Customer service rant
 

I was trying to order something online (not Pelican, not even car parts). Web site is broken. I call customer service, follow the prompts to order, and the lady tells me I need to use the web site. I tell her it's broken, and read her the error (mysql crapped out). She says "It's working for me" I offer to send her a screen shot of the error, but she says "You can if it will make you feel better, but it won't do any good."

So I'm trying to throw money at this company, and for all intents and purposes, she tells me to go f*ck myself with a broomstick. Do these people not realize that customers are the magic source of money that ends up in their paycheck every week?

I have to chuckle as there are just too many stories like this. Hope you eventually can buy what you need

Been there, done that.

I don't understand it either.

And this is the reason one of my jobs is giving one day Customer Service workshops.
Guess I'll have lots of work.
:D
Les

As a rule, if it's that hard to place the order, then pass. You'll have some other problem such as being sent the wrong item, then you'll have to fight for a return and refund.

Stay with companies that "get it" and avoid ones that don't. All that they really have to sell is their customer service.

That's too indirect of a connection for most $7/hour employees to make.

We joke about how our jobs would be a lot easier if them dang customers would just leave us alone!

You don't get to be a customer service rep by being 1st in your class at Harvard.

Just sayin'.

If you think reps are bad try dealing with the customers themselves.

I audit our customer support inquires. Nothing will kill your faith in the future of mankind faster.

I don't get it either, if the site was working for them, then they could have just taken your cc# and placed the order for you, and them, their brother, their cousin....

But then how motivated can you be at 7 bucks an hour? Probably enough to keep breathing, obviously not enough to find a better job.

Last I heard minimum wage in CA was over $8/hr, but I could be wrong.

What ever happened to trying to do a good job in hopes of going up in the company, or getting a good reference for the next job? Maybe that sort of thing has totally gone by the wayside now days or lots of people just see themselves as "dead enders."

I think this is absolutely the case. I don't think you "work your way up from the mailroom" any more. If you don't have both the education and the connections, you'll never get out of the mail room. And I think the connections are more important than the education - everyone has at least a BA nowadays. Now more than ever, it's who you know, not what you know. So what motivation is there for a minimum-wage clerk to work hard and advance? None. They'll just get canned, ***** about how they hated the job, and get the same kind of job elsewhere. It really reminds me of soviet-era Russia - nobody worked hard, because even if you got fired, you'd just get another job doing the same thing somewhere else.

I think it's getting to the point where if you don't have the education and connections, you don't get into the mail room.

Actually a lot of times it's not who you know, it's who knows you.

I have not interviewed for any job I've held over the last 30 years.

My phone rings and the person on the other end says "we need X and we were told by Y to call you"

I operate the same way, when I need a skill set I get my group together and ask "who do we know".

Blast them on Yelp; I'm sure your not the only one

The guys in our "product support center" AKA Call centre, start at $45000.00 per year and with bonuses many of them are making $60000.00 plus. Should be more for such a thankless job...

Yup... My company struggles with this all the time in our CSR group. Its one of the lowest paid jobs, fast paced and high stress. The ones that are good get moved on to bigger and better things quickly and you are left with the ones that do just good enough to not get **** canned.

It sucks because as a sales rep I spend a large part of my time making up for stupid stuff that service did, and not actually selling my products.

Move North of the border and you will experience that kind of stupidity on daily basis...

I got more service at a Dollar store in the US then I get when I wanted to drop $10,000 at a local furniture store :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

I told a Toyota dealership that if he was the last dealership on the planet, I would &^%$#@ walk before I buy a car from them.

That is why that I got no qualms to spend over $25K a year South of the border including a few grands at PP :)

I needed to replace a washer and drier quite a few years back and went into an appliance store in my coveralls and found what I was looking for and waited for a sales guy to get his ass off a chair and come over to help me out. There must of been 5 or 6 of them having a nice conversation amongst themselves.
Good thing I wasn't dying of thirst and waiting for one of them to bring me some water...
I started for the exit while asking in a very loud voice what in the %*#@ was wrong with them for not wanting to make a sale.
I noticed on the way to the truck that their manager was also on the floor yelling at them....

I am on board with the rant. Most Support reps I've encountered don't care to go beyond the simplest tasks. "I've gotta close Facebook and look that up?! No way man!"

I am especially pained by the current generations coming out of college and meeting the work force. They feel entitled to top pay and minimal work with the best advancement opportunities. And they change employers on an average of 1.5 to 2 years.

I am passionate about helping my clients and spend most of my time during the week directly working with my team to make sure we provide a high-quality service. I have high expectations for them and hold them to the same standards as i expect someone to give me (if i were spending $28k a month).

So to the OP: I don't think it is solely a lack of care on the CSR's part, but their leadership as well - which speaks volumes about the type of people running that department and business.

