I worked in retail for several years before ending up in my current job. My current job stresses customer service too, but I've been wondering lately what that means. One could argue that I don't really have to provide much customer service in my current job. I'm a police/fire dispatcher, and honestly, if someone doesn't like my answer it's not like they can shop around for another police department or fire department. But in the class that I teach a couple of times a year to other dispatchers around the state, customer service is extremely important in our line of work. One could argue, on the other hand, that customer service is more important in my line of work than in the retail or true "customer service" industry.
This past weekend I experienced what I considered to be a lack of customer service from a company that I've been a customer of for the last 10+ years. This wasn't the first time that I'd experienced what I considered to be poor customer service from this company, but it will probably be the last, as I've severed ties with them and don't intend to ever go back.
The issue involved my cable TV provider (or now my former cable TV provider) Insight. In order to cut costs a little over a year ago, I had done away with my high speed internet with Insight. I had gone to using a Sprint card when I needed internet service. It wasn't the best situation, and 3G speed does not come anywhere close to matching broadband, so I eventually did away with the Sprint card out of frustration and just decided that any internet activity that I NEEDED to do would be done at work.
Anyway....I finally decided that I wanted internet back in my home, and went to Insight's website to check their prices. I ordered Roadrunner for my house and received a confirmation email saying that they would call me within 2 hours to set up my installation appointment. After 26 hours I had still not recevied a call from them, so I called the 800 provided on the email. I explained to the customer service rep. what had happened, she apologized and set up the order for me, explaining that the installation fee would be $45. I told the rep. at that point that I felt that, since they had not fulfilled their promise of calling me the previous day, and because after ordering their service I still had to call them, which I could have done in the first place, I felt that Insight should waive the installation fee. The rep told me that she did not have the authority to waive the fee, but offered to check with a supervisor to see if the fee could be waived. After being on hold for a few minutes, the rep came back and told me that "unfortunately this is a fee that can't be waived." As I said earlier, this wasn't the first customer service issue that I've had with Insight and before I'm finished with this blog I may end up writing about others, but this was simply the last time I felt I could continue to deal with the complete lack of a company simply refusing to "make it right" for a customer. So I told the rep to cancel my order for Roadrunner service, and to also turn off my cable service effective immediately. Now, to be honest, I thought this might prompt some sort of response from her in an effort to try and keep me as a customer...it didn't. She processed my request and when we were finished she thanked me for calling Insight and said "we value your business" to which I responded, "obviously you don't".
Now, the way this works is that I now need to go turn in the Insight equipment to their office, at which point they will schedule someone to come turn off my service, and then I will get a check reimbursing me for any overpayment. If this isn't done within 7 days, the order to turn off my service will be canceled. I suspect that Insight has a lot of customers who threaten to turn off their service but change their mind. I however, immediately went to the only other cable TV provider in my area, ordered their premium cable service (more channels and more expensive than I had with Insight) and their broadband internet. I was surprised to find out that they could come out to my house on a Sunday to do the installation, so the only time I was without cable is when the WOW installer had to unhook the Insight cable that was coming in to my house from outside and plug in his own cable. Today I will be taking my equipment to the office at Insight and will be done putting up with their lack of customer service.
I don't believe in the saying "The Customer is Always Right"...but I do believe that "The Customer is Almost Always Right". Now Insight cable is not going to go out of business because I dropped them. And I am lucky enough to have another cable company in my area, where a lot of people do not. But I also started thinking about this. I didn't see cable TV until I was 12 or 13 years old. Before that, we watched 4, 6 & 10. (And 34 when Sesame Street and the Electric Company were on). I was in my late 20's when the internet came in to being. There are so many things that we consider NEEDS nowadays, that when you really think about it, are WANTS.
I don't NEED cable tv. It's nice to have, but if I had to I could do without. I don't NEED the internet at home. It's nice to have, but I've did without for over a year before yesterday, and for 25+ years before that. So I know that, should this cable provider show me the lack of respect I received from my last provider, I have very little problem turning them off and buying an attenae or, get this...reading a book.
This past weekend I experienced what I considered to be a lack of customer service from a company that I've been a customer of for the last 10+ years. This wasn't the first time that I'd experienced what I considered to be poor customer service from this company, but it will probably be the last, as I've severed ties with them and don't intend to ever go back.
The issue involved my cable TV provider (or now my former cable TV provider) Insight. In order to cut costs a little over a year ago, I had done away with my high speed internet with Insight. I had gone to using a Sprint card when I needed internet service. It wasn't the best situation, and 3G speed does not come anywhere close to matching broadband, so I eventually did away with the Sprint card out of frustration and just decided that any internet activity that I NEEDED to do would be done at work.
Anyway....I finally decided that I wanted internet back in my home, and went to Insight's website to check their prices. I ordered Roadrunner for my house and received a confirmation email saying that they would call me within 2 hours to set up my installation appointment. After 26 hours I had still not recevied a call from them, so I called the 800 provided on the email. I explained to the customer service rep. what had happened, she apologized and set up the order for me, explaining that the installation fee would be $45. I told the rep. at that point that I felt that, since they had not fulfilled their promise of calling me the previous day, and because after ordering their service I still had to call them, which I could have done in the first place, I felt that Insight should waive the installation fee. The rep told me that she did not have the authority to waive the fee, but offered to check with a supervisor to see if the fee could be waived. After being on hold for a few minutes, the rep came back and told me that "unfortunately this is a fee that can't be waived." As I said earlier, this wasn't the first customer service issue that I've had with Insight and before I'm finished with this blog I may end up writing about others, but this was simply the last time I felt I could continue to deal with the complete lack of a company simply refusing to "make it right" for a customer. So I told the rep to cancel my order for Roadrunner service, and to also turn off my cable service effective immediately. Now, to be honest, I thought this might prompt some sort of response from her in an effort to try and keep me as a customer...it didn't. She processed my request and when we were finished she thanked me for calling Insight and said "we value your business" to which I responded, "obviously you don't".
Now, the way this works is that I now need to go turn in the Insight equipment to their office, at which point they will schedule someone to come turn off my service, and then I will get a check reimbursing me for any overpayment. If this isn't done within 7 days, the order to turn off my service will be canceled. I suspect that Insight has a lot of customers who threaten to turn off their service but change their mind. I however, immediately went to the only other cable TV provider in my area, ordered their premium cable service (more channels and more expensive than I had with Insight) and their broadband internet. I was surprised to find out that they could come out to my house on a Sunday to do the installation, so the only time I was without cable is when the WOW installer had to unhook the Insight cable that was coming in to my house from outside and plug in his own cable. Today I will be taking my equipment to the office at Insight and will be done putting up with their lack of customer service.
I don't believe in the saying "The Customer is Always Right"...but I do believe that "The Customer is Almost Always Right". Now Insight cable is not going to go out of business because I dropped them. And I am lucky enough to have another cable company in my area, where a lot of people do not. But I also started thinking about this. I didn't see cable TV until I was 12 or 13 years old. Before that, we watched 4, 6 & 10. (And 34 when Sesame Street and the Electric Company were on). I was in my late 20's when the internet came in to being. There are so many things that we consider NEEDS nowadays, that when you really think about it, are WANTS.
I don't NEED cable tv. It's nice to have, but if I had to I could do without. I don't NEED the internet at home. It's nice to have, but I've did without for over a year before yesterday, and for 25+ years before that. So I know that, should this cable provider show me the lack of respect I received from my last provider, I have very little problem turning them off and buying an attenae or, get this...reading a book.
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