sent me a bill for magazines I did not order. First of all, they don't have a phone number on the magazine or website. I had to search for a good 15 minutes online until I came up with one. Then when I called it was automated (I HATE THAT) and only gave me the option of paying my bill... when I pressed whatever number for the option of "I have a question about my bill" it took me to a message telling me how to pay it... lol. Finally somehow I got through to a woman. She let me know that wasn't a "real" bill (wtf?) and that I didn't actually have to pay it, they just sent it in case I wanted a subscription. Okay...
So right now I am talking to Bidz.com customer service online. I signed up from another site for an account because it said I would get $10.00 off my first purchase. Sounded good so I won a necklace for $10.00. I thought okay I will just pay shipping... except when I went to pay it said I only got $1.00 off. So I emailed the site I signed up from and they have been "looking into it" (lol right) for the past 4 days. Finally I am now talking to Bidz.com about it... this woman I am talking to, bless her heart, is not helping at all. Here is a nice snippet:
msmollyd: Well, this is the image they have advertised: http://nbjmp.com/images/1692-37114-120x60.jpg?s=5124&subid=
msmollyd: It also says "consumer gets $10.00 off the first purchase with this offer!"
msmollyd: which is why I was confused....
Samantha: What else have you seen on this page?
msmollyd: What do you mean?
Samantha: What have you seen on this page?
msmollyd: On what page?
Samantha: There is only apicture
I should be cleaning my apartment. Not talking to Samantha about pictures.
This discussion sucks. I DONT CARE YALL. SEEEEE YAAAA
where is katesmama when I need her?
8 people like this
18 responses
@sunshinecup (7871)
•
2 Aug 07
Ah customer service, were many brainless people get jobs. I have no doubt if Bush's family didn't have the money they do, he would be saying right now...."uh, uh how can I assist, how can I assist,....ah what is it?" :oD
Why is it they can never find someone whom can answer your question or get the problem solved? Is it a scam? They think if they put a moron on the phone we will just give up? Sorry, but when I can't get anywhere with a company, I go through the Better Business Bureau.
2 people like this
@ItTakesAllSorts (4096)
•
2 Aug 07
I used to work for Readers Digest when I first left school over 20 years ago and it was and seems still is their policy to wind customers up. Some of the abusive letters they use to receive were hilarious!
I am sick of spending my days wasting time trying to get through to customer services and most calls always start with being told by some robot woman what number to press and then being inflicted with the most annoying hold music.
Now I don't bother and wait until I get the demanding red letters and only then will they give me a direct number where I can speak to a human being.
2 people like this
@jennybianca (12912)
• Australia
2 Aug 07
Sometimes I do that too.. wait for the "official" letter which often goves a direct phone number.
1 person likes this
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
2 Aug 07
all I seen was i very little pic and that was all and you signed up withthis pic?
and it sounds like whom ever ya go thold of didnt know a thing about it. Really I have been on the other end of these calls and we are to know what product the person is talking about and settle if fast and quickly to suit the customer or aleast my company did?
That seems like no way to handle a business at all.
1 person likes this
@wooitsmolly (3613)
• United States
2 Aug 07
Well, I signed up from another website. I gave her the site and showed her to link and the picture and all the other stuff they said about the offer. She didn't seem to care though.
@Katlady2 (9904)
• United States
1 Aug 07
Hmmmm....interesting! I looked at the image, and I saw "Get $10 off your first purchase at Bidz". Could the lady not read the words in the picture or what? She must have her head buried somewhere unpleasant to not see it and honor it for you. I don't blame you for being frustrated. Nowadays, it seems like employees aren't learning the true meaning of 'customer service'.
1 person likes this
@wooitsmolly (3613)
• United States
2 Aug 07
After probably a good half an hour she told me to contact the other site again and was basically like good luck see ya! Ahaha I ended up just not buying anything. Take that!