Time to take your money to a more caring provider.

Bill,

Not to bust your balls here, but if you really wanted the washer and dryer, you could have walked up to them and ask for help. If I wanted something, and the guys are just aren't wiling to come to me, I go to them and ask to write it up. Unless you weren't ready to buy, that why you walked? I don't have that kind of time to burn.

Walked into a real estate agent one day when looking for a place to buy. I wasn't fully suited up, but not exactly dressed from a skip either.
I said to the receptionist "I'd like to ask about one of your houses please".
She looked me up and down, and said "Rentals, I presume?"

If you want really bad customer service, come to England. I shop in the US because the service is good and the prices are right. I hardly buy anything in England except what I need on a day to day basis.

I understand Billybek walking out. There have been times when I have basically forced staff to process a sale, and there have been times when I wanted to make a point and have taken my business elsewhere.

Regardless of your wage scale, you should be in a job because you want to be there. I often advise people looking for work, "You need three things in order to do well: Knowledge, skills and attitude. We can give you the knowledge and teach you the skills, but if you don't show up with the right attitude, we're wasting our time."

Unfortunately, we've all seen the bad attitude, from time to time.

Best
Les

Les has a good point.

Attitude is the key.

I find a wide variation in personality - which is akin to attitude - amongst sales associates - and CSR's.

When you have a sales background as well as are a consumer yourself, it's hard not to have reasonable expectations when your purchase. OTOH you also understand why the service is less than adequate.

Mostly it's attitude and personality.

I guess there are a few different types of salespeople.
Some places you walk in and are greeted and asked what you are looking for and some you walk in and the salesperson says I am So and So and if you have any questions I will be at my desk...
I was performing an overhaul on a 450 hp machine not far from the store and came in pretty grimy in my coveralls and really feel I was judged not to be worth their while. I wasn't greeted coming into the store and no effort went into finding out what I needed. The store was empty except for me and the salespeople.
From the look on their managers face, it probably wasn't the first time that someone had reacted the way I did!
I bought a washer drier pair from the next store I went into that same day after work. I gave that salesman a bit of a rough time too, but he dropped his price enough to make me buy them.
Your not busting my balls, I didn't explain the situation well enough.

A friend of mine was one of the many young vice presidents at a bank back in the late 70s. Some farmer came walking in and he reeked of pig poo. No one wanted help him. My friend took a deep breath and asked if he could help him. The farmer said he had a check to deposit and he needed to open an account. The farmer handed him the check and it was for 4 million. Suddenly the farmer smelled quite sweet.

The farmer had sold off part of his land and the pig farm. My friend had a lot of fun showing that check to all the other VPs that did not want to help the farmer.

I'm with Billy, and have done the same in the past (not at an appliance store). If the store was packed with customers and all the sales staff were busy that is one thing, but if they are all sitting around BSing and can't ake the time to do their JOB, then I can't take the time to give them my $$$

My daughter used to work for a large real estate company part time as a receptionist. She has just resigned after working there several years and needs more time to pursue her Phd.

She liked working there but sometimes the other girls would let the work pile up and she ended up doing it. Some of the work was putting the listings on the internet.
She is great with the computer. Either the other girls did not want to do it or were not trained. That is how poor service can start - lack of motivation or no training.
Yes she is polite and has a great attitude too....

Screen them, train them, assess them. 75% of my company are MSRs (member service reps). The average cost of losing a CSR/MSR is $35k all in. Ours are $75k due to the screening and training pipeline. Our turnover is the lowest in the industry and our customer satisfaction the highest. My assessment on those who aren't successful goes right back to their parents in most cases. Values, respect, and responsibility are fleeting attributes these days, but absolutely necessary to make it past our screening process. One of my colleagues is a VP who started on the phones 12 years ago. She is the measure of great values.

Most people don't want to do anything but sit and BS. I like service as much as the next guy, but if I want something, a lazy salesman isn't going to stop me. I once walk into a Honda dealer in a pair of dirty shorts and tee shirt with my dirty pick up truck. No one came up to ask me if I needed help. All were standing outside BSing. I asked who wants to sell me a car? agree on the price and bought it. I really don't car who earns my money.

I guess that is where our opinion differs. They still need to earn the sale and not expect it to be handed to them.

There are lots of tire kickers out there, and when asked if I need help I will not waste someones time if I am really just looking.

I was 19 when I was ready to order my 1974 914 2.0. I walked into the VW-Porsche-Audi dealership and was totally ignored. I finally picked out the oldest looking salesman and sat down at his desk and stared at him. He finally asked if he could help me. I told him I was there to order a Porsche. That got everyone's attention. Of course he wanted to sell me what was on the floor.

I knew way more about the the 914 that he did. I started with my list of what I want. It took them 6 months to get in my car.