I swear, today was just not my day for customer service

[fma_fanatic]

I had to call two different companies today to deal with some issues.

First was DirecTv to deal with the fact that they had been charging me for a Starz package we had with our satellite service. A package that I'd been calling on for the last couple of months. It seems that the supposed 1 year package only lasts a total of 8 months. I've had to call to get the $12 credit applied every month since August.

I called the first time and got someone who I swear had marbles in their mouth. Think Weird Al and his parody of Smells Like Teen Spirit. Yeah, garbled like that. I decided it wasn't worth trying to drive myself nuts wondering what ever third word is and said I had to go, I'd call back later. I called back a few minutes later and got a rep who decided it was her job to argue with me to the point about it. That obviously I had misread the ad, etc. I still have the ad from last year and even asked her if she wanted me to read it to her. I said it in a perfectly normal tone - no snarkiness or suckiness on my part. She sighed as if I would dare to even challenge her and said "If you must". I could have asked for a supervisor, but I didn't. I mentioned the special ($49.99 and 12 months of Showtime, HBO, or Starz), and said that since we didn't start service until December of last year, the promo wasn't up yet. So why was I being charged every month since August.

She argued that well, I didn't technically start service in December, I started it in November. I did pay for the DVR ahead of time since it would just make life easier for myself and the installer. But he didn't install it until almost 4 days later because the night before he was to have come out, we had a very nasty ice storm. So nasty that I couldn't dig my car out, he couldn't dig his car out and called to try and reschedule for the day after. No dice. He was still stuck. It was that bad of a storm. (Installation set for November 30th. It was done December 4th)

We went back and forth, her saying that I was wrong and that she knew what she was seeing, etc. I'd had enough and finally said the magic words - May I have a supervisor please.

A few minutes later, the supervisor comes on. I explain what's going on. He apologizes and asks if I want to keep Starz. I ask if it will extend my contract. He says no, so I cancel it.

Okay, 1 down. 1 to go.


Later in the afternoon, I call Sprint because I had a promo code for a ring tone I downloaded. What I really don't like is Sprint's new way of dealing with these things. If I don't like it, I just ask for a refund. I really think that there's a potential for abuse here. It's the same thing for the promo codes. Download it, then go back a few days later and get a refund.

So I call because I can't find the link to request a refund on the tone. It's not there. When I finally get a rep, I explain, and even say, jokingly "I must be blind, I can't find the link I need on the site." There's a pause and I can just barely hear the rep mutter, "yeah, you probably is blind" I will admit that I may not have good eyesight, but I am not that blind.

I get put on hold, where I am promptly disconnected. I call back and when I get to a live person, I explain again what's going on, and could I please get some help. Instead of having to go through the process of trying to get a refund, the rep credits my account, verifies my e-mail and says that when I check it, there will be a confirmation that the amount has been credited to my bill.

I dunno..Wasn't the full moon last week?

[JustADude]

I dunno..Wasn't the full moon last week?

A couple of them, apparently. All right on top of those ass-hats' scalps.

[Jewels]

I work for a DIRECTV dealer, and I H-A-T-E calling DTV. The vast majority of their CSRs have no idea about the MDU/TCD side of the service, and really aren't helpful. We have a special package available to only MDU/TCD accounts, and some of our subs live in special properties where they get discounted packages. We have had CSRs tell our subs and even us that these packages don't exsist. Once I called to get a package changed for a sub, and the CSR told me that what I wanted to do was impossible, and refused to help. When I asked for a sup he said that none where available. I am pretty sure that he was a few minutes away from clocking out, and I just got so fed up I hung up and had my coworker call back and take care of the changes.

[Geek King]

I called the first time and got someone who I swear had marbles in their mouth. Think Weird Al and his parody of Smells Like Teen Spirit. Yeah, garbled like that.

That would be, "It's hard to Bargle Nargle Zouss with all these marbles in my mouf" for $300, Alex.

....Now I want to listen to it again. Dang it.

[ShinyGreenApple]

I worked as a rep for DTV for a very short time. While I won't go on a huge into the details of what an incredibly sucky company they are (remove channels from basic packages, raise the price, and not send out flyers informing customers, eek!), for some reason I was reminded of a call I got. A man wanted to get DTV service in his semi, but didn't know what all to do. I needed to transfer him to a different department, but before we had our farewells, he mentioned that a previous tech had told him to just take the dish and tripod out of his yard and put them on top of his truck

[blas]

That's what the cable company around here does. The latest stunt was to pull Gameshow Network and G4 off of basic package, make it MORE expensive for the basic package, and not alert customers of the changes that were going to be made. One random day GSN and G4 were changed to channels 80 and 81. No such luck here.

I asssume within the next year, basic cable will be only local channels and everything else will be extended.

Dish is too expensive, DirecTv you don't get what you pay for, and the other cable/internet service (the name slips my mind this moment) doesn't serve half of my area because of the topography. Stupid hills!

I ditched digital cable when I moved because I got sick and tired of my bill creeping up a few dollars every passing month.