So apparently I'm making up government legislation

[heyheadmaster]

So I take billing calls and phone/broadband tech support calls. There are calls where these overlap a bit too.

Now when a customer's account gets blocked, and they satisfy the requirements to reinstate it (payment of the balance and a direct debit/continous card agreement), the system will automatically switch on their TV service.

However to reinstate the phone and broadband, an advisor needs to manually run the reinstate on those products. For a long time I was clueless as to why this was the case but recently learned (because people keep forgetting to do it, generating repeat calls) that it's due to an Ofcom regulation.

Our company takes great care in keeping on Ofcom's good side, as they are fond of dishing out rather hefty fines (think five figures) to telcos/ISPs who break the rules.

I had a customer on the phone who'd recently cleared his balance and set up a new direct debit through the online billing centre.
Naturally his TV service had resumed, but not his phone and broadband, hence his call.

Me: <opening spiel>
SC: "Hi I recently paid online and set up my direct debit again, my TV is back on but not my phone and broadband"
Me: "OK, I'll look into that for you"
(Checks account, sees billing activity from online)
Me: "Sorry about that, I'll just get your phone and broadband back on"
(Runs reinstate)
"OK that's your services back on, it can take up to 24 hours but generally takes just a couple of minutes"
SC: "WHY WASN'T MY PHONE AND BROADBAND REACTIVATED WITH MY TV?"
Me: "We're not allowed to do that automatically"
SC: "WHY NOT?"
Me: "Due to Ofcom regulations we cannot reactivate your phone and broadband without you contacting us to say we can"
SC: "I THINK YOU'RE LYING. THAT SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING <company> MADE UP. I'M GOING TO LOOK INTO THAT" *hangs up*

I can understand his frustration but seriously, why would I lie about it?

[EricKei]

I have found that people who are frustrated tend to assume whatever makes THEM feel validated, regardless of what actually makes sense >_>

Just curious: Preferably while obfuscating the name of where you work..."Ofcom"? A regulatory body, I take it?

Welcome to CS! We have brain bleach pretty much everywhere, and someone should be along with bacon and boozeahol (if you're of age) shortly ^_^

[fireheart]

I have found that people who are frustrated tend to assume whatever makes THEM feel validated, regardless of what actually makes sense >_>

Just curious: Preferably while obfuscating the name of where you work..."Ofcom"? A regulatory body, I take it?

Welcome to CS! We have brain bleach pretty much everywhere, and someone should be along with bacon and boozeahol (if you're of age) shortly ^_^

Ofcom is kind of like the communications and media regulatory authority-for the Aussies, the ACMA is pretty miuch the equivelent.
Basically if you have a problem with your favourite TV show, you ring up and bitch at them.

[tilly101]

SC: "I THINK YOU'RE LYING. THAT SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING <company> MADE UP. I'M GOING TO LOOK INTO THAT" *hangs up*

I can understand his frustration but seriously, why would I lie about it?

Ugh. I get those too, the customers who, as soon as you tell them something they don't want to hear, come out with the whole 'oh no you are LYING to me!' line.
I'm with you - WHy would we lie about this kind of stuff? Aside from not caring enough to stop and think up lies to tell customers, do these idiot customer not realise that if we DID actually just sit there all diemaking sh*t up then e would likely lose our jobs
Der, SCs, der

What I do like, though, is that when someone else has gotten a customer like this who has pulled the 'you're lying to me!' line, who hangs up on the rep and then calls back and I get the call and read the notes.
In the SWEETEST possible voice, I take great pleausre in getting to say to them:
"Okay sir/ma'am...so I can see here that you called in a few moment ago and asked about [so and so] and that [so and so person] told you [this and that], and that what they advised you was correct...so how could I help you today?"

9 out of 10 times, as soon as they hear that, they just give up LOL most people seem to think that hanging up and callnig back to get a different person will mean you get a different [more favourable] answer??
Yeah. 'Fraid not pal

[BeenThereDoneThat]

LOL, I had one of those just yesterday. Someone called in asking about something or other and I gave her an answer, then looked at the notes and saw someone else had given her the same exact answer earlier in the day. She acted perfectly innocent with me like I'd never figure it out. It was a rather minor thing, nothing sucky, but still

[HawaiianShirts]

I can understand his frustration but seriously, why would I lie about it?

