4 ms·

Somewhat off-topic, but whenever you have trouble with customer service ripping you off or giving you a hard time, there is a magical incantation that works alm

Somewhat off-topic, but whenever you have trouble with customer service ripping you off or giving you a hard time, there is a magical incantation that works almost every time: "If $company does not refund/provide the service that I paid for, my next call will be to the State Attorney General of $homestate and the State Attorney General of the state your company is incorporated in, for charges of fraud." It's the upgraded version of "I want to speak with your supervisor," and it has never failed me.

dsugarman 10y ago
I have also used this for fraudulent threatening debt. My grad school was trying to charge me for a semester I did not attend which was ridiculous considering I was getting a research stipend for much more than my tuition in my comp sci PhD program. Every year or so they would start harassing me again, when the supervisor trick stopped working, I threatened multiple law suits and contacting the State Attorney General and I haven't heard from them again.
John23832 10y ago
I think that works if the customer service person understands that... or even cares. Many customer service workers are underpaid/overworked and DGAF.
- Karunamon 10y ago
  You don't drop that line until you're talking to a supervisor. Also, depending on what your internet is provided over and your local laws, "public utilities commission" can be another power word: fix my service.
  - John23832 10y ago
    I'm not saying that you don't press the issue. I'm say that all the extra's about state attorneys and whatnot aren't needed... just ask for supervisors sternly. I can almost assure you that your average customer service person doesn't care about all the extras. They're following a script 9/10.
  - kelyjames 10y ago
    I previously worked at an outsourced call center that handled internet support for Cox Communications. I worked there for three years in both tier 1 and tier 2 support positions. Just because you are transferred to someone that answers the phone saying they are a supervisor doesn't mean they are or that they have any more authority than the previous person. I don't know about other call centers but at this one escalating a call to a supervisor only amounted to transferring the call to one of my coworkers on the floor. Sometimes the cubicle right next to me. I took 100s of these highly escalated calls myself during my time there. I wasn't the supervisor of anything. After you've worked there long enough (about six months) to prove you can handle a call you are magically qualified to answer escalated calls saying you are a "floor supervisor." Threatening to call or write some gov't body doesn't mean anything at this level. The support reps are not there to fix your problems or improve your services. They exist to satisfy your outrage and or upsell you. As long as your anger is satisfied, you will probably keep paying your bill. If your outrage can not be satisfied with the tools that reps have access to such as a form of credit, a new modem, or a service call you are wasting your breath. From what I could tell higher corporate people at cable/telcos are highly insulated to consumer feedback. The only thing that they understand is service cancellations by the 100,000s maybe millions. Massive numbers of customers jumping ship would get there attention. How long have people been cutting the cord in favor of Netflix etc and cable companies are just now beginning to come up with competing offers?
- rm_-rf_slash 10y ago
  I'm usually quite empathetic but the quality of life of a customer service representative is completely irrelevant to me. Most customer service calls occur when something goes wrong, so I'm already spending time dealing with a broken product or service, only to be screwed further by a deliberately discouraging automated menu... -- (Aside: I think a law should be enacted requiring anyone who sets up an automated customer service line to provide visual data and menu options to smartphones for people who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, have trouble deciphering the words used, or just don't want to sit around for half an hour listening to every option slowly listed trying to figure out how to get to the solve-my-fucking-problem menu. If they can use voice recognition then this shouldn't be that burdensome.) -- ...and then deal with inexperienced or upselling reps. This goes more than double when the customer is a corporation.
  - John23832 10y ago
    I'm not saying that you should care about the person (that's another discussion entirely). I'm saying they if they don't care (which they probably don't), or don't understand all the extras that you're throwing out (which they probably don't), then you're wasting your time. Just sternly ask for a supervisor.
JumpCrisscross 10y ago
FYI, for banks it's the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau [1] or your state banking regulator, e.g. the Department of Financial Services [2] in New York. [1] http://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/ http://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/ [2] http://www.dfs.ny.gov/consumer/fileacomplaint.htm http://www.dfs.ny.gov/consumer/fileacomplaint.htm
CaptSpify 10y ago
I had billing problems with Century-link for 6 months. I filed an FCC complaint and suddenly my bill was fixed! CLink then replied to the complaint saying that they had already fixed it. Funny how that worked out.

