I’ve had one of those mornings and am going to be forced to rant before I can knuckle down and go to work. You know those commercials about that guy speaking all of his codes and so forth into his cell phone as he attempts to reach customer service, then just as he gets a live person, the train he’s on goes into a tunnel and the connection is lost? Yeah, I know how he feels.
I bought a new cell phone early this month at a kiosk in Circuit City. Actually, I exchanged a phone I didn’t like that I’d bought about a week earlier. My credit card was credited back the full amount I was charged for the first phone, then the salesperson (very nice lady) rang up my new purchase and only afterward realized I was not given my New Every Two credit. She did something on the computer and said the $100 would show up on my next bill.
Got my bill last night. No credit.
So I call this morning. Ring. Ring. Computer tells me to enter my cell phone number followed by the pound key. I do. I get the main menu choices, punch in the number. Ring. Ring. “Please enter your ten digit phone number.” Sigh. I enter it. Four more menu choices. I choose. Ring. Ring. A live person answers. “May I have your name and ten digit phone number please?” Give it. “Please repeat the number.” I give it. Explain situation. He tells me that it is Financial who needs to take care of this and that he will forward me now. Ring. Ring. Computer tells me to enter my ten digit phone number. I do. Menu gives me some choices. I punch the number for Financial. Live person answers. “May I have your name and ten digit phone number.” I give it. “Could you please repeat the number?” Sigh. I repeat it. Then I explain about the missing credit. “Oh, you need Customer Service.” Hmm. It was the customer service number I took off of their web site and dialed in the first place. She forwards me. Ring. Ring. Guess what? A menu. I choose. Guess what? The computer tells me to enter my ten digit phone number. I do. Wait. Live person. “Could you please give me your name and number?” I give it … a bit wearily. I explain my situation. Long story shortened a little bit: He cannot see how much I was charged for my phone at the kiosk, thus I must contact the kiosk and have them contact customer service in order for me to get my credit.
I confess. I was feeling testy now. Especially when he at first said that I would need to go into the kiosk, not just call them. Altogether I was on that call for 23 minutes. How many times did I enter or give my number? At least nine. Spoke to three people in three departments and no one can help me on a mistake they made. Grr.
I try always to remember that these people are just doing their jobs and that mistakes get made and that company policy sometimes makes them do these crazy things. But since they KNOW they owe me the new every two credit, why couldn’t he just give it to me? I hate getting the runaround!
I think maybe I need to go write a fight scene in my w-i-p. Maybe I’ll feel better when I’m done.
-rlh-
