First Blog - Customer Service

So here I am on my very first blog. You would think a mother of four with three kids in high school would have something better to do with her time than start a blog. But hey it’s trendy! I am drawn to the things we can learn from everyday life experiences, love writing about them and have been told “you should have a blog”. Blame those people.

So what is my life experience today? Two words….customer service.

Even as I am typing this, I am on hold with yet another “customer service representative” regarding a cell phone. This is a follow-up call to a previous call made over a week ago. A call I spent over an hour and a half talking with a representative about a problem. I was assured the issue was resolved and brought to a wonderful outcome. An apology and the phone we desired to be provided free – as it should have been. End of story. Happy ending. Just wait 5 to 7 days as promised.

Day 8 – nothing. Called “customer service” to find out when the phone was shipped and when I can expect it. Oh “we have no record”. No notation. Nothing. “We could give it to you for $79.99” ( a far cry from free). So here I am again on the phone. First customer service, then phone orders, then customer loyalty program, now to a supervisor. More hours of my life wasted and withering away while listening to a very bubbly automated person talking endlessly while I’m on hold.

Ahhhh if this were the only company I’m dealing with. Our TV is also broken – call customer service. Two service calls later, hanging around waiting for them to come “sometime in the morning”. Second service call Friday - Oops wrong part, we’ll order it. My phone call on Monday to see if the part is received with the cheery response “we’re ordering that later today”. As if the fact that they didn’t order right away on Friday but were eager to order it “later today” was a good thing. Sigh!

I guess for my first blog this is a little cranky. Then again I’m sitting at home with a broken TV and still on hold!

(imagine an hour and 15 minute time lapse here)

Victory! Persistence and staying calm pays off with the “new” ordered phone to arrive tomorrow. We’ll see.