I just talked to the worst call center EVER!

[EsmeraldaX]

Have you ever had the unpleasant experience of talking to really bad customer service/ call center people? Oh, boy, I just did.

Part of my job is getting proof of delivery (PODs) for shipments to help our credit dept. collect on invoices customers refuse to pay on the grounds that they never received their shipment. So I usually have to call various shippers, or print these documents off their web sites.
Well, this time, I had to deal with UPS. Normally UPS is very easy to deal with. However, since my printer is not working and my IT dept. told me they can't do anything about it ("computers just get fussy sometimes" - that is what they told me ) I can't print the documents out.

So I called. I first talked to a very stupid sounding girl who had no idea what I was calling for. I explained to her what a POD was and she finally got it. She then told me I could not email the list to her; nor could I fax it. Then she went on to tell me she could only look up 10 tracking numbers (I had about 45) and after that, I'd have to call back and get another customer service person to do 10 more and so on.


So I ask to speak to a manager. Well, rather than transfer me, she puts me on hold and comes back 10 minutes later and says "Okay, I talked to her and she said you either have to do it yourself on the website or call the 800 number".

I inform her I can't print them out myself (something I'd already told her 3 times) what 800 number should I call?

"1-800-PickUPS".

Um, that's the number I just called you idiot! AGHHHHHH. So I ask her what number she's at. And she says "800 PickUPS". It goes on for a few more minutes.

I finally can't take it anymore so I ask to actually speak to a manager this time.

So I get the manager, finally. She sounds even dumber than the original person. She (the manager) tells me she can print and fax me 25 of the tracking numbers (I guess managers have the mystical ability of using the UPS website which allows you to look up 25 at a time!) but that after that, I'd need to call back and get someone else.

And no, I can't email or fax the list. I have to rattle off 25 (or 10) 16 digit numbers each time I call.

I got so mad I told her her whole company was ridiculous (well I wasn't THAT nice) and hung up.

AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

and I'm not putting down all c/s. I've worked in the c/s dept. of the company I work for now. They would never tell someone that called that they couldn't take care of all their needs and to call back and get someone else to do the other half.

Yikes.

Who else has call center horror stories??

 

[CookieGVB]

One word - Connections.

'Nuff said.

 

[Rajah]

I'll second that Connections complaint.

Add in Video Professor with it.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

I've never had to deal with either of them. I think I'm glad.

But, you all would not believe how many TRUCKING companies do not even know basic trucking/shipping/frieght terminology.

 

[pjlla]

As the wife of a UPSer who depends on UPS for the roof over her head and the food in her mouth, I am appalled to hear this sort of thing!! I certainly would pursue this if I were you. And please, give us a second chance!! Sorry to hear about the problem. Wish I could help..................................P

 

[WeirdEyes]

In my opinion, UPS has the WORST customer service dept. I've EVER experienced. We get deliveries daily and the drivers are always so nice. I just don't understand why their customer service dept is so lacking.

 

[grinningghost]

Hey, at least they spoke English. Have you run into the call centers in India yet? Can't understand a word they're saying, and I don't think they understand us either.

 

[TexasErin]

The only thing worse than calling one is working at one. Trust me I know. This job is so bad that I have started going back to school which I thought I would never do. Since people are on the phone, they feel like they can be totally hateful. Really makes me appreciate my new dog

 

[soccerchick]

Best Buy is the worst!!! They made me so mad I will never spend another penny there EVER! I throw their ad away when the paper comes on Sundays so that DH can't look. Poor guy, we USED to spend too much money there.

 

[DonnaSue]

Sounds like you hit "Stupid Day" at UPS!!!!!

Sorry you had such a frustrating day!!!

Donna

 

[DSNY FN]

Ever tried to talk to Dell's customer service that is a joke my 7 year old could give better customer service.

 

[MissMinnie]

Hi. The problem with a lot of these call centers is that the people answering the phones are timed and monitored. At the end of the day, an average "call time" is calculated and if it is too long, the employee is reprimanded for "taking too long to satisify a customer's needs". They do not make any allowances for customers that need extra time or any special circumstances. This is ridiculous, but true. I worked for a UPS call center a few years ago and experienced this first hand. I quit after a few months because the pressure to "keep call time short" was unbelievable. We were constantly monitored and had supervisors hovering over your shoulders all the time. They do not want to hear, this customer needs special attention, I need extra time, because the manager's bonuses were based on "answering calls timely". They say customers come first, but the reality is only if the question and answer is quick!!!

