Big Telcos and Bad Technical Support
What is it about a company that the larger they get the worse their technical support is?
A large internet service provider here that I won’t mention (begins with ‘T‘, sounds italian) has been messing a client of mine around for three weeks now. They have a telephone line, got a combined telephone/broadband package ordered with them. They got the modem in the post, we hooked the line up to the filter, plugged the telephone and the modem in, and nothing.
When I say ‘nothing’ here, I mean, the telephone didn’t even work. Take the filter out, plug the telephone line back in, and it works fine. We call them up, several times, and get the usual bullshit answers, ‘have you installed the software’, ‘is the modem hooked up’, ‘is the modem on’ blah blah. Finally I get a bit tired of this, ask for a supervisor.
I wait around for 30 minutes for this supervisor to call, no-one calls. We have to now wait for new filters to arrive to “fix” the problem. It won’t, I know it. It’s a line provisioning issue, as it was with my neighbour who had the same problem.
The problem is, that this phone company, beginning with T, won’t listen and insists we install the new filters first before helping us (my client) any further. How stupid is that? So when we get the filters, install them, and they don’t work, then they’ll be forced to actually do some real work on the line, look a bit deeper on the account and figure out that ahhhh, yes there’s something wrong with the line provisioning.
I can’t wait to say, ‘I told you so’. It’s cases like this that I live for that.
(10)
Posted by richard
in life, technology
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You should have just lied and said you already received new filters and it still doesn’t work. If they say, “It’s not in the records that they sent them.” Just say that somebody there obviously didn’t finish their job either.
That’ll put them on the spot of having to step up and cover up a mistake that somebody never made and make themselves look good.
So the line is a POTS line when it should be DSL. They need to get their asses in gear and install the box on the house. I wonder if its because they want a certain telco that begins with “B” and ends with “T” to do it…
Mac: I did, but it backfired on me. They had only just sent them that day …
MrCorey: Funny you should say that - the first time I called, they did blame them, and made me call them. BT said it had nothing to do with them since the client only rents the line from them, the provisioning etc was ‘T’s responsibility.
I’ve never figured out the reason why employees of big companies whose role it is to deal with the public can be so overwhelmingly negative all the time. I know that most of your experiences will be with people who have complaints, but they don’t have to always push back with the same negative. After all, they were hired to help a customer feel that their problem has been solved (note I did not say solve the problem).
Its not the negative “push back” that surprises me, as that’s a natural reaction when one is attacked. Its the way that big companies condone the behavior in such a blanket way (I know this because my employment has been in this role since 2000). I find it sad when people call me on the phone and expect me to either immediately interrupt them or fight with them. Its sad to hear the shock in their voice when I express a desire to help them. Even if its not the answer that they want to hear, I won’t waste their time and fight with them over something irrelevant. But, of course, I actually look for the right answer/solution, as I don’t really want to ever talk to this person again (ironically, that will make them seek you out if they do call again). Its embarrassing to be told that you’re the nicest and most helpful person that they’ve spoken with, when you’ve just been trying to do your job right the first time (to avoid having to do it again).
Corey, maybe you’re different in that respect, having been through the process and realise you can change someone’s life and make it better!
I wish you were on the end when I called ‘T’, you’d have my problem fixed now! Or rather, my client’s, at least.
Update to this: After hmm, two weeks now, still haven’t received the filters in the mail. I’ll be calling them tomorrow and asking them about this…
Shall I mail you my extras?
I dare say they’d get here quicker!
LOL Corey! I was just about to say the same thing. I still have mine when I was with Aliant. HA!