Venting... After 35 years customer service hung up on me

[Omaha Steve]

I remember my mom and dad using and shopping at this store and getting in home service from this company 50 years ago. The love affair ended today. We called last week to schedule a service appointment. This Friday and Saturday were already booked. Marta took the day off work to be here TODAY. They were supposed to be here between 1-5. I got home at 4. They hadn't been here yet. Near the end of dinner Marta called to see when they would get here. 2 operators later we were told they would take care of it now. The next operator explained that the system went down yesterday. Everything about appointments for today was lost. When I asked them to send somebody out yet today, they said they couldn't. I asked how they could treat me like this after 35 years. I wanted something for Marta's wasted day. The operator (yes here in the USA) knew I was close to losing it. She hung up on me.

Three years ago after the service center left the area, we didn't renew. We had had problems with a call center that was outside the USA. They called begging for another chance. We knew they were competing with Wal-mart and gave them another chance.

I did phone work for 2 years. I know 1 rule is never hang up on a customer. I was livid over this. Marta called the 800 # right back. After hearing all the reasons why we are upset, the company just can't extend our contract or make restitution for Marta's precious lost day. They also can't get here this late.

I won't name the company out of long respect. We will have everything done for our annual service, then cancel for a refund for the remaining time. They still rate high on the items they sell.

America ain't the land of customer service anymore. We lost something in a boardroom fight due to performing for the stock holder, not the customer.

A very sad day at our house.

OS

[DontTreadOnMe]

1. Vote with your wallet!

Now if we can only convince the rest of middle America.

[havocmom]

2. Decided the ONLY things taught to all those MBAs in 80s & 90s ...

were methods to blow off legitimate grievances from both customers and employees.

Got SO tired of hearing management say thinks like: "Well YOU seem to be the only person who has had this problem with...." to employees and customers alike. None of them seemed to have a clue on finding solutions to recurring problems. None seemed to be able to think, let alone be creative at addressing real issues and challenges.

It seems the corporate bosses all got together and decided if they ALL canned customer service and any loyalty to loyal employees, the public would just have to suck it up. Then they all hired One Minute Managers to buffer the blow back.

Wanna know why business is down? The guys at the top did it on purpose. We (customers and workers) are just replaceable cogs in a machine to them. They are rather shortsighted. Where will their lifestyle support be when the last golden egg laying goose dies of neglect?

Sorry about your and Marta's day. I haven't been surprised by bad business practices now for over 18 years. Capitalism will die from the same thing Communism died of: human greed and foolishness.

[gleaner]

9. Actually, you're right ...

I read a study about three years ago that had been made for companies which wanted to cut costs. The study posited that customer service was one of the best places to start.

They concluded, incorrectly, that if you give customers shoddy products, poor service and ignore their grievances that the customers will get used to it and simply accept it. It has not worked out quite the way that they said, but it takes a lot of push back to try and undo their assumptions. Good for Omaha Steve! I wish everyone were that proactive.

[Shagbark Hickory]

16. They'll just advertise more, right?

[gleaner]

19. Yeah ..

buy shoddier merchandise to sell at greater cost to the customer, and outsource as many jobs as they can. Hey! They're corporations, they have a vision for America. Totally bankrupt while they roll in cash.

[pitohui]

75. that isn't EXACTLY what the study said

at least the one i saw put it more like, a minority of people are complainers, so you're better off losing those customers and focusing on those who don't complain

and there is actually something to this

my husband works out of several offices, one office the manager tries to please all comers, another office the manager is quick to "fire" customers or overcharge them (in hopes of getting rid of them) if he finds them difficult -- BOTH offices bill about the same amount of money, but the second office has a lot less "drama"

[elehhhhna]

3. You were on hold for 35 years???/??

[Blue-Jay]

6. HA!

:rofl:

[cynatnite]

4. If they have no respect for you, there is no reason not to tell us who the company is. n/t

[napi21]

5. You don't have to name the co. I think I already know who it is.

I stopped shopping there many years ago. Some of their products & services are still OK, but way too many are not, and cust. serv. started to slip a long time ago.