 

[Cindy B]

Originally posted by MissMinnie
Hi. The problem with a lot of these call centers is that the people answering the phones are timed and monitored. At the end of the day, an average "call time" is calculated and if it is too long, the employee is reprimanded for "taking too long to satisify a customer's needs". They do not make any allowances for customers that need extra time or any special circumstances. This is ridiculous, but true.

. We were constantly monitored and had supervisors hovering over your shoulders all the time. They do not want to hear, this customer needs special attention, I need extra time, because the manager's bonuses were based on "answering calls timely". They say customers come first, but the reality is only if the question and answer is quick!!!

I can say this is true as well. My DH works in a computer tech support call center, and has been doing this for many years at different companies.

There is a timer, and in some cases a large volume board in the cubicle area. If a customer is on hold too long, the volume board BEEPS loudly (like a smoke detector). It will continue beeping until all calls are satisified.

All employees are graded by calls per hour, type of call, and how they handled it. Thank goodnes he's done this for many years, and can diagnose anything very very quickly.

Yes, there is intense pressue to solve things quickly.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

I know - the UPS drivers are so nice, the people who work at the UPS stores are so nice. It's the call center that is terrible and that is exactly the problem - getting people off the phone quick is more important than getting them their answers.

I was quite appalled because the call center I worked for here would never tell a customer (esp. one who gave them a lot of business which my company does w/ ups) we could only track 10 of their orders and that they'd have to make another call to get more info.

Here the c/s dept. is encouraged to keep calls short when possible but to not sacrifice service to do so.

 

[Serena]

Some companies just don't get "customer service". You are supposed to take care of the customer. It doesn't matter how short the call is, if the customer isn't happy. How does that make sense to the bosses?

 

[MeanLaureen]

I'd have to vote on Hallmark's Point of Sale tech support for the biggest dingalings - not all of them, some are great - but I ran into the biggest bunch of idiots last fall.

My motherboard fried in my primary server - I told them it was - do they believe me? Heck no. (Never mind I've been through this with the satellite computers and know what it looks like)

Make IBM come out several times to try different things to say to me "Your motherboard is fried" - NO!!!??? Really?

Keep in mind that I have limited ability to ring sales during this 48 hours this "diagnostic check" takes.

Replace the motherboard. Hmm.. software has to be replaced. Did they send it right away? No. Not until IBM calls another 24 hours later once they have the replacement mb in. (hmm.. send it asap Fedex so we can fix it all at one time.. what a novel idea)

We will send it overnight, you'll have it tomorrow.

Tomorrow comes and I get 4 CD's - 1 of each 2 different cds and then they send me 2 of 1 cd.

Oops. We will get that 4th cd right out to you but you can't do this with the store open so you better put it off until the following morning at 7am.

2 days later - 7am, I call in. They start the set up and I get to the 4th cd they sent the day before. Putting it in, the back looks weird to me. It looks blank. Sure enough, it was empty. They sent me a blank disc.

Oops

I say, can we restore what we just stripped off the computer so we can operate today? No. Why not? Because you can't. Put I saved it all to disk. You did? Yes. So can we? No. We have to give you a generic version of the software - we will download it to you but it won't recognize any of your UPCs. Great But wouldn't the program I have saved on disk recognize my UPCs I say? Yes. Great I say, lets load it in. Can't, they say - that would be going backwards (like we have been running forward at the speed of light right now.)

Next day comes and I'm waiting for Fed Ex - no disk. I call at noon - where is my disk?

oops.

We forgot to send it. I promise, they say.. I will take it down to the FedEx drop off myself right now.

Great I say.. so I have to come in at 7am the day after tomorrow? Why they say? I tell them what another tech person told me - because you have to have it done before store opening. They say "You can do this with the store open"

Next day - anxiously awaiting Fed Ex. No disk. I call at noon. Looonnnngggg hold.

oops.

We forgot to send it. I found the envelope in the out basket. It never went to the Fed Ex drop off downstairs. "but they promised, I said"

Finally.. the next day cue Halleluiah music I get my disk

I went 11 days with no server - no connection to my parent company - and no ability to take charges - for a 48 hour repair.

