What’s the worst customer service you’ve ever received?

[SuperMeerkat]

This is actually laughable as it was so bad. Today I was in NatWest as my husband is doing a Masters through his work and wanted to change his account to a student account. Anyway, we were told a 10 minute wait and after 40 we were still waiting. I enquires why this was and was told ‘they were busy’. I asked why the man couldn’t have kept us (and all the other customers) informed of the waiting time and he then put his hand up to my face, walked off and started talking to someone else. I said I hadn’t finished my query and he said ‘he didn’t have time to update people on waiting times’ despite sitting 6 feet away from everyone. Anyhow, he then yelled at me and my husband that we weren’t welcome at the branch and he was going to shut our account 😂😂 Crazy.

A Somerset animal hospital. I was trying to book my cat in for a £2500 procedure that would save her life.
I asked really politely if I might collect her after work as I work in intensive care and can't just take the day off at short notice obviously.
She shrieked at me that I MAKE THE APPOINTMENTS NOT YOU and proceeded to castigate me for 10 minutes until I actually started crying, I was so worried about my cat. She then told me she'd cancelled my appointment - without even asking me.
Well fuck her, I don't want angry bitches like that anywhere near my vulnerable elderly cat thank you very much.
I've arranged to take her to a much nicer hospital but 4 hours drive away. I'd sooner drive 12 hours than have a woman like that go anywhere near my cat.
What the hell is wrong with people?

I had a series of issues with EE, but in amongst it one of the phone staff pretended to me that an engineer was still on his way that mid afternoon. Later on a different member of staff said that they had never been due to attend that day, and were booked for two days later. They remained silent when I pointed out that their colleague had actually lied to me.

@FlashesOfRage I've had a very similar experience in a local independently-owned outdoor clothing shop, over a pair of leaky hiking boots... I wonder if it was the same shop?

Many years ago in John Lewis. Went to one branch to buy some fabric I'd spent ages choosing to make some curtains. I was quite broke at the time so I was looking at the cheaper ranges, but would still cost a fair bit because I needed a lot. They didn't have enough in that branch so called another one and they agreed to hold it for me. Schlepped across London to get it, went to the fabric department, and the guy I spoke to said "oh yes, that cheap nasty stuff".

I was so upset. I just paid and left, and then complained (and they did deal with it quite well as I recall). Nowadays I'd go bloody mad there in the shop, but this was way back in my more timid youth. Outrageous.

Hewlett Packard.

At the time I ran three peoples busy lives with my laptop as I was a carer for my grandad and becoming a carer for my increasingly disabled mum as well as myself and I needed to be able to follow up all sorts, contact people, do the online shop whilst sat with them. It was also my window to my friends as I could chat to them online via msn etc and various forums whilst not being able to see them at that particular time and also my form of entertainment at night when I had to sit with them because life was tough then with 2 dependant adults. It was a proper little lifeline.

The laptop developed a fault with its abating system and overheated to the point where it would turn itself off. It wasn't very old (6 months) so it was covered under the guarantee. I had to write a report as to what was wrong with it and mentioned that it was a heavily used, much loved and much looked after machine. (I had a proper bag for it, a cooling stand with a fan, it was used in a little fold up table etc) and please keep me informed.

It went back and had gone missing for approx a week before they found it. Then they kept throwing up all these errors and things that it hadn't gone in with allegedly saying it had been dropped (it hadn't) and it had had water poured in it. His actual words were that it was swimming in water when it got to them (not true at all even if it had, it'd been missing for 8 days before they'd found it in their system. What water would pool to the point of still "pouring out of the laptop" after then? And what silly bastard would plug it in if it was so obviously wet through to find these other alleged faults? I actually asked him "are you calling me a liar?" at one point in the call and he said "yes!"

Unluckily for him the call was recorded at both ends (thank you truecall!)

