I had this crazy, surreal customer service adventure this morning. It was like an epic video game; I had to master each level by slaying the dragon before I could move on.
First I had to find the customer service number. It was cleverly hidden at the end of an online maze. Then I had to get past the gatekeeper, an automated voice that offered a set of ambiguous options, none of which matched my need. I had to resort to deception before I was granted an audience with an actually, breathing customer service representative. Of course, she was not the representative who was assigned to deal with my particular problem. I was forced to listen to a fusion of static and jazz while on hold for 10 minutes. Finally my knight in shining armor came on the line. I told him what I needed and he quickly offered a solution. He assured me that he would grant my customer service wish. I love happy endings.
This story has a prologue, however. I opened my email a few minutes later and found a confirmation from the corporate overlords. It seems that my account was incorrectly modified. My knight was a troll. Was this an invitation to get back in the game? Not for me. I'm tired of slaying dragons. It feels more like tilting at windmills.
Sad to say, there is little customer service anymore. And, most companies make it almost impossible to get to a person who can help -- endless branches on phone trees, long waits on hold, and then reps who have no power. Or they insist that you use the internet to communicate, despite the fact that 1/3 of Americans don't have acess to the internet. I feel sorry for the people who have to take the calls, and always explain that I understand it isn't their fault that I am not happy with the company. I would hate that job. I wonder what all those reps in India think of Americans, they probably just hear our angry side. I once asked an American Express second tier customer service rep in Manila if she understood why we Americans were so angry with the big financial institutions. She said "No," so I explained the whole rip off that had happened over the last several months. By the end of the conversation she was supporting my idea to file a formal complaint with every government agency I could think of. I asked her if she would be fired for this, she said no, she didn't think so, but that the boss people would probably lecture her for hours the next day. I wonder if there are any big companies that do what is morally right anymore, or if they simply do what gains the most profit and doesn't land them in jail? A very sad state of affairs.
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