I knew bills were bad but... - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

shesus · 08-17-2005, 09:44 PM

I couldn't imagine getting a bill like this...

Quote:

Woman Gets Cable Bill With Derogatory Name

Email this Story

Aug 17, 8:30 PM (ET)

CHICAGO (AP) - LaChania Govan said she got bounced around by her cable company when she called to complain. She made dozens of calls and was even transferred to a person who spoke Spanish - a language she doesn't understand.

But when she got her August bill from Comcast she had no trouble understanding she'd made somebody mad. It was addressed to "Bitch Dog."

"I was like you got to be freaking kidding me," said Govan, 25. "I was so mad I couldn't even cuss."

Govan said the only thing she did to Comcast employees that might be considered rude came after a few dozen calls when she felt she was treated shabbily. "I did tell them, 'You know what, it has to be a qualification to work for your company that you have to be rude,'" she said.

Govan said she talked to a supervisor and he offered her two months free service, which she turned down.

Finally Wednesday, about two weeks after she got her bill, somebody from the company left a message on her answering machine in which the caller apologized.

Comcast officials said it shouldn't have happened.

"We only use the actual customers names on the bill," said Patricia Andrews-Keenan, a Comcast spokeswoman.

Company officials went through the records and identified two people who were involved with the name change and fired them, Andrews-Keenan said. It's unknown why the employees did it.

In another case, Peoples Energy customer Jefferoy Barnes started getting letters addressed to "Jeffery Scrotum Bag Barnes."

"I had no bad words at all. I guess the earliest letter is dated in May and from then on up until now my name has been listed as Jeffery Scrotum Bag Barnes and I have no idea why."

Barnes said he received an apologetic call from a company official. He also has contacted an attorney to determine if he can take legal action.

A Peoples Energy spokeswoman called the letter inexcusable.

I think that I would be asking to have some months of electricity free. But that's just me. Hell, my mom got mad when they spelled her last name Cocks.

JumpinJesus · 08-17-2005, 09:59 PM

-Hi, what's your name?

-Jeffrey Barnes, but my friends call me Scrotum Bag....

too funny.

analog · 08-18-2005, 01:12 AM

Now everyone named Harry Johnson is going to get a call to verify their name...

SecretMethod70 · 08-18-2005, 01:12 AM

haha, well, I have Comcast cable and internet at home (well, technically my parents do) and I can tell you it sucks.

ryfo · 08-18-2005, 02:21 AM

That is unbelievable! All companies should be held accountable if this sort of thing happens. Even if the customer is a pain in the arse, it shouldn't be recorded as it will predjudice later communications with her/him.

bermuDa · 08-18-2005, 02:38 AM

Haven't had any problems with comcast. SBC, on the other hand...

stands for Scrotum Bag Corporation, i believe.

Bill O'Rights · 08-18-2005, 05:09 AM

Quote:

Company officials went through the records and identified two people who were involved with the name change and fired them, Andrews-Keenan said. It's unknown why the employees did it.

Which...is as it should be. Did they really think that they wouldn't get caught?

I think that this brings up a larger, underlying problem, though. What ever happened to "customer service"? Granted...I'm, shall we say, a little more "seasoned" than a lot of you. But, I can remember when companies bent over backwards to actually "please" their customers. Boil it all down to the bone...and it's an issue of respect. I can remember walking into a business, and being addressed as Mr. O'Rights. Now, even at the bank, I'm addressed as "Bill" or, on a good day..."William", by kids whose benzoyl peroxide has yet to show any effect. Oh well...I suppose that's still marginally better than "How are you doing today, account number 61549873234?"

Charlatan · 08-18-2005, 05:18 AM

Bill what do you expect when you leave your customer service to a bunch of people answering phones in a veal fattening pen... and then you pay them shit wages and randomly monitor their phone calls. I'm not surprised it breeds resentment.

Cynthetiq · 08-18-2005, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill O'Rights

Which...is as it should be. Did they really think that they wouldn't get caught?

