{"id":467,"date":"2009-01-16T16:55:36","date_gmt":"2009-01-16T21:55:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/toddsingleton.net\/chronicle\/index.php\/?p=467"},"modified":"2009-01-21T12:14:03","modified_gmt":"2009-01-21T17:14:03","slug":"rules-of-good-customer-service-for-2009","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toddsingleton.net\/chronicle\/2009\/01\/16\/rules-of-good-customer-service-for-2009\/","title":{"rendered":"Bad Customer Service Practices"},"content":{"rendered":"

I am establishing the guidelines for what I will consider good customer service in 2009. This is my oath: If I come in contact with any company using the practices described here I will work to discontinue all business relationships that will result in a monetary gain for the company engaging in reduced or bad customer service.<\/p>\n

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  1. Automated phone attendants.<\/em>\u00a0 Time Warner – gone.\u00a0 Sirius – gone.\u00a0 Any other company want me to answer to a damned computer that poorly impersonates a humans job?\u00a0 Don’t bother employing the computer, just cancel my account.\u00a0 I’ve heard plenty of people say “I don’t mind automated attendants, I just don’t like it when they can’t understand me”.\u00a0 Well, it’s sad to know the human intellect in some people has reduced them to a bowl of brain lard willing to answer to a computer.\u00a0 Do they realize how stupid they sound answering these automated questions in front of other people?\u00a0\u00a0 This God forsaken technology was adopted by companies for no other reason than replacing humans to answer the phones.\u00a0 It’s sold as “better customer service”.\u00a0 It’s bullshit and I call it.\u00a0 End automated service attendants and put customer service reps back to work on the phones.<\/li>\n
  2. The inability to pay on-line or limited web presence.<\/em>\u00a0 I can pay my water bill on the Internet.\u00a0 If the municipal governments can do it so can any finance or service company. While searching for a car recently I was offered financing options.\u00a0 I was amazed how many companies don’t offer electronic invoicing or on-line bill payment.\u00a0 As far as I’m concerned they are not worth conducting business with if they can’t accept payments on-line when I want to make one in 2009.\u00a0 Which is actually different than number three:<\/li>\n
  3. Any company that requires scheduled electronic drafting of a checking account for bill payment.\u00a0<\/em> I’m about to change my life insurance next week because of this.\u00a0 The only way ING will accept payments on the policy is through scheduled electronic drafts.\u00a0 I’m not letting any company take money out on a schedule when they want.\u00a0 No one’s ever taking money out of my checking account at any time until I authorize it each and every time, not once for a particular date of the month, recurring.\u00a0 The utility companies try to push people into scheduled drafts as often as they can.\u00a0 Even if you are a millionaire and you’re letting any company do this your a fool.\u00a0 If I need to explain why you are a bigger fool.<\/li>\n
  4. Any service or product exceeding the cost stated in a quote, written or verbal.<\/em>\u00a0 Hidden fees, and other “Misc.” charges can go to hell.\u00a0 I’m not putting up with it anymore.\u00a0 It’s a good thing I don’t have a phone bill because cramming is part of their game.\u00a0 You never know what you’re going to pay until the bill comes.\u00a0 It’s time companies learned to invoice their customers and make revenue without feeling like they have to add small change to the bill using cryptic charges and ridiculous fees.\u00a0 Send me one crammed bill during 2009 and I’ll send you a notice of account termination.\u00a0 Mine will be easy to read.<\/li>\n
  5. Any company that refuses to refund or credit an account for a bad product or service(s).<\/em>\u00a0 This is the ultimate heeeellll naaawwww.\u00a0 If you sell me crap, you take it back and give the money back.\u00a0 If I pay someone to do a job or provide a service it will be done as expected or it will be refunded.\u00a0 It’s surprising how many stories are emerging about companies that will not refund money when they have provided bad products or services.\u00a0 The Snake-oil Salesmen think they can win.\u00a0 The “buyer beware” mentality that has formulated under the Bush Administration and the best congress money can buy which does not hold companies accountable for their actions has nurtured this prolific, vile attitude in companies.\u00a0 I will learn the art of the lawsuit if this occurs to me this year.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Perhaps they are in charge thanks to the calls for Corporate America and Capitalism at any and all cost.\u00a0 The cost has been reliable products and quality services.\u00a0 It’s been replaced by rampant dishonesty creating consumer distrust and a struggling consumer market.\u00a0 I know full well that great big companies worth billions, some facing bankruptcy, could care less about my one little account.\u00a0 I’m still canceling it if the service sucks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    I am establishing the guidelines for what I will consider good customer service in 2009. This is my oath: If I come in contact with any company using the practices described here I will work to discontinue all business relationships that will result in a monetary gain for the company engaging in reduced or bad … Continue reading Bad Customer Service Practices<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-467","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-money"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/toddsingleton.net\/chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/toddsingleton.net\/chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/toddsingleton.net\/chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toddsingleton.net\/chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toddsingleton.net\/chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=467"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/toddsingleton.net\/chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/toddsingleton.net\/chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toddsingleton.net\/chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toddsingleton.net\/chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}