A customer service story / gripe

Christina

Ok, this is sort of a gripe but I think it makes a good point. Be sure all of your customer service reps have the same information!Recently, I ordered an item online through paypal. I had two credit cards stored in the paypal info and accidentally used the wrong one. Making the purchase put me over my max credit card limit. I called the CC company, they told me if the order had not yet been processed, I could have it refunded and I would not be charged an "over the limit" fee. Ok, fine. I managed to catch the order before it was processed, and they did indeed refund the money immediately.I called the CC company and informed them of this, and they said "no problem as long as it shows up on our accounts  within 5 days. You will not be charged." I said "what if I go ahead and make a payment to cover the overage amount?" They said "Yes, you will definitely not be charged an over the limit fee if you do that." Ok fine. I did that.Should have been taken care of on two fronts, at this point. I was doubly sure I`d not get charged..... or would I? I received my statement and of course, there was the $40 over-the-limit fee.I called them back and they nonchalantly replied,  "Oh we changed that policy" I said "Well I`ve called 3 separate times and 3 separate people have told me that I would not be charged, due to the actions I took to correct my mistake." She said "It doesn`t matter. The policy is changed." At this point, I am very angry because I worked my butt off to correct my mistake, and was told that my actions would indeed repair the damage. They did end up removing the charge "As a courtesy." Gosh, thanks.I will be paying off my balances with the CC company as soon as possible and switching to a different CC company. I spent a lot of time trying to fix the mistake that didn`t end up being fixable. Had I known it wasn`t fixable, I would`ve just accepted the over the limit fee, instead of spending tons of time on the phone and making an extra payment. Moral of the story - be sure all of your customer service reps have the same knowledge!
Christina2007-1-11 12:37:52

Fiberartist219

I concur. I deal with several banks every day at my day job and it is aggrivating that they have unreliable information on such a critical subject. I could understand if my ice cream scooping person didn`t know how many calories were in my dessert, but I`d be furious if the customer service rep at my bank didn`t know what the charges were or when I`d get the title to my vehicle. A lot rides on financial information.

chrisrue

In my line of work, I deal with a lot of customer service & technical support reps.
My motto:
Show Me The Writing!
Basically, the word of a customer service rep is absolutely useless, when push comes to shove later down the line.
So I expect to be shown the verbiage/policy in question, either on their website or via e-mail or fax, in black & white. Otherwise, I request confirmation of the resolution discussed via e-mail, confirmed by their manager.
Also, as standard procedure for all calls, I document:

Date/Time of call
Issue/Matter being discussed
Name of Rep
Badge Number of Rep (if applicable)
Issue/Incident Number
Resolution as Promised by Rep
In extremely touchy situations, I will even record a call, once I have secured the rep`s permission. Very rare, but it happens.
If nothing else, it puts them on notice that you fully expect them to keep their word. Amazing the difference in response & follow-through you get on things that way.
All best!

Christina

That -is- a really fabulous idea Christopher. I will definitely be doing that if I have an issue in the future.

imrane

Christopher! you have shared nice and very informative post. I really like this post. That is a really fabulous idea Christopher. I must try it. Thanks for sharing scuh a nice post. Keep it up.______________________________________Bulk Buy Towels UK | Bed Linen