@derek_a (10873)
•
2 Aug 07
I don't know, but I think there are times when some of these companies cause deliberate confusion over what is and what is not on offer. I think they may do this so that the customer gets fed up and finds it easier to pay the bill in the first place. Some companies will also send letters that can look like a invoice, but somewhere there is small writing that says, "This is not an invoice" But it is hard to see because of all the sales stuff they got on there. There are two scams that work this way.. First the person pays because he/she buys so much stuff via mail that he/she forgets, or second, the person will phone complaining they have not had the goods so the company send them out - with another invoice. Trouble is they were never ordered in the first place.
I have actually received stuff I didn't order and was asked to send it back. I refused, saying they had better send somebody to collect it, because, firstly I was not prepared to pay postage for something I had not ordered, and secondly, if they sent me the postage, I was not prepared to take a trip to the post office (which is quite a way from me), pay petrol, car parking fees and use my time on it. A week or so later a man arrived at the door to pick it up. It was only a book that they wasted money on picking up again. LOL.
1 person likes this
@wooitsmolly (3613)
• United States
2 Aug 07
Yeah, that happens to me too. I will receive something I didn't order. Well, I never send it back. One company I had been billed for and sent some diet pills that I didn't order. I called them probably like 10 times. Finally they refunded my money and told me to call them when I am ready to send them back because I "JUST HAD TO" according to them. I think I will sell them on Ebay....
1 person likes this
@KATRINKA (1624)
• United States
5 Aug 07
I work in customer service, so I hear complaints daily. One of the biggest complaints is that the members cannot find our phone numbers. Makes me laugh, because I know it's on the reply card they get every week, and it's also in the catalogues. We only give out our toll free numbers to our "best members" so we get a lot of complaints about having to pay long distance. The automated system is also a big complaint. They have to sit through five minutes of menu options in order to get a live person.
We have scripts we have to recite, so sometimes we sound stupid, but we have to follow protocol.
I'm sorry about your frustrations with customer service. I agree that it's getting worse and more frustrating instead of better.
@wooitsmolly (3613)
• United States
5 Aug 07
I have always wanted to find a job in customer service as a phone rep. Mostly because I am very patient and am not bothered by people yelling at me or anything. I was so annoyed with Reader's Digest because they purposely give no phone number on their website or bills. I have no idea why... well, besides to avoid being contacted.
1 person likes this
@KATRINKA (1624)
• United States
11 Aug 07
Too bad you don't live in my area. The company I work for is currently hiring. In addition to decent pay and good benefits, the best benefit is that we can purchase books for 50 cents each.
Have to tell you about an incident that happened on Friday.
One of our members called to complain that she keeps getting books she doesn't order. I explained to her how the club works, that to prevent receiving unwanted books, she needs to respond to the reply card she gets every month with her packet. She interrupted saying "That's f-ing bulls***." I asked her to calm down and that if she continues to use vulgar language, I would have to disconnect the call. This riled her up. She said, "Well...what do you think of this? F-You! F-You!" She kept repeating it until I disconnected the call. I documented the conversation. Everyone around me erupted in giggles, because she was so loud, everyone could hear her. My cube mate said he probably would have lit into her had he been on the receiving end of my call. I laughed, said, "She can say whatever she wants, she's still getting a bill."
I'm still laughing about it.
@KrisNY (7590)
• United States
2 Aug 07
I hear you- I get so miffed with customer service people on the phones- Most of the time I cannot even understand them- I'm always say- excuse me?? I can't understand you- Listen I just want to cancel- no reason- just cancel it- on and on- Whatever happened to the customer is always right! I got on bidz.com once- I didn't buy anything though- I hope you get it all figured out!
@callarse1 (4783)
• United States
6 Aug 07
I don't like signing up for offers and they always are charging for something and that's why I don't like Treasure trooper too well. I don't feel like cancelling something and then waiting forever on the phone. It's pretty annoying, and as you said about the fake bill, I get those a lot! Of course I don't pay it because I never requested it. What was really funny when I signed up on a website for a "free year subscription" (for a new magazine). I didn't have to entire any payment information so definitely I wasn't going to pay for it. Well, they sent me three issues (not the full year subscription) and then sent me a "bill to continue the subscription". I know they have those free trial things, well that wasn't what this was about. However I hated the magazine and they were charging 25 USD---so I don't buy that magazine.