At the other end of the scales Staples (who I had bought it from initially were incredible when I reported it to them. I explained I'd followed repair procedure but they were doing everything in their power to try and essentially get out of repairing it without charging me £££ for work it didn't need and I hadn't done.

Within 24 hours of notifying them the area manager (!) rang me, gave me his personal number and said he would sort it and to come into store that day. Once there he told me they'd asked for the report and were taking it further as what I had reported and the recorded calls were clearly nonsense, they asked for the laptop back and were sending it for an independent report.

Within an hour of arriving I had a new, slightly more expensive laptop of a different make with a new bag, an external HD, a spindle of dvds to record to and a new laptop stand. They were incredible. They followed it through and told me not to worry and they'd deal with anything hp threw back because it was clearly someone trying to potentially fiddle the system.

Never bought anything hp (or compaq) since a d neither have my friends or family.

My old hometown council. I was 17, in FT education and working and earning just enough to pay my own bills and rent (albeit discounted rent from a family friend who was sympathetic to my family life) with almost no money at all left over. I called the council and gave them all my details. Living alone, Full time education, 17 years old, moved in that month etc and they sent me a huge bill. It was for the full year (including time I didn't live there) and the maximum amount. I called them again. Told them my details and the fact that my bill should have been nothing due to my schooling. I even walked almost an hour to their offices to hand them physical proof. They accepted it and still I received demands. We went back and forth for a long while ending in debt collector threats which somehow never materialised. Each time cost me my food money that week using a phone box.

Eventually my education finished but I was still low income so paid weekly CT bill using the barcode of the bill. I paid religiously. I got a demand for unpaid £60 of the last years bill with added charges taking it over £100. I counted up my receipts and the full amount was there. Took them to the offices and they counted too. Couldn't figure out what the issue was and sent me on my way. I didn't have an extra £100 to give them but borrowed it and made the payment. I got more demands, all the while making my regular weekly payment. The debt just grew and grew. It took a full year of phone calls, visits, paying them the debt twice over and even a CCJ for them to admit that every extra payment I had made had been credited to my current year's council tax bill for some reason PLUS THE FOLLOWING YEAR's once I had paid it up months early due to all the extra "debt" payments and they refused to credit my old one. The unpaid £60 had grown to hundreds. I paid it off by weekly postal order to a bailiff's firm who of course added their cut too.

Hoover. Bought a Hoover that specifically stated it could be used for both carpet and hard wood flooring (change of setting etc). Didn't pick up a thing from the hard floor. They sent an engineer out who said there was nothing wrong with it - you just had to sweep up any debris from the hard wood floor and use the hose. Erm that's not what I wanted and I bought a product for this specific purpose. Hoover weren't having any of it and were truly awful,. Haven't bought a Hoover product since and I don't intend to.

@FacebookRager I rarely think that social media is a good thing but if Twitter had been around then your could have been all over it and I bet this wouldn't have happened. That's really awful.

Oh and the Royal Bank of Scotland. Years ago I moved house and advised them of my change of address - statements came to new address so all fine etc. Then I noticed some 'suspicious activity' on my account a couple of years later and contacted them - they confirmed all my details etc. They had sent a new debit card to my old address and it had been used by someone to the tune of about £500 - they said it was because I hadn't advised them of my new address. I said I clearly had as they sent my bank statements there which is how I noticed the issue in the first place.

This went on for months until a friend who worked in banking told me all the correct terms to put in my letters to put the wind up them. It was sorted and they gave me a £10 'goodwill' voucher.

I'm keeping the details slightly vague in case it's identifying

I rang a govt agency during the week. I had been paid for a day's work by one client (I work from a panel iykwim) . But for the wrong day. So when the client I had actually worked for that day tried to process my pay claim the computer said I'd been paid already. So I rang the relevant Dept to see which client had paid in error. Lady refused to tell me. Data protection. I said whose data? She said mine . The company would have to ring up to see who had paid me in error. I said the secretary only works part time and has more to do than chase up someone else's error. Why could she not tell me now? I know my govt access number etc. She said until she had the facts she couldn't help me. Plus GDOR . I said I had told her the facts. And the data is mine. Then she hung up on me . I emailed her department and the government agency in charge to complain.
I also however immediately rang back, got a different person and my query was dealt with instantly.

