[Southsider2k12]

Yeah, I am ready to hop on the bandwagon... Beyond having half a dozen power outages of multiple hours to 72 hours+ in just three years at this address, now they seem to have "lost" my payment. I sent the check, they cashed the check, and now they aren't showing that they ever received my payment. This ought to be a nightmare to try to figure out.

[JHeath]

Can you get a copy of the cancelled check? Or wouldn't that help?

[Southsider2k12]

I'm calling them now. It looks like they credited the wrong account.

[Southsider2k12]

They fixed it, but that wasn't fun. They were closed last night when I got the notice, so I couldn't call until this morning, after wading through a menu deeper than Trail Creek, I got a person. I had to pull up the canceled check on-line and read a bunch of numbers off of the back of it. This led them to the account which my payment ended up in. I don't make enough to pay my own bills, let alone someone else's! The person who helped me out was very nice though. She fixed the problem right away, and gave me answered all of my questions before I could ask them.

[ANH27]

...after wading through a menu deeper than Trail Creek, I got a person.

Hi SK - don't know if this is helpful but on some of the hellishly long, confusing automated menus that I've had to fight thru trying to get to speak to someone breathing I found the following trick:
Either ignore all options and just stay on the line and don't press any buttons - this will sometimes get you transferred directly to a real person.
I think that the system says "Oh, this person must not be calling from a touch tone phone, I better put them right through to an operator" (I'm assuming that the system talks to itself just like everyone else).
Or - press zero even if it's not listed as an option.
With some automated lines this is the default for Operator...
Works about as often as it doesn't... worth a shot.

You can also try swearing. That almost never works, but it will make you feel better.

[Ang]

Hi SK - don't know if this is helpful but on some of the hellishly long, confusing automated menus that I've had to fight thru trying to get to speak to someone breathing I found the following trick:
Either ignore all options and just stay on the line and don't press any buttons - this will sometimes get you transferred directly to a real person.
I think that the system says "Oh, this person must not be calling from a touch tone phone, I better put them right through to an operator" (I'm assuming that the system talks to itself just like everyone else).
Or - press zero even if it's not listed as an option.
With some automated lines this is the default for Operator...
Works about as often as it doesn't... worth a shot.

You can also try swearing. That almost never works, but it will make you feel better.

Just don't swear at them cause all they'll do is hang up on you and then you'll have to start all over.

[eric.hanke]

Just don't swear at them cause all they'll do is hang up on you and then you'll have to start all over.

Sounds like someone has some real life expertise in this area...

[Ang]

mmmmmm........

BTW, I changed the title of this thread cause Roger doesn't like the word that means to create a vacuum.

[ANH27]

Just don't swear at them cause all they'll do is hang up on you and then you'll have to start all over.

No, don't swear at the operators, of course. Just the phone.
Swearing at actual people is a good way to get nothing done to fix your problem.

[Ang]

yup. What's worse is when they swear at you. I've had that happen to me from a CSR with Southwestern Bell.

[ANH27]

yup. What's worse is when they swear at you. I've had that happen to me from a CSR with Southwestern Bell.

That's outragous! I hope they got fired!

[Roger Kaputnik]

No, don't swear at the operators, of course. Just the phone.
Swearing at actual people is a good way to get nothing done to fix your problem.

Remember what Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., had a character say in a novel: Swearing only gives people an excuse not to listen to you.


[Grammatical aside: Did you notice he did not split the infinitive?]

[Dave]

Having worked a service rep job for the evil phone company years ago, I agree with the don't swear at them thing. Heck, the poor slob you're talking to didn't create your problem -- try to get him on your side. I can say that when I worked at TPC (the phone company) nothing gave me more pleasure than sticking it to the company. On the other hand, I was also required to try to sell stuff all the time, which I really hated.

Another good reason to not swear at them -- because every time a service rep accesses your account they are required to make a notation, and "customer is abusive" is not something you want in your file. My favorite was the guy who threatened to kill me, the anonymous guy at the call center, while I was looking at his records so I knew where he lived and slept. Another hint -- don't call when you're angry and drunk.

[Ang]

When I am angry, I always tell the CSR that I am not angry with them personally, I understand they just work there, I am angry about the situation. Usually they go out of their way to help me after I say that.

[Southsider2k12]

Boy am I glad I don't work with the general public. One of the great perks about my job is that I can tell people what I think!

[Ang]

You ought to try working in insurance! You can't cuss there either, as much as I'd like to.

[ANH27]

My favorite was the guy who threatened to kill me, the anonymous guy at the call center, while I was looking at his records so I knew where he lived and slept.

Good advice. Scary... but good.

[RexKickass]

Working Customer service is no fun. I get angry with CSR's sometimes and I feel bad for it, because I have spent so much time on the other side of that phone over the past four years. In most cases, I would want to help the client whenever I could. Once they started getting nasty, though, my empathy and my willingness to go the extra mile to get something resolved for them went straight out the window.

Best thing to happen lately. My company went out of business, and it affected a couple thousand people in regards to payments on their purchases. Some people were literally charged thousands for products and payments weren't passed along to the providers. This morning, I woke up to seeing a client finding my personal email and calling me a thief for the actions of my company.

[Ang]

I try to be empathetic as well, but sometimes it's very hard. Especially when they start screaming at you and cussing at you for something you have no control over. Usually I tell them very sternly that their behavior is unacceptable and that I am trying to help them, but if they continue speaking to me that way I will terminate the conversation. I've only had one truly bad experience and ended up flat hanging up. They were screaming a stream of obscinities and would not even stop long enough to take a breath. I warned them if they didn't stop I would hang up, they didn't so I did.

[Southsider2k12]

Working Customer service is no fun. I get angry with CSR's sometimes and I feel bad for it, because I have spent so much time on the other side of that phone over the past four years. In most cases, I would want to help the client whenever I could. Once they started getting nasty, though, my empathy and my willingness to go the extra mile to get something resolved for them went straight out the window.

Best thing to happen lately. My company went out of business, and it affected a couple thousand people in regards to payments on their purchases. Some people were literally charged thousands for products and payments weren't passed along to the providers. This morning, I woke up to seeing a client finding my personal email and calling me a thief for the actions of my company.

There is no doubt it takes a special personality to work customer service. I don't mind working with people I am familiar with, but the patience of working with the general public is a huge challenge.