Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

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!


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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.

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!

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Christopher Rue MCSE, MCSAM / Black Warrior Technology, LLC / Solutions That Build Your Business

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

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