Customer Service #Fail
March 5th, 2010
Fair warning…RANT! elements ahead…
Years ago, I wrote a high school paper on the Meat Boycott. My take-away lesson? That the individual consumer has economic power, which is wielded with the vote—or not—of consumer’s wallet. In other words, if you don’t like a company’s service, product, ethos…whatever…as a consumer, you have the power to vote NO!
Take Your Business Elsewhere*
Fast forward to 2010 and the adult world, where—for convenience, affordability, etc.—I will compromise. For example, though I aim for local/organic/in season groceries, coffee and bananas are never going to be local nor in season! I buy them because I desire them, keeping the kitchen stocked with these ‘essentials’. But I don’t buy bruised bananas or cheap coffee. If I cannot get quality, I do without and vote NO!
So it goes with groceries. Let’s move to service (or lack thereof).
How Do You Respond When Unhappy With Service?
Do you:
- complain to the provider?
- politely, but firmly explain the problem?
- seek out a manager?
- take notes/document?
- All of the above?
Do you vote NO! if you don’t get satisfaction? I do.**
As a service provider myself, that’s behavior I expect. Isn’t it…logical? Apparently, neither logic nor good service are part of the Verizon Wireless lexicon. !!Rant alert!!
Where Did Service Go?
I began Feb. 28 a happy (6 yr) customer intending to sign 3 two-yr contracts + purchase 3 phones. I had no intention of changing plan or fees—just sought new Qwerty phones (Samsung Alias 2) for texting teens. Read about mandatory data plans.
Poor service changed my mind. Here’s what happened:
- I entered store intending to purchase 3 phones/sign 3 contracts.
- Plans had recently changed. Verizon said no go without minimum data plan.
- I complained in the store and left.
- Next day, I complained on the phone, working up phone tree to a supervisor named Josh.
- Josh (after conferring with his supervisor) eventually agreed to my demands (phones, no data, no data charge).
- I took notes, repeating everything back to the supervisor—you know, to verify.
- Later that day, I returned to store (w/kids), ready to repeat step #1. Except that we repeated step #2, followed by step #3. Then…step #4—with a different supervisor—Brandon, who stated:
- Josh was mistaken
- Josh was new
- Josh was not properly trained
- Josh was not authorized
- Josh was utterly and completely unavailable, unreachable.***
Josh was. Totally…UNtruthful.
The Verizon Supervisor Lied. Outright L.I.E.D.
Anyway, besides Verizon’s epic failure to be honest or even helpful (say with good customer service/compromise) they were epically stupid. Because we have the economic power of boycott for which Verizon will lose:
- 3/5** of our family plan subscribers (~$50/mo. today, ~$175/mo. in 20 mos. or less**)
- our business for other services: internet, landline & TV (~$160/mo.)
- our kids as future customers. Sure, each one is a plan add-on today, but that’s short-term! At ages 20, 18, and 15—they’re not far from their own unlimited plans. (~$500+/mo.) Cha-ching!
Why? Because Verizon will not allow me a plan without a service I do not want and will not use—even on a phone I own. That, and because they lied.
We Vote NO! Verizon
Can you hear me now?
This rule does not necessarily apply to utilities, airlines, information media, and health insurance.
**May be subject to painful compromise, depending on contractual obligations.
**About this, Verizon was completely honest.