I think that this brings up a larger, underlying problem, though. What ever happened to "customer service"? Granted...I'm, shall we say, a little more "seasoned" than a lot of you. But, I can remember when companies bent over backwards to actually "please" their customers. Boil it all down to the bone...and it's an issue of respect. I can remember walking into a business, and being addressed as Mr. O'Rights. Now, even at the bank, I'm addressed as "Bill" or, on a good day..."William", by kids whose benzoyl peroxide has yet to show any effect. Oh well...I suppose that's still marginally better than "How are you doing today, account number 61549873234?"

I think that reminds me of the Falling Down scene in the Whammy Burger joint...

Quote:

[In the Whammy Burger]
Bill Foster: Why am I calling you by your first names? I don't even know you. I still call my boss "Mister", and I've been working for him for seven years, but all of a sudden I walk in here and I'm calling you Rick and Sheila like we're in some kind of AA meeting. . .I don't want to be your buddy, Rick. I just want some breakfast.
Sheila: You can call me Miss Folsom if you want.

Customer service... we all want it done right, but do we want to do it ourselves? Most people think that because they are paying for it, they deserve to be able to yell, scream, and have a temper tantrum. Yep that gets someone more motivated than $10/hour that they get...

canuckguy · 08-18-2005, 07:37 AM

not that i justify the employee's actions, but damn that was funny to read. not sure what comcast or any other company expects. people who work on the phones get abused all day, every day. not many jobs are like that, these companies expect the employee's to act like computers. every now and then there's gonna be a virus! awesome stuff.

BigBen · 08-18-2005, 07:43 AM

I would love to have a bill addressed to "Ben Cack and Balls"

I would frame it, and then when I ever needed anything done, I would phone and say "This is ol' Cack and Balls, I need you to fix my cable" and watch them run.

With ammo like that, how long do you think the cable company would be your Bitch? I think that they would have to suck up for at least 6 months.

6 months, free cable, internet, full channel package. At least.

I sometimes wonder what stuff has been written in my file at several institutions. I would like to think "Nice guy, but seems like some kind of know-it-all"

I am always very courteous, even when student loans fucked up and didn't pay my tuition. It took 3 months to get that sorted out. I got a letter of appology, and they paid the late fees (over 500 bucks) for me. I was patient and never raised my voice.

I started to take the person's name that I was talking to, as well as take notes.

"Student Loans, Can I help you?"

"This is Ben calling. Who am I speaking to, please?"

"Uh... my name is Carol. How can I help you?"

"Well, Carol, when I called yesterday, Jeremy said that he was going to contact the University and correct the problem. Can you look into my file and either confirm or deny that occurred?"

What have I just done? I just told poor Carol that I know who she is, and she will be held accountable for her actions. She is no longer a nameless/faceless drone at the call centre. I will check up on her to make sure she is telling the truth.

I got results. And fast.

I have since adopted that strategy for all of my phone contacts. I believe that it works well for me.

Bill O'Rights · 08-18-2005, 07:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cynthetiq

Most people think that because they are paying for it, they deserve to be able to yell, scream, and have a temper tantrum.

Make no mistake...customers bear some of the brunt here, as well. I see no reason to belittle, berate, abuse, threaten, and generally mistreat those whose job it is to serve you. Where did we ever get the idea that that was the way to "get things done"? A little respect goes a long way...on either side.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charlatan

Bill what do you expect when you leave your customer service to a bunch of people answering phones in a veal fattening pen... and then you pay them shit wages and randomly monitor their phone calls. I'm not surprised it breeds resentment.

Not arguing. Not one bit. Companies are going to get the quality that they are willing to pay for. Same as the consumer. If you're satisfied with substandard, in order to save a few bucks...then that's what you're going to get. Let's use Comcast as an example, because they're handy. Does Comcast care about their reputation? Is this the type of employee that they want representing their organization? In this case...apparantly not, but somehow I think that this was the pot finally boiling over. It's been simmering for awhile. Or...does Comcast not have any competition, to speak of, and therefore just collects income from captive consumers?