If you were trying to cover something up, you might.

When I worked for Major Electronics Retailer, one of my co-workers would sometimes make stuff up so the customer would think he knew everything about computers. I had to correct him on multiple occasions. Like when one customer asked why her computer would take so long to load a YouTube video, this co-worker said it was because her video card didn't have enough dedicated memory and tried to sell her an upgrade. I know this because she stopped me a few minutes later to ask a question about ink cartridges, and, as she related to me her exchange with my co-worker, I discovered that she was on dial-up and often set the video player to the highest resolution available. No need for a video card!

I think co-worker was either trying to bump up our department's numbers (we didn't get commissions) to make himself look good to management, or he was trying to hide a lack of knowledge. I also heard a story from another co-worker about him making up a new store policy (not a real one--just something he came up with) to explain away the problem when he screwed up a special order that delayed a customer's item by almost two weeks.

I can understand how some customers might be suspicious of employees who make statements that don't make immediate sense or that they've never heard of before if the customer has had experiences in the past with shady salespeople or customer service reps who tell some BS when they don't have a good answer.

That doesn't make it right, of course. Even if you're suspicious, yelling at the CSR doesn't help the situation.

Then again, this guy could just have some kind of trouble dealing with disappointment.

[EricKei]

On the youtube thing -- Five years ago, my first question would have been "What kind/speed of connection do you have?"; these days, i would still ask that, but several questions further along down the queue, and I would suspect the vid card/RAM/hard drive space above it >_>

[Amadan]

Ofcom is kind of like the communications and media regulatory authority-for the Aussies, the ACMA is pretty miuch the equivelent.
Basically if you have a problem with your favourite TV show, you ring up and bitch at them.

It's a UK body,

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/

From "About Us"

Ofcom is the communications regulator. We regulate the TV and radio sectors, fixed line telecoms and mobiles, plus the airwaves over which wireless devices operate.

[ozcatbug]

I used to love the people that thought we were lying when I worked at Nightmareworld (a theme park down under). A guest would ask why a ride wasn't operating, I'd say why it wasn't, they'd tell me I'm lying, I'd lie to them and they would walk away happy. For example, the Tower does not operate if the track is wet. The Tower ride shoots a car out of a tunnel, where it travels up the side of a 129m (? its been years since I worked there) tower, then free falls back down the track into the tunnel. If the track is wet, the car loses traction, causing problems with the braking system. So, a light sprinkling of rain will cause a shut down, and after the rain had stopped, the operators have to walk the track with bit squeegies to dry it. So one day it starts misting, not yet raining, and I inform guests that the ride is closed. Couple of guests ask why, and I tell them about the lack of traction and the problems with the brakes, and they walk off, happy with my answer. A man approaches and asks why the ride isn't running, and I give him my spiel. He gives me a look and tells me that I am lying, what is the real reason? So I tell him that water gets into the motor on the car, which makes the motor run a bit sluggish so the ride doesn't go as high, and he smiles at me and says it is better when I tell the truth to people, and he walks off happy. The major problem with the "truth" was that I was standing next to a sign that detailed how the ride worked, specifically that the car is free moving, and the motor is actually on the track.

[Kristev]

Let's all remember Rule # 3 of the SC mindless set: It's always someone else's fault. Most frequently, the Government's.

[Ironclad Alibi]

Ofcom is kind of like the communications and media regulatory authority-for the Aussies, the ACMA is pretty miuch the equivelent.
Basically if you have a problem with your favourite TV show, you ring up and bitch at them.

I guess the Federal Communictions Commission (FCC) would be the US equivalent.

When I worked for Major Electronics Retailer, one of my co-workers would sometimes make stuff up so the customer would think he knew everything about computers. ... I also heard a story from another co-worker about him making up a new store policy (not a real one--just something he came up with) to explain away the problem when he screwed up a special order that delayed a customer's item by almost two weeks.

And we wonder why customers insist on asking different employees the same question. Maybe they had met this guy before.