I'm glad I was not working for Bellsouth when this little incident occured, yet I have heard the horror stories that came along with it. What happened was service reps in customer service were under extreme pressure to sell, that they were actually told by their supervisors to just add services to a customer's account whenever they call in. So, you had a number of these reps who were making out of this world sales numbers and lots of money for the company, which went on for months, if not a year or more.
Shortly after, the Public Service Commission, FCC, and other government agencies got involved, and found out about this crooked, twisted sales process. In the end, the PSC and FCC ordered Bellsouth to repay all of the money that was charged to these customers for services that were added without their knowledge or consent. In addition, Bellsouth was also ordered to credit any accounts that had customers calling claiming this, even if it was found these services had been there legitimately and legally. This is where the headaches began.
Customers left and right were calling in, claiming they had services on their accounts for years and had not known, and would demand credit. Because of the PSC and FCC order, reps were to credit the accounts and backdate them no matter what. One of my friends remembers what a bad time this was, and one day she decided to test of one her customers. This lady claimed that call waiting had been added to her account and had been there since the beginning of when the service was invented. She further claimed she had no idea what it was and had no idea how call waiting works. So, this friend had to credit the account, which was hundreds of dollars, but before she did so, she put the customer on hold. While on hold, my friend called the woman's number on another line being she was on it already. That woman nonchalantly answered the call waiting and advised my friend that she would have to call back because she was on another call! For a woman who denied anything about call waiting, its usage, and its function, she certainly knew how to answer it.
This crap went on for months. In another case, my grandfather's neighbor came over bragging how he had received a $300 refund for the repair plan and how he had pulled one over on the company. This neighbor forgot that my grandfather had been a manager for Bellsouth, and the words he called this guy for that!
I have a conscience as do many of my friends. Is there anyone out there like these two customers described who live with themselves every day, and steal on a regular basis? Please post your reply now! LOL
Shortly after, the Public Service Commission, FCC, and other government agencies got involved, and found out about this crooked, twisted sales process. In the end, the PSC and FCC ordered Bellsouth to repay all of the money that was charged to these customers for services that were added without their knowledge or consent. In addition, Bellsouth was also ordered to credit any accounts that had customers calling claiming this, even if it was found these services had been there legitimately and legally. This is where the headaches began.
Customers left and right were calling in, claiming they had services on their accounts for years and had not known, and would demand credit. Because of the PSC and FCC order, reps were to credit the accounts and backdate them no matter what. One of my friends remembers what a bad time this was, and one day she decided to test of one her customers. This lady claimed that call waiting had been added to her account and had been there since the beginning of when the service was invented. She further claimed she had no idea what it was and had no idea how call waiting works. So, this friend had to credit the account, which was hundreds of dollars, but before she did so, she put the customer on hold. While on hold, my friend called the woman's number on another line being she was on it already. That woman nonchalantly answered the call waiting and advised my friend that she would have to call back because she was on another call! For a woman who denied anything about call waiting, its usage, and its function, she certainly knew how to answer it.
This crap went on for months. In another case, my grandfather's neighbor came over bragging how he had received a $300 refund for the repair plan and how he had pulled one over on the company. This neighbor forgot that my grandfather had been a manager for Bellsouth, and the words he called this guy for that!
I have a conscience as do many of my friends. Is there anyone out there like these two customers described who live with themselves every day, and steal on a regular basis? Please post your reply now! LOL
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