Aug 21st, 2008
If Time is Money, Why is Customer Service so Horrible?
I could do an entire blog on Sprint, but someone beat me to it.
The truth of the matter is that because I have a SERO plan and because I desperately need 3G data through a tetherable phone, I’m married to them for as long as my $30 a month deal survives (and as long as there’s nothing that’s better and close in price that comes along).
That said, in all the years I’ve dealt with Sprint, I have had absolutely horrible customer service experiences with them all except two times.
I am trying to get a phone number ported to them right now. I called on Saturday and spoke with someone who said she had all the data she needed to make the port. Of course, the port was not made. I have since received several messages from them via voicemail that they need me to call back. So I did, even though I greatly dislike talking to them. And of course, I got through to their voicemail system once that proceeded to tell me my call would be answered in under two minutes, then five minutes, then ten minutes, then twenty minutes (with not so much as a second of pause between the announcements)… and then hung up on me. I followed up with an email telling them I tried to call but their voicemail system was obviously not working properly and would like to know if it was repaired. In short, their reply did nothing to answer my question, instead directing me to call again.
I made it quite clear that this did not answer my question but I would really like them to list in email that I would like a list of information they need beforehand so I could make sure I had everything available. While they have responded, they have not provided such a list, and they have made it clear to me the only way to do the number port is by a phone call. So I called again, and the customer service representative acted like there was absolutely no record of this issue, then proudly transferred me to someone who could help me–except “someone” was a phone number that had a recorded message stating they were closed and no way to leave a message.
Another series of fruitless email followed. I have yet to call them back, and I realize that the reason why I don’t like calling them is the same reason that those of us who hate calling customer service hate it: it’s an exercise in frustration. All of the things that I try to make this less painful (like contacting them in email to try to do the whole process that way or at least getting a specific list of needed information) have been totally futile. Does the modern large company not understand that their customer service representatives are wasting their time and money and their customers’ time and money, and moreover, alienating their customers at the same time?
I continue to be amazed at how poor customer service has become.
[...] If Time is Money, Why is Customer Service so Horrible? [...]
Sorry to hear about your story. Knock on wood, but I’ve had surprisingly good experiences with Sprint the last few times I’ve dealt with them. One hint is to try to use their online chat feature as often as possible, as I’ve had great experiences with this (you get this after you log into your account online). One was with regards to a change I wanted to make in my plan but couldn’t quite figure out how to do online. The other was to answer a question about why my wife and I were getting different prices on the exact same phone even though we’re in the same plan. The CSR answered it but then advised me on how to place my order so that we saved $50, and it worked! They also sent me a loyalty certificate worth $115 if we renewed for another two years. I had been afraid that they wouldn’t honor that because I had just gotten the new phones and as a result, had already done the two year renewal, so this would basically amount to a $115 credit for adding another two weeks. But, the CSR I spoke to (had to call that time) happily gave me the credit.
So, better luck in your experiences with them in the future. Hopefully this shows that hope is not lost!
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Ryan M. Suenaga, CSR Blast. CSR Blast said: #CSRBlast @dkmashino http://www.uncommon-cents.net/2008/08/21/if-time-is-money-why-is-customer-service-so-horrible/ http://ow.ly/17Ajwh [...]