Daknjak · 08-18-2005, 08:06 AM

As it turns out, my wife works for a call center for an insurance company. Namely car insurance. We chat about her calls when she gets home, and she vents sometimes about how absulutely rude some people are. In short, most people call up, and when things aren't going their way, they threaten to talk to a supervisor to get something done. Little do they know, that the "supervisors" are nothing more than another group of call center employees who know a little bit more than the basic call people. These "supervisors" are not even that persons supervisor that they just spoke to.
My wife takes pleasure in people saying:
"You not helping me, and I would like to talk to a supervisor!"
My wife: "Absolutely sir/madame please hold while I connect you."

I think most people think that threatening to talk to a superior is going to bend that person to do what they want them to do. Little do they know that the compnaies thought of all this ahead of time. As a final note, my wife has the highest marks in her group, and is excellent at what she does, so good customer service is always number one with her, and should be with everyone.

Pragma · 08-18-2005, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill O'Rights

Does Comcast care about their reputation? Is this the type of employee that they want representing their organization? In this case...apparantly not, but somehow I think that this was the pot finally boiling over. It's been simmering for awhile. Or...does Comcast not have any competition, to speak of, and therefore just collects income from captive consumers?

Another question to ask - do Comcast's employees care about Comcast's reputation? Specifically, do the call center workers care about the overall reputation that Comcast has as a cable company? Do their paychecks reflect how well or how poorly people think of Comcast? I honestly don't know the answer, but the cynical side of me suspects that their employees don't care at all what the customer thinks of Comcast. Oh, to some degree if they keep abusing customers and Comcast goes out of business, they lose their job - but that's a rather abstract thought because of the size of Comcast.

ngdawg · 08-18-2005, 08:12 AM

A couple at a NJ restaurant were appalled to receive their check with the words 'jew couple' scrawled on the bottom. The phrase also showed up on their credit card statement showing the restaurant's charge. The manager stated that the waitstaff, rather than use table numbers, used descriptives of the patrons, but it was supposed to be things such as 'blue cap and black shirt'...the waitress has since been fired.

Redlemon · 08-18-2005, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ngdawg

A couple at a NJ restaurant were appalled to receive their check with the words 'jew couple' scrawled on the bottom. The phrase also showed up on their credit card statement showing the restaurant's charge. The manager stated that the waitstaff, rather than use table numbers, used descriptives of the patrons, but it was supposed to be things such as 'blue cap and black shirt'...the waitress has since been fired.

ATTORNEY GENERAL PROBES 'JEW COUPLE' EATERY (requires registration, so here's the text)

Quote:

August 18, 2005 -- Amid spreading outrage, New Jersey's attorney general yesterday opened a probe of a posh eatery that referred to a pair of diners as "Jew Couple" on their check.

"It's extremely troubling," Attorney General Peter Harvey told The Post. "I have two investigators from the Division on Civil Rights in my office right now. We are taking this very seriously.

"It stands to reason if the [restaurant] is labeling someone by religion, they are also labeling someone by race."

On July 8, diner Elliot Stein of Brooklyn went to Parkhill's Waterfront Grill in Loch Arbour with his girlfriend, Jennifer Cassin. When the waitress handed them the bill, "Jew Couple" was printed in large letters.

"I would like to know how they describe other couples," Stein said. "How do they identify gay people, black couples? It could be anything.

"I think they have it programmed on their register. I don't want to hear it was a mistake. All I got was a 'no comment.' If this was in New York, these people would be penalized," he said yesterday.

He added, "I would like to know how they knew I was a Jew."

The still-stunned Stein, a shoe buyer, said his wish now is to see Malia Wells, the restaurant's manager, get the boot.

"She is the person I am most furious with. She was the one that was telling us we were creating a fuss in the restaurant and wanted us to leave," he said.

"They told me the waitress got fired. She happens to be a very sweet girl. She apologized. I want the waitress to get her job back."

Wells said she had no comment.

shesus · 08-18-2005, 08:42 AM

I knew that when they started replacing computers with people that customer service would get bad. As you all pointed, out there is an general lack of respect on both sides, customers and customer service. While there are still people who have empathy, which is the base for respect, many people do not. I have done a lot of research on lack of respect and there are many causes. The main one that I found is media and other technology. The solidarity of these actions hinder social interaction and cause some to be jaded. The news is saturated with actions that should make people cringe, but it has become such common place that people generally don't feel anything. Family life can also have a huge effect. With working, over-stressed parents, the children are not getting the child-rearing that they so badly need. I also think that in general our country has become less formal. Looking at business attire can show you this.

