Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Why is Customer Service so difficult for some people/businesses? I truly don`t understand. To me it comes natural. Treat people right, talk to them with respect and help them with their problems. When I get good service I am always sure to tell people. When I get bad service I am always sure to tell alot of people. MOST places have horrible customer service in my opinion, but three companies stand out for me.

 

Cingular (before joining w/ AT&T) customer service was real bad.

ipowerweb.com was the worst service I ever got until the last 48 hours when I was dealing with a company called ibuilt.net

 

Allow me to tell you what happened w/ ibuilt. I created a website using their program and am using the email from my reseller account w/ godaddy. Because I didnt change the MX records w/ ibuilt my email stopped working. I called Wednesday 12/26 at approx. 12p est and they said someone would have to call me back to fix that problem and that they would have to charge me $10 to do so. ($10 to type 2 lines! I couldn`t believe it!) Anyways, never got a call. I called again yesterday, they told me someone would have to call me back. I called again 4 hours later to say still no call, but no one could help me. 1/2 hour later a guy calls me and tells me to stop calling as I am harrasing them! Wow! So I call again today and they transfer me to some guy named Trevor who says "I am the bearer of bad news. My staff says you have been abusive to them so I refuse to deal with a jerk like you, you`ll have to deal with Thomas" and hung up on me! I call right back but this time I press 2 for sales instead of 1 for service. I get connected to someone who sounds like he is driving in and says "this is Tom, may I help you"? I ask Tom if he is the owner of the company and replies "Perhaps, what do you want". Strange I thought but I go on to tell him my problem. He says "no problem, Ill try to help you but I am driving right now so it may ne difficult". I tell him I have been waiting 48 hours to get the MX records updated and no one will help me. His response? "Well the problem is you called us in a bad week, as most everyone is on vacation down in Florida this week" I say Tom, I have been waiting 48 hours, am I being unreasonable? He says "yes, for this time of the year a week is reasonable". I said Tom you have got to be joking, because you have people on vacation the rest of the world should stop working? His reply? "No but they should understand we are short staffed and deal with it". I tell Tom this is absurd and I think the best thing to do is for us to part ways and he replies "Good, you sound like an ass anyway, hang up the phone &*%$%" and hangs up on me.....

 

Whew, I was and am mad, but I feel much better just ebing able to write this. Sorry don`t mean to bore you all, I needed to vent!

Wow!!! That is unbelievably terrible customer service!! Sounds like the company is run by a bunch of kids with no clue. I had to laugh when you mentioned ipowerweb...the absolute WORST web host on the planet (well, at least until I read your story!). Unfortunately, I have had many terrible experiences with them. I finally gave up and switched webhosts.

 

My husband did a search an found a list of the top 10 web hosts. We called each one to see how long we would have to wait in the customer service queu. We waited less than a minute and they were so polite...that was all it took. We signed up and have been thrilled with their service ever since.

 

Common decency seems simple enough. I used to work in customer service for a software reseller. I literally took hundreds of inbound calls each day. The majority of the calls were tracking issues. Since the software we sold was primarily geared toward developers who were waiting for software to complete projects, we had plenty of very annoyed/irrate customers. Sure, there are some people that you just cannot please, but as long as you were polite and did everything you could to correct the problem without being rude...more often than not, the customer would understand. The one thing I learned from those days in customer service is that you can take a total screw up and turn it into an opportunity turn that upset customer into your biggest fan. Leave them telling others `Hey, they really screwed up but they bent over backwards fixing it!"

 

It just doesn`t seem to happen that way these days!

 

 

Melissa, I`m glad you left ipower....it amazes me how these type of companies stay in business...i get irritated because inc recently had them listed as a great co and i truly wonder if they just randomly pick co`s sometimes....

 

You dont mention who you signed up w/...

 

You are right, customer service does not exsist today! It`s funny too because every company seems to preach it but it doesnt get done, i dont get it. In fact, I have read a few books about the Disney customer experience and went just a couple of weeks ago on 12/11, stayed for a week. The CS their was no different than anywhere else. They had some good people and some bad just like most everywhere else.

Let me explain a little tidbit about Customer Service.

1st - The reps get paid very little money.

2nd - Almost all call centers of customer service demand you spend only 3 minutes per call (cause other customers are waiting).

3rd - You`re so busy, you cannot follow-up your calls.

4th - No Supervisor wants to take any customer calls, regardless the issue.

5th - Some customer service centers have "stupid scripts", which usually don`t pertain to any customer questions.

6th - No notes on the account, hence, the customer having to repeat the problem.

7th - Tell them we will return their call - hahahahaha.

8th - Who cares.

9th - The customer is always wrong.

10th - Time vs. Money.

I know, I work in a Customer Service Environment, and have for years - it drives me crazy...I am the complete opposite of these reps, and always get reprimanded for "helping the customer"...

 

I want so much to start my own business...

 

Thanks

Angelsandy5/Dallas, Tx

 

Hi Craig

 

Thanks for your reply.  I agree with you "wholeheartedly". 

 

`The policies being set by the larger corporate offices.`

 

Hence, my number 10:  Time vs. Money.

 

This is precisely why younger  people are now working in more and more call centers.  This sweet group will "go with the flow", whereas us "older folks" usually have a word or two about how to improve customer service.

 

Why do not the Corporate Entity understand?  More calls are not always better.  How about Great Customer Service. More Happy Customers.  That makes more sense to me.

 

And, the "Kudos" - sheeesh, give me a break.  Wooden Nickels (for what) and "candy".  How about a dollar bill or a Certificate for a Job Well done!

 

By the way, I have been blessed with working for large Corporate Companies, not just small ones.  Basically, they operate the same - outside of a few I really believe - do it right!

 

Angelsandy5/Dallas, Tx