An Opinion - Service? What Service
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I wrote about this subject recently but sometimes when things get 'stuck in your mind' you just have to get it out!
I was working on my website due to a series of problems processing credit card transactions. It wasn't my website that had the problems. No, it started with the card company itself.
Various transactions were getting rejected despite being perfectly valid. Upon contacting this 'fine' establishment, Signature Card, I was told that my contract did not allow for certain types of transactions.
Upon review, I could not find any restrictions and recontacted Signature. Now, the problem was a new one. I had been 'misinformed' and the problem was due to a policy that was being enforced due to the size of the transaction.
Upon review, I could not find any restrictions and recontacted Signature. Now, I was told that I had been 'misinformed' and I had to change my contract to ""fit"" my customer's profiles. I could not find anything stating anything about profiles and restrictions relating to them.
Upon contacting Signature again I cancelled my service and was told I could not do that because of the contract length, one year. You guessed it, my contract was month-to-month! I think they have set a record. Everyone I have talked with has told me something completely different!
Unfortunately, the story does not end here. Upon signing up with Paypal I ran into an error message with the very first transaction! It would not get processed. I contacted Paypal and they told me it was the shopping cart, 1ShoppingCart. Of course, I contacted them and was told it was Paypal. Oh Boy, what fun!
If not for my wife's dogged determination I do not think either firm would have even acknowledged the problem much less fixed it. She kept working up the ladder and as she did so actually came to understand the entire system, over hours of time mind you. Eventually, she not only reached the tech management of both firms but was able to explain to both exactly what the problem was - - with their two firms information exchange! Then, and only then, did the problem get resolved.
I guess I should give up preaching about customer service. I have this incredible frustration with so many companies being unable to service their customers. But, I have this incredible optimism that some how, some way, things can be done better and faster. One last question, why is it that a customer service department has no ability to call their customers that they disconnected while trying to transfer them to another department? Is it too much to ask to not have to go through the entire process just to get back where I was 15 minutes before?