As for the restaurant, I waited tables for about 3 years, and I never referred to tables in the way the NJ restaurant did. That is appalling.

I'm not sure what is going on in this country. But, there seems to be a societal problem growing and I hope that it gets fixed. As a teacher, I see children and honestly it scares me to think of them as our future. Lack of empathy is growing and soemthing needs to be done about. However, I am not sure what the answer is.

Marvelous Marv · 08-18-2005, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daknjak

As it turns out, my wife works for a call center for an insurance company. Namely car insurance. We chat about her calls when she gets home, and she vents sometimes about how absulutely rude some people are. In short, most people call up, and when things aren't going their way, they threaten to talk to a supervisor to get something done. Little do they know, that the "supervisors" are nothing more than another group of call center employees who know a little bit more than the basic call people. These "supervisors" are not even that persons supervisor that they just spoke to.
My wife takes pleasure in people saying:
"You not helping me, and I would like to talk to a supervisor!"
My wife: "Absolutely sir/madame please hold while I connect you."

I think most people think that threatening to talk to a superior is going to bend that person to do what they want them to do. Little do they know that the compnaies thought of all this ahead of time. As a final note, my wife has the highest marks in her group, and is excellent at what she does, so good customer service is always number one with her, and should be with everyone.

Believe me, it's not a secret.

Which is why I usually ask to talk to someone about cancelling my service with the company. That often gets me connected to someone who actually knows what they're talking about.

Marvelous Marv · 08-18-2005, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryfo

That is unbelievable! All companies should be held accountable if this sort of thing happens. Even if the customer is a pain in the arse, it shouldn't be recorded as it will predjudice later communications with her/him.

As long as their customers don't mind paying more so the company can hire extra people to monitor every statement that goes out.

Marvelous Marv · 08-18-2005, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bermuDa

Haven't had any problems with comcast. SBC, on the other hand...

stands for Scrotum Bag Corporation, i believe.

You got that right. The last time I called them because I'd been turned over to a collection agency (over a line I'd cancelled ten months before, but continued to accrue monthly charges without being sent statements), I was on hold for 20 minutes out of 55, and the fifth person I talked to tried to switch me back to the first one.

I never would have gotten the situation resolved if I didn't know someone in management.

I'm tempted to sign up under a name like "Bitch Dog" and then threaten to sue them.

It would serve them right, as horrible as their customer service is.

Marvelous Marv · 08-18-2005, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigBen931

I am always very courteous, even when student loans fucked up and didn't pay my tuition. It took 3 months to get that sorted out. I got a letter of appology, and they paid the late fees (over 500 bucks) for me. I was patient and never raised my voice.

I started to take the person's name that I was talking to, as well as take notes.

"Student Loans, Can I help you?"

"This is Ben calling. Who am I speaking to, please?"

"Uh... my name is Carol. How can I help you?"

"Well, Carol, when I called yesterday, Jeremy said that he was going to contact the University and correct the problem. Can you look into my file and either confirm or deny that occurred?"

What have I just done? I just told poor Carol that I know who she is, and she will be held accountable for her actions. She is no longer a nameless/faceless drone at the call centre. I will check up on her to make sure she is telling the truth.

I got results. And fast.

I have since adopted that strategy for all of my phone contacts. I believe that it works well for me.

I do that too. I usually ask for an employee ID # if it's a big company.

After reading your post, I may begin signing up for service under an assumed name. I'm partial to "Hugh G. Rexion."

raeanna74 · 08-18-2005, 12:48 PM

My cable TV/internet/telephone company has screwed up more than once. In fact 3 times in the past 2 months. I never called with an angry tone in my voice. But I did call. I've called them and they've come out to fix problems with their lines on more than one occaision (without charging for that matter) I have yet to get a bad response from them. On the other hand we had AT&T at one point for our phone service. I spent a YEAR trying to get them to fix something they'd screwed up on and to fess up to their mistake. Thankfully I succeeded eventually. I won't be going back to them for phone service ever though.

