Butch Femme Planet - View Single Post - Is the customer really always right? What they said/what you wish could say...

Hollylane · 07-21-2012, 11:48 AM

Getting my gripe on, and blowing off a little steam...

Okay, I just want to put these things out here in the light of day...I have conversations like these on a daily basis, and I am flummoxed about how, or why they could actually take place multiple times in a day...

Hollylane: Thank you for calling ___, may I please have the address or the account number that I can help you with?

Customer: I don't know my address...It is at the _____Apartment complex on ____ street. I just need to give the manager an account number, can't you look it up by the cross street?

Or....

Hollylane: Thank you for calling ___, may I please have the address or the account number that I can help you with?

Customer: My name is Britteny, and I'm really pissed off at you people for charging me so much every month. I am never home. I never use any electricity. Never. My bill last month was $39, there is no way I used that much electricity. I live by myself. Can you see my payment of $26 from last month? How much did I average in 2010, I kicked my ex out back then, and my bill should be lower. I'm really pissed off. I can't pay you that much money every month. I need a payment arrangement.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Apparently, I am expected to have a directory in my head with every address in the Portland and Salem areas emblazoned upon my brain. WTF?

And I ask you, if you are calling customer service for assistance with your account, or to start electric service, or to report an outage, why wouldn't you be prepared with at least your address? It is not rocket science.

The Britteny customer, oh my days...Diving down the rabbit hole, drilling me with questions, complaining about a miniscule dollar amount, and I'm supposed to help you how? How can I help you when all I have is your name?

Let's go back to the beginning and start with that address or account number. Sheesh.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Power off for non-payment scenarios..

Hollylane: Thank you for calling ___, may I please have the address or the account number that I can help you with?

Customer: It's too dark in here for me to see my account number, you need to turn my fucking lights back on right now! I made a payment 2 months ago, I can't believe you people turned the lights off! I have babies, I have an elderly mother on oxygen, I have a fish tank, a reptile cage (etc, etc)...

and....

Hollylane: Thank you for calling ___, may I please have the address or the account number that I can help you with?

Customer: I paid you your fucking money, your reconnection fees, and your deposit 15 minutes ago. Why are my lights not back on? I want them on right now. How long am I going to have to wait?

Hollylane: I'm sorry that happened today, we'll restore your power as quickly and safely as possible, but unfortunately, I'm unable to provide a time frame for your reconnection. We do work all of our orders before we leave for the day, so it will be sometime today.

Customer: You just turned them off 45 minutes ago, so just turn them back on NOW. I paid my bill. Turn them on NOW.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Comments on reconnection for non-payment scenarios...

Is it really necessary to have your lights on to provide me with your address? Why can't people hear me when I say "or"??

How come everyone suddenly has $300(average reconnection amount with 1/2 of a balance + 30 r/c and 1/3 of a deposit) within an hour if their power is interrupted? We inundate our customers with mailed notices and phone calls, work with them extensively to help them keep their electricity on (it is expensive for both our company and the customer to turn them off and back on), and all we ask for is a phone call to make a payment arrangement, and for them to make a payment at least every other month. The customers above do not call until their power is off.

Perhaps we should let them wait to have the power back on for as long as we had to wait for a payment, or even a bloody phone call...

There are legitimate customers who are truly struggling in today's economy, and they call us every month, talk with us about where they are at, how much they can pay, and are polite even while they are stressed about where the next loaf of bread is coming from. They rarely experience an interruption of service, because they call, and they follow through with their commitments.

As far as assigning guilt to your electric service customer service representative, about your mother, your brother, your fish, and your babies...

If this is such a concern for you, why did you wait to call me until the power was off? If it were my mother, and I was struggling, I would have been calling every day, I would do everything in my power to not have anything happen that could threaten the health or well being of anyone I love. I don't feel sorry for the person calling, I feel empathy for the people/animals that have to rely on someone so irresponsible, and with so little concern for their welfare.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Power off due to weather or equipment failure scenarios...

Hollylane: Thank you for calling ___, may I please have the address that you are reporting a power outage for?

Customer A: My mother is on oxygen, you need to turn my power back on right now. If she dies, I'