I come from a time
when
if you wanted to speak to the Managing Director of BHP
you rang the switchboard,
you went through to his secretary and she would listen to your reason for calling
and would either put you straight through
or, she would answer your request or, he would ring you back.
True!
I did it once as a schoolchild with a project
and the response from the man himself
was nothing short of amazing,
and
I got an A+!!!!
Today I received a letter of offer
from one of the big mobile companies
it was signed by the director - Customer Lifecycle and Retention
(you just gotta love the title!!!!)
The offer asks me to sign up for 24 months
and will give me 6 frequent flyer points for every dollar spent
(that is, if, I am already a member of said frequent flyer company!!)
I have not been offered any way to renew my current contract
so naively I thought I would ring this director
and mention that I have been with this particular company
for more than 20 years...
the first 10 without any contract
I have remained with this company
because they have been good to me, in my good and bad times
I thought he might like to know
that some of us stay without bribes
that we actually have company loyalty
and we don't need to be tied into contracts
(hey good for an ad maybe?)
But, could I get through to this man who signs the letter?
NO
Could I find out the phone number that leads to their head office switchboard?
NO
Could I leave my name and number so he could ring me
NO
Were they interested
that I had been with them that long
(I was the 14 customer to buy the NEC P5 the smallest mobile in 1992!!)
and it is just possible that
I am their oldest continuous mobile customer!!
NO
Am I going to stay with them?
I DON"T KNOW
But I am grateful for the whole thing
because with the inability to speak to the signatory of a letter that they sent to me
(Really why bother signing it at all if you are not going to be available!!)
got me mad enough to break this vicious cycle of lethargy
that has hung about me like a black cloud for the last month.
The black cloud that flung me back 12 months
(I truly wasn't expecting that!)
So with a bit of luck my little episode
with said mobile company may get me back to posting again!!!
Sorry for the whinge!!!!!!
BUT
Have any of you found it difficult
to get past the operator, in some far flung country,
to speak to someone in authority?
Hi Jules, good to hear from you again. I thionk the telecommunications companies are the worst. Lyn tried to put some prepaid on his mobile but the company told him that whilst the payment went through the credit on hhis phone didn't. They tried it again, money money charged but no phone credit. Now, they said they couldn't do a refund for the overcharge unless he sent them a copy of his bank statement! Despite the fact that they we the ones that overcharged! I just thought this was unbelieveable. Also, it was impossible to get though to a manager to deal with it. Frustrating!!!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, hope you are well :)
x
Gosh, I just reread that, look at all those typos! Whoopsie :)
DeleteI just get so cross at the arrogance of the executives that they hide from the most important people they know..their customers!!!
DeleteI actually wanted to say something quite nice now I may move my account to the opposition!!
Yes I am feeling a wee bit better thank you. xx
Oh Jules, just the thought of having to ring any company similar to your telecommunications company fills me with dread. It is hard enough to find someone who cares enough to help you let alone get through to the director of the company :-)
ReplyDeletexx
I wonder what they do if they don't talk to their customers any more...do they have any idea how we are feeling or what we are thinking? Bit of a worry really!!!
DeleteDearest Jules,
ReplyDeleteOh, you are SO right on the subject! They do that on purpose as the word CUSTOMER SERVICE seems to be a dirty word nowadays... I had to make several of such phone calls last month and it aggravated me to the point that I felt like an imbecile, wasting my time. There is no respect for our time, no respect to the difficulty of finding out on your own HOW and where to contact them. That is the 1st time waste. IF you are lucky and find a phone number, you have to punch in all kind of numbers and play tricks (their game of getting rid of you...) till you persevere and get a HUMAN. More often the connection is being disrupted (?)... So I figure that most elderly will NEVER manage to get through.
How I long for the times of COURTESY!
Love to you,
Mariette
I am the elderly!!!!!
DeleteThe "trainers" keep saying it is all going to be about customer service in the future but alas I don't think they understand customer service at all!!
Thanks for joining me on networked blogs...I did have a few following but when I couldn't get it to work their site said to delete and load again, which I did, and everybody disappeared!!!! Hopefully they will come back one day.
My favorite activity with our telecommunications company is calling them to ask them to remove the additional feature that I did not ask for. I think the scam - and that's truly what I think it is - is this: I call to ask for the unwanted service to be removed; they remove it; and they add something else. The customer service person gets credit for "selling" a new service (one that was not discussed) and probably makes a bit of incentive money for the sale. Then next month someone will take it off, give me a credit and add something new. WTF? If I were the company, I would have figured that out by now. So, good for you Jules for even thinking of trying to reach a real human who can make a decision!
ReplyDeleteI think that what makes me crossest is that I am quite happy with my current deal but am not allowed to keep it because they no longer have it on offer! I don't like what they are offering and just wanted to find out if genuine customer loyalty was actually worth anything...obviously not!!! And I now have an answering service I don't want...can't get rid of it but it is free so it now stays!!
DeleteI feel your frustration Jules! Everything is so automated and computerised these days it drives me mad.
ReplyDeleteSometimes at work I have to go through so many recorded messages before I get to ask a question, I have forgotten what the question was when I get to a real person! xx
Oh I so know that feeling too!!!!! Perhaps the worst one is when your question doesn't fit their recorded criteria and you end up with the wrong person they say they will transfer you and then you get cut off!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteIt's the same here. Calling a Call Centre means calling India - there's just no point. I find it truly frustrating!
ReplyDeleteHello Jules...I just had to let you know how special your comment was, it touched me greatly, and I truly hope that you are able to see that bend in road very soon, I know it's there. ♥
ReplyDeleteI think it's high time things get much more simplified...everywhere, and in every was...it's just ridiculous out there now...we might have to start a rebellion for simplicity...a simple one!
xo Jessica
Maybe "he" doesn't even exist. Maybe they figured it just sounds good on the letter.
ReplyDeleteAnd you strike a huge chord here - the complete impersonalisation of companies. So when I do find one where the staff are genuinely helpful, you know, with actual real people, I hang on to them with loyalty. If they send me stupid letters like that, I bale and go to somebody else.
I think you are right 'he' doesn't exist! After 20 years it is hard to bale without god cause and what I really want to know is will they meet the offer from the opposition there is just no one available who can make that decision!!! Oh I long for the "olden days"!!!!!!!
DeleteOh Jules, I hear what you are saying. It's all so impersonal these days. If it's communication from him, you should be able to communicate directly back. I think customer loyalty means absolutely nothing to these big companies. Times have changed. I fear for what my children will live through. A-M xx
ReplyDeleteI was listening to radio national tonight and there was some future guru saying that in 2050 you will check your phone in the morning to find out where you will be wotking that day and what your tasks will be!!!! Didn't sound very appealing but somehow I think we are due for a reversal soon.....I HOPE!!!!!!
DeleteAs a Receptionist, I can tell you that the person who signs the letters usually has no idea about what they signed and never wants to speak to any member of the public. *sigh* There are so few companies and people these days who care about customer service, and so I try to do my best to help the people who call me.
ReplyDelete