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Original poster

Poll on worst customer service you get from any large company you have to deal with on a regular basis?

197 replies

A580Hojas · 17/01/2022 20:55

My nomination is Vodafone. By miles.

I rang them earlier, got the "we're all busy, do you want to book a call back?" option. So I booked it. They have now called back and I have now been waiting 35 minutes listening to their music interspersed by "sorry for the delay, your call is top priority and will be answered next" every 60 seconds.

In the time I've been holding I've been for a wee, husband has cooked the pasta to go with the bolognese, served it all up, mine's going cold while I wait for Vodafone to give me a few moments of customer service.

How crappy can a telecoms company actually be in 2022? I can only assume there is one person taking calls for Vodafone tonight.

OP posts:
Original poster
A580Hojas · 17/01/2022 21:07

Ended the call at 47 minutes 27 seconds. Am hungry!

OP posts:
9ofpentangles · 17/01/2022 21:08

Imagine arranging a call back and not even being there! I think that one wins

SnoopyLights · 17/01/2022 21:11

Currently I am unhappy with Vets 4 Pets

We have 2 cats and 1 dog, and pay monthly for flea and worm treatment for them all. They said it would cost £8.00 per month per cat, and £9.00 per month for the dog.

The treatment is due every three months and they said they would post it out. They said this would include an annual health check for each pet.

When I set it up, they tried to charge me double and then argued with me about the price they had first quoted.

Then they didn't send out the second batch of medication, so I had to go and collect it.

The third time the medication was due, they only sent it for the dog, because they said the cats needed their health check - which they are now claiming is not included and they wanted an extra £42 per cat.

We've argued this and in the end we got the medication which we have paid for and they were withholding. Less than three weeks later, they have sent out a second lot of medication, but only for one cat.

Which they should not have sent, as it's administered every three months not every three weeks.

They also sent out an extra pill for the dog, which he doesn't need yet.

I'm really doubting that they know what they are doing, and we still haven't resolved the issue of the health check - but it is advertised on a poster in their surgery and on their website as being included in the monthly payments, so I am not happy with them at this time.

It's an ongoing argument at the moment and I am not happy with them at all.

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TheDuchessOfBeddington · 17/01/2022 21:14

If it makes you feel better 3 are worse. You don’t have to wait so long for the call to be picked up, but then it’s SO HARD to explain yourself.

Then they keep you on the phone for ages trying to sell you extra contracts. When you say you are happy with the number you have, they try to suggest you might want more ‘to give to friends and family’.

Last time I got so pissed off with them I lied and said my husband was made redundant due to Covid and was in no position to be paying the phone bills for ‘friends and family’ for no reason. That shut him up at least. Argggg!!!

delilahbucket · 17/01/2022 21:15

HMRC and the worst thing is, you can't just switch to another company. You need them and they know it. I've lost count of how many times I've got through to someone after a good 30-40 minutes and then they hang up.
The only company worse than that is eBay, but I did talk with my feet a few months ago and shut my shop. I've been a business seller on there for 18 years and banging my head against a brick wall with their shitty customer service reps who make things up as they go along and they deny saying the words they just said. I was absolutely done with them.

glassofbubbles25 · 17/01/2022 21:16

talk talk shite but cheap Grin

kitkatsky · 17/01/2022 21:19

HMRC or Virgin Media!

DaphneduWarrior · 17/01/2022 21:23

Virgin Media by a mile. I pay £50 a month and my fucking wifi goes down every single fucking day. Takes ages to get through in the phone, they ignore my complaint letters and worst of all, they’re the only provider for my postcode!!!

user1471453601 · 17/01/2022 21:24

For me it's Hernes. I have to say, since a new deliverer started it's much better. Before that it was continual lying, we tried to deliver but no one was home. Three adults and a dog that reacts if someone walks into our garden, let alone knocks on the door. No way to contact them that I can find.

I've now cancelled two subscriptions because they will only use Hermes. I know they pay peanuts, and I'm sorry for anyone who has to work for them, but don't gaslight me. You didn't try to deliver, there was someone in, just tell me the truth. I know you dont,cos you'll be sacked, and I guess that's better than an entire household being gaslighted

missfliss · 17/01/2022 21:26

Hive / British gas - wasted days of my time over a period of 3 months rebooking appointments for their engineers.
Each time I'd wait for my slot to get a call AFTER they were due to cancel it - having made arrangements and waited in all day.

