My Date with Verizon
| posted by Fast Company staffA special guest blogger today: My wife Jackie Dyer, who's been vainly waiting at home for, yes, a telephone repair. Classic: A phone company that more than lives up to its own stereotype. In three days, Jackie has become quite the authority on customer non-service. As a prelude to our blockbuster, third annual Customer First Awards package, coming in our September issue, I thought I'd give Jackie the mike:
"Fast Company has written about companies with good customer service. Here's the flip side…
"Verizon. Near monopoly, non-discretionary product, huge switching costs for consumers (getting DSL to work the first time was a nightmare). Not a company that needs to be too worried about customer satisfaction - and believe me, they aren't.
"Since last week, our phone has been experiencing static to the point of unintelligibility. I was given an appointment with a repair technician, for which I needed to be at home from 12 - 5 pm. No way to tighten that time frame - I asked. Also no way to have a dispatcher give me any updates. 4:55 pm, I call and am told that they will not be there tonight. They will come tomorrow, 12 - 4 pm. No way to tighten that time frame. No way to give me special consideration since they'd blown it once. Next day, I cool my heels at home, stewing. Four o'clock, then five - no repairman.
"This morning, I call once more. They will be there very soon, most likely within an hour. I am now Highest Priority. It's noon, and I'm still waiting. And believe me, I've thought about my "customer experience." Here are some tips I'd like to offer Verizon:
"One, don’t lie. Just because I'm not likely to reach you personally next time I call, don’t tell me they will be there at a precise time just to get me off the phone. Don’t tell me they are on the job already. And don't give me some hackneyed excuse. Yeah, a lot of outages due to the storms, so you're really busy. Didn't you already know that when you told me to wait for five hours? I might not be happy, but I'd be a whole lot more satisfied if I had lousy phone service these days but you'd not wasted half my week to boot.
"Two, update your system. We all know you don’t know exactly how long each case will take. But surely at some point in the afternoon, if you're running late, you know you won’t be reaching everyone. Show some respect and let people know. Have your technicians use a cell phone to contact the Repair reps, so they have decent info. Use your own email system, for crying out loud. It would have taken a lot less of your time that dealing with my many calls.
"Three, skip those training sessions where you tutor your reps what to say. I don't care if they feel my pain (okay, they don''t actually say that, but they do "reach out", "apologize", and "know that I am right".) Just give me decent information in a timely manner. It's nice that your reps stay polite but maddening that they can't really do anything to improve the situation.
"I thought it quite telling when I mentioned to a Repair rep that their customer service was, well, less than acceptable. She replied: "Ma'am, you didn't call Customer Service - this is Repair." Guess that about sums up how they think about their jobs."
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Recent Comments | 14 Total
July 21, 2006 at 8:19pm
Frank.
Is this the new American way?
July 21, 2006 at 11:38pm
halDon't fight switch
July 22, 2006 at 4:41am
roger fultonconfirms my experience. Verizon, great equipment, billing is out to lunch. Zero customer service, so I lower my expectations. I don't expect any. That way, I don't get upset at them.They hire the lowest on the totem pole, feed them peanuts and that's who you talk to.
Just remember that...you will NEVER get to talk to anyone who will be able to affect any change.
Vote with your pocket book.
Roger Fulton
Yuma, Az
July 22, 2006 at 10:16am
Pat StaleyI could not even cancell during the 30 day trial period. Could not get local area code as they promised. Talked to ? twice and first time she said "never had a call to cancell in 30 days, but it would be taken care of. Second time phone call given to Supervisor. He said someone would call back. Still waiting 3 months later. Had to cancell credit card to get it stopped. They are still trying to bill me and it keeps adding like I have service. Keep away from Verizon.
July 22, 2006 at 12:03pm
TraciUnfortunately, poor customer service has risen to a national crisis in my book. I spend an inordinate amount of time first trying to navigate the voice response systems that catch you in a loop that you can only get out of by hanging up and starting over; then with customer service reps who can't or won't help; then waiting for a supervisor to call me back, which of course NEVER happens. There are times when I've thrown my hands up in disgust and given up at ever getting resolution. And it's not just Verizon. Extremely poor customer service is EVERYWHERE. It's so pervasive, it impacts the quality of life. As of 7 weeks ago, I now own my own company. Real, old fashioned, solid customer service is going to be a cornerstone of my business. I may not make everybody happy, but I will be responsive, timely, and do what I say I'm going to do.
July 22, 2006 at 2:53pm
Curtis SmithI have had an awful time with Verizon Wireless. They have attempted to charge me for a phone that was returned on time and over bill me for time that I didn't even use. Verizon is not the Customer friendly company they swear to be - Business people - stay away from Verizon and save yourself from headache's after headache.
July 22, 2006 at 4:39pm
Susan R MeyerAfter just under four weeks, eight hours on the phone, and, finally, one rational, helpful individual, I finally got my Verizon DSL. Along the way, I was lied to at least four times and misled countless more times. On at least three calls, no one could find my records. Two people who promised to call back never did. Verizon insisted that they could not remove my old DSL service from the line, even though AT&T had given permission and the line belonged to Verizon in the first place. Their system was down, so my order was caught in a closed loop and needed to be cancelled and started from the beginning.
One competent individual, a Mr. Sang, actually followed the open ticket through and called me to be sure everything was resolved. I consider this close to miraculous from a company that provided so little service and so much disinformation. Oh, yes - they also signed me up for an overpriced phone plan, that, according to one rep., had been discontinued four years ago.
Makes me want two tin cans with a string.
July 22, 2006 at 5:22pm
S. ChreistThere are many factors at work here in America that have gradually undermined the very concepts associated with customer service. Probably the most impactful on the list is ever-growing resentment in the "working-class" ranks. Let's face it, everyone is bombarded via fast media indicating that unless we sport a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren with gold spinning rims, a $4,870 pair of sunglasses, a $13,540 Rolex, gems, rings, and custom tailored clothes.
What's that?? You can't afford it? Let me introduce you to Amex, Visa, and Mastercard.. But don't miss a payment...
People who work thankless jobs all over America get home and watch on TV as Jam Master Booya takes them on a tour of his 28 million dollar estate. People are left feeling like everyone but me is making cash hand-over-fist and that pisses them off, grinds their willingness to help others into the ground, and builds resentment.
Ask yourself, if you have the time, do you provide outstanding customer service to everyone who asks something of you?
July 24, 2006 at 12:27pm
myleskI recently moved into a new apartment in Manhattan and made the decision to go with TimeWarner's all-in-one triple play package (Cable, VoIP, Internet).
I made the appointment approximately 3 weeks in advance and was told I'd receive a call the day-of to confirm.
The call came! (To my shock.) And the call came from the man doing the installation! (Even more shocking!) AND HE ASKED IF HE COULD COME EARLY!!!
And since we were moving into the new apartment not only did he install everything but was happy to answer when asked for his opinion on where we should put the couch.
Bravo TimeWarner!
July 25, 2006 at 9:13am
Steven BurdaNot for long... Competition is fierce!
-Steven Burda
http://www.linkedin.com/in/burda
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