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Handling Terrible Customer Service
01-12-2014, 05:44 PM
I'm looking for a way to deal with shitty monopolistic companies.
In most situations, I'd say just pick a different a different company, but in the case of phone, bank, and cable companies, they're almost all bad. Shaming doesn't work, because everyone already knows they're all bad.
The problem is there is no feedback loop. Companies like Verizon, Comcast, and Bank of America are too big and have too little competition to care. Often the person you're talking to is an underling with little or no power to do anything other than repeat company policy.
After some recent experiences, I want to find a way to exploit the system till it breaks. Does anyone have any good stories/suggestions for dealing with terrible companies?
Read my work on Return of Kings here.
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Handling Terrible Customer Service
01-12-2014, 06:23 PM
I've worked in a call center before so I have a pretty good success rate when dealing with them. I always get free shit, fees waived, discounts, etc.
1. Don't raise your voice or speak rudely to the rep. Ever. This will usually get you nowhere. Always remain level headed and reasonable yet firm in your disappointment with the service.
2. If they don't immediately suggest a satisfactory fix for your problem ("I understand your concern. I'll go ahead and [whatever] for you"):
a. Suggest specifically what you want ("I would like this fee waived"); some reps are instructed not to OFFER you a refund but to give it to you when asked.
b. Continue to reiterate the problem and your dissatisfaction ("I don't understand why I'm being charged for _____ when ____"..., etc); some reps are instructed not to give you anything immediately but to relent in an attempt to satisfy a particularly displeased customer
3. Escalate to a supervisor and/or cancellation rep ("Is there a supervisor that I can speak with?"/"Can I cancel directly through you or do you need to transfer me?"; both have more power than the lower rep and will be more likely to give you something so you'll shut up; it also shows you mean business (if the cancellation rep does not offer you anything when you express your desire to cancel, just hang up and call back)
4. Tell the manager you're going to file a complaint with the BBB (it's a good idea to look them up before you make the call and make sure they're accredited or at least listed); this will sometimes push them over the edge and make them help you; this can also work with lower reps occasionally
If none of that works, you can try a) calling back and trying again with someone else, b) finding the contact information for their corporate office/take your complaint higher into the company, c) actually filing a complaint with the BBB. Reputable companies will always at least address your complaint and try to resolve it in some way.
This won't always work depending on the company, especially if you're in the wrong. That leads me to my final and possibly most powerful tip: LIE.
-"I tried to pay my credit card bill on the due date but your computer system was down and I didn't have access to a phone; yeah, I kept"
-"I cancelled the membership before the free trial ended but now I'm seeing a charge on my statement; yeah, I'm not sure what happened, I talked to the guy and they said I was cancelled, it's really weird"
- And so on.
A well-placed lie from an overall calm and friendly individual is killer. About a month ago, I got one of those free credit report things but forgot to cancel the free trial membership it came with. Just called up and told them I had already cancelled and didn't know what happened, and me and the guy had a 30 minute conversation about restaurants while he refunded all my money.
That being said, you can't switch to the lie mid-call so it's important to have a gameplan going in. If it's something that's your fault, go ahead and lie. Most companies won't call you out on something that has to do with their internet or phone systems. It would be very difficult for them to determine whether their site was down at that exact moment you tried to use it or whether the guy getting paid $8/hour actually did screw up when cancelling your account. They'd rather just give you back your $20 so you go away.
Even with all that, you'll still run across a piece of shit company or you just can't get what you want. At that point you just have to suck it up or take your business elsewhere. Certain companies, like collections agencies, really couldn't give less of a fuck what you think.
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