Basically, it takes too much time to be on the phone to cancel things that I signed up with treasure trooper so I don't want to be bothered. I hope I didn't offend anyone, just my point of view.
Pablo
1 person likes this
@someincome (786)
• India
2 Aug 07
Many companies are in practice of giving half or incorrect information for selling more. Its absolutely unethical. If $10 discount was only for some particular stuff then they should put (*conditions apply) below it. I don't like such cheaters.
@teapotmommommerced (10359)
• United States
5 Aug 07
The problem with customer service is most of those people only get paid minimum wage. I am a member of send earnings and signed up for people magazine on my credit card. I paid for the magazine, fine I got it for one year OK but people magazine renewed my subscription without my permission. I called them and canceled. Now what gives them the right to renew my subscription without my permission? This again is customer service.
1 person likes this
@wooitsmolly (3613)
• United States
5 Aug 07
Most magazines do that and I find it annoying as well. They say it is a service so you don't have to bother renewing, since OBVIOUSLY you are going to want the magazine for the rest of your life... lol
@youless (114117)
• Guangzhou, China
2 Aug 07
I think working in a customer service is a very difficult job. You have to be patient and no matter what, you have to be kind and can't say no. The matter of fact is you will get more complaints than praises from the customers. If they meet something bad, they just lose temper to you.
1 person likes this
@wooitsmolly (3613)
• United States
3 Aug 07
I know it is a hard job and that's why I am always polite and patient with them. I realize it isn't the person on the other end of the phone who has messed up, but is just the company they work for. It can be hard sometimes though being a customer and getting the run around... even if it is their job.
@senthil2k (1500)
• India
5 Aug 07
I do agree with you. Even though Customer care helps us sometimes, most of the time it ends up with something unwanted headache to us.
Recently I called a Customer care of my Landline phone. They enquired me for more than 15 minutes and said they will call me in next 2 hours. After 2 hours one another guy called and started with the same set of questions. I hate that.
1 person likes this
@wiccania (3360)
• United States
2 Aug 07
I wrote a haiku about customer service a couple of years ago, this seems an appropriate time to share:
customer service
your call is important
please wait forever
I hate havng to call customer service. Anymore, if it can be done by email, that's how I do it.
1 person likes this
@sid556 (30953)
• United States
2 Aug 07
I just got a magazine subscription that I did not order...stupidly I just paid for it as there was no phone # on the bill to call and it was only 12.00. Now they are sending me books and gadgets which I have to either pay for or go thru the hassle of sending back. I feel your frustration loud and clear!
1 person likes this
@wooitsmolly (3613)
• United States
2 Aug 07
Apparently some magazine companies will send out a bill but it is not actually real, it is kind of their way of asking if you want to subscribe. They make it look like you have to pay it... pretty sneaky.
@DavidReedy (2378)
• United States
2 Aug 07
The world just seems to be going downhill, particularly in customer service. The worst I think are credit card companies for both the run around and rudeness.
@jennybianca (12912)
• Australia
2 Aug 07
You have my full sympathy & understanding. What is even worse with these customer services, are the ones interstate. Obviously they don't open at night, so we have to make expensive phone calls during the day. I had to ring Queensland three times, just to order the correct size for my daughters bathers.
Then there are the ones where I have to search for their contact address via the internet, & then find their server is down.
@cynddvs (2948)
• United States
2 Aug 07
This is exactly why I don't do any offers on any GPT sites that require me using my credit card only to cancel later. I just simply don't have the patience to call around to these places to cancel an offer I didn't want in the first place. Not too mention I'm too paranoid about these people having my credit card number and billing me for something I never received or over billing me. I've had to deal with this crap one too many times when I first turned 18 and went credit card happy lol.
1 person likes this
@ctrymuziklvr (11057)
• United States
1 Aug 07
I've had problems with bidz.com in the past and won't have any more dealings with them. Practically the same thing happened to me and I ended up writing them a very nasty letter.
1 person likes this