@SpiderCharlotte I agree. I can't believe how difficult things were back then. It could have all been sorted out really quickly by going online and making an online payment or paying by debit card over the phone etc. So many different ways to deal with things now. Back then just a phone call alone would cost me £4+ in a phone box when I had just £5 to my name and no bank account because I had no ID to open one. These days even the poorest of us usually have credit or ways of getting a free phone number, chatting online or even emailing. And if that fails, tweeting can resolve most issues.

@FacebookRager your original post made me feel quite sad actually. A 17 year old kid trying her best and being treated like that. Really awful. 😟

I’ve had one this week

Bought my daughter’s pony a new light weight turnout rug - first day out in it in rain, the rug leaked.

Tried to send it back to be told that it was a fashion accessory and shouldn’t be worn outside

It’s a turn out rug FFS, they’re fugly, nothing fashionable about them. Plus, the whole point of the flipping things is to be worn outside

Madness

Tried to send it back to be told that it was a fashion accessory and shouldn’t be worn outside

I had that once in Office....for a pair of SHOES!

Currys.

My washing machine broke, well more finally gave up and died, so I needed a replacement. Spotted a bargain on their website for a top of the range one with a 50% discount so I ordered one and filled in my details for delivery. Got confirmation that my order was accepted. Only, the next day, I got a phonecall from them to say that there was an issue and I'd not be getting my washing machine despite using my credit card to pay for it. Instead they tried to flog me a different brand but at the full 100% price. They were incredibly vague as to why I couldn't have the one I'd ordered which left me in no doubt that it was false advertising designed to suck you in. I'd already scoped out an alternative for the same price as I'd already paid so stuck to my guns and refused to pay the higher price but, again, was left in no doubt that it was part of a deliberate high-pressure sales campaign.

I had a similar issue over a laptop. I had found one that fitted my needs perfectly and, even better, I had gift vouchers that would cover 50% of the price tag. While the vouchers were for a shopping mall, they quite clearly stated on them that they also were valid in the nearby trading estate where Currys were located. Something that I thought would be no issue but Currys staff knew better. The sales assistant refused to accept the vouchers, not because they were invalid but because "You're not supposed to use several at the same time". I asked where this rule was written as I would like to see it at which point she huffed and puffed and muttered about it being "Unfair and "Not using the vouchers as they were intended to be used." I asked to speak to the manager who took the vouchers off me, scrutinised them as if they might be forgeries and then allowed them to be used in a barely disguised "Oh, let the baby have their bottle." dismissive fashion.

Tried to send it back to be told that it was a fashion accessory and shouldn’t be worn outside

Endsleigh student insurance refused to insure my mobile phone years ago unless I didn't take it out of my student digs as it was only covered there. They'd offered it as a paid add-on to the standard policy, perhaps the underwriters hadn't done their sums properly.

Virgin cost me £250
BUPA cost me £2250
LPFA will cost me £7k wd be £14k if I didn't have £7k - legalnobligation but they decided not to tell me about about a revaluation for 12 to 18 months - because
RBS
NHS - general rudeness; general failures; micro aggressions esp re equality

Comet deserves to be where it is now.

They did the "bait and switch" tactic as @ManorMouse describes. Offered an Xbox 360 bundle for a certain price. We went to the store first thing, first day of the offer and despite seeing it everywhere they apparently had none left but offered us every item individually for full price. Friend who worked there later said they didn't have the offer in the first place. It was BS.

