• Zurf
  • Zurf
  • Blunt but well meaning moderator
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  • From: Virginia, USA
  • Registered: 2007-06-27
  • Posts: 7,522

Topic: Grrrrrrrrrrrrr. Dealing with lying, terminally stupid company.

Something that annoys me a great deal is the attempt to have automated service options that don't work, especially when there are clear fallacies in the instructions.

Example, a channel that I watch frequently now shows on my TV as something to which I don't subscribe. It says I can subscribe by pressing OK on my remote. So I pressed OK on my remote and it said that it can't use that feature on that channel. So, why did they put the statement there then? There was a second way to resolve it by calling a phone number, so I called it. That didn't work. It suggested using their on-line service. So I went on-line and it said I needed to call the 24x7 Support option. I called that and it said I needed to call back during business hours. Um, THEY told ME that the business hours were 24x7 for that feature. So then it had an e-mail option. I clicked on it. The form requires me to put their e-mail address in. They do not provide their e-mail address. So that's an enormously stupid feature. There was just absolutely no way for me to resolve this issue tonight, DESPITE them offering (supposedly) four different 24x7 support methods of resolving it. Chasing this down wasted 45 minutes of my time and royally ticked me off. Why lie repeatedly to your customers, sending them on repeated wild goose chases, before they can use your service? It makes no sense.

I get my internet from these guys too.  They had a failure about eight weeks ago and fixed it quickly enough.  However, my e-mail hasn't worked since and for some reason my on-line account has been locked out so I can't fix it.  What a waste of time.

- Zurf

Granted B chord amnesty by King of the Mutants (Long live the king).
If it comes from the heart and you add a few beers... it'll be awesome! - Mekidsmom
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  • From: Clarion PA
  • Registered: 2008-05-18
  • Posts: 328

Re: Grrrrrrrrrrrrr. Dealing with lying, terminally stupid company.

Don't you love technology

Don't take life too seriously, you're not getting out alive anyway
  • From: Alabama Gulf Coast
  • Registered: 2008-06-24
  • Posts: 1,819

Re: Grrrrrrrrrrrrr. Dealing with lying, terminally stupid company.

I believe that when we take over, we're gonna have to kill some of us too.
toots

We pronounce it "Guf Coast".
Ya'll wanna go down to the Guf?

tubatooter1940's Website

  • From: Tooele Ut
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 4,049

Re: Grrrrrrrrrrrrr. Dealing with lying, terminally stupid company.

It's epidemic, my friend.  Everytime I call on something like this ,I tell them they need to put info out at their next meeting, to the effect that they need to personally try these features out themselves to make sure they work.  You know they just have a section which sets up these rules and features and they have no clue if they work.  A little internal quality control does wonders, if they attempt it at all.

You can see all my video covers on [url]http://www.youtube.com/bensonp1000[/url]
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  • From: Syosset, New York
  • Registered: 2006-04-20
  • Posts: 169

Re: Grrrrrrrrrrrrr. Dealing with lying, terminally stupid company.

As a side business, I have produced voice prompts for telephone auto attendant systems for about 26 years.  Despite numerous, spirited attempts to get some clients to pay careful attention to the way they've set up their telephone customer service procedures, very few of them ever get it.

What's happened, I think, is that we've become so enamored by the technology that we rush to apply it before we even know what our objectives are.  In the end, none of it actually works FOR us.

I sure miss the days when you'd call a customer service line, get a live voice saying "please hold," then wait for two hours to speak to someone who knew EXACTLY how to fix your problem!

Me with my first ukulele, a Junior Beatles model, in 1966.  After Mom threw it down the stairs in a fit of rage, I became a drummer for life.  At age 43, I bought my second uke...
  • From: Frederick, MD
  • Registered: 2006-12-28
  • Posts: 851

Re: Grrrrrrrrrrrrr. Dealing with lying, terminally stupid company.

Zurf wrote:

Something that annoys me a great deal is the attempt to have automated service options that don't work, especially when there are clear fallacies in the instructions.

Example, a channel that I watch frequently now shows on my TV as something to which I don't subscribe. It says I can subscribe by pressing OK on my remote. So I pressed OK on my remote and it said that it can't use that feature on that channel. So, why did they put the statement there then? There was a second way to resolve it by calling a phone number, so I called it. That didn't work. It suggested using their on-line service. So I went on-line and it said I needed to call the 24x7 Support option. I called that and it said I needed to call back during business hours. Um, THEY told ME that the business hours were 24x7 for that feature. So then it had an e-mail option. I clicked on it. The form requires me to put their e-mail address in. They do not provide their e-mail address. So that's an enormously stupid feature. There was just absolutely no way for me to resolve this issue tonight, DESPITE them offering (supposedly) four different 24x7 support methods of resolving it. Chasing this down wasted 45 minutes of my time and royally ticked me off. Why lie repeatedly to your customers, sending them on repeated wild goose chases, before they can use your service? It makes no sense.

I get my internet from these guys too.  They had a failure about eight weeks ago and fixed it quickly enough.  However, my e-mail hasn't worked since and for some reason my on-line account has been locked out so I can't fix it.  What a waste of time.

- Zurf

ROFL!!!!
I don't mean to laugh but this sounds like someone has it out for ya bud.
Wow, that would make a great Seinfeld skit.

Dm

"Talent instantly recognizes genius,
but mediocrity knows nothing more than itself."

-Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle

Detman101's Website

  • Registered: 2008-07-19
  • Posts: 128

Re: Grrrrrrrrrrrrr. Dealing with lying, terminally stupid company.

Great Seinfeld skit, I think you are on to something.