dsugarman 10y ago

I have also used this for fraudulent threatening debt. My grad school was trying to charge me for a semester I did not attend which was ridiculous considering I was getting a research stipend for much more than my tuition in my comp sci PhD program. Every year or so they would start harassing me again, when the supervisor trick stopped working, I threatened multiple law suits and contacting the State Attorney General and I haven't heard from them again.

John23832 10y ago

I think that works if the customer service person understands that... or even cares. Many customer service workers are underpaid/overworked and DGAF.

Karunamon 10y ago
You don't drop that line until you're talking to a supervisor. Also, depending on what your internet is provided over and your local laws, "public utilities commission" can be another power word: fix my service.
- John23832 10y ago
  I'm not saying that you don't press the issue. I'm say that all the extra's about state attorneys and whatnot aren't needed... just ask for supervisors sternly. I can almost assure you that your average customer service person doesn't care about all the extras. They're following a script 9/10.
- kelyjames 10y ago
  I previously worked at an outsourced call center that handled internet support for Cox Communications. I worked there for three years in both tier 1 and tier 2 support positions. Just because you are transferred to someone that answers the phone saying they are a supervisor doesn't mean they are or that they have any more authority than the previous person. I don't know about other call centers but at this one escalating a call to a supervisor only amounted to transferring the call to one of my coworkers on the floor. Sometimes the cubicle right next to me. I took 100s of these highly escalated calls myself during my time there. I wasn't the supervisor of anything. After you've worked there long enough (about six months) to prove you can handle a call you are magically qualified to answer escalated calls saying you are a "floor supervisor." Threatening to call or write some gov't body doesn't mean anything at this level. The support reps are not there to fix your problems or improve your services. They exist to satisfy your outrage and or upsell you. As long as your anger is satisfied, you will probably keep paying your bill. If your outrage can not be satisfied with the tools that reps have access to such as a form of credit, a new modem, or a service call you are wasting your breath. From what I could tell higher corporate people at cable/telcos are highly insulated to consumer feedback. The only thing that they understand is service cancellations by the 100,000s maybe millions. Massive numbers of customers jumping ship would get there attention. How long have people been cutting the cord in favor of Netflix etc and cable companies are just now beginning to come up with competing offers?
rm_-rf_slash 10y ago
I'm usually quite empathetic but the quality of life of a customer service representative is completely irrelevant to me. Most customer service calls occur when something goes wrong, so I'm already spending time dealing with a broken product or service, only to be screwed further by a deliberately discouraging automated menu... -- (Aside: I think a law should be enacted requiring anyone who sets up an automated customer service line to provide visual data and menu options to smartphones for people who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, have trouble deciphering the words used, or just don't want to sit around for half an hour listening to every option slowly listed trying to figure out how to get to the solve-my-fucking-problem menu. If they can use voice recognition then this shouldn't be that burdensome.) -- ...and then deal with inexperienced or upselling reps. This goes more than double when the customer is a corporation.
- John23832 10y ago
  I'm not saying that you should care about the person (that's another discussion entirely). I'm saying they if they don't care (which they probably don't), or don't understand all the extras that you're throwing out (which they probably don't), then you're wasting your time. Just sternly ask for a supervisor.

JumpCrisscross 10y ago

FYI, for banks it's the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau [1] or your state banking regulator, e.g. the Department of Financial Services [2] in New York. [1] http://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/ http://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/ [2] http://www.dfs.ny.gov/consumer/fileacomplaint.htm http://www.dfs.ny.gov/consumer/fileacomplaint.htm

CaptSpify 10y ago

I had billing problems with Century-link for 6 months. I filed an FCC complaint and suddenly my bill was fixed! CLink then replied to the complaint saying that they had already fixed it. Funny how that worked out.