Customer Service in 2014

We Americans have high expectations for service we pay for. When something goes wrong we are quick to call ‘customer service’ at the provider and ask for help. And we expect a reasonable response within a reasonable time.

The move we are currently making from a 6-room townhome to a 4 room apartment has offered some interesting customer service opportunities.

First, Comcast. We have Cable TV and internet service from them. A week or more before the move we called customer service to arrange the connection at the new address. Turns out the apartment had Comcast before us so the Comcast representative told us she had switched the service back on and all we had to do was move their equipment from our old address to the new address, plug it in and connect. Both internet and TV services would be instantly available.

We did that on the move in date and nothing happened. They tested the line and had no record of our order, who we were or when it was to be processed. We gave them all of that data and they attempted to re-establish service over the phone. Well, one thing led to another and they finally said a technician would have to visit our home. Next available date was Tuesday next, this being Thursday. On Friday we attempted the phone fix again and was told that the technician was not available immediately and we would have to pay for the service call. 

No, we told them this was their problem and their system had failed us, the customer. We responded with this challenge: fix it by supper time (3.5 hours hence) or we would call AT&T U-verse. We also expected a good discount on our final bill for the services we paid for but did not get.

They told us we would get a call within 20 minutes. No such call came. We called Customer Service and they are currently working on the problem.

My question is this: when a customer proactively manages their account with a service provider and does everything they asked of us, why is it our fault and expense to fix their problem?  Increasingly Americans are experiencing this utter failure.  Comcast is one of the biggest offenders.  Ask anyone who has or has had Comcast. They are likely to tell you a horror story similar to ours.

I’ll let you know how this turns out, but I bet we change carriers. They have a golden opportunity to prove to us they care about us as customers. I bet they squander the opportunity!

[NOTE: Comcast did not fail us! On that Friday they asked us to meet a service technician at the apartment at 1 PM; we agreed although that was our moving day. On that day the technician called me and asked if we might be available early, say by noon and we said yes. I met the movers and Comcast at the same moment outside the apartment. The technician was a 27-year experienced warrior with Comcast and labored hard to solve our problem. He did so swiftly for internet service; it took a couple of hours longer for TV service. He admitted the staff on the phones at Comcast do not always know what's real in the field and promise what they cannot possibly understand. This was true in our case; the cable service was not 'live' to our apartment and we could never have connected on our own. Problem solved. We remain with Comcast because of the dedication of a field professional. Amen!]

Second, awakening on our first morning in the apartment, I dashed into the shower only to find icy cold water and no hot water whatsoever. What I think was supposed to be hot dribbled out of the shower head at low pressure and no warmth! The sink in the same bathroom provided plentiful hot water. And the second bathroom also had hot water at the sink, and also in the shower. So I switched bathrooms and enjoyed a good shower.

Entering the kitchen I attempted to send the coffee grounds down the garbage disposal but nothing happened. A hum and then a click followed by silence. The unit was dead! Turning to the refrigerator the ice maker was fiddled with over two days but still did not produce any ice. And finally, again in the master bathroom, the toilet leaks water from the upper tank to the lower bowl, and the entire toilet rocks on its base.

I called the tenant help line and got a response in less than 5 minutes. They scheduled a technician visit for Monday morning. This is Friday afternoon as I write this.

The landlord has made a grand start with us; bad for the problems, but great for the response to repair same. So far I am impressed.

[NOTE: the repairman came early for our appointment and fixed nearly everything.  The garbage disposer first and almost in an instant! The ice maker has a more serious problem requiring a specialist. All of the other items were handily repaired and we are totally delighted!]

Third, we reserved a U-Haul truck to move the rest of our household goods on Saturday (tomorrow). I received a call on Friday afternoon confirming pick up and return times only to find out the on-line reservation system made an error. Instead of panicking, the U-Haul representative said she would seek another truck in the system to meet our needs. I asked if a slightly smaller truck were available and she said yes. Problem solved. Together we saved the day.  Customer and service provider worked together to find a reasonable resolution.

[NOTE: the U-Haul experience worked out splendidly. The move went smoothly and we returned the truck two hours earlier than schedule and on budget. Excellent experience with U-Haul!]

Three examples of snafus in what was expected. Three widely divergent methods of addressing each. Reasonable people can get a lot done reasonably.  Unreasonable people fail to solve problems and make larger ones.

Why can’t Comcast seem to learn this valuable lesson? Bankruptcy teaches those lessons well if the companies do not wake up to the real world.

In our case you observe how each case ended. Satisfactorily. Because we stuck to it. And the companies followed suit.

March 19, 2014