I say "Vote for Hallmark Techs" - I coulda walked to Kansas City and gotten the disk before they got it to me!!!

 

[EsmeraldaX]

MeanLaureen, I totally sympathize. If my tech support dept. here would just fix the minor bug in my computer that's causing me to not be able to print, I wouldn't have even had to call UPS in the first place. Why tech dept.'s are SO slow is beyond me...

And they are paid pretty well too, which is really annoying. They're paid double what most of the other people in mid level positions are paid (at least at my company) and they come off as pretty incompetant and certainly not earning their salaries...

11 days...wow.

 

[C.Ann]

My son-in-law had to make a call the other day in regards to their travel trailer that is only 1 year old and under a 2-year warranty..

He's been having a problem with the water pump - spitting out lots of air mixed in with a bit of water - and then not shutting down, but running continuously - to the point where it could overheat and cause a fire.. The water tank is full but the pump just isn't pumping it out like it should..

So - he calls the place where he purchased the trailer and gets this girl that does NOT have a clue.. He explains EXACTLY what the problem is and she says, "Well - do you have water in the tank?" (No - he has Kool-Aid in there..)

He repeats the whole situation over again and she says, "Well - do you have water in the tank?" Now he's getting PO'ed and asks to speak to a supervisor.. She tells him it's not going to do him ANY good if he doesn't have WATER in the tank.. He again repeats that the water tank is FULL and he wants to talk to someone with some knowledge about travel trailers and water pumps.. She says, "Fine! I'll give you a service tech!"

Tech gets on the line - SIL explains the problem - and the tech says, "Do you have water in the tank?" SIL - banging his head on his desk - says, "YES THERE IS WATER IN THE TANK!!!"

Tech replies, "Well - when you go back up to the trailer this weekend, check to see if you HAVE WATER IN THE TANK and if you do, take the pump out and bring it over to us on Saturday.."

SIL explains that he has ALREADY removed the water pump - it's sitting on his desk - and the water tank is FULL! Tech says, "I see what you're saying.. After you go up to the travel trailer on Saturday to check and see if you have WATER IN THE TANK you can swing by here with the pump on Saturday.. We're open till 4 p.m." CLICK..................

Does anyone ever LISTEN to what is being said to them????????

 

[TexasErin]

That's exactly right. One of the main problems is that all calls are monitored and timed. I work in a call center for the Attorney General's Office Child Support Division. We are told to keep our calls under 3 minutes and we have to verify social security number, their name, name of the other parent, their address, their home phone number, and their work number. This leaves 2 minutes to actually try to handle their problem. Everyone here is so burned out and stressed out!!
Plus the training they give is ridiculous- which I am sure is probably one of the big problems with the posters who have gotten people in different call centers who didn't know what they were doing. But the management of call centers doesn't want people who really thoroughly know how to help people- it is about getting calls answered and getting people off the phone!!!
Customer service is NOT the top priority in a call center (at least the majority). The only employees who have a prayer of getting a raise are the ones who answer over a hundred calls per day every day. You can't give good customer service doing that!!!
Combine this with talking to several rude people everyday who hassle us for doing the job that we are forced to do by management and you have a miserable job! I now feel sorry for other people who work in call centers- believe me, we wish we were allowed to spend time giving the customer service that people need and deserve.

 

[tcwitt]

This happened a few years ago before our local phone company was bought out by Verizon. I was offered this amazing deal on long distance so I agreed to use their long distance. Well, they said that I would be billed be them but through another branch. So I start getting the bill from the local branch and from the main office. I called and informed them that I was being double billed and they said they would take care of it. This continues for several months with me paying the bills and calling customer service every month. Finally, after 6 months the lady on the phones says not to pay the bills and that she is going to get this figured out, I responded ok but you won't shut off the phone for non-payment will you. She promised that she would put a note on the account to let everyone know what the problem was.
Well, we went on vacation and when we got back you guessed it my phone was shut off. So I went to the local branch to use the courtesy phones and the first thing the customer service rep says to me after explaining the situation is well if you's just pay your bill the phone wouldn't have been shut off now would it. If that woman had been in front of me I would have slapped her.

Thanks for letting me vent, it still makes me angry after all this time.
Christine