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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Does anyone take customer service seriously now?

91 replies

Vitnery · 19/03/2022 00:10

Like most people I've spent a lot of the last two years listening to hold music and being told my call is important before being cut off. I've kind of come to expect that any dealings with any government department will be frustrating, truncated and unsatisfactory. I know that there are some people - DVLA, HMRC, Passport Office - who no longer deal with queries at all.

But today I finally managed to get through to Octopus. I've been trying for a while, because they took over my gas and electricity after my previous company went bust, and now they've sent me an email offering what they say is their best deal which involves me paying £150 more a month than I was previously. Plus they've finally got their act together and actually billed me for the period between September and now which is obviously hundreds, with just a week to pay it.

Obviously I'm going to have to pony up but I do balk at such shoddiness - not billing me throughout the winter despite me requesting it etc. And to top it all when I was on the phone getting gouged up the arse by them I could quite clearly hear Judge Judy playing in the background, which the call centre agent was obviously listening to, from home.

AIBU to think that if we're all going to get fucked over - which we are, no doubt about it - these corporations should at least pretend to act professionally while they're doing it?

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Vitnery · 19/03/2022 00:13

And yes I realize I have become Victor Meldrew.

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ClariceQuiff · 19/03/2022 00:16

And to top it all when I was on the phone getting gouged up the arse by them I could quite clearly hear Judge Judy playing in the background, which the call centre agent was obviously listening to, from home.

I'm not quibbling the rest of your post, but does it matter what the agent had on in the background? Judge Judy is probably less distracting than the babble of an average office or call centre. I WFH and have Classic FM on in the background - is that OK, or should it be Radio 3 because it's posher?

QueenOfHiraeth · 19/03/2022 00:16

I am very old and, when I took my first management job, we were told "your job is to take care of your staff and make sure they are happy with and loyal to the company then they will make the customers happy too". As years went by it changed to companies wanting more profits and dividends so staff were treated like dirt and it now shows

Vitnery · 19/03/2022 00:17

Well presumably she was watching it as well.

But yeah ofc you shouldn't have your telly blaring while you're at work.

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ClariceQuiff · 19/03/2022 00:20

But yeah ofc you shouldn't have your telly blaring while you're at work.

Are you saying the agent showed signs of being distracted by the television, or the volume was high enough to make the call difficult to hear? If so, YANBU. If it was simply that Judge Judy was audible in the background, YABU.

Vitnery · 19/03/2022 00:25

I shouldn't have to pay six months' fuel in one go. The judge Judy thing was just the icing on the cake really.

All of these people demanding ever more money from us and they can't even provide any kind of service most of the time and when they do it's staffed by people watching daytime TV.

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ClariceQuiff · 19/03/2022 00:28

when they do it's staffed by people watching daytime TV

Can you be specific about how the agent watching Daytime TV affected the service you received?

The agent doesn't control your billing or the pricing policy.

In what exact way was the agent's choice of background noise detrimental to your customer experience?

TheHoptimist · 19/03/2022 00:29

I joined octopus a few weeks ago- they reply by email within minutes
I am seriously impressed- I didn't think they had phone numbers? They certainly tell you to email

Vitnery · 19/03/2022 00:32

Also with Octopus (and a lot of companies) all their comms is so chummy-nicey, like they want to make out you're their pal, but when you deal with them they're straight for the jugular. (While watching Judge Judy and generally being v shit.). It's like an interminable cut price version of Squid Game, you know, tinny music, smiley face, then the eyes roll around and BAM you're 500 quid lighter.

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Vitnery · 19/03/2022 00:36

In what exact way was the agent's choice of background noise detrimental to your customer experience?

If I'm going to get ripped off by a company that couldn't even be arsed to send me a bill for half a year despite me repeatedly requesting one I'd rather it didn't happen to the soundtrack of 20 year old shit telly rerun.

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Vitnery · 19/03/2022 00:39

And actually maybe they'd be more on top of billing or answering queries or just doing any damn thing if their staff weren't sat around watching Judge Judy.

