Compensating bad service

dbnavan

I was just thinking, do people think customers should be compensated in some way, when a customer service agent screws up... or at least get more then a we will look in to it, some examples

1) I complained about a service agent who told me on the phone to call back when i "sober up".
I have Cerebral Palsy and slurred speech

2) I complained when a dishwasher repair man didnt show up twice.

3) I complained when a postman left a parcel on my doorstep leaving it for anyone to walk away with it.

4) this was the latest, when a friend of mine rang a phone company to say she she was out of work sick and needed time to come up with the money, the CS person asked "Well how much are you getting on Social Welfare", now the CS Manager seemed very angry that such a personal question be asked and that the client was hung up on for getting angry over the comment, by demanding to speak to his Manager.

The manager put a note on her account that half would be paid this month and half next month and service would not be cut

Each time all you get is a, We will look into it, thanks for the complaint. But do you ever wonder, was anything ever done about it? Did the manager hang up and laugh? Was it joked about after work?

My question is.....Is it the customers right to know how their complaint was delt with if at all, or should it be?

xzanti

1) I complained about a service agent who told me on the phone to call back when i "sober up".




Rofl

aidan_walsh

Compensated, how?

As long as the complaint gets delt with in a reasonable time, I don't see how we need a minute by minute blow of what happened.

dbnavan

Not sure how, but at least to know more about their complaint other then it will be dealt with internally, sorry for the inconvience.

I would think waiting around for a maintaince man to service a dishwasher for 2 days, Or that being highly insulted and taking the time to write to a company to tell them about it,is more then an 'inconvience'.

Gordon

I don't understand the thread - is it about compensation or about whether or not the customer should get a review of what happens with their complaint?

joe_chicken

dbnavan wrote:

I was just thinking, do people think customers should be compensated in some way, when a customer service agent screws up... or at least get more then a we will look in to it, some examples

1) I complained about a service agent who told me on the phone to call back when i "sober up".
I have Cerebral Palsy and slurred speech

2) I complained when a dishwasher repair man didnt show up twice.

3) I complained when a postman left a parcel on my doorstep leaving it for anyone to walk away with it.

4) this was the latest, when a friend of mine rang a phone company to say she she was out of work sick and needed time to come up with the money, the CS person asked "Well how much are you getting on Social Welfare", now the CS Manager seemed very angry that such a personal question be asked and that the client was hung up on for getting angry over the comment, by demanding to speak to his Manager.

The manager put a note on her account that half would be paid this month and half next month and service would not be cut

Each time all you get is a, We will look into it, thanks for the complaint. But do you ever wonder, was anything ever done about it? Did the manager hang up and laugh? Was it joked about after work?

My question is.....Is it the customers right to know how their complaint was delt with if at all, or should it be?

This, in my opinion, is the way Customer Services works:

1) Front line Customer Service agent gets all the flak from customers, has to keep in line with company policy (which usually entails giving as little to the customer as possible). They are like a shield for managers... they filter out all the amateur complainers, if you will

2) Then there's Managers who don't like taking abuse from people, so whenever they can avoid it, they won't. If you get in direct contact with these people, they will be very apologetic about the agents behaviour and more than likely give you what you want, but in reality, they are the ones who are pushing the rules that the agent was following

If you don't get to a manager while complaining, then consider it a failure!

The only way to get anything done through Customer Services is to shout as loud as you can, for as long as you can

dbnavan

Gordon wrote:

I don't understand the thread - is it about compensation or about whether or not the customer should get a review of what happens with their complaint?

Probably one or the other or even both depending on the circumstances. Cant see a company handing a customer 50 euro every time they are insulted, although it would lead to a better standard of Customer Care.

Hobbes

"I complained when a dishwasher repair man didnt show up twice."

This is Irish culture (read an foriegeners guide to Ireland).

Sad Professor

it depends on the service being provided. but i think most times that they get it right or apologise for their error should be enough. compensation shouldn't be necessary.

somepeople just complain about everything. i work in a shop and somebody once wanted compensation because their trolly was wet. i mean - it was raining! its not our fault

dbnavan

joe_chicken wrote:

If you don't get to a manager while complaining, then consider it a failure!

My wife works in a call centre, and as soon as a customer asks to speak to a manager or supervisor, she can not interact any further with the client except to awknowledge his/her request, put them on hold and get a supervisor

WhiteWashMan

dbnavan wrote:

I was just thinking, do people think customers should be compensated in some way, when a customer service agent screws up... or at least get more then a we will look in to it, some examples

1) I complained about a service agent who told me on the phone to call back when i "sober up".
I have Cerebral Palsy and slurred speech

2) I complained when a dishwasher repair man didnt show up twice.

3) I complained when a postman left a parcel on my doorstep leaving it for anyone to walk away with it.

4) this was the latest, when a friend of mine rang a phone company to say she she was out of work sick and needed time to come up with the money, the CS person asked "Well how much are you getting on Social Welfare", now the CS Manager seemed very angry that such a personal question be asked and that the client was hung up on for getting angry over the comment, by demanding to speak to his Manager.

The manager put a note on her account that half would be paid this month and half next month and service would not be cut

Each time all you get is a, We will look into it, thanks for the complaint. But do you ever wonder, was anything ever done about it? Did the manager hang up and laugh? Was it joked about after work?

My question is.....Is it the customers right to know how their complaint was delt with if at all, or should it be?

do me a favour.

you know theres a consumer issues forum.

use it.

Capt'n Midnight

joe_chicken wrote:

1) Front line Customer Service agent gets all the flak from customers, has to keep in line with company policy (which usually entails giving as little to the customer as possible). They are like a shield for managers... they filter out all the amateur complainers, if you will

2) Then there's Managers who don't like taking abuse from people, so whenever they can avoid it, they won't. If you get in direct contact with these people, they will be very apologetic about the agents behaviour and more than likely give you what you want, but in reality, they are the ones who are pushing the rules that the agent was following

If you don't get to a manager while complaining, then consider it a failure!

The only way to get anything done through Customer Services is to shout as loud as you can, for as long as you can

LOL

That's the way it works - Front line can only sort out normal problems and normally have very limited powers. Managers / supervisors give in because they have the power to appease customers, if you get past front line you are likely on the home straight. Record all calls so you have a whole list of stuff to reel off when you get through.

TBH. In my experiance ,the people who benefit most from compensation are the screamers, not the deserving. And it really upsets me when mangers / supervisors cave in so easily compared to the level of abuse they expect front line to take - even worse when they pass the customer back to the original front line person to process the appeasement. The patient people who put up with it subsidise people who are hard to please.

dbnavan wrote:

My wife works in a call centre, and as soon as a customer asks to speak to a manager or supervisor, she can not interact any further with the client except to awknowledge his/her request, put them on hold and get a supervisor

wow, they should mention that one in their recruitment ads !

Metacortex

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

TBH. In my experiance ,the people who benefit most from compensation are the screamers, not the deserving. And it really upsets me when mangers / supervisors cave in so easily compared to the level of abuse they expect front line to take - even worse when they pass the customer back to the original front line person to process the appeasement. The patient people who put up with it subsidise people who are hard to please.

I work in a call centre and this is 100% true.
The managers cave to most obnoxious, loud bastards.

I've found that complaints are more often than not, passed along to managers and dealt with as opposed to being forgotten about.