We went in another time for a new tv, £1000 reduced to £800. The sales assistant kept grabbing items and telling us we needed this and that (like a £70 surge protector extension lead that the TV absolutely needed!!!!! Even if it did, I'd buy one in B&M for a fiver!)
At the till she automatically added on random things like a sound bar and insurance for 12 months. I asked what insurance covered that the guarantee didn't legally have to provide. She couldn't say but did insist we needed it. DH is a softy and was struggling to say no but there was no way I was paying hundreds more than we needed to. I wonder how many people Comet ripped off that way.

Another one is Domestic and General insurance which can be great or awful, depending on how firm you are with them. They always call immediately when I buy a new appliance to offer insurance. I decline because it has a 12 month guarantee so insurance is pointless. I do tell them to call back in 12 months though. They do, I insure and I claim very easily when necessary. MIL however got convinced to insure her sky box and tv. She paid the year's policy in one and when the tv broke down after just over a month they wouldn't let her claim as she hadn't held the policy long enough? Lord know what she had agreed to.

American Airlines - the staff are so rude think they are renowned for it

BT hours and hours talking to their customer service. Eventually went further. They were charging me for where I used to live even though in the system they were aware I had moved out. Even with my new address not on their system and hooked as new line to be connected they reconnected the old flat. So had now phone line or internet took ages to sort out and reclaimed the costs from calling from my mobile too

Virgin - complaint made about an engineer harassing me. No interest at all until the police contacted them for further information. Was actually asked by a manager what he thought he could do - we take it to your HR department and inform them (I don’t know his name)

*i though he could do

Ffs

*i thought he could do

I could go on for days!

Vodafone who offered me a discount to stay but then charged me full price and more than I had been paying before. I spent hours arguing with them pointing out that having asked to leave, I was unlikely to pay more to stay! One person even lied saying they had a recording of me agreeing to the higher payment. Eventually the ombudsman ruled in my favour.

Virgin who agreed to provide all 3 services to the house but then couldn't provide the broadband as there weren't enough lines at the exchange. So then charged me the cost of providing phone and TV at a higher rate than 2, as I was only eligible for the offer if I had all 3. And I couldn't cancel as I'd signed a contract. They ended up settling with the ombudsman too.

Last month at the Harvester, our waitress kept walking past our table and averting her eyes. The manager was getting exasperated with her and kept reminding her to attend to our table. I can't think what we're did to upset her but she wouldn't serve us all evening and the manager had to keep an eye on us. DH is a teacher and I asked if she was an ex student he'd pissed off.

Yesterday in Sainsbury's when I asked at Customer Services how to Double Up on the Nectar app as it wasn't showing. She just replied "oh I don't do apps" and walked away! Someone from the kiosk had to come and take over. I did look up at the sign to check I hadn't accidentally asked at the wrong desk!

British Airways Boxing Day 2004. Phoned up to request a vegetarian meal on my transatlantic flight and they told me to "fuck off" and put the phone down! (Temps drinking in the office maybe?)

Egghead this was the day of the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, maybe they had bigger fish to fry? Mind you even if it was all hands on deck to get passengers back from the affected areas, no excuse for telling other customers to fuck off and hanging up!

Another BT one.

My DMil’s phone line went down. Bit urgent at the time as she had cancer and was in the middle of treatment. We phoned BT every single day. Every single day they promised that it would be fixed within 24 hours. Every single day we spoke to a different person and had to explain it all over again.

Then the lies started.

‘There’s an engineer at your house.’

No there isn’t.

‘There’s an engineer in your road.’

Nope. Dead end lane, open fields, no one here.

‘There’s an engineer in the next road.’

Nope. Also open fields, no engineer anywhere.

‘There’s roadworks on the main road which have caused the fault.’

No there aren’t. We’ve driven the whole eleven miles of main road between the two nearest towns, there aren’t any roadworks. Anywhere.

‘We’re waiting for roadworks to begin to fix the fault.’

Sigh.

Eventually we got hold of our local MP and miraculously they were suddenly able to come out and fix the crappy phone wires outside her house.

Absolute bastards.