Customer Service is Dead

     It's been quite a few years since customer service has actually provided service to the customer.  Customer service is like a black hole where your complaints circle the drain until they are ejected out the bottom.  One downfall has been the automated phone answering system, which ask you to push the correct numbered button after giving some inane description of the company departments.  These department titles are of no help and no matter which button you press it's the wrong one.  

     Once reaching the wrong department and talking to a human you are then transferred to the proper department by them, well that's what you're made to think.  Most times this transfer just puts your call back into the automated phone system to start the process over again, randomly picking another number. it's basically a telephone roulette wheel with no winning number.  Sometimes you get lucky and end up talking to someone in the right department but many times you get another wrong number or even worse the phone line gets disconnected, that's always a WTF moment.  I tend to believe this is intentional, I know that's kind of negative but it seems to happen to often to be accidental.  

     If you’re a persistent person you call back again until you finally get through to the right department.  Success in that you are talking a person in the right department, which took you approximately 15 to 30 minutes.  Now the work starts, which is explaining your problem but the thing is whoever answered the phone does not have the authority or knowledge to solve you problem so they need to talk to a supervisor.  So now you are on hold waiting for the customer service rep to return which they do 5 minutes later giving you an answer but you have more questions which it turns out also needs to be funneled through the supervisor.  Are my questions so difficult?  So you ask to speak to the supervisor but you are told they are not available at this time, why not you just spoke with them?  The customer service rep returns (5 minutes later) with an insufficient answer for your last question.  You are getting more frustrated and insist on speaking to the supervisor.

     Finally, the supervisor comes on line and asks you the problem.  You ask, "Didn't the customer service rep provide you that information?"  They answer "Yes, but I just want to make sure I understand the problem completely."  You say, first give me your name and phone number in case we get disconnected.  They will give you their name or some name but not a phone number because typo are told that they are not allowed to do that.  So they take your number and promise to call back if the phone is disconnected.  Now you explain the problem in lengthy detail once again.  The supervisor goes back to check your account.  

     You have now been on the phone for about an hour and you notice your phone battery is low, perfect! The supervisor returns and says he can upgrade your service, which will not only resolve the problem but also give me better service. “So you mean with the package I currently have I can’t get good service?”  “No, no, not at all it’s just with the technology changes you can get so much more with this upgraded package.”  You say, “So how much does this new package cost?”  He says, “Well we just happen to have a special going on (my lucky day) and this will cost $10 less per month than you are currently paying”.  You think $10 is not much of discount but I’m tired, hungry and I really need to poop. So you agree to the new deal, but you are told to hold on until someone in the confirmation group comes on the line to give you a confirmation number because the deal is not valid until the number is obtained.

     Feeling proud because you were persistent enough to hang on getting this problem resolved in just an hour & a half and all I need now is the confirmation number, then suddenly the phone dies.