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  • All I was trying to do was help a customer...

    I have been trying to help one of my customers get warranty service on an item, and I am so mad at the company I am dealing with.
    They're making me look bad.

    I always go out of my way to help my customers. Some of the people at work joke and call me "The Pit Bull", because, if the product is genuinely defective, I will not stop until I get some type of answer. If I think my calls are being avoided, or my emails and faxes ignored, I will not let up. I usually get them some help.

    I called this company on my customer's behalf the other day. The tech guy asked for the customer's information, and he said he would call them, because it was easier to deal direct than have me as the go-between, since the item is not mine, and I am not familiar with the problem. I left a message with the customer to expect a call.

    Yesterday, the customer called back and said they had not called her.

    I called again, and the guy was really snotty, telling me he was very busy, and didn't have time to pick up the phone and call the customer the minute he was finished with my call. He tried to pull the "We're in different time zones, so give me a break," crap, until he discovered we are in the same time zone. I said, "Yes, we both have the same time, and I spoke to you yesterday."

    He suddenly remembered that he did make the call, but he only got voicemail.
    I asked, "Did you leave a message with a number for them to call?"
    He said, "No, I didn't bother."

    So, I asked if he could give me an extension number for them to call so they could speak directly with him.
    I left the message on the customer's voicemail.

    They called me again today. The guy was so rude to them. She asked him why he didn't just leave a message, and he said, "Madam, I am much too busy to waste time leaving messages on voicemail. I don't have time for that, and I don't have time to keep calling until I get an answer. I make one call, and if nobody's there, then that's it."
    He tried to say that there was no defect with the product, but it was the material they were buying at our store to use in the item, that was the problem.

    That's complete BS.
    She said, "Well, we bought it at this store. This is what they sold me."
    He said, "I don't work for that company, Madam."

    He finally, very reluctantly agreed to send her new parts, but did not offer to send anyone to put on the new parts, so now, I have to find out if that will void their warranty if they install the parts themselves.

    I have to fax the parts request along with all the relevant paperwork before he will send them out, though.

    I already did that, so now we wait and see how long it takes them to help the customer.

    I plan to call HO tomorrow and speak with the buyer about this, because this company sold an inferior and defective product, and are trying to put the blame on us for our product.
    Last edited by Ree; 02-28-2008, 04:43 AM.
    Too tired of living and too tired to end it. What a conundrum.

  • #2
    I hate companies like that. We're pretty strict in our warranty policies (1 year, very little grace period, repair/replacement is determined by product and not negotiable) but we ALWAYS honor the warranty. I can't stand when I deal with a third party vendor for one of my customers and they play pass the blame.

    This also happens a lot when a problem appears to be on the customer's telephone lines - the telephone company (telco) will "run tests" and say it's an equipment problem. Tech will go to site and find absolutely nothing wrong with our equipment. Telco will be brought back in, and wow, suddenly they find a problem they should've seen and addressed on the first go around, several hours earlier. Drives me nuts, especially when it's 911 equipment that's down.
    "In the end I was the mean girl/or somebody's in between girl"~Neko Case

    “You don't need many words if you already know what you're talking about.” ~William Stafford

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    • #3
      What company is this, so that I may avoid them in the future?
      "Always stand near the door." -- Doctor Who

      Kuya's Kitchen -- Cooking, Cooking Gadgets, and Food Related Blather from a Transplanted Foodie

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      • #4
        My mthod was try 3 times on first day (Mornig, lunch, afternoon), leaving message if possible, once a day for next 4 working days, then write off as uncontactable.
        ludo ergo sum

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        • #5
          Quoth Ree View Post
          The guy was so rude to them. She asked him why he didn't just leave a message, and he said, "Madam, I am much too busy to waste time leaving messages on voicemail. I don't have time for that, and I don't have time to keep calling until I get an answer. I make one call, and if nobody's there, then that's it."
          With this kind of attitude, how do they stay in business?!

          And how long does it take to leave a call back number? One minute? If you speak rrrrreeeally sloooooooooowwwwwwly?

          If you have to ask, it's probably better posted at www.fratching.com

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          • #6
            Quoth myswtghst View Post
            I hate companies like that. We're pretty strict in our warranty policies (1 year, very little grace period, repair/replacement is determined by product and not negotiable) but we ALWAYS honor the warranty. I can't stand when I deal with a third party vendor for one of my customers and they play pass the blame.