A company may be great but employees need to be reminded that ONE bad response will spread to other customers quickly. For every good experience that people talk about one person will tell SEVEN about a bad experience. Customers are your best advertising.

maleficent · 08-18-2005, 12:55 PM

I can't wait til i see who my next Capital One bill gets sent to... I wasn't all that polite to the non-english speaking person I called to report a card not being received... as he's cancelling that card and reissuing be a new card, he's trying to upsell me - and never stopped after the first time I said I was not interested... (the guys in my office counted at least 12 times I said i was not interested, and I finally got to the point of "What part of I am not interested are you having trouble with" yes, I know they read from a script, but enough already...

Cynthetiq · 09-01-2005, 02:45 PM

Quote:

6 months of free cable TV won't erase insult's sting

By Scott Goldstein
Tribune staff reporter
Published September 1, 2005

Although she doesn't mind talking about the problems that made her a poster child for poor customer relations, LaChania Govan admits the media attention has come with a price.

The 25-year-old mother of two from Elgin went public last month when she received a Comcast cable bill addressed to "Bitch Dog" after she had complained for weeks about service problems.

Since then, she has appeared on MSNBC's "Countdown with Keith Olbermann." Her story has been told in newspapers around the country, and legions of Internet message boards and blogs have taken up her cause.

A consumer group plans to give her an award next month in Washington.

One person even saw a business opportunity and is selling a T-shirt online that reads: "Be a . . . Comcast Bitch Dog . . . Get Dish!"

Govan said she is torn by all the attention. As a customer-service representative for a credit-card company, she said it's important to speak out about the issue with the hope that service in general might improve.

But she also said she doesn't like being linked to such an unpleasant name. She can't hide from it, she said--not even at her church, her son's elementary school or her workplace.

"It's not so much the issue, it's the name associated with it," Govan said. "There has not been one day since that happened that somebody has not addressed me" in the same way her bill was addressed.

Initially, Comcast offered Govan four months of free service to make amends, an offer it has since increased to six months, she said.

That came last week when Govan said she spoke with Mark Coffman, Comcast Chicago region vice president for customer care. He left her a voicemail message shortly after the Tribune first reported her story Aug. 17.

Six months of free cable doesn't cut it, Govan said.

"This is something that is going to follow me for the rest of my life," she said.

Still, she says it has generated goodwill and some odd perks. Her local gas station, for example, gave her a free fill-up.

Comcast spokeswoman Angie Amores restated the company's apology: "We've expressed our sincerest apologies to Miss Govan, and we continue to be appalled by the way she was treated."

The company fired two customer-service employees the day the story was published. At the call center where the offense occurred, only supervisors or higher-ranking employees are now allowed to change customer names on bills, Amores said.

Consumers for Cable Choice, an Indianapolis group that advocates competition in the cable market, plans to fly Govan to Washington in September for a previously scheduled conference, where they will honor her.

"We believe that her story is symptomatic of the environment, and the environment is one in which without competition . . . customer service generally fails," said spokeswoman Cheryl Reed. "She will be given an award, sort of a consolation for her pain and suffering."

Meanwhile, those familiar with the customer-service profession say it is not surprising Govan's story resonated with so many people.

"There is a coarsening of society in general," said Timothy Keiningham, a customer-loyalty consultant and author of several books on the topic. "She's probably gotten a lot of people to go, `I've experienced this or something similar.' And she just symbolizes the standard-bearer. And the fact that she didn't just roll over."

Current and former customer-service representatives said altering a customer's real name on a bill to something vulgar is inexcusable. But they said it also points to the often overlooked pressures of dealing with irate customers, particularly those emboldened by the impersonal exchange of a telephone conversation.

"You pretty much name it, and we have to deal with it," said Chris Munson, who works in customer service for Adelphia Cable in Burlington, Vt.

Munson, who has worked in customer service for about six years, said the venomous environment seeps into his and his colleagues' personal lives.

