Customer Service Hall of Shame!

[GHook93]

And the winner is:

The Hall of Shame 1. AOL's response. . 2. Comcast's response. 3. Sprint Nextel's response. 4. Abercrombie & Fitch's response. 5. Qwest's response. 6. Capital One's response. 7. Bank of America's response. 8. Time Warner Cable's response. . 9. HSBC Finance's response. 10. Cox Communications' response.

Customer Service Hall of Shame - MSN Money

I have only dealt with Comcast, Bank of America Cox's and all 3 are well deserved on this list. But I would also put Dell Computers (I think they are the worst), United Healthcare (Correction they are the worst), Allstate Insurance, Verizon Wireless and any Hospital just pick one!

[Okieslims]

Apparently they never dealt with Dell.. I would rather deal with Cox Cable any day than have to call dell. Dell routes you to India..it's horrible. Here's one of my convos with a rep...

"Ok I'm seeing xxxxxx"

rep-"that is not possible"

"I'm looking at it right now"

rep-"are you certain? Because, that is not possible"

"I'm telling you it's not only possible, I'm looking at it right now!!"

rep"Try xxxxxx"

" I have already done that with the last rep"

rep"well what you say is just not possible"


The sound of me cussing and slamming the phone on the receiver 15 times...lol

Dell is the worst company I have ever dealt with.

[The Dunedan]

My British ex-boss, trying to get help from Tech Support for a wireless setup for the resteraunt:

"Hello? Yeah, I need some help with X.

No, I'm not on the internet, it's not for the internet, I'm just trying to set up a little wireless network in my shop here.

No, I haven't got a connection, I'm not on the internet.

I can't use my modem to connect to the internet, I just said I haven't got a connection.

I just told you, I'm calling about a wireless router, product number XXXXXXX.

I've just said, I can't go on the internet to look anything up! Can you mail me a CD or something?

I can't go on the internet, I haven't got a connection!

I can't connect my modem if I haven't got a connection, can I? The computer doesn't plug into a phone at all, I'm not trying to get on the internet!

I just told you, it's for a small business. I want a non-internet in-house wireless network. I've got everything set up, but the computer says I'm missing this thing, the XXXX. Some kind of driver.

I can't go on the internet to download it, I've just told you, we're not connected to the internet!

I can't connect the modem! We have no connection, no account, we're NOT ON THE INTERNET!"



This went on for twenty minutes. The rest of us stood around in shocked amusement. He mentioned our lack of an internet connection thirty or forty times. The tirade of frustration which ensued once he hung up was of typical Mancunian colour, especially since he'd been routed, of course, to Pakistan.

Hysterical.

[Jack]

The Dunedan, was this call made to an ISPs help desk, or the help desk of the router? I'm curious, because I've worked on help desks, one of them for D-Link, and these situations were common. It was an easy call to get because an intranet can be set up quickly. So I'd be more surprised if this was a router company's help desk than an ISPs. They'd have no clue how to do anything that didn't involve connecting to the internet.

But I can't quibble with the premise of the thread. Working on a help desk sucks. The only benefit from that experience is now I know how to get what I need from other techs when I have to call them. I also agree for the most part with that ranking. That's often the kind of person who eventually finds a tech forum. Help desk victims from both sides of the desk.

[The Dunedan]

This was the router company. Total "Bohemian Cluster-f&ck" all the way around. It took that Mad Manc another week to get it up and running.

[Thanatos]

Santa Claus. I'm still waiting for my monster truck and a bunch of video games. None of the letters I sent to Santa ever came back either. What's he doing up there, diddling elves and riding around in purloined goods?

[ShadowFox]

Xbox 360 support sucks. It took me an entire week just to freaking get a box shipped to my house so i could send them my 360 (the dreaded red ring of death was upon it). Took them 8 weeks to get it back to me. F*%@ing sucked. When trying to get the address, i would be redirected back to the beginning like every other page. It was so annoying.

[Jack]

Quote by: The Dunedan This was the router company.

That's a tech that needs to be replaced, then. If you can't grasp the basics of setting up a company intranet, you have no business being on a router company's help desk. Remember token rings? It's so much easier these days.

Quote by: Thanatos Santa Claus. I'm still waiting for my monster truck and a bunch of video games. None of the letters I sent to Santa ever came back either. What's he doing up there, diddling elves and riding around in purloined goods?

That and playing your video games.

Quote by: Halofan48 Xbox 360 support sucks. It took me an entire week just to freaking get a box shipped to my house so i could send them my 360 (the dreaded red ring of death was upon it). Took them 8 weeks to get it back to me. F*%@ing sucked. When trying to get the address, i would be redirected back to the beginning like every other page. It was so annoying.

There are several customer service, or rather disservice, issues that should have been eliminated through the use of technology but for some reason persist.

You mention one, the inexcusable delay in shipping items back that have been sent for repair or replacement. Get a good tracking system, use RFID tags if that will help. Automate the procedure from end to end and speed it up.

