'What do you mean I have to wait till tuesday!?"

[Enigma]

Well, here goes my first rant, aww now I'm all sentimental ^^.

Anyway, about a year ago, silly me thought it would be impressive to get out of the frontlines, and move to telephone customer service. For some reason I thought SC would be just a smudge more bearable if I didn't have to converse with them face to face. Unfortunatly, I was wrong.


As of currently, I work For DishNetwork customer service, as a general CSR. A couple of weeks ago I had a call in from a particulary irate woman, who was upset that not only was her tv not working, but by the fact that mean old me wanted her to wait a whopping three days for him to get there...

IW: I haven't had television all day, and I don't know what kind of business you think your running, but its a load of crap.

ME: wtf lady? When did I become CEO? "I'm so sorry to hear about you television m'am, what I need to do is get you straight over to our technical dept. so we can get everything fixed up for you"

IW: I don't want to talk to no damn machine, it's your damn companies fault, so you will get someone out here tomorrow and get me my tv!

ME: (If anything ticks me off, its when you tell me what I WILL Do. ) Once again m'am I apologize about the convience. We do suggest our technical dept first because it not only saves time, but saves you the 29$ service call charge. If you like I can get someone out to your home as early as tuesday, and we have either am or pm open for you.

IW: WHAT THE #)(#%! DO YOU MEAN YOUR GOING TO CHARGE ME? ITS NOT MY FAULT YOUR CRAPPY SERVICE QUIT!!! WHAT KIND OF SCAM IS THIS? WHY DO I HAVE TO WAIT TILL TUESDAY... etc.

ME: Once again, I do apologize m'am, but the soonest date we can send a technician out would be tuesday. The next three days unfortunatly have been booked...

IW: You mean to tell me you have so many problems that your can't send me a service man out? What kind of business are you running where you don't have enough technicians for your customers!?

ME: M'am we have over 13 million customers spread out over the US, I do apologize for the wait. I am more than willing to waive the service charge and give you some time without service credits for those days, but our technicians not only handle service calls, but new accounts as well...

Well it went on like that for awhile, until the woman finally snapped and informed me she was not only going to sue dishnetwork, but sue me personally. She then told me that she had been recording the entire conversaion and was going to send it to her local new station... blah blah....

You know, I really hope she did send that off, because I was nothing but polite and accomidating. She was the one freaking out because I couldn't call batman to come fix her tv. Whats more is that I checked back in on her acct yesterday, and it WAS something that could be fixed over the phone.

Some people.

[Demonoid Phenomenon]

How rude of you!
You actually made this lady face the fact that she isn't the only customer in the universe!

Tsk, tsk.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Maybe I've been lucky, but I've never had a customer tell me that I *WILL* do something...

[ShortTemperHatesStupidity]

OMG BSE... If you've never heard that, count your freakin stars my friend. That is one of the cruddiest things that can escape the lips of any customer, especially an irate one. I got that all the time when working for the repair center, and man did it burn me up. I hate when customers think they're the only one having an issue, and somehow if they yell at me enough I can put them on some magic VIP list that gets them service tomorrow, even though I've told them on several occasions that no, we don't have one available.

Ugh... I feel your pain Enigma. God I hated that job...

[ahanix1989]

oh by the way, welcome to our family.

[Enigma]

I don't know what was wrong with me, I should have gone down to her house myself and fixed it. Hehe.

That was one of the worst ones I've ever had, I just hope she did turn in that call to the news because it won't turn out the way she thinks it will. ^^


Oh, and thank you. ^^ Good to be here.

[allniter]

I really love my job in the phone center business. I work at a complaint line where customers call in to b*tch at just about every problem under the sun regarding the products of our clients.

Now I know right of the bat you're thinking, "how could you possibly love that job? All you do is listen to abuse all day." And I'd agree with you. Except for the fact that the abuse we're made to listen to can ONLY relate to the product. ONLY and ALWAYS!

The second the customer starts taking it out on us, because we're there to try and resolve the issue and get it investigated, we have the permission to hang up on them without giving a warning or stating our justification for doing so.

So go ahead and complain. I'll say sorry and do my best to help, but don't think for a moment that I'll continue sucking up to you if you cross the line. The second you become an SC, instead of someone with a legitimate complaint, I can and WILL disconnect the call. And of course I'll tell everybody else around me to expect you to call back, so they'll be prepared to tell you what you can and can't do on the phone. Our company rocks because we realize that abusive people aren't worth keeping their business over.

