Poor Customer Service Experience =(

TheCroShow · #1 09-12-2007, 03:36 AM

So I posted this in another forum and was directed to tl:d+r.

Approx 2 weeks ago I called Shaw Cable to connect digital cable. I already have a home phone with Shaw as well as cable internet.

An appointment was made for Sept 10 between 5pm-7pm as I work 8am-4:30pm I'm chillin at home last night, I get a call at 6:30pm, "Hi it's Mitch from Shaw, we couldn't install your cable."

Long story short, Shaw blamed my building manager. Shaw asked me to call my building manager and try make arrangements, this pissed me off. I kindly asked "Can you have this installed by tomorrow at the absolute latest?" Shaw says no guarantees,we will do our best.

12:30pm Today: I call Shaw to find out what is going on. The CSR puts me on hold, I wait on hold for approx 17 minutes, I decide to hang up as the CSR has not come back at all to say "..still looking into this for you," not a single update.

5:00pm Come home, receive a voicemail, "Hi it's Shaw, your cable is set to go. Please install your digital box and call us if you have any problems. WOOT! I install it, it does not work. I reseat all of my cables (coax, video cables, etc) power cycle my dig box and tv, still nothing.

5:20ish I call Shaw, wait maybe 5 minutes to talk with a CSR. I get someone on the line who walks me through some troubleshooting steps. The call gets disconnected. I wait 5-10 minutes, she did not call back? Hmm..I call shaw again.

6:00ish Longer wait this time, I briefly decribe "I'm a little frustrated, my previous call was disconnected, I did not get a call back. Here is my home #, here is my cell #, please call me if we get disconnected, she agrees. After maybe 30 minutes of troubleshooting, we get it fixed. YAY! I ask to speak with a supervisor because the 17 minute hold was b.s. i should have been refreshed or at least receive, "hey it's going to be a while, can we call you back?" i'm also upset about getting disconnected, no call back, and had to call back and wait to get through the line. The CSR tells me "17 minutes is not that long for a hold time. Sometimes it's longer." I ask, "Why wasn't I told that earlier?" She responds, "Sometimes it's just a few seconds, other times it's a few minutes, but in your case it was longer than that."

the girl says something to the effect of, "I can see you've been through a lot in the last 2 days, let me see what I can do, I want to help." 30 seconds later my call gets disconnected. NO BIG DEAL, she has my call back numbers. I wait 15 minutes, [censored] THIS! I call back.

The wait time was close to 15 minutes to get through to a CSR. I explain to the rep, "hey i'm frustrated, i'd like to speak with a supervisor." all the while i remain calm and collected. she says "oh i can see we were going to give you an extended preview of all the channels. we can extend that for another month (end of october). Basically I'm offered two months of "free" movie channels, sports channels, etc. I tell her "hey i really appreciate that and i'd be glad to take you on that offer. I just want to talk with a supervisor because I'm concerned about the customer service I received today."

She says she will write an e-mail to all of her supervisors and tells me I will hear from a supervisor within 48 hours.

If I can get more than the two "free" months of movie channels, etc, hey that would be great. I feel I'm entitled to more, maybe a free month of internet, phone and digital cable. SHould I ask for more? Am I a nit for wanting more?

tuq · #2 09-12-2007, 05:15 PM

CroShow,

44 views and no replies? I bet you're loving the Lounge, eh? [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Yours is a situation I've never heard of. Was your initial motivation for asking for a supervisor just to get shown some respect? And then it changed when you were offered free stuff?

Is Shaw the only cable option you have? Obviously, utility/cable companies with no competition are way crappier to their customers than ones that have some, and I think their way of placating people for their poor showing is free stuff to the squeaky wheels. Still, I don't like negotiating for stuff like this so don't know how to advise, and I know I'd just be like "free stuff, sweet thanks!"

Oski · #3 09-12-2007, 05:23 PM

[ QUOTE ]
CroShow,

44 views and no replies? I bet you're loving the Lounge, eh? [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Yours is a situation I've never heard of. Was your initial motivation for asking for a supervisor just to get shown some respect? And then it changed when you were offered free stuff?

Is Shaw the only cable option you have? Obviously, utility/cable companies with no competition are way crappier to their customers than ones that have some, and I think their way of placating people for their poor showing is free stuff to the squeaky wheels. Still, I don't like negotiating for stuff like this so don't know how to advise, and I know I'd just be like "free stuff, sweet thanks!"

[/ QUOTE ]

Cable works almost like a monopoly; however, lately they have had a lot of competition from satellite. In any event, the customer service you received is completely unacceptable (yet, given its cable, not surprising).

By all means, make sure you follow up with a complaint to a supervisor. Make sure you explain that you are not prepared to be treated in such a manner even if you have limited alternatives.

