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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Customer service telling you off

47 replies

raranah · 28/11/2015 11:29

Ive been told off twice by customer service help lines today.

First was telling me off for calling the sales number for a query instead of help desk. Seeing as the help desk take ages to answer and itsnt a free number of course I'm going to call sales who pickup in seconds.

The next one a mobile phone company was telling me off for not getting my new sim from the shop and instead just ordering one and getting them to transfer it over the phone. Its a two hour round trip to the nearest store, I'd have to park and then waste my time waiting for someone. Again I did the smart thing, and anyway its already been done now so shut the fuck up.

Aren't these calls monitored? They shouldn't be tellingme off

OP posts:
WorraLiberty · 28/11/2015 11:41

They were right to tell you off for the first one, but not the second.

Mind you, sales need to tell queue jumpers that they've called the wrong number, rather than encouraging them by helping them.

GabiSolis · 28/11/2015 11:49

The first thing is really annoying, speaking as someone who has worked in customer services. People go for a department they think will be less busy because they can't be bothered to wait. In my case it wouldn't achieve anything. We didn't have a magic button to press to get them through to the right people. We would just put them back through to the switchboard and thus increasing the amount of time they waited for someone.

Second one, I was with you until the shut the fuck up comment. I hope you didn't speak to them like that.

Arfarfanarf · 28/11/2015 11:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

CrohnicallyAspie · 28/11/2015 12:21

In the first instance, perhaps the company should help by employing more staff on the helpline number and making it also free to call? It just sounds like they only care about getting your money and not about existing customers. So yeah, I'd do the same and clearly tell the customer service advisor why- hopefully the call is recorded and the company take note!

The second instance I don't actually know what you did 'wrong'- why were you supposed to go to the shop?

mommy2ash · 28/11/2015 12:32

I'm not sure I understand the second one but the first one is really annoying for anyone who works in customer service.

IoraRua · 28/11/2015 12:32

In the first instance YABU, I used to work in a place like that. Our sales team would not have been able to solve your problem and would have bounced you back to the switch, joining the waiting queue.

Was on your side in the second one, but not with the attitude.
Shut the fuck up, eh? I hope you didn't talk to them like that. If you have a bit of manners people are more likely to want to talk to you - I'd have had a secret delight in repeatedly putting you on hold and taking longer than I needed to if you were rude.

Baconyum · 28/11/2015 12:35

I've also worked in customer service and agree with the first one that companies need to stop punishing existing customers by making them call pay lines which you then need to wait ages on (while paying Angry)! Profiteering as far as I'm concerned!

Agree with second too. Not everyone is near a shop or drives!

TheSecondViola · 28/11/2015 12:36

Its not about customers not bothering to wait there turn, its about companies prioritising sales to new customers and not giving a crap about existing customers. If I'm already paying for something, why should I hang on the phone for half an hour waiting for the helpdesk while sales agents are doing nothing and can answer instantly?

Fairenuff · 28/11/2015 12:36

I waited on a freephone number in a queue for over an hour before I gave up and switched to the sales line which, of course, answered immediately.

They need to improve their customer services if they want people to stop doing this.

SoDiana · 28/11/2015 12:41

A woman after my own heart. Always keen to get you on board, with no support thereafter. I am a 'you leave me on hold for 30 minutes, ok then, I vill call ze salez department and teach you!' muhahahahahaha

SuperFlyHigh · 28/11/2015 12:49

I had this with Vodafone this and the last few months (since September actually). Totally unhelpful rarely followed my complaint (about logging into my online account) and even now its still not sorted! if you log onto Vodafone forums you see their CS is diabolical.

Their online support was even worse about a year ago - I was speaking to a woman in a call centre in India and she broke off from a 20 minute phone call to tell me she "had to go now as she'd be late in catching her bus!" Shock I know they're call centre workers etc but the customer care is awful!

SuperFlyHigh · 28/11/2015 12:54

Bacony - totally agree with you re charging existing companies money!

This summer I was looking after (coming round to check on it etc) my mum's house in London as the parents have a holiday home in France where they spend most of the summer...