Ever notice when you return something purchased with a debit/credit card that it can take up to a week to have the return credited to your account? Oddly enough, subtracting that purchase from your account was accomplished in a day. Does electronic traffic only travel one direction for banks? I'm sure the retailer is partly to blame. But banks are, too, and both of them need to streamline their transactions. Actions which can be performed 100% electronically shouldn't take a week to sort out.

As bad as live customer service is, automated menus are worse. And the pits of hell are reserved for companies that make you go through a number of automated menus, then suffer through automated "suggestions" and eventually get cut off during yet another transfer. Sometimes I make lewd suggestions back to the automated voice just to pass the time.

[Okieslims]

Quote by: Halofan48 Xbox 360 support sucks. It took me an entire week just to freaking get a box shipped to my house so i could send them my 360 (the dreaded red ring of death was upon it). Took them 8 weeks to get it back to me. F*%@ing sucked. When trying to get the address, i would be redirected back to the beginning like every other page. It was so annoying.

They have always been great to me. Some of my best experiences with any customer service is through them

[GHook93]

Apple Computer
Starbucks

[JaneDoe321]

I was so sad when my employer wasn't on the list. I told my coworkers we should try harder next year. I feel distinctly unAmerican. *sigh*

[Thanatos]

Quote by: JaneDoe321 I was so sad when my employer wasn't on the list. I told my coworkers we should try harder next year. I feel distinctly unAmerican. *sigh*

Who's your employer? *Curious stare*

[gallo]

ComCast:

Cable service used to be Time Warner. There was a deal where TW and Comcast traded some markets. There have been constant problems since the beginning - constant dropout of sound and picture for several seconds at a time. These events happened on a daily basis. Service calls only resulted in placing the blame on me, since I had a splitter on the line, even though the signal beyond the splitter was still above specs. When I questioned the technician about the splitter, since his company had installed a splitter where it came into the house, he claimed that it was somehow different and refused to offer an explanation. When I removed the splitter, the problems continued.

When the trade with TimeWarner happened, Comcast advertised that they would provide the same great service without increasing prices. Shortly after that, guess what happened. They raised their prices because of added services that I didn't request and never used. The constant problems with dropouts of both picture and sound continued, as did the failure of the entire channel at critical times in my favorite programs. (Fans of Lost will understand that the signal went away for several minutes just as Ben shot Locke)

So I discontinued my Comcast TV service and signed up for a satellite service. So far I am quite happy - as have been my mother, my son, and my brother. None of the dropout problems that were my fault.

So, here's my problem. Comcast increased my internet access by about $17 per month and charged me $17 as a downgrade fee. And yet, my question about how much it would cost to downgrade to no service was answered with a mindless, "nothing." Perhaps the operator didn't understand what I meant when I explained the AT&T offers fiber-optic service in my neighborhood.

So after saving about $30 a month by going with a satilite service for TV, I am now going to save an additional $40 by giving up cable completely. And when I complained, before I looked at other options, they weren't willing to waive the $17 downgrade fee.

How's that for smart business?

[Domino]

I would say the top of the list should be occupied by any health insurance companies whose employees are tasked with finding any possible excuse to deny a claim... and that would be all of them.

Perhaps we should just clear that industry from the boards and go back to the list the thread started with...

[Compugasm]

Cox Communications

FTW!!! The last time I called because of this weird charge I noticed on my bill that I didn't sign up for. The explanation is: this new charge of $5 is somehow related to the "basic package" and qualifies me for getting a discount of $10. In other words, by paying this fee, I get a discount of $10. The logic of this defies my ability to explain it.

[Winter wind]

I think America has some of the worst bureaucrats in the world. In Hong Kong (British system) the people over the phone are so warm and friendly and genuinely willing to help. In America, you get such an attitude of "I'm here until I can punch that clock" that you just get mad on stat.

The difference a warm tone makes is incredible.

[Sweet Katie]

Customer Service experience at a local drug store:

Waiting in line behind s-l-o-w customers and equally slow cashier. Behind the counter is another employee ignoring the growing line of customers. Then, the telephone rings and the second employee perks up, lifts her cell phone out of her pocket, checks to see if it's ringing. When she discovers it is not her cell, she puts it back in her pocket and ignores the store telephone.

Ignorant!

[Sweet Katie]

Quote by: Winter wind I think America has some of the worst bureaucrats in the world. In Hong Kong (British system) the people over the phone are so warm and friendly and genuinely willing to help. In America, you get such an attitude of "I'm here until I can punch that clock" that you just get mad on stat. The difference a warm tone makes is incredible.

And I purchased THREE electric heaters made in China this winter . . . and I current have ZERO electric heaters that work! I'd rather have a decent product and bad customer service than decent customer service and a worthless piece of crap product!

[Winter wind]

Quote by: sweet katie And I purchased THREE electric heaters made in China this winter . . . and I current have ZERO electric heaters that work! I'd rather have a decent product and bad customer service than decent customer service and a worthless piece of crap product!

Actually, China is second to last after America in terms of customer service. Has to do with the old Communist ideal of "I get paid the same no matter what I do, so screw you."

Hong Kong was a British colony in it's recent past and is much better in terms of customer service as a result.

[Hurt]

AOL is plain ridiculous. It wins. no argument.