Comments on: types: telephone customer service http://hughmcguire.net/2007/09/27/types-telephone-customer-service/ at the intersection of technology, philosophy, and politics (and some other things). Wed, 07 Jan 2009 01:39:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: jeremy clarke http://hughmcguire.net/2007/09/27/types-telephone-customer-service/#comment-1408 jeremy clarke Fri, 28 Sep 2007 21:54:49 +0000 http://hughmcguire.net/2007/09/27/types-telephone-customer-service/#comment-1408 Category 1 is for entrenched monopolies (or pseudo-monopolies). As long as you don't quit (which is as hard as getting the problem fixed), which you probably don't even feel you can, they keep you as a customer and you grumble as if they were the water company. I'm not sure what you'd call the type of service you get from Rogers Wireless, but it's characterised by them telling you, in all honesty, that they are going to continue fucking you because that is the policy, then recommending that you close your account and re-open it a different way to fix it, rather than making the change in a sane fashion. Also: Telling you that you MAY be able to alter your account at a retail location, but not committing to that service even at the flagship store. Category 1 is for entrenched monopolies (or pseudo-monopolies). As long as you don’t quit (which is as hard as getting the problem fixed), which you probably don’t even feel you can, they keep you as a customer and you grumble as if they were the water company.

I’m not sure what you’d call the type of service you get from Rogers Wireless, but it’s characterised by them telling you, in all honesty, that they are going to continue fucking you because that is the policy, then recommending that you close your account and re-open it a different way to fix it, rather than making the change in a sane fashion. Also: Telling you that you MAY be able to alter your account at a retail location, but not committing to that service even at the flagship store.

]]> By: kara http://hughmcguire.net/2007/09/27/types-telephone-customer-service/#comment-1399 kara Thu, 27 Sep 2007 16:49:46 +0000 http://hughmcguire.net/2007/09/27/types-telephone-customer-service/#comment-1399 I am fairly sure that our dealings with Apple have usually fallen into the third category. You'd have to check with Dan, though, as he's the guy who deals with Customer Disservice most often. Curiously enough, our garbage collector <a href="http://northcounty.wm.com/oceanside/oceanside.asp" rel="nofollow">Waste Management of North County</a> also falls into the third category. Our large wheeled trash container was stolen once. (We rent it for a few dollars a year) I called, thinking it would be a GIANT PROBLEM, and the lady said, oh we'll replace it next week at no extra charge. <b>It's not your fault it was stolen!</b> I just about died. Sprint: category 1, of course. Also Cox. Also DirecTV. I am fairly sure that our dealings with Apple have usually fallen into the third category. You’d have to check with Dan, though, as he’s the guy who deals with Customer Disservice most often.

Curiously enough, our garbage collector Waste Management of North County also falls into the third category. Our large wheeled trash container was stolen once. (We rent it for a few dollars a year) I called, thinking it would be a GIANT PROBLEM, and the lady said, oh we’ll replace it next week at no extra charge. It’s not your fault it was stolen! I just about died.

Sprint: category 1, of course. Also Cox. Also DirecTV.

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