I too worked customer service and I try to be patient with anyone who I'm talking to because I know most of the time the problem is not their fault, but you have no idea how many times I've said "Yes I know it's not YOUR FAULT, but guess what? I got YOU right now!"

Give them up! When they finally go out of business, maybe SOME idiot inside mgmt. might realize how badly they screwed up!

[Golden Raisin]

7. Press 1 if you're

left-handed and have a freckle on your knee. Press 2 if your Aunt Tillie had eczema. Press 3 if your cat prefers Friskies. Press 4 if...

There is no customer service anymore. Just interchanges with robotic, telephonic entities until you opt out in frustration and speak with a human being (frequently located in a foreign country) and then you STILL don't get service. I had a horrible exchange the other day with a "customer service representative" who could do nothing more than read stock, prepared answers by rote from some manual and which had precious little to do with my problem. I'm ashamed to say they work for the same company I do!

[discocrisco01]

8. Spirituality

Spirituality is the solution. The United States needs a spiritual awakening to overcome the problem. And it does NOT need a revival of Christianity but rather a spiritual awakening for all faiths and all people.

[SidDithers]

60. Rationality...

Rationality is the solution. The United States needs an awakening in rationality to overcome the problem. It does not need a revival of magical thinking but rather the realization that we're all in this together, and we're the only ones that can solve our problems.

Sid

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

10. Really... People Are On Your Side With This?

You way over-reacted. Do you think you are king of the world or something? Your demand and reaction is full of arrogance.

Shit happens. We've all probably had a similar experience where we took off just to have a no show. At least they had a legitimate reason. Shit happens. But you actually think you can demand they still come out right then and there, and that the world will actually stop for you and *poof*, they'll come right over? You actually think that by demanding compensation for her lost day, that there's a chance in hell you'd get it? That's not exactly a healthy mindset as it relates to the expectations of customer service. I can totally understand why she chose to hang up on an irrational and abusive caller.

Totally irrational response to an otherwise circumstantial event. You should really try and work on being more reasonable.

[Omaha Steve]

12. That is some shoulder you have to cry on

I'm tolerant. I've never put a single DUer on ignore. Hmmm.

Thanks for the perspective. :-)

OS

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

14. Who Is The One Crying Exactly?

"Whaaaaaa they wouldn't cater to my completely irrational demands that they come over THAT INSTANT and then reimburse me for time lost. I'm NEVER dealing with them AGAIN!!!! (stomp stomp)"

But you just go on thinkin that you were owed all of that and that you are on the superior ground. Yup. That's a winner for sure...

[Omaha Steve]

18. Are YOU 35 years old yet?

After well over 50 years in the family. 35 years ago right after Marta and I married we signed a contract for service. Yes I expect something when I'm f'd. You take all the crap you want in life. I (Marta and I) won't!

Judging by a quick goggle, I see we aren't the only people done taking shit from company's that get our $.

OS

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

21. Suck It Up.

Shit happens.

Your expectations in this situation were completely irrational. I don't personally give a rat's ass how old you are or how long you've been with them.

And if it's one thing I'm known for it's not taking crap from anybody. But that's not what we have here. They didn't give you crap. They gave you a reasonable explanation. And your standing firm accomplished nothing. You act as if by 'not taking crap' you accomplished something. What did you accomplish? You made them lose your business? Boohoo. But who will you get now? Regardless of who it is, do you honestly think for a second that THEY would've come out or compensated your wife for her time? Short answer? No, they wouldn't have.

[cynatnite]

22. Rational or not, OMC, he's got a right to dump the company if he's not happy with it. n/t

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

40. Absolutely.

I never said otherwise. It's the story and reaction itself, of which the poster seems to feel deserving of some sort of accolades (and which sad enough some are giving him), that I'm most focused on.

[Omaha Steve]

24. Again your how old?

You don't seem to know what customer service was like 35 years ago. The local cable (Cox Omaha) company gave my mom $25 when they were 15 minutes late for a service call 4 months ago. She has only been on their phone service for a year. Look them up.

All 5 members of our family have done customer service on the phone. But then my youngest is 30. We all know what service used to be. To bad you don't.

We are leaving a company after a very long relationship. You it seems, will never know what that means.