And we still generate a huge profit

Score One for the Good Guys

P.S. naturally my calls are monitored and recorded so I have to be extremely polite, which I am, but it's a double edged sword because if they complain they were hung up on, we have the recorded call to prove why they deserved it.

[Worker-Intellectual]

What is with this "you WILL" attitude? I don't think I've ever gotten it, but that's when we should just be able to say "You're WRONG, I WILL hang up now (click)."

I'd like to see her call the news: "You WILL play this tape that shows how much of a victim I am."

And what's with these customers mistaking that the lowest paid customer service reps are CEOs. The only explanation I can think of is that they have never has a job and are insulated from reality.

[Imogene]

The thread title kinda threw me off, thanks to having worked in the retail movie industry...
I've had so many 'customers' come in the week before a big movie was to be released, and say, "Hey, here's some *miniscule* amount of money. I know you have copies of that movie 'in the back', and you can have that *miniscule* amount of money if you sell me one now."
My response was either to deny we had copies, or give them the full out brow-beating for offering so little for something that could cost me my job.
"Sir/Ma'am/puddle of chewed gum beneath my feet: the pithy amount of money you have 'offered' for me to sell you a movie that isn't in our store, much less our system yet, wouldn't even come close to covering the costs of: Losing my job, forcibly; the easily $1,000, probably more, fine the company will get for selling a movie before release date (If it were a Disney movie, and Disney found out, they'd stop sending you any of their movies. To the whole company. All that lost revenue?) Hell, that pithy amount is hardly enough to pay for the movie itself. You need at least four more dollars before you'll even have enough to cover the cost of tax. Now then, unless you have something that actually interests me, and would be worth losing my job over, reserve a copy, $5, and you'll be assured of getting one the day it comes out."

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Well it went on like that for awhile, until the woman finally snapped and informed me she was not only going to sue dishnetwork, but sue me personally. She then told me that she had been recording the entire conversaion and was going to send it to her local new station... blah blah....

I hope she made good on that threat. The news crew appreciates a good laugh just as much as anybody else.

Seriously, it's satellite. Satellite goes out from time to time. It's not an emergency that requires immediate attention. And if I had my way, whenever a customer told me "You will do what I want", I'd say "No, but I will hang up on you unless you can be an adult and realize the world does not revolve around you.

[Bliss]

BTW as far as I know in the US recording a conversation without warning the other party FIRST, is ILLEGAL and can carry jail time. (Unless you're a cop of course).

[Enigma]

And what's with these customers mistaking that the lowest paid customer service reps are CEOs. The only explanation I can think of is that they have never has a job and are insulated from reality.

I can't understand it myself, I've had more than one person tell me that I should "bring that up at my next board meeting". Moreover, I love it when they tell me they called in earlier, and I should just talk to "lucy in billing". We have over 13 million customers, you honestly think we have 1 single call center?

As for hanging up on customers, we can't unless we get our manager's permission, and the only time I get that is when the lonley pervert calls in.

Oh, and bliss- Yep it's illegal, the problem is we can't refuse service, we just have to say "You don't have my permission, but I would still be happy to help you -cheesy grin-".

[Writer Cath]

Dude!

You know, I really hope she did send that off, because I was nothing but polite and accomidating. She was the one freaking out because I couldn't call batman to come fix her tv.

Man, Batman is <I>really</I> branching out from the whole crime fighting thing.

[Mighty Girl]

Well it went on like that for awhile, until the woman finally snapped and informed me she was not only going to sue dishnetwork, but sue me personally. She then told me that she had been recording the entire conversaion and was going to send it to her local new station... blah blah....

Is it just me, or are you envisioning a woman with pink spongy rollers, a mumu, and a big hairy mole on her face? Oh, and let's not forget the camel-non filters, magenta lipstick and flip flops.....

Oh yeah, and didn't they tell you that you'd be personally responsible for all 13 million people having excellent reception or you could be sued?? Actually, I would kill to see a judge's face when presented with something like that.

[myswtghst]

Gah. I know the feeling, and I feel for you. I just take for granted the fact that not working face to face gives me a mute button and the ability to make grand gestures/obnoxious faces without the customer knowing. I have a tendency to flick off the phone at least once a day.

I generally do not stand for any of the "you WILL" business. I'll just stop them and say, no, what I will do is this: my job. You don't like it? Call back and see if someone else will put up with your nonsense.