If the supervisor has any integrity, (s)he will solve your problem and comp. you something.

blackize · #4 09-12-2007, 08:33 PM

This is nothing. Cable companies are notorious for horrible customer service.

I moved into my college apartment a week before school starts. We call Comcast to get our cable and internet set up(they won't let me set the network up myself). They tell me their first available appointment is in 2 weeks. I obviously don't have a choice so I take it. Fast forward two weeks and they are supposed to arrive between 1-5pm. 5:15 rolls around and I call customer service. I'm on hold for 20 minutes. Talk to the CSR and they say the installer will be calling me shortly. A moment later I get a call from the guy, he says he will be there in 15 minutes. 25 minutes later I call back and get put on hold for 30 minutes. When I get through they tell me that he isn't coming. I ask when I can expect him tomorrow. They tell me that their next available appointment isn't for 9 days. I say that isn't acceptable and ask if they can pencil me in for any cancellations. They say no, it doesn't work like that. I tell them that I would like to speak to a supervisor. 15 minutes later the supervisor repeats what the CSR has told me. I say that I'm surprised that they treat their customers this way and hint that I would be getting DSL and satellite. Supervisor offers me $20 off our first month of service and won't go any higher.

Later on we had some problems with our service and were put on hold several times for over an hour waiting to speak with technical support.

TheCroShow · #5 09-12-2007, 10:49 PM

[ QUOTE ]
44 views and no replies? I bet you're loving the Lounge, eh?

[/ QUOTE ] all <3 here =D

[ QUOTE ]
Yours is a situation I've never heard of. Was your initial motivation for asking for a supervisor just to get shown some respect? And then it changed when you were offered free stuff?

[/ QUOTE ]

you nailed it, i was more or less looking for "come on now, your CSRs dropped the ball, a supervisor needs to be aware of this." I should also mention I work in Quality Control at a call center, just an FYI. but yeah after they offered me something, i thought, hey maybe they should give me more.

Shaw is the only cable provider here. There are satellite options but that's only if my building manager approved, if my balcony is facing the right direction (i've looked into it).

6:30pm Tonight

Beck calls me, tells me she is a supervisor. I explain the entire situation to her. Explain how I work in Quality control and at the call centers I have worked, a 15+ minute hold with no refreshes is unacceptable. Becky agrees and thanks me for raising that point. I tell Beck I did not like how the next CSR said, "17 minutes isn't that long.." She agrees and says she will coach those people.

Becky listens to my concerns. She offers me free services for next month, I thank her for that and feel that is fair.

I also tell Becky that I e-mail their customer service almost every call, "Thank you for your service, I spoke with so and so, he/she was great on the phone, professional and provided great service." Becky thanks me for communicating both the good and the bad. I am satisfied

youtalkfunny · #6 09-12-2007, 11:29 PM

I don't see how you can place a telephone call to a cable tv company, and expect anything different from what you got.

TheCroShow · #7 09-13-2007, 12:04 AM

[ QUOTE ]
I don't see how you can place a telephone call to a cable tv company, and expect anything different from what you got.

[/ QUOTE ]

previous to this experience i called them maybe 4 times and received excellent customer service. each time i e-mailed Shaw to say "hey you guys did a great job, thank you for the service."

youtalkfunny · #8 09-13-2007, 06:44 AM

Oh, you're in Canada. That doesn't count.

metsandfinsfan · #9 09-13-2007, 11:07 AM

if he asks to speak to a supervisor, he should be able to speak to a supervisor

kioshk · #10 09-13-2007, 03:53 PM

I was at an Ardmore, Oklahoma McDonald's. I order a Sausage McMuffin value meal. This middle aged black lady (think Wanda Sykes, with all of her attitude but none of her charm) says, "What kind of McMuffin?" I say, "A Sausage McMuffin value meal." She says, "So you want a Sausage McMuffin?" I say, "Yes, a Sausage McMuffin value meal." She says, "Do you want a value meal?" I say, "Yes." She says, "What number value meal?" I say, "The Sausage McMuffin value meal, number 2."

Next scene: While I was waiting for my food, a little fat lady came up to counter to get her "breakfast burrito". Another employee asked her, "Hot or mild sauce," in an Oklahoma drawl, but the customer didn't understand, and said, "I want a breakfast burrito!" The employee repeated herself, the customer did likewise, I told the customer, "She's asking what kind of sauce you want." She didn't understand me either, but finally it got sorted out. So my lady, after this customer had fled with her burrito, mocks her misunderstanding in front of the other customers. Something like, "At least you can understand English!"

It boggles my mind how rude this lady was. The standard is obviously set pretty low for fast food employees, but this lady was maximizing hostility with each word she spoke.