Although I don’t usually post about personal topics, I know that the story I’m about to tell is, in some way, a universal one, so I’m going to share it with all of you.
First, a little background. For over ten years, my parents subscribed to Comcast for their cable service and Internet. Comcast had, at that time, a monopoly in our area. My mom, at heart a true free market capitalist and loather of all monopolies (even the game Monopoly, but for different reasons), hated the fact that we had no other choice. She was also generally unhappy with Comcast’s pricing, slow Internet, and lousy customer service. Then, one day only a few years ago, we started to notice tiny brightly colored flags on our neighbor’s lawns. They were sprouting up everywhere, and yes, it was true, Verizon FioS had come to town.
They were running a fantastic deal at the time, bundle offer pricing and something in the area of $250 back if you order the Triple Play (that’s home telephone, Internet and cable). My parents signed up immediately. In no time we had super fast Internet and clear FioS T.V. When the bill came, however, it was much higher than it should have been. The reason, my mom was told, was because the offer she was given never existed, and they assured my mom that no employee of theirs would have offered that. So, my mom replied, someone must have walked into your call center, sat down at one of the desks, and picked up my call where they just made something up, right?
It took many, many phone calls and hours of my mom’s time to get the situation resolved. I remembered all of it when it came time for me to move out.
For awhile I went without cable, and I didn’t really miss it. Then, after realizing that I had very poor cell phone service in my apartment, I decided to go back a decade and get a landline installed. I already had Verizon FioS Internet (which was fast and reliable- and cheaper than Comcast), so I called about the phone. And wouldn’t you know it! They were running a great deal: super low Triple Play pricing for the first six months, which would be raised to a still reasonable price that I was guaranteed for the next 18 months. Plus a $150 Visa gift card. Remembering my parent’s debacle, I wrote down every single thing this rep said, and I confirmed it all multiple times. I got her first and last name, wrote down the time and date we spoke. I asked if I would receive an email confirmation of everything we talked about (she said yes, but the email I got just thanked me for ordering FioS- no details). I said, will this all be on my file? Of course, she replied, I'm typing this all in now!
Then, the bill comes. It’s all wrong, of course, which I expected it to be. When I called and asked why, I was given an answer that didn’t shock me: that offer never existed. Not only that, the original rep never wrote in my file the offer she gave me. It was nowhere to be found! How convenient for them, and sucky for me.
A supervisor was only able to offer me the higher pricing the original rep promised wouldn't kick in for 6 months. I refused to accept it. Why should I have to pay for Verizon’s mistake? It’s entirely their fault, whether they hired someone incompetent or gave her the wrong information. The supervisor said she was unable to give me the offer I was originally promised, but if I wanted to I could speak with the original rep. What in God’s name would that accomplish? If YOU are the supervisor and YOU can’t give me the deal, what will she do? And, I asked her, why should I even believe you and this offer you’re giving me? I was, after all, a woman scorned.
After one hour of arguing (although I kept calm- important in these situations), I pleaded with the supervisor to check back on my original call (since they are usually recorded) or to at least speak with the original rep. She said she would and that she would call me back, which I figured meant I’d never hear from her again.
But! She called me within 15 minutes, and gave me my original deal. Plus gift card. I can only assume she tracked down the original rep and found out I wasn’t lying. I’m still counting on having to call up again each month to correct my bill, but for at least the next 30 days I’m happy.
So, my big question here is: what the hell is going on over there? Why can’t these people get their shit together and know what offers they are running or not running? Who keeps hiring these fantastical liars who obviously enjoy creating happiness in new customers only to force us to spend hours of our time talking to supervisor after supervisor to fix their insane mistakes?
The worst part, and the main reason why I’m sharing this story, is that in no way am I alone. Over the holidays when I recounted my story, every other adult had a long, spiraling complaint about their cable/Internet provider, no matter who it was. There is even an entire website devoted to stories like mine. In no way am I going on a Heather B. Armstrong type crusade here, and I’m glad the supervisor came through for me, but the poor customer service of these companies is no mystery.
So, now that I’ve vented, please feel free to use the comments to share your own customer service horror story.
