Verizon-they never stop working for YOU*

[underpants]

*-except after 5PM or on weekends

Just got off the phone with a Verizon customer service rep (in Portland Ore actually) who could help me exactly NONE

I signed us up for the "One Bill" program which should be great for us and them right? One bill for our two cells and the one land line that we have (exclusively for TiVo). Well turns out that the cell phone department of Verizon gets paid by the landline department so our cell phone balance is always zero-the service rep had to admit that basically we can't get cut off but that the landline could. For $12 a month (the barebones landline cost)I basically COULD rack up a cell bill for ever and never get cut off well only from the landline-I pointed this out to the service rep and she laughed and said "Yeah you are right". I asked if they actually made these intercompany transfers via pneumatic tubes but she didn't get that reference.

She really had a great sense of humor about the whole thing.

After two calls and 10 minutes of voice AND number prompts a message came across saying that since we were on the ONE BILL program call XXX-XXX0XXXX for all cell phone questions and then just ended. Not only did it not repeat the number it just stopped no mention that this call was over. Luckily I had memorized the number. The Oregon girl then proceeded to tell me that she couldn't tell me anything about the bill I would need to call back between 8 and 5 Monday thru Friday. "Why are you there then?" I asked *pause**pause* "I am not really sure sir" she said with a smile

Oh but we CAN set up an automatic payment and notification thing on their website.... I commented "That website is really horrific" *pause**pause* "I agree" she said, with a smile

She WAS able to tell me that our contracts are up in September and November. I asked IF we were to get the FIOS, since it is at least TWO steps removed from the technology of the Pony Express, if we would then be able to call one number to say find out about our bill or for service questions. Giggling, about the Pony Express comment I think, she said "You would need to call the FIOS office" there was a long pause so I said "Please don't tell me.." She interjects "Monday thru..." we both started laughing. No she wasn't sure when the FIOS office was open, she couldn't pull that information up on her computer :eyes:

I DO have a service rep coming out here today. I set this up just yesterday -without talking to a single human being mind you- which is really great service. He will be here today, sometime between 8AM ................and 7PM.

[Deja Q]

1. So if it's true support in general is shit, may as well send it to the lowest cost sources...

Pity. The people who do understand how the things work are getting killed in the crossfire.

For all the blither about "qualified people", not a syllable of it rings true. For several reasons:

1. Rampant offshoring for "cost factors"
2. Managers don't take the time to properly screen people
3. Managers only give a crap about money anyway (go back to #1)
4. Website development/design/maintenance is offshored too (go back to #3)
5. Companies do not train their workers and expect them to know the world and more (think ITIL)
6. It's verizon. They simply suck gerbil balls.

There are other good reasons to list, I just can't remember them off the top of my head right now...
Never mind the repercussions...


Mind you, it's also possible she's a new employee -- or an employee known to be bad, so they've chucked her into the death slot and are waiting to hear the word she's not performing so they can cut the cord...

[underpants]

2. Wow I never thought about that last part

she SOUNDED competent enough there just wasn't anything she could do... unless it was 6AM in Portland and she was just blowing me off :shrug:

I've spent enough time with service reps to tell basic competence from a career line that is about to feature stocking shelves at Walmart

[Deja Q]

3. Ditto for you too.

Organizations also forget that if one part of the business is open and the others are closed, the person having to do the work is going to be frustrated be default.

And that problem's the same everywhere (hence managers' desire to crosstrain people to do everything for everybody). :(

[Orsino]

4. Gerbil balls notwithstanding...

...there's also the Future Shock effect. Technology is changing so rapidly that large corporations are guaranteed to look stupid as they try to keep up, forcing huge communication and distribution channels to pretend to be nimble. In the desperate struggle to achieve arbitrary goals set by pointy-haired bosses, one management fad after another is implemented to general ridicule. Every simplification or streamlining initiative somehow ends up creating new processes and department rather than actually integrating existing structures.