"When we come home, unfortunately our spouses have to deal with us," Munson said. "When we get home, we can't even speak. . . . My wife is at the point where she will only deal with really important things by e-mail so I won't flip out. And that's the way that a lot of people are right now."

wheeee 6 months of free cable... I'd cancel it and watch the paint dry or grass grow.

08-17-2005, 09:59 PM	#2 (permalink)
JumpinJesus Junkie Location: Chicago	-Hi, what's your name? -Jeffrey Barnes, but my friends call me Scrotum Bag.... too funny. __________________ "I can normally tell how intelligent a man is by how stupid he thinks I am" - Cormac McCarthy, All The Pretty Horses

08-18-2005, 01:12 AM	#4 (permalink)
SecretMethod70 Human Administrator Location: Chicago	haha, well, I have Comcast cable and internet at home (well, technically my parents do) and I can tell you it sucks. __________________ Le temps détruit tout "Musicians are the carriers and communicators of spirit in the most immediate sense." - Kurt Elling

08-18-2005, 02:38 AM	#6 (permalink)
bermuDa don't ignore this--> Location: CA	Haven't had any problems with comcast. SBC, on the other hand... stands for Scrotum Bag Corporation, i believe. __________________ I am the very model of a moderator gentleman.

08-18-2005, 05:18 AM	#8 (permalink)
Charlatan Getting it. Super Moderator Location: Lion City	Bill what do you expect when you leave your customer service to a bunch of people answering phones in a veal fattening pen... and then you pay them shit wages and randomly monitor their phone calls. I'm not surprised it breeds resentment. __________________ "My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars." - Old Man Luedecke

08-18-2005, 07:43 AM	#11 (permalink)
BigBen Comedian Location: Use the search button	I would love to have a bill addressed to "Ben Cack and Balls" I would frame it, and then when I ever needed anything done, I would phone and say "This is ol' Cack and Balls, I need you to fix my cable" and watch them run. With ammo like that, how long do you think the cable company would be your Bitch? I think that they would have to suck up for at least 6 months. 6 months, free cable, internet, full channel package. At least. I sometimes wonder what stuff has been written in my file at several institutions. I would like to think "Nice guy, but seems like some kind of know-it-all" I am always very courteous, even when student loans fucked up and didn't pay my tuition. It took 3 months to get that sorted out. I got a letter of appology, and they paid the late fees (over 500 bucks) for me. I was patient and never raised my voice. I started to take the person's name that I was talking to, as well as take notes. "Student Loans, Can I help you?" "This is Ben calling. Who am I speaking to, please?" "Uh... my name is Carol. How can I help you?" "Well, Carol, when I called yesterday, Jeremy said that he was going to contact the University and correct the problem. Can you look into my file and either confirm or deny that occurred?" What have I just done? I just told poor Carol that I know who she is, and she will be held accountable for her actions. She is no longer a nameless/faceless drone at the call centre. I will check up on her to make sure she is telling the truth. I got results. And fast. I have since adopted that strategy for all of my phone contacts. I believe that it works well for me. __________________ 3.141592654 Hey, if you are impressed with my memorizing pi to 10 digits, you should see the size of my penis.

08-18-2005, 01:12 AM	#3 (permalink)
analog Banned	Now everyone named Harry Johnson is going to get a call to verify their name...

08-18-2005, 02:21 AM	#5 (permalink)
ryfo Psycho Location: melbourne australia	That is unbelievable! All companies should be held accountable if this sort of thing happens. Even if the customer is a pain in the arse, it shouldn't be recorded as it will predjudice later communications with her/him.

08-18-2005, 07:37 AM	#10 (permalink)
canuckguy I read your emails. Location: earth	not that i justify the employee's actions, but damn that was funny to read. not sure what comcast or any other company expects. people who work on the phones get abused all day, every day. not many jobs are like that, these companies expect the employee's to act like computers. every now and then there's gonna be a virus! awesome stuff.