            This also happens a lot when a problem appears to be on the customer's telephone lines - the telephone company (telco) will "run tests" and say it's an equipment problem. Tech will go to site and find absolutely nothing wrong with our equipment. Telco will be brought back in, and wow, suddenly they find a problem they should've seen and addressed on the first go around, several hours earlier. Drives me nuts, especially when it's 911 equipment that's down.
            Funny you mention that. We have had to implement a strict 'two hours and escalate' policy with the local telco. Every time we open a ticket, we call and escalate unless we get a respnse. I once spent an entire weekend escalating to get a circuit fixed! By the end I kept expecting to hear 'Alexander Graham Bell the fifth, how can I help you? '

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            • #7
              "Too BUSY to leave a voicemail?" That's a new one.

              So let's just waste more time with phone tag.
              "If you are planning not to tip, please let your server know before ordering so they can decide whether or not to wait on you" - from an advice column I read some time ago

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              • #8
                Quoth PCGameGuy View Post
                Every time we open a ticket, we call and escalate unless we get a respnse.
                I just finished working at a construction site, and when talking with the General Contractor, he mentions that as soon as the elevator company says they are finished with the install, he opens a trouble ticket, because something has always gone wrong with the elevator within two days of them finishing.

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                • #9
                  They called me again today. The guy was so rude to them. She asked him why he didn't just leave a message, and he said, "Madam, I am much too busy to waste time leaving messages on voicemail. I don't have time for that, and I don't have time to keep calling until I get an answer. I make one call, and if nobody's there, then that's it."
                  He tried to say that there was no defect with the product, but it was the material they were buying at our store to use in the item, that was the problem.
                  *Cue Soprano's OH!* That is DEFINITELY BS. Granted, I don't work for their company, but here's how we handle ANY issue within our company.

                  - A ticket MUST be created for each call. A lot of tier 1 and 2 reps don't follow this too well, but we MUST and technically, they're obligated to, but hey, that's their job, not mine.
                  - We are seen as a resolution team. That is key. When a call comes to us, we must see it through. This was a big shift for me, as I had only had previous for as a tier 2 applicable to this. What it means is if we don't actually resolve the call (customer has to go, customer gets disconnected and we can't get back in touch with them, etc.), we keep the ticket open as "on hold" or "work in progress."
                  - If we call a customer and they're not home, we document that we left a message and we ACTUALLY LEAVE A MESSAGE. I'm fairly certain that's protocol.
                  - If we attempt to contact a customer on three separate occassions (once a day), then yes, we must close the ticket assuming the issue is resolved as they did not make an attempt to contact us back lest the ticket would be updated.

                  Yeah, I really hope that dude gets fired. Then again, I really hope a LOT of our tier 2 reps get fired for their snottiness, incompetence, and overall BS attitude toward us and everyone else, but little good that hoping's done thus far. Ah well, it's not a perfect world. Thus, alcohol!
                  You can find me on Backloggery, Facebook, Twitch, Twitter, YouTube

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                  • #10

                    I faxed the order 2 days ago.
                    I called yesterday to confirm that it was being sent. I left a message. The guy never called me back.

                    I called another guy and he looked into it and said the order was still in the queue, but would be shipped today.

                    I called today to make sure it went out and was told it was on his desk and would be going out on Monday by courier.

                    I made a complaint to our HO about this company.

                    This guy is new, apparently, and I was told he company is experiencing "growing pains", but the girl at HO said she would take my concerns with her to a meeting that is set up for next month with this company.
                    Too tired of living and too tired to end it. What a conundrum.

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                    • #11
                      "Growing pains" is wearing your 80s jeans that barely fit and then a beautiful woman walks by you. This is more along the lines of, at least in their opinion, "justifiable incompetence." Unfortunately, there has to be some slack for new people, but not enough where it actually hurts the customer. That bites.
                      You can find me on Backloggery, Facebook, Twitch, Twitter, YouTube

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                      • #12
                        Wait... you mean that snotty punk actually held the order back from being shipped by grabbing the part and dumping it on his desk?

                        Did it actually go out on Monday, and has it been replaced, yet?

                        ^-.-^
                        Faith is about what you do. It's about aspiring to be better and nobler and kinder than you are. It's about making sacrifices for the good of others. - Dresden

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                        • #13
                          The part did come on Tuesday. I called the customer and they picked it up Wednesday.
                          I was sick again on Thursday, but I worked yesterday, and did not get a note from anyone taking a phone message, nor a phone call from the customer, so, as far as I know, it was the right part, it worked, and it solved their problem.

                          I am so glad, because I do not want to deal with this company again.
                          Too tired of living and too tired to end it. What a conundrum.

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                          • #14
                            Ah. Glad to hear that it all resolved in the customer's favor.

                            I'm still flabbergaste that the asshat actually waylaid the part so it couldn't go out when it should have.

                            ^-.-^
                            Faith is about what you do. It's about aspiring to be better and nobler and kinder than you are. It's about making sacrifices for the good of others. - Dresden

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