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ClariceQuiff · 19/03/2022 00:40

If I'm going to get ripped off by a company that couldn't even be arsed to send me a bill for half a year despite me repeatedly requesting one I'd rather it didn't happen to the soundtrack of 20 year old shit telly rerun

As I said, it isn't the agent's fault their billing system is crap. Would you rather listen to the average call-centre 'soundtrack' of agents on minimum wage trying to placate angry customers who are abusing them with anger that, while possibly justified, is being directed at a person who has zero control over the situation?

Unsureaboutit9 · 19/03/2022 00:40

@Vitnery

I shouldn't have to pay six months' fuel in one go. The judge Judy thing was just the icing on the cake really.

All of these people demanding ever more money from us and they can't even provide any kind of service most of the time and when they do it's staffed by people watching daytime TV.

But why shouldn’t you if you’ve used 6 months worth of fuel? Hopefully you were putting a guesstimated amount of money to one side each month for this so it’s not as financially painful, but if not it’s not like it’s all their fault is it. Theyl allow a payment plan regardless though if you can’t afford to pay in one go.
Vitnery · 19/03/2022 00:41

I'd rather they provided proper customer service than watched telly.

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Vitnery · 19/03/2022 00:44

but if not it’s not like it’s all their fault is it.

Of course it's their fault. Who on earth else is responsible? They're an energy company, they took over my contract and they failed to bill me while their staff watched daytime TV. Should I have billed myself? Maybe gone to Putin, contract in hand and asked for a personal deal?

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ClariceQuiff · 19/03/2022 00:44

@Vitnery

I'd rather they provided proper customer service than watched telly.
As I previously asked, what exactly was lacking in the customer service you received?
ifoundthebread · 19/03/2022 00:44

When I worked for a major television and telecommunications provider we actually had TVs in the call centre, normally 4 to a room, each with something different on unfortunately it was subtitled not blaring but it's hard to read and keep up with a film while a customer complains in your ear. So op, point I'm making is even if the agent wasn't at home and in an office offering the best they had, chances are they would of been reading subtitles to judge Judy not listening to it.

pawpaws2022 · 19/03/2022 00:45

We aren't all watching TV. I wish I had bloody time!
My average is 200 calls a day, get maybe 5 seconds between a call. There's no hanging washing out, answering the door, watching TV.. any of that. Sometimes I drink a cup of tea before it goes cold, mostly I just mainline throat sweets so I don't lose my voice by the weekend

Customers complain about queuing or "service" but the queue is because we are busy, the "bad service" is "I don't like the answer you're giving me" - the answer would be the same whether WFH or not, and given there is only me WFH then it makes v little difference
I've been told my customer service is shit because I can't get someone an appointment for 2 weeks Confused

Unsureaboutit9 · 19/03/2022 00:46

@Vitnery

but if not it’s not like it’s all their fault is it.

Of course it's their fault. Who on earth else is responsible? They're an energy company, they took over my contract and they failed to bill me while their staff watched daytime TV. Should I have billed myself? Maybe gone to Putin, contract in hand and asked for a personal deal?

You… because it’s not like you didn’t no you would get billed at some point, so if you didn’t put any money aside whilst waiting for 6 months, that’s your own poor judgement there. Obviously they should have been better with billing, but putting some money aside for things you are using is just the sensible thing to do.
Vitnery · 19/03/2022 00:47

As I previously asked, what exactly was lacking in the customer service you received?

I didn't get a bill for six months and when I did get one I had a week to pay it. I repeatedly asked for a bill during that six months.

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Unsureaboutit9 · 19/03/2022 00:47

Also what has Putin got to do with anything Confused

Vitnery · 19/03/2022 00:47

But all of that is in the op.

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milkyaqua · 19/03/2022 00:47

They're an energy company, they took over my contract and they failed to bill me while their staff watched daytime TV. Should I have billed myself?

Grin Exactly.

This thread is weirdly full of people trying to outdo each other in contrarianism.

ClariceQuiff · 19/03/2022 00:48

@Vitnery

As I previously asked, what exactly was lacking in the customer service you received?

I didn't get a bill for six months and when I did get one I had a week to pay it. I repeatedly asked for a bill during that six months.

That's shit, I agree, but it:

a. is totally outside the agent's control
b. would not be remedied by the agent switching off 'Judge Judy'.

Vitnery · 19/03/2022 00:49

@Unsureabouit9 are you actually seriously suggesting that I am to blame for an energy company failing to issue a bill? Confused

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