Absolute shysters

DoNotGetADog · 17/01/2022 21:29

British Gas. I can’t even be arsed to go into why, but they’re totally shit.

Also had a very bad experience buying an appliance from John Lewis recently.

Mistymountain · 17/01/2022 21:29

British Airways at the moment. They're not accepting calls and you can't email them. I need to correct a mistake with a name on a ticket

Meecrowavay · 17/01/2022 21:31

BT and Premier Inn. Worst customer service I have ever had is with those two. There's been loads of others of course. Victoria Plumbing also worthy of a mention but possibly not big enough for this thread. I can't even describe what happened with BT and Premier Inn as it still gives me the rage. All the precious time they've cost me!

EM1912 · 17/01/2022 21:32

Another vote for Vodafone. That's why I left.

goingpearshaped · 17/01/2022 21:33

Currys, omg. Just awful. First Direct too. They used to be amazing. Still waiting for them to apologise and explain why in 2022 they should address joint statements to my husband only. FFS. I am incandescent.

MaybeHeIsMyCat · 17/01/2022 21:33

I don't work for them but I am in a contact centre and we are trying!!
I used to work fir a mobile phone company and people would complain - but we opened at 8am and by 8.05 we would have 100 calls queuing
We can only get through them so fast

My average handling time of a call is 3 minutes, I do 200 or so in 7hrs, and still we have calls queuing Shock

KurtWilde · 17/01/2022 21:33

Barclays. Absolutely useless. Used their live chat feature, it said 'a colleague is joining..' and 9 hours later I got a response. And even then it was a completely pointless and quite unprofessional one! I was also on hold for 2 hours. I put my phone on speaker and carried on with my day, taking note of the time, and once again when they answered. 2 bloody hours.

Also Tesco mobile and British Gas for similar reasons. Utter shite.

Davros · 17/01/2022 21:34

Virgin media
Hermes

CloudPop · 17/01/2022 21:36

@missfliss

Hive / British gas - wasted days of my time over a period of 3 months rebooking appointments for their engineers. Each time I'd wait for my slot to get a call AFTER they were due to cancel it - having made arrangements and waited in all day.

Absolute shysters

Agreed. They are basically impossible to do business with.
BabyFeb22 · 17/01/2022 21:36

@MaybeHeIsMyCat I work in a contact centre and completely agree with you, I work in travel insurance and it's so crazy at the moment! I do agree though that the call back and still having to wait on hold is ridiculous though makes the point of a call back useless!

HeatonGrove · 17/01/2022 21:37

British Gas Homecare. The only thing they are good at is taking money from the bank accounts of elderly customers - and increasing the prices for their non existent service.

They are impossible to contact in person. They agree to come and service the boiler and then phone to cancel at the last minute.

Redlorryyellowduck · 17/01/2022 21:37

Emma mattresses and Talk Talk. Both make me so fucking angry.

DrierThanANunsNasty · 17/01/2022 21:37

Virgin - recently cancelled internet with them to go elsewhere as we were paying £70 a month for 200mbps.

When I called to cancel they offered me 200mbps for £35… I was like why have I been paying double for the last year then?! Denied the cheaper deal (as still getting a better one elsewhere) and I’m ADAMANT they’ve done something to our internet now. Not even Netflix will load and it’s only been since I called to cancel.

Fuckers

MaybeHeIsMyCat · 17/01/2022 21:37

[quote BabyFeb22]@MaybeHeIsMyCat I work in a contact centre and completely agree with you, I work in travel insurance and it's so crazy at the moment! I do agree though that the call back and still having to wait on hold is ridiculous though makes the point of a call back useless! [/quote]
Yeah we don't have that option but we do have a queue countdown so it tells you at least what number you are!
There are only 10 of us and it's so so busy

Tomjonesmistress · 17/01/2022 21:37

I worked very briefly for vodaphone call centre. You were not allowed to tell anyone you were new and no one actually gave a fuck enough to make sure you were giving correct advice. I would never never go with vodaphone