Customer Disservice And The Status Quo

I spoke with a person in customer disservice at my Internet Service Provider the other day. Here is the problem. The contract for service clearly states ‘unlimited service’. Anyone want to guess what unlimited means to them? That’s right, it’s 200 hours. Now, how they get 200 to mean unlimited is beyond me. Keep in mind that there are several people at my home and at my business using this service.

I tried to explain to them what unlimited actually means. So each month, at the end of the month, I have to call and tell them that it is no longer working. They then give me a new temporary account to use until the end of the month. I have to explain this to a new person every month.

At first there is the denial. I must be doing something wrong, they say. After a good long explanation about not only what is going on, but also why, they finally admit their mistake and give me the new account. All is good until the end of the next month. And then we start all over.

This time I had had enough. I explained to them that either they make it unlimited service or they stop calling it that. Can you imagine, for example, leasing a car with a contract that says you can drive it unlimited miles each month? But then, after 200 miles it stops. When you call them, they try and tell you that unlimited means 200 to them and that they will bring you another car to use until the end of the month. So you take all your crap out of the one car and put it in the other for a day or two, just to put it all back on the first. And you have to do this every month.

I tried to solve the problem for them. I told the girl on the phone that if this is indeed the case, why not give me the second account permanently? You know, so I don’t have to call back each month? Too easy, or something? She said all I had to do was call and they would give me another account. No good I say. I have to spend twenty minutes explaining this to whoever answers the phone. I won’t do this anymore. Give me the account I say. She says she can’t do that but since I don’t want to call, how about if she calls me? Are you kidding I ask? I said no more phone calls and I meant either way. Don’t you see that by giving out another account it solves the problem? But of course, this is not the Status Quo. That’s not how they do it.

On a side note, at one point she asked me for my number so a technician could call me back. I gave her the number and she said she was going to put me on hold. I asked why she wanted to put me on hold if the tech was going to call me back? She said she was going to go and get him now. I asked why did she ask for my number for a callback if she knew she was going to go and get him. She didn’t know, but said that’s how they always do it.

And this, my friends, is the state of businesses today. I own a business and could never let it operate this way. I told her that if she worked for me and I had heard that conversation, I would be forced to let her go. That is no way to solve a customer’s problem.

I’ve asked here before, is it just me? I am now afraid that it is.