Customer Service

Hey, without giving examples and whether you are single or married, what do you think of customer service these days? For instance, realtor, sales people, telemarketers, insurance agents, car sales people, phone company, utility companies, banks, etc. I rather feel like, although I'm the customer, I have no say and if they make the mistake it is somehow my fault or you tolerate other instances that relate to it not being their fault, when it is. Anywho, just curious!

Customer Service is terrible! I was raised in the generation of the customer is always right. Now no one cares about the customer or their needs. People are rude, uncaring, don't know their product or services, won't return phone calls--or may not get off their personal calls long enough to wait on you! And unfortunately it doesn't matter if its the guy at Mcdonalds or someone in more of a profession.

Well considering I've been waiting for a delivery today which was supposed to be here between 11 and 1 and I'm writing this at 1:45 and it isn't here yet....
I called and told them I need to leave here by 2:30 to get my son and they were like, oh we'll be there before that.
I'm beginning to have my doubts!
Customer service is definitely NOT what it used to be.

I called my local cell phone company 6 days ago and left a detailed message (as instructed) on their machine and they never called back. I had to call them...

I get rather frustrated b/c:

1. the utility company took my payment yet did not post, so charged me a late fee and did not return my calls -- I had to call them to correct.

2. HOA also sent a 90-day late notice stating if I do not pay, they will take a lien against my home for $90, so I had to prove that they cashed the checks and deposited them, yet did not annotate their accounting system and the accountant had to explain her personl problems.

3. Realtors don't return phone calls, oh well, they lost a possible sale.

4. Stable cancels my riding lesson, but forgets to tell me.

5. Department Store loses purchased items via internet catalog, charges me, then "resends" the goods damaged torn and with ink marks.

6. change rear axle fluid yet dealership does not refill -- oh, were we to refill it? (could result in broken axle and $$$thousands). Pretty much when you drain anything on a vehicle, you are to refill it!

7. bought new tires with free balance/rotation every 5,000 miles, drove car to Firestone for such, and they park my car in back lot, says they balanced/rotated, yet I had chalk numbers on tires which indicate otherwise. Now they say it is not part of my contract, yet black/white says otherwise.

8. Insurance adjuster curses at me and leaves nasty message - excuse "I have issues and am taking Paxil." THIS IS MY FAVORITE!

. . . and so forth!

Boy mustang, sounds like the story of my life.

I wrote a $20 check at the dollar store. A collection company called to say they had somehow torn the bottom numbers off the check so the bank couldn't find the account. They wanted $55 plus the $20 to 'not' put a lien on our house, put me on the no check cashing list, and generally make my life miserable. I refused to pay the $55. I called the dollar store to see if I could redeem the check or give them the account number so they could cash it. The manager knew nothing. The collection agency is still calling and hanging up.

We paid off our house at Washington Mutual. They bought the loan from our original lender who went bankrupt. Found out that due to the huge number of complaints against Washington Mutual, it has it's own hot line at the Federal Savings and Loan Agency--what a mess!. Anyway, they sent us an escrow statement that said they owed us 1304.27. They enclosed a check for 684.12. After five or six calls and a letter and repeatedly being on hold forever then hung up on, I finally got someone who barely spoke English and had no idea what I was talking about but finally agreed to send another statement?

I had an IRA at a bank. When it was due, they insisted they didn't have it. I made a zillion phone calls and sent a dozen letters with documents. I finally wrote to the Federal Bank Examiners who called the bank up and the bank said they didn't have the IRA so they took their word for it and refused to do anything. I was livid. I told them they worked for ME. I contacted my Senator who went after them. With the Senator's help, I finally got the money for the IRA.

We have an investment account with Merrill Lynch and they held out several thousand dollars which they say went to the IRS. The IRS says it has no money for my SS# from them and ML has no idea why they sent it. Five or six calls later and being on hold forever, I'm still waiting for someone to return my call. The broker swears he knows nothing, but he calls constantly wanting to sell us some stock or other--As if)

We have an investment at Smith Barney and they're no better. Never can seem to figure out how much money we have and the taxes are always screwed up.

Hey, just got a call from Merrill Lynch. Now they say the money is at Social Security. I called them and they have nothing either. ML is closed for the day.

And that's just this month! I'm thinking if you have any money, the best thing to do is bury it in a coffe can in the back yard.

smile

[ April 06, 2006, 07:25 PM: Message edited by: smilinize ]

Customer Service????????? Isn't that something we use to have in this country before and during the 1950's....Haven't seen or heard much about its existance since then, have you?????

Wow Mustang and Smile,
You two have had a bad time of it lately. Makes me feel silly for being mad at the delivery guy yesterday who showed up exactly at 2:30, when I was SUPPOSED to be at the school picking up my son! And when the driver got here, he tried to sell me something else!

