The title of this post has a nice duality to it. It happens to be the Pink Floyd song I am chilling with at the moment. It also happens to be a phrase I could probably be heard muttering often lately, followed by either a string of obscenities or shaking my fist.
The target of this dislike/annoyance is customer service, or disservice has it seems to have degenerated into anymore. Companies are simply pathetic at how they deal with the people who keep them around by giving them their money.
We'll ignore pure ineptness, like my former cable company who saw perfectly fit to cancel my service when I moved, but couldn't bring themselves to turn off my automatic payment. (Yay, free money! I wish I had a business model like that). Instead, we'll focus on what it takes to get results when calling a company such as this.
Generally, if you call up and are well-mannered, state your case, and try not to spread anymore angst or hate because you feel there is enough in the world already -- you will get absolutely nowhere. Often ending up with the famous, "I'm sorry, there just really isn't anything I can do." Apathy is less-than-appealing to me.
However, call up, act like an a-hole, threaten to quit, play some Pussycat Dolls at high volume (The lack of talent, it burns!!!), and you'll get things done. Why have companies made this the new way to get things done? It's just plain pathetic in many cases. You can get a person on the phone claiming nothing can be done, that's just company policy. However, call later, threaten to quit, yell about how horrible the company is, and just plain act like a nuisance, and they will magically find a way to make it happen. This isn't reserved for on the phone either, I have witnessed retail establishments where screaming idiots in the store are getting all of the attention and service, while those are politely give their patronage are left with no service. Horribly and completely backward.
I have been advised by people in some situations that I should be more forceful, and create more of an uproar (not often, but sometimes). I tell people that I don't want to propagate anymore of this broken system. The sad fact is that when push comes to shove and I need something to get done, I have to go right back to being nasty. I feel better though that I am at least not just immediately going there.
I like it much better actually, although it is still whack, when complete indifference leads companies to try harder. Call up Discover Card and ask for a better interest rate, no payments for a month, on 1% additional cash back. You won't get any I'm guessing. However, call up to cancel, and have no intention of keeping the card, and they will throw all 3 your way at once. Repeatedly.
Well, Alan Jackson is on my iTunes now, so I'm mellowing out again. Keep your kids away from dirty,dirty slores who are nearly 30 but refuse to grow up (even when they have growing kids of their own), and everything will be good. Peace.
1 comment:
There's only so much "happy" money to go around with the thin profit margins these days. They don't get to crack open the wallet until they think they are losing a customer, and they only do it then because they know how much it costs to get a customer in the first place.
As an occasional provider of customer service myself, I encourage the nice approach. Being a jerk will get you the same response from me, but now I think you're a jerk.
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