Customer Service RANT!

[mikester]

Alright - here's the deal.

I'm quite tired - QUITE TIRED of having to call places that have crappy customer service to fix their mistakes so that they don't keep sending me bills that I won't pay and then to collection.

So, they could damage my credit report which is a very good
report not to mention important to me.

So, I called them after I got the first bill - they said they'd fix it.

I Called them last week - after I got the second - they said thet'd fix it.

Now I have a third bill.

I'm tired of it - each time I'm spending a half hour to 45 minutes easy on the phone. This is time out of my day that could otherwise be productive and now it is not.

I'm done. I'm out - I'm not their customer after this and any other business that behaves in this way I'm out.

What are my options for retaliation? I mean do I call the police because they are threatening me if I don't pay them the money (extortion)?!

Seriously - what's it take to get some resoultion in this world?

The place is a freaking Dr's office for crying out loud! How hard can this be?!



Regardless of the outcome at this point - me and my family (my wifes Dr is the same Dr) are going elsewhere.

[Moses]

Go elsewhere. And let your ex-doctor know what a bunch of imbeciles he has hired. If he fixes the problem and offers an immediate apology, you might consider staying. If he doesn't, it's time to shop for a new doc.

P.S. Mark the envelope PERSONAL.

[id10t]

And send him a bill for your time after the second phone call ....

[RickM]

Get the dispute documented in writing somehow. If your state allows you to record the calls with only one party knowing then do so. This will provide the ammo you''ll need for any future actions or defense.

[Dantilla]

Get off the phone, and go look them in the eyeballs.

They can't get rid of you the way they can get rid of a phone call by saying "I'll take care of it" and then doing nothing. Don't leave without a reciept saying "paid in full" or some other written proof. Be nice, and have the attitude that we're working together to resolve an unfortunate situation.

[mikester]

I have written down the office persons names who I talked to each time including the date. They have notes in their computer regarding the call because the last person I talked to read them back to me from my previous call.

The letter I got yesterday is signed (by computer) by the last person I talked to.

I'm writing a letter today to the Dr. I saw that day as well as my regular Dr. The Dr. I saw that day took me into his schedule because my regular didn't have an available slot and I needed to see someone regarding a sinus infection (green snot is pretty obvious).

I'm just quite tired of poor customer service and am to the point now that I just won't tolerate it from anyone. The first call I was very nice, the second call I was nice right up until she said I'd have to call again. then I said quite firmly "No. I won't be calling again - you'll be calling me to tell me it's resolved. I've already spent over an hour on this problem with you folks and that costs me productive time at work." It took a bit to convince her that she'd be calling me back and she never did. It's only been a few days though so I really wasn't expecting a call back until later this week - then I get the letter threatening collection signed by her.

I would like to go over there in person but it's a bit out of the way as far as work and home - I might send the wife tomorrow though. The Dr. we see there is a very good Dr to her so she's very reluctant to stop seeing her. That being the case I told her if she wasn't going to stand behind me on leaving that practice then she was going to have to get involved. She of course agreed to that but I still will not be going to that office again once this is resolved.

[mikester]

...this is something that most places could take a lesson from.

On the few occasions I've had a problem with Pelican Wayne has made it right - right away and personally.

Now, I know his business is very personal but the fact is he's in charge and he puts himself out there as a resource to his customers - I can get a hold of wayne directly if need be I feel. Pelican is a model in my eyes.

Recently I had another customer service issues with Pacific Sales regarding my appliances and while it was resolved to my satisfaction quickly I am hesitant to say I would recommend them to someone else based on the money I saved. The reason I am hesitant is that when I needed a manager I couldn't reach one - when I looked at their web site there was no information that might lead me to someone higher up than an OPERATOR at the store to resolve an issue. The operator simply would not do anything more than page a manager on the store intercom for me. I'd already left multiple messages with the guy and he hadn't returned my call. Going down there in LA traffic would have cost me half a day's pay (I'm hourly - Iwork for the government).

How do you combat this crap as a consumer? Maybe I should start my own web site devoted to customer service reviews.

[dhoward]

Try this.
Good reading.
http://www.badbusinessbureau.com/

[Superman]

The "in person" tactic sounds good. Otherwise, document document document. Send letters.

Then again, after chatting here in the OT Forum all these months, I'm thinking you must be mistaken. If this is a private business, well, they offer superior customer service. After all, they are motivated. Perhaps you are mistakenly taking up your matter with a public agency. They are the ones giving poor service. Just ask Len or Bryan or Mule or Island.

[bryanthompson]

Perhaps she's training for a job at the DMV.

[Superman]

Or perhaps she was already trained there. Whoops, did I say that?

[mikester]

Gets better - apparently the person who has signed the letter and I spoke to last week is now RETIRED!

The balance HAS been removed from my account but according to the woman I spoke to this morning they cannot send me written confirmation of that.

I'm appealing to her boss and still writing my letter to the pair of Drs.

[onewhippedpuppy]

I had the same problem with the hospital where my wife had our son, they sent us a bill over a year after the service was administered, then were not able to tell us what it was for. Upon calling they claimed it was a correction to a billing error, but couldn't tell us more. Of course, if we didn't pay they'd just turn it over to collection and ruin our credit. Very much extortion, but what do you do?

[widebody911]

So is crappy customer service just an unfortunate fact of modern American business? I just called my gym (California Family Fitness) to try to extend my membership, and got some girl on the phone who was just one follicle short of a complete c*nt. I didn't have my my membership number handy, which appears to be a hangin' offence in these parts. Then I asked if there was any renewal incentive, and got threatened with being sent to a collection agency - WTF?

[red-beard]

Originally posted by mikester
[BOn the few occasions I've had a problem with Pelican Wayne has made it right - right away and personally.

Now, I know his business is very personal but the fact is he's in charge and he puts himself out there as a resource to his customers - I can get a hold of wayne directly if need be I feel. Pelican is a model in my eyes.[/B]

Yeah, and from where your house is, if Wayne didn't fix it, you could pop-over and pop him.

But seriously, i feel for ya.

I ordered a new cell phone and decided to save about $100 on it by going the ebay route. Mistake. The person shipped with through the post office. Priority mail. It got lost in Houston, found again, put on the wrong route, labeled that no one lived at my address and no forwarding address and then returned to the seller. All while this is going on, I'm meeting with the Manager of the post office who assures me that there is non possible way the package has been in the post office since all Priority mail is scanned as soon as it get in the post office.

I have the package now, in the original packaging. It was addressed properly. The F'd up in a major way and the post office won't even give my seller her shipping money back...

I will never try to save bucks that way again. I spent 10 hours trying to run this package down! Maybe more.