Keep telling yourself you are adequate over and over....

[Old Codger]

29. Hey Steve

He and people like him are the reason customer service is pretty much gone anymore, they are perfectly willing to allow themselves to be f***ed over and just keep on taking it.. I agree with your stance, CS sucks form most companies and there are too many other ones selling the same things..

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

41. ROFLMAO.

This thread is too fucking funny...

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

48. Bet Ya Your Mom Wasn't Abusive Or Irrationally Demanding Either.

You say the comparison as if they were similar. In order to be similar your mother would've had to be as abusive and irrational in her demands as you were. Betcha she wasn't. :hi:

[Omaha Steve]

51. The cable guy had the $25 certificate in hand when mom opened the door

She is 85 and doing fine on Medicare and Social Security. Wonder why she is a great D?

[TheMadMonk]

49. So I book a paid service call. Shit happens. Say my kid headbuts some traffic.

Guess what? I can expect to be billed, whatever my excuse.

Furthermore, It's obvious you decided to jump in in the middle of the conversation, rather than read the OP. Multiple operators, gave multiple excuses before finally admitting (at a time when it would be impossible meet their obligation) to "a truth" which may or may not have any bearing on reality.

[Doremus]

53. Upper management or shareholder? nt

[MattBaggins]

23. Hey LegendinHisOwnMindCrime Knows arrogance

if you know what I mean

[rucky]

26. And I'm taking his webinar on reasonability next Friday.

:thumbsup:

[MattBaggins]

27. Is that like taking a course on tolerance from Reverend Phelps?

[Robb]

28. (chuckle)

:D

[Arugula Latte]

31. Oh my, I can't believe that this particular DUer is lecturing you on being "reasonable"

Oh, that is rich, rich, rich. :rofl:

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

43. Too Much Fun...

It's like being a lone sane visitor in an insane asylum, and hearing all the inmates claim how 'crazy' he is.

:rofl:

[Arugula Latte]

58. Yeah, you keep telling yourself that.

:D

[LanternWaste]

64. I imagine...

I imagine many people tell themselves that very same thing... some may even believe it to be true. The righteous martyr of all that is sane and clever in a world of the sub-literate-- a most heavy imaginary cross to bear I would guess. Magic thinking indeed.

[ThomCat]

45. That is very amusing isn't it.

:P

[pipi_k]

68. OK I have to admit....

that I do have a few DUers on "ignore".

I was so curious about who would give you a hard time over shitty customer service that I actually clicked "off" the ignore function just to see who it was, and what that DUer wrote.

I'm again reminded of how great it is that there IS an ignore feature here and why some DUers deserve to be on mine.

Popping back there now to spray for the vermin.

:7

[ecstatic]

44. LOL. I love your honesty nt

[maxpower]

46. Customer service is just that

They are there to help the customer. I worked the phones for many years, and I put up with a lot of bullshit. If I ever hung up on a customer I would be fired on the spot. They gave her a time frame and didn't show up. Most corps. don't give a shit about their customers. Without them the company goes bust. You are saying it is OK to blow off a customer after promising to show up. I'm glad you are not in the customer service industry.

[TommyO]

63. Demanding a company live up to their commitment is not arrogance

If I'm promised a service appointment between 1:00 and 5:00, I expect them to be there, or contact me if there is a delay.

[Deja Q]

78. I often agree with you, but a customer service phone rep's job isn't to hang up on people...

Unless management tells them to do so.

Which isn't likely, but I don't work at those places. Nor would I want to; the pay is an insult for the work that has to be done. (no doubt people will spin that without even asking for the context...)

[Tikki]

11. Boy oh boy...I must be out of the loop...

We knew they were competing with Wal-mart.......

So you think Wal*Mart would compensate you for a lost day?!!

Tikki

[Bitwit1234]

13. I am not against foreigners but

when I call a company for service or information I want to be able to understand the person at the other end. If the company hires foreigners why not put them in another capacity, and let someone understandable answer the phone. I always ask for a supervisor if I can't understand someone and if they have a heavy accent I hang up.