I discovered that after a month Virgin Media had cut off yes CUT OFF the phone line! I was kept on hanging on for ages and it took 3 separate calls to do this - all after work or during my lunchbreak... often the phone would rarely be answered or in a queue.

Eventually it turned out apparently there had been a fault on the line but no one had let us know... or let us know when it was fixed - the landline was out of order for about 2 months! Shock

My mum's phone bill was charged by 20GBP by her ringing when she got back trying to sort it out - and mine (as could not use landline at her house) was charged 15GBP and 20GBP respectively (mobile and landline at my house) for sorting it out...

what did Virgin offer my mum when she complained about having no landline? 5 measly quid! I keep telling her to ditch Virgin.... bastards!!!!

TheHiphopopotamus · 28/11/2015 13:01

Its not about customers not bothering to wait there turn, its about companies prioritising sales to new customers and not giving a crap about existing customers. If I'm already paying for something, why should I hang on the phone for half an hour waiting for the helpdesk while sales agents are doing nothing and can answer instantly

Completely agree with this!

And with super Virgin media are the absolute worst for this, their customer service is utter shite so OP, YANBU in the first.

NotMeNotYouNotAnyone · 28/11/2015 13:05

Yabu about the first. I work in customer service in a call centre with generally very short wait times (longest I've seen is 20 minutes and that's when we'd sent a huge mailer out that everyone felt the need to call about. Generally 5 minutes is bad). Other call centres in the same company can have much longer wait times so people call us even though we can't help as we have no access to the info they need, we can only put them through to the same number they'd have called themselves. Or when people complain about spending ages on the phone when it's because they called the wrong area who had to put them through. Our phone number is on every bit of paper we send them and we are a one stop shop call centre, so not as if we make it complicated by saying you need one place for values, one to make changes, one to cancel, one for statements, we do everything in one place.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 28/11/2015 13:06

Sales numbers are usually free whereas helpdesk numbers aren't so I will always call the free number and ask to be transferred. Why should I pay just because I'm an existing customer?

weeblueberry · 28/11/2015 13:09

When you say they told you off, what did they say? I suspect it was actually just directing you to the right place each time...

LineyReborn · 28/11/2015 13:10

I think it's ok to ring a company on any number to ask for help. It's the same company. They all work for the same company - you know, the one that's taking your money?

I have bitter experience of BT.

wasonthelist · 28/11/2015 13:11

Another in agreement - no need to be rude to folk on the phone (and OP didn't say they were), but as to being told off for "queue jumping" - you all work for the same company, customers are paying everyone's wages, if the company you work for refuses to employ enough people to answer the phone in services (despite changing for the call), it's no surprise people will call a free sales number.

ClashOfUsernames · 28/11/2015 13:15

I agree people call the few number because even if you just get transferred and the wait is the same at least you haven't had to launder the call. Free to buy something but if you have bought already you have to pay again because the service tou bought has screwed up? No thanks!

ClashOfUsernames · 28/11/2015 13:15

*free

Original poster
raranah · 28/11/2015 13:16

Of course I didn't tell him to fuck off. I did interrupt him when he started saying what I should of done saying "there's no shop nearby and its done now".

The other company he huffed at me and said I really shouldn't be speaking to sales for this in a rude way. Well if customer service also provided a free phone number and a short wait I would call them. But they didn't, and the phone didn't habe the option I needed I so chose sales.

BT are terrible.

OP posts:
ClashOfUsernames · 28/11/2015 13:16

*pay for

Original poster
raranah · 28/11/2015 13:23

you leave me on hold for 30 minutes, ok then, I vill call ze salez department and teach you!'

Yes that's it exactly! Innit.

OP posts:
MsJamieFraser · 28/11/2015 13:33

Its not wrong for them to point out to you that you in the wrong telephone queue, you may have felt they told you off, but the reality is they are doing their job in informing you and making you aware of the fact.

telephone calls cost, if you had went threw to me, personally I would have put you back in the queue. YABU and rude!

Original poster
raranah · 28/11/2015 13:36

How was I rude? You heard my call I take it?

Its the way they said it to me and said to not call the sales number again as I'm an existing customer.

OP posts:
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