On another customer service topic,I had a problem when I went to refinance my home a couple years ago that I will post here as a warning to anyone who is about to do the same thing.

Check your credit report first!

My mortgage had been transfered 4 times over the lifetime that I had it, and when we went to refinance they told us we couldn't because we had 5 loans on the house already! Seems that every single time the loan was transferred, not one of the old banks bothered to take it off of my credit report. It showed 5 open accounts, 4 with $0.00 balances. It was my responsibility to track down all the different companies (most out of business) or find out who bought their accounts and have each one cleared up, one at a time, to close the $0.00 balance accounts! I mean if it shows $0.00 you'd think the bank would know the account was closed. Unreal!

For heavens sake Smile! I, too, have my mortgage through Washington Mutual and everytime they make a mistake, they want me to pay them for a research fee!

TVC15, I'll be certain to do that check my credit report, which I usually pull every 18 months. I'm tired of spending time on customer service! Oh, also, I would not trust H&R Block, I used them once a few years ago, and not only did they not annotate my IRA contributions, but incorrectly prepared my taxes as having a refund, when in fact I owed! So, I had to pay small penalty. Now, I do my own taxes and everything is just fine.

Simulataneously, beware of some banking institutions who offer good savings rates, for instance one bank quoted a rate and said it would be calculated monthly even in writing, but then changed to quarterly, so I've pulled my $$$ from that bank to another and make at least $1K a year in interest for regular savings, rather than a couple two or three hundred.

All I can do is laugh at this this morning because just this morning Ross called to report tha fact that we haven't been getting the morning paper until afternoon, or not at all.

I visited Dad last night and he said he had been trying to get in touch with the Sun Paper because he wasn't receiving his paper. He spent 20 minutes here, 12 mintues there,etc. holding so he finally called another department that had nothing to do with delivery.

The guy told him they only had two people working the line Dad needed. He advised him to take his next bill, tear it in half, and put it back in the envelope. Then Dad would hear from them. What a hoot. And this is the guy working for the paper. I think Ross and I are going to do the same thing.

The crazy thing about this is this week The Examiner, a new FREE paper has been launched in Baltimore. We've been getting two of those; one on the front lawn and the other in our driveway.

I'm still laughing. It's all so ridiculous.

Yesterday I had to contact a service I use for the site. There was no phone number on the site, and every form I filled out needed information I was trying to get. I did what Dad did, I emailed another department...still haven't heard. I got a confirmation that they received the email, but that's it!

My most recent example was with my healthcare spending account.

On the second quarterly statement last year, there was a sentence at the bottom that stated the company was giving an extention and customers now had until March 15, 2006 to spend the money.

I spent the money on dental work on March 10, 2006. Then I get a denial from the company, stating that expenses incurred after December 31, 2005 would not be paid. They're supposed to be re-submitting the claim and sending the money.

Second example (very minor). I called DirecTV on Wednesday of this week to cancel my service. It was to be turned off that day. I still have it. My guess is, they'll send me another bill (the account was paid in full as of the requested date of cancellation). They offered me two months' free movie channel access if I'd keep the service.

I think these days we should call it "customer NO-service."

Oh, and I too have Washington Mutual. Thankfully they haven't given me any problems. I do pay in person at a local branch though, and have a dated and timed receipt. And I get email confirmation that payment has been processed. The last mortgage company I had was a nightmare though. I had to send every payment certified, signature required. Otherwise they'd say it was late (even when mailed 20 days prior to the due date) and try to charge me $40 fees each month. The Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs and the Better Business Bureau finally helped me to straighten that mess out.

Geez....

Whirlwind

Whirlwind,

How did you set up e-mail confirmation w/ Washington Mutual? I'd like to do the same, yet don't have a local branch, the nearest is Atlanta, and I'm about 250 miles from there.

MustangGal, I think I did it when I signed up for online access to my account.

I've got the site bookmarked at work, will post it for you on Monday.

Whirlwind

I think the website where I registered is wamu.com.

smile

Thanks Smilinize!

Gosh, just got back from a new Home Depot near my home to return a dead shrub which they guarantee for a year, but was told to take it to the originating store where I discover the other store closer to my home should have given the credit instead of me having to drive across town. Yet, have to call and find out when the manager will be available to return the dead shrub so that she/he can identify the remains and prove it came from that store. Such a rat race! Tonight's sermon at Church was regarding doubting Thomas and how we cannot let the things in life deploy us from our relationship with Jesus and God -- boy, I'm trying real hard to not allow that happen!

Yesterday, spent 30 minutes exchanging pants and requesting a resend due to damage on the pants, and the gal kept charging the incorrect amount, was going to purchase a purse too, yet did not want to suffer through another transaction!

Patience is a virture, please pray that I find some!