I got scammed from a company who had a program that clicked into a reputable company when you ordered something. Well three months after my order I got a charge of $19.63 cents on my checking account. The company made a check on a different branch of my bank 60 miles away and the check number was 57000. And they had typed in a statement at the bottom saying I didn't sign the check because I had authorized the payment. I went ballistic. I called the company and could not understand a word the person said and after telling them they better reimburse me before I could finish the person said in the worst broken English.."Call a cop" and hung up. Needless to say I went to the State's Attorney in my state and got the money back. And she warned the company they would not be allowed to do business here again. That was what I wanted, to report them. But what really frosted me was the call a cop and hanging up.

[cynatnite]

20. "I am not against foreigners, but"...of course, you're not...

:eyes:

[KittyWampus]

15. I understand you were upset but it sounds like a MAJOR overreaction. You want compensation

for your wife's lost day?

What?

[blue neen]

17. I understand your reluctance to name the company. You are a gracious person, however, they were not

gracious to you. IMHO, I would name the company, as customer service should be considered part of the product that they sell. Respect is given, not earned (just consider some of the posters on this thread!) ;)

I had a very similar problem with Verizon. They will never get our family's business again.

[rucky]

25. I know he sears with anger...

but i'm guessing he'll buck up soon

[Nikki Stone1]

33. If that is the store, their customer service people hung up on a friend of mine too

My friend actually went back to the store where he bought the item being delivered and got help from the overworked floor person. This call center is crap.

PS: If this is the company, they are now owned by K-mart.

[Raine]

36. My father worked for that company

in their service department till he retired, they had been a great company originally but in the end they screwed him over. :-(

[Shell Beau]

81. For some reason, Sears sprang to my mind too.

And I am only 31.

But I do think that customer service these days probably isn't what it used to be. And I hate Comcast. Just sayin'!

[blue neen]

55. I meant to say "Respect is earned, not given."

n/t.

[dixiegrrrrl]

30. To show how badly customer service has slipped....

We were the victims of a compounded series of errors by San Mateo Credit Union.
I fired off a letter.
And got one back, stating: " We are so sorry. We made mistake A, then B, then C and this caused you
these A,B,C... problems. We have credited you back all fees charged in error, enclosed in check.
Please forgive our mistake."
And I was flabbergasted to get such a clear letter of apology!
And that is telling, is it not, that being treated courteously is cause for surprise?

[Bluebear]

32. On hold for 35 years? What on earth was the Muzak?

[gkhouston]

67. Philip Glass. n/t

[Ignis]

70. ...

:spray:

[Gidney N Cloyd]

34. It's gotta be Sears. nt

[DaveinJapan]

35. I don't get why the name of the company is some big secret.

They treated you shoddily, and you withhold their name out of "respect"?

For what?

In doing so, you are tacitly endorsing their actions and, additionally, setting other folks up for the same problems...if you call them out, on the other hand, the backlash might just be enough to force a change so that you might reconsider and go back to patronizing them.

At least that's how I feel about it. If I were so fed up with a company or product that I decided to stop using it, PARTICULARLY due to customer service issues, I would tell everyone to avoid said company and give my reasons.

[Omaha Steve]

38. Your right

Sears it is. A quick goggle brought up pages of problems their customer service has caused people of late. Since we put the contract on a non Sears (they don't own their own card) card, we are disputing the original charge for failing on service. The phone rep says we should win a full refund. Now that is service!

OS

[TK421]

57. I used to work for them ( Mens Department ) and when I was there

we were required to approach people to assist them in finding what they came for. I also did measurements and processed orders in the suit department. Now, you go in that store and you can't even find someone at the checkout counter! I'm glad I'm not in retail anymore

[Texasgal]

37. Yup! Sears really sucks nowadays!

I had a problem pretty close to yours, we no longer use sears for appliances anymore either. :evilgrin:

[lonestarnot]

50. My guess too.

Maybe I won't renew my service contract. :hi:

[DaveinJapan]

39. The people who are bashing the OP are totally wrong to do so.

The company blew it big time and there was PLENTY they could've done to make it right.

