A Customer Service Lesson

My home phone has been down for three days.  We have not had any issues with the phone until, surprisingly enough, the phone company came to repair the neighbor's problem.  Do you see a potential connection?

The first day I just dealt with it.  The second day I called Verizon.  You should know I am switching my phone service so this is not a feel good customer service story.  After traversing the automated voice commands, which included gathering all of my "essential" information, I waited on hold for 15 minutes to talk to a customer service rep.  The first question was for my name and phone number.  I just provided all that information to your automated response system.  The csr's comment was that she did not have any of my information on her screen.  Good thing I had to talk to the automated voice for the past 10 minutes.  Moving right along, I proceed to answer about 100 more questions and finally am allowed to explain the problem. I have no dial tone and have not for two days.  "Oh I cannot help you with that, I will need to transfer you to repairs, but first I would like to tell you about a special offer we are conducting to switch your  internet and cable service".

Are you kidding me?  The csr felt that I was primed for a sales pitch.  Let's see why wouldn't I want to buy more services from you?  I have been on the phone for 1/2 hour and have gotten nowhere.  I have repeated the same information to an automated service as well as a person and will have to repeat it again most likely to the repair department.  Most importantly, I have no phone service so one of your products does not work.  How does this make me a prime sales prospect?

Kindly, I explain the error in her judgement and make it clear that now is not the time to sell me.

Off to repairs.  Once again I answer the same questions and explain the problem. This lovely woman apologizes for my inconvenience and informs me she is checking the line now.  After I few seconds, she tells me that the line is fine.  Is there anything else she can do for me?  WHAT? You haven't done anything for me. The line is not fine or I wouldn't be calling you!  So she gives me the technical catch all and tells me to turn off all the phones, unplug them and let it rest for awhile.

It's been an  hour on my cell phone and I am late for another appointment, so I say fine and hang up.  Unplug everything and leave the house.  Guess what?  That did not fix the problem.

Now the third day, I call again.  In speaking with the automated voice I find they have my record of my problem call and would be happy to schedule an appointment for me automatically.  Twenty minutes with the automated voice, I think I am moving forward and then I am transferred to a csr who asks me the SAME DAMN questions I started with.

By now my cell phone is losing power and my head is ready to explode.  No one can come out to fix the problem for 4 days and by the way it will cost $91 for the tech visit. (Why $91, they couldn't round up?) What are my options?  I make the appointment.

Oh I know my options.  Dump Verizon.  I immediately call Time Warner Cable.  Speak with one very bright and articulate sales guy, who will have my new service installed within the week and this will bring my monthly bill down by almost $60.

We have choices.  Sure Verizon will not go out of business because I cancel my phone service (although I secretly hope they crumbling like a house of cards).  But I feel better .