7 comments:
First off, thanks for including the Dooce link. Now that I've read her story, I am totally, 100% on her side, and agree with her that you should use the powers at your disposal and for good. So I take back my criticism (since I did err by criticizing without knowing the whole story).
I, like most everyone else, hates cable companies. Comcast does not cover my area, but Cablevision does, and they suck. We've had a number of problems. In fact, the day after we lost VH1, MTV, and practically all the stations in the 40s and 50s, I found out that my PR firm repped Cablevision (though a different division), so of course it was all, Cablevision is awesome! No, really, I wanted to shout, fix your damn service. Ugh. So glad I'm not repping Verizon. Extremely unethical all around.
Anyway, it is clear that Verizon is hosing their clients. Who wants to work in that environment when they are deliberately lying to their consumers? I know Consumerist has a LOT of complaints about cable companies, this must be on there. It also illustrates again what a crappy job call centers are. You were smart to write everything down, and it's amazing to me that you had to fight to get your call replayed, where there's clear evidence Verizon is lying. They must be under a lot of pressure to not give in to consumers at any point, since you had to spend so much time arguing with them, and why they are struggling with revenue and resort to these tactics is beyond me.
The only good news I can offer is that it looks like there's going to be a lot of shakeup within the cable companies this year. This may not turn out to be so great, but I also think that scams like this won't last for long. If enough people complain (hey, maybe you should get a Twitter account!), they will do something. It's also very likely that you will get an email from someone at Verizon from this post. Please follow-up.
You should listen to this telephone conversation. It's funny -- but almost unbearable.
That is horrible.
I also don't think it is a mistake. I fully think there is a certain amount of leeway that goes into making the sale (among other things).
So, if 100 people are sold the product at the lowest price, and 90 people call in to complain about the fact their bill is far from right, and 10 people get the lower, but still not sold price, and only 5 reach the hallowed ground of getting the price promised and the gift card, you've just made a hella lot of money. Because 85 people are paying for a service they wouldn't have been buying previously.
Meanwhile, all those people in the Call Center are going to be sitting there regardless of whether or not phone calls are coming in, and the customers you've stolen away from Comcast are going to have to make the choice between nefarious tactics or high prices and crappy connections. As a company, you may lose some customers, but a lot of them you'll keep. And the 90 percent call back rate is probably highly inflated, which makes the whole venture all the better.
Of course, I was raised by hippies who have an inherent distrust of corporations they have passed down, so I could be a little paranoid.
MediaMaven- That was the first Dooce post I ever read, and it made me an instant fan of hers. I think it was the diamond studded panties part.
Jeremy- That recording was just plain depressing. No one has their shit straight over there. Or any math skills.
Petpluto- I totally agree with you. Mostly because the Consumerist and David Pogue at the NYT recently posted about how Verizon Wireless has been charging $1.99 on cell phone bills when people hit the web button, even if they cancelled the action right away. A Verizon rep wrote into Consumerist they do this because it brings them in so much extra revenue from the millions of people who don't check their bill for such a small charge.
They are just not nice. Plain and simple.
Mostly because the Consumerist and David Pogue at the NYT recently posted about how Verizon Wireless has been charging $1.99 on cell phone bills when people hit the web button, even if they cancelled the action right away. A Verizon rep wrote into Consumerist they do this because it brings them in so much extra revenue from the millions of people who don't check their bill for such a small charge.
Holy shit. I pore over my bill every month, but I never understand why the amount doesn't stay the same--the "fees" amount always changes. I've hit the web access button accidentally before and I always cancel the action. Now I'm gonna start calling. Even if it's a dollar or two extra every month, my bill should be as straightforward and consistent every month, since I don't go over or tack on extra services.
And I need to read the Times more. :)
They will take the charge off when you call, but they will just do it again the next month. My mom asked to have it blocked, but they said that it would also blocked text messaging. This is a flat out lie, in case they tell you that too.
::RAISES FISTS IN AIR::
MAKE IT ALL END! I have heard so many horror stories, and am fully prepared to fight the battle when Anton and I move. I'm also considering trying to find the lowest rates for phone, internet, and cable on separate bills. I'm convinced that these "all in one" plans are part of the major scam, and perhaps I can find something cheaper and more straightforward with one tiny bill from each place. I hope.
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