Large corporations are very, very good at delivering uncomplicated products and services at high volume. They're often pathetic when they try to be all things to their customers; it all comes down to people, eventually, and the more people that have to touch an order, the slower and less reliable that delivery is. Arrogant executives like to pretend that this isn't so, that surely any problem can be solved if enough resources are thrown at it. Yeah, you can move a mountain, with enough manpower--but can you move it according to a customer's schedule, or do you instead send your customer's order through an endless series of "fulfillment centers," each of which adds its own special flavor of misinformation and delay to the experience?

[underpants]

7. There is something to be said for uniformity too

Not necessarily in customer service but in product. I guarantee you I could call Verizon and get as many different options on new or redone contracted products as the number of people that I talk to. This is common in almost any of the phone companies and cable and pretty much anything. Seems to me that if they could start with a standard set of products and then standard ways of dealing with customers they would eliminate alot of THEIR problems-meaning the problems they incur.

:shrug:

[alarimer]

5. reminds me of a story I heard on This American Life

A woman was overcharged for here phone bill. Grossly, like several hundred dollars of charges she never made. She spent months dealing with it, only to be told by the phone company in all seriousness that the didn't have phone numbers for the people that worked there. Seriously, a PHONE company could not connect her to a particular person (that she dealt with previously) because they did not have a phone number for her. It was an amazing story that was only resolved when Ira Glass called the company and put them on the radio show.

[underpants]

6. Sorry but you can't call them you have to FAX in this form

I heard some of that. I have another story similar to that involving AOL's long distance which is actually named "The phone company"

[Coyote_Bandit]

8. Several years ago

I moved to an area where cable internet service was not available and I requested DSL service through my phone provider. Long story short - the service NEVER worked but every month I was billed for it and for the connect and equipment fees. Every month I had to call customer service and be put on hold for at least 30 to 45 minutes while somebody researched then adjusted my monthly bill. In the meantime I had all sorts of problems and got a couple of disconnect notices for unpaid charges. After living there for a little less than a year I moved to another state. My final bill was for about a thousand dollars - about $15 dollars actually owed for unpaid phone charges and the remainder allegedly due for the internet charges. Since I now lived in another state whenever I would call the customer service number for the previous state I would automatically be routed to the service office for my new state of residence. That meant I would be on hold for 30 to 45 minutes - only to be transferred to the number I had first called resulting in an additional hold time of 30 to 45 minutes. I did this once and registered my displeasure and contested the charges. It took over six months after my final disconnect to receive a correct final bill. Several times during this 18 month ordeal I was told by the phone provider that they were unable to correct the billing because they could not adjust the bills of their third party DSL provider.

From time to time that phone provider still calls and want to sell me additional bundled crap besides my basic land line service. I repeat my story in full lengthy detail to every single sales caller - asking for full assurance that I would not be subject to a similar experience if I decided to obtain additional services. More than one has hung up on me. Oh, well, Whatever.

I hope to relocate in the next year or so. When I do, my land line is history. No question that will happen.

Maybe my cable too. It was working fine when I left for the holidays. I came back to find that none of my digital channels or movie channels are accessible on either tv. Thankfully my internet access still works. Sounds like some genius working on the line added a filter whilst I was away. I am none too patiently awaiting their service guy. Have been for several days now - and they tell me he likely may be late arriving for his scheduled appointment. Next time they call and try to sell me bundled cable phone service I will probably use this as an example of how unreliable they are. It ain't happening.

Satellite is beginning to sound like a good option for internet and tv - add a cell phone and I should be good to go.

Customer service sucks these days. I try not to be abusive to the folks working the call center customer service lines. But I also know that squeaky wheels get greased. I am not the least bit reluctant to push, complain, ask for accommodations and discounts, contact operational vps, file grievances with government regulators, etc. Most of these companies already know their customer service sucks. What they count on is that most of their customers are unwilling to walk away and are unskilled in seeking resolution of their problems.