The system crashed? Okay, now they've got to deal with it. They know there will be irate customers calling about the lost appointments, so they should've had some service people on call (on overtime if necessary) to immediately respond when the calls started coming in. Also they should've blocked out some additional times for the next few days for customers who didn't wish for service-people to come out later that same day (nighttime and early morning times as well, again using overtime as needed til the problem was fixed).

That's just one solution, there are plenty (including compensation, perhaps waiving the service fees, whatever it takes).

I don't necessarily blame the person on the other end of the phone (though I'd like to know if the company actually has a "hang up" policy or if the operator simply did something against company policy), but I certainly do blame the company! It was THEIR screw up, and they should've prepared for it and dealt with it. "Our computer crashed pal, so tough shit for you" doesn't cut it.

[havocmom]

42. You got that right! What a bunch of well trained little consumer bots!

A business transaction, like an employment relationship, is a two way street. BOTH parties have a right to expect a level of responsibility on each other's part. Too many businesses just figure they can do what they want and not face consequences.

What WalMart has done to locally owned businesses across the nation is appalling, but frankly, too many of them have gone too many years thinking they had control of their local market and could treat customers poorly.

I have been at DU for a very long time. Have read plenty of vent posts. We all have to blow off steam now and then.

OS has been a very hard working member of our community, bringing us news too few pay attention to, but that affects us all one way or another. The labor news he brings is actually a front line against the further decline of our economy. Too many ignore the problems and just worry about what touches them now.

As I posted above, I have watched 'management' blow people off for years. I have fought it from the inside, making my own life hell for refusing to 'be a team player' and treat customers, employees poorly. It IS a business tactic to just fuck people. Those who stand up to that are doing it for everyone, and it is sad to see this particular labor organizer get treated so poorly here at DU.

Democratic Underground - go study some history. Some very important lessons have been lost.

[blue neen]

54. Amen to that!

:toast:

[Hannah Bell]

59. +1. they calculate that most people won't pursue it. they calculate that

customers are captive, or masochists.

unfortunately, decent customer service is now the exception, so the threat to take your business elsewhere doesn't mean as much as it used to.

[Brigid]

47. No need to name the company.

It's going on everywhere these days. :(

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

52. I wonder how many deaths from stroke after speaking to Customer "Service"

this company is responsible for?

My father once told one of their reps "You are not paid enough to hear what I have to say about your company".

I cancelled a credit card of theirs' I had for over twenty years when somehow someone mysteriously added themselves to my account and they had NO ANSWER for how,when,where and why this could have occurred.

[SmileyRose]

56. Sears has been stupid a long time.

Way back the first year they charged for the catalog they had my 82 yr old granddad put in jail for walking out of the store with a $5 catalog he did not pay for (thinking they forgot to send him one so he picked one up at the store). He just kept saying, but the catalog is free. Even the big sign said FREE real big and in the mouse print said after using a $5 coupon inside toward a purchase.

I lost my love affair with Sears then.

[renate]

79. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

Just hearing about that makes me FURIOUS! Your poor grandfather! Oh, that just makes me sick, putting an 82-year-old man in JAIL for a stupid CATALOG that was under a FREE sign and that for all of his 82-year-long life had been FREE until then.

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[SmileyRose]

80. That catalog cost him $600

$400 for the lawyer and $200 for court costs. But he prevailed against Sears and that meant a lot to him.

[TexasObserver]

61. There is no loyalty to customers of huge businesses.

You're a number to your big bank, your big department store, your big phone company. That's how you exist to them - as an account in their system. A random mouth breathing lower level employee is all you'll ever get on the phone.

The history of your relationship with the big company doesn't matter to them. Like the hecklers you have on this thread, their customer service is full of room temperature IQs and bad attitudes.

As Lily Tomlin said as the AT&T operator so many years ago, "we don't care; we don't have to."

[Omaha Steve]

62. Do a google on Sears sucks

Sears uses the excuse our system went down way to often.

[Omaha Steve]

65. I forgot to mention that in the past Sears had extended our contract for this problem

On 2 different occasions Sears had extended us a FREE month for this type of missed call problem. Why not this time? Something has changed.

When Sirius-XM radio put us on hold for 10 minutes for a billing problem, they gave us a free month the moment they came back on the phone. That was September of this year. We combined our 2 cars into 1 account. We added the option to listen online at that time too.

Some businesses still know how to treat the customer.

[MerryBlooms]

66. I've been dealing with Sears

Trying to get the range and fridge I paid cash for, almost two weeks ago, delivered. They lost my range that was due on the 4th and I was, side-stepped/calls not returned/instead of a manager returning a call, it was a salesperson/no call telling me the 4th wasn't going to happen/etc. The fridge is being delivered today - three calls received confirming the date/time. Their customer service is inconsistent and has been for about the last 7 or so years.

When my husband died 8 years ago, they called me and insisted I open a new account and refused to just take his name off our joint account (unlike every other company we had an acct. with). It was just too much of a hassle for me at the time, dealing with everything else and I canceled the account. I've just paid cash for everything I've purchased there since.

I've purchased all of my major appliances through them since I was 18 (46 now). I still love my Kenmore products, but I have gotten to where I despise Sears itself.

[pipi_k]

69. I've been fighting with businesses for years

And I don't blame you one bit for telling these guys to piss off.

One of the more disgusting things they sometimes do is to assume that the elderly are weak, or better targets, or less willing to fight with them.

They don't know what they're up against when they deal with Mr Pip, who is affable enough except when he's being screwed over or marginalized by a company. Then he calls on his military officer experience and it's amazing how quickly things get straightened out. He doesn't even have to be rude about it.

anyway, about three years ago we needed a new refrigerator/freezer for the house. Mr Pip checked online and found some nice ones at Sears. He tried to order online and immediately got a phone call from a salesman who told him he could not order it online (for a reason I forget now).

No...he would have to drive something like 40 miles round trip just to buy the refrigerator, which would then be delivered to us. He told the salesman the problem, and said he would buy the refrigerator someplace else if he couldn't buy it online. Long story short, he was able to buy it online and it was delivered.


That's what pisses me off...they don't dare screw with people who have other options.

[mitchtv]

71. Can't you sue in small Claims court?

or is that only Calif.? I know you can here.

[MindPilot]

72. I had my last dealings with them over ten years ago.

Had rain gutters installed. Shitty job, not done to specs. When I tried to get it corrected I discovered that Sears only guaranteed the materials, not the labor. I would have to deal with the contractor directly. They simply didn't exist anymore; phone disconnected, non-existent address. I ended up after many letters back and forth simply not paying the credit card bill.

[Dorian Gray]

73. Sears?

I've had so many BS problems with Sears home service lately. They stink.

[pitohui]

74. there was never a time when you got anything for your lost day

that part of your demand was just unrealistic

a minority of customers make most of the problems and, these days, if you are a problem customer, businesses do better financially by firing you as a customer

not saying you ARE a problem customer but once you start demanding compensation because someone stayed home to wait for a service person, OK, you're just not living in consensus reality

sorry, i think you got hung up on because you left yourself open to the perception that you are a completely unreasonable person and there was no making you happy anyway

i've found that i do better to let such customers go elsewhere, they take so much time and energy that they are just not profitable

i worked for sears many a decade ago, yeah, sears was NEVER well run -- clueless then and clueless now, your demands would have been met with the same thing -- stunned shock at your arrogance if not a hang-up -- you never got compensated for taking a day off work to wait for a repair dude, not in this universe, my friend -- i'm amazed the place is still in business, maybe they launder money or something because you might be their last customer in the world -- does ANYONE shop there? i was in the data processing/inventory and i never had ANYTHING to do, maybe an hour of work a day...

[Omaha Steve]

76. Response #65

On 2 different occasions Sears had extended us a FREE month for this type of missed call problem. Why not this time? Something has changed.

Not to mention Sears called us 2 years ago begging us to to give them another try. Look what we got.

[MilesColtrane]

77. What's changed is plunging profits.

Sears Holdings Corp. 2006 net income - $1.49 billion
2008 net income - $53 million

Those brilliant men at the top of the company end up hiring less people and giving them less training in an effort to cut costs, which is only going to piss off their loyal customers and send them elsewhere.

Wouldn't be surprised to see them flirting with bankruptcy in a year's time.