08-18-2005, 08:06 AM	#13 (permalink)
Daknjak Tilted Location: Green Bay, Wisconsin	As it turns out, my wife works for a call center for an insurance company. Namely car insurance. We chat about her calls when she gets home, and she vents sometimes about how absulutely rude some people are. In short, most people call up, and when things aren't going their way, they threaten to talk to a supervisor to get something done. Little do they know, that the "supervisors" are nothing more than another group of call center employees who know a little bit more than the basic call people. These "supervisors" are not even that persons supervisor that they just spoke to. My wife takes pleasure in people saying: "You not helping me, and I would like to talk to a supervisor!" My wife: "Absolutely sir/madame please hold while I connect you." I think most people think that threatening to talk to a superior is going to bend that person to do what they want them to do. Little do they know that the compnaies thought of all this ahead of time. As a final note, my wife has the highest marks in her group, and is excellent at what she does, so good customer service is always number one with her, and should be with everyone. __________________ On a Mens room ceiling: "Why are you looking up here? The joke is in your hand." "He who laughs last thinks slowest."

08-18-2005, 08:12 AM	#15 (permalink)
ngdawg peekaboo Location: on the back, bitch	A couple at a NJ restaurant were appalled to receive their check with the words 'jew couple' scrawled on the bottom. The phrase also showed up on their credit card statement showing the restaurant's charge. The manager stated that the waitstaff, rather than use table numbers, used descriptives of the patrons, but it was supposed to be things such as 'blue cap and black shirt'...the waitress has since been fired. __________________ Don't blame me. I didn't vote for either of'em.

08-18-2005, 08:42 AM	#17 (permalink)
shesus Fancy Location: Chicago	I knew that when they started replacing computers with people that customer service would get bad. As you all pointed, out there is an general lack of respect on both sides, customers and customer service. While there are still people who have empathy, which is the base for respect, many people do not. I have done a lot of research on lack of respect and there are many causes. The main one that I found is media and other technology. The solidarity of these actions hinder social interaction and cause some to be jaded. The news is saturated with actions that should make people cringe, but it has become such common place that people generally don't feel anything. Family life can also have a huge effect. With working, over-stressed parents, the children are not getting the child-rearing that they so badly need. I also think that in general our country has become less formal. Looking at business attire can show you this. As for the restaurant, I waited tables for about 3 years, and I never referred to tables in the way the NJ restaurant did. That is appalling. I'm not sure what is going on in this country. But, there seems to be a societal problem growing and I hope that it gets fixed. As a teacher, I see children and honestly it scares me to think of them as our future. Lack of empathy is growing and soemthing needs to be done about. However, I am not sure what the answer is. __________________ Whatever did happen to your soul? I heard you sold it Choose Heaven for the weather and Hell for the company

08-18-2005, 12:48 PM	#22 (permalink)
raeanna74 I'm not a blonde! I'm knot! I'm knot! I'm knot! Location: Upper Michigan	My cable TV/internet/telephone company has screwed up more than once. In fact 3 times in the past 2 months. I never called with an angry tone in my voice. But I did call. I've called them and they've come out to fix problems with their lines on more than one occaision (without charging for that matter) I have yet to get a bad response from them. On the other hand we had AT&T at one point for our phone service. I spent a YEAR trying to get them to fix something they'd screwed up on and to fess up to their mistake. Thankfully I succeeded eventually. I won't be going back to them for phone service ever though. A company may be great but employees need to be reminded that ONE bad response will spread to other customers quickly. For every good experience that people talk about one person will tell SEVEN about a bad experience. Customers are your best advertising. __________________ "Always learn the rules so that you can break them properly." Dalai Lama My Karma just ran over your Dogma.

08-18-2005, 12:55 PM	#23 (permalink)
maleficent Junkie Moderator Emeritus Location: Chicago	I can't wait til i see who my next Capital One bill gets sent to... I wasn't all that polite to the non-english speaking person I called to report a card not being received... as he's cancelling that card and reissuing be a new card, he's trying to upsell me - and never stopped after the first time I said I was not interested... (the guys in my office counted at least 12 times I said i was not interested, and I finally got to the point of "What part of I am not interested are you having trouble with" yes, I know they read from a script, but enough already... __________________ Free your heart from hatred. Free your mind from worries. Live simply. Give more. Expect less.