Non Sequitur by Wiley Miller for December 04, 2021

Well, DeJoy is still ruining, I mean running things so…

My electric oven broke yesterday 6 days after the warranty expired.

I just had a HELL of a time with a small Chase credit card error. The ActBlue website double charged me (probably my fault). I called Chase, which insisted that I would tell the robot all the details… and then after really only a few minutes waiting (best part of the experience), sent me to a putative human with a strong Mumbai accent and a soft voice. First, she asked for EXACTLY the same details I had just given the robot. Then she explained that, yes, the double charge was visible, but since they were “pending” she could not dispute them. I said I preferred not to dispute them, just remove the obvious duplicate. Nope. I double checked. Yes, if I call and say the charge is incorrect, they WILL NOT FIX IT. Okay then. I asked her to please trigger a dispute or a message to me when the charges moved out of “pending” status. No, that’s not possible. I double checked. After all the system MUST know when that happens, so adding a “call for action” flag costs essentially nothing. Nope. Not a chance in hell. All of this taking 3 times as long as it should because I had to keep asking her to repeat. In the end, I decided to just let it go, expressed my extreme displeasure with the customer “service” and hung up.

I did say “small” and it is. But it’s a perfect example of a company whose internal rules make it IMPOSSIBLE for the minions to do the right thing by their customers. I’m looking for a better credit card experience… anybody have suggestions?

OK. Serve her the defective toaster. Overhand preferred.

The size of that feedback bin gets the point across. They just are not interested in either taking stuff back or correcting the record.

And, the long wait with irritating music and meaningless pronouncements if endemic. Don’t know of a single financial ‘correction’ call I have made in the last several years where that did not happen. And same for tech calls. Companies just can’t be bothered to correct day-old new programs because they are neck deep in tomorrow’s new update.

unregulated capitalism will steal the icing off your cake.

Crummy service from CVS. Dr. Ordered a booster shot, so I logged into the ole computer and signed up, got a next day appointment for a MODERNA shot. When I got there, they explained they only do the PFIZER, and the CDC says it’s okay, …blah, blah, blah.

Sure, they apologized, but it’s just crummy service, backed by our govt.

My wife has been trying to get my AT&T phone unlocked (she holds the account). Their site says you can do it through the site. NOPE! Eight days and three long, long phone calls later, it should be unlocked by next week some time, maybe. Bought for cash two years ago and she’s been with them since 2005. Leaving AT&T because of their support for anti-democracy companies like OAN.

The technique is to give the CustNOService person the solution and convince them they came up with it!!

I recently found customer service to be a combination of both accommodating and uncaring. Unpacking a Hamilton Beach appliance, I found a small piece of plastic unattached. I found where it broke off, and it looked unimportant. I emailed customer service, described the broken piece and its apparent insignificance, and simply asked if it might have some obscure function, adding that I could see no need to bother returning it. They offered to send another item, apparently making no effort to answer my question.

I rarely have a problem taking anything back, but I even more rarely get my money back. Usually, I end up getting a different one of the same, but one that works this time.

One of our neighbours has a 1949 toaster that has just one control for “doneness.” And it works perfectly. But it does not do bagels and the Mrs wants a bagel every once in a while.

Do what I did and email CEO about problem. Worked for me.

You don’t return a toaster. You just buy a good one next time.

Here is the funniest thing I’ve seen in years …

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211204_11/

Ahh, the teachers union office

That is the plan, is to let you bitch do nothing and then put your complaint in the circle file can. Be sure to pack a lunch and a bottle of water if put on hold.

Use a debit card. If you don’t have the money for it, don’t buy it. Or use AMEX.

Don’t use Bank of America. Bad website, and bookkeeping is terrible.

“In the end, I decided to just let it go, …”.

Aaaand the company just scored another victory, successfully fleecing another customer. No. I don’t let those things go. I ask to speak with a service person in the USA. To do business in the USA, the offshore person is required by US law to transfer the asking party’s connection to a service person in the US. Most overseas service bureaus are afraid of losing a customer service contract if one of their operators doesn’t comply, so they do it.

Once I get someone in the US, generally I find that the service agent is far more reasonable. That’s because the overseas person has a very limited list of possible responses on their computer, and they are fired for making any personal decisions that are not listed on their computer. They are the real-life equivalents of the political ‘flapper’ from Gulliver’s Travels or Hitchhiker’s Guide.

If the company is particularly stupid and won’t allow their USA representatives to actually resolve anything, ask to speak to the person’s supervisor. Keep asking for that transfer until you get high enough in the organization to be connected to someone who actually can find out what went wrong and do something about it. If you are being stonewalled beyond the service bureau, it is unlikely that you will get any kind of satisfaction, but I still keep trying as far up the ladder as I can get before the person bluntly refuses to transfer me higher. I get that person’s name, their position title and their contact info. Then I lodge my customer complaint there, both verbally and in writing, as well as a written copy sent to the home office contact listing.

I often get a sheepish e-mail back from a corporate VP saying that this really should have been resolved by their customer service agents, and asking what it will take to resolve my issue. If I get back more bluster instead, I make it a point to report the company to the BBB, my state’s Attorney General, and the FTC.

So true

“I’m too busy to insult you, but your humiliation is important. Please hold.”

Discover card. They went to bat for me twice. Without question the charge was removed first, then they investigated, and then a got a follow up email that the charge was permanently removed.Can’t beat that for service.

VISA!

I recently had quite an experience with Creality, the makers of my 3D printer. I wrote to them that a particular electronic part (the SD card reader breakout) had broken, and that’s the only way this machine can print. They’ve sent me replacements for the motherboard and power supply, but not this one item, and it’s not available anywhere. My previous customer service experiences with China-based companies have been exemplary (time-zone differences aside), but 3 months without a working printer means that I’ll just be buying a whole new one at the start of the year.

AT&T is among the worst. Not only are their products poor, but the waits, untrained service reps, and “it’s never our fault” policy make doing business with abysmally miserable and expensive.

It’s a cookbook!

Why be lamron?

@CONCR, Go to Credit unions, they’re usually local, much better and offer better C S departments, And best of all, no calls redirected to strange countries, we have that for the last thirty years, a few glitches but nothing major

I use the Apple card. Great customer service. I just got an alert that some used my card number to buy a phone. I called up Apple card (no need to futz around trying to find a phone number as it is clear on the app), immediately got a friendly person who resolved the issue within a couple of minutes. Since the Apple card has two account numbers (one for the physical card and another for on-line purchases) and the phone was purchased from my on-line account number, they changed the number on-the-spot and I do not need to replace or wait to get a new physical card. Plus, whenever a charge is made you can go to the app and see real-time card usage. Cash back varies (mostly 1%) so that is not as good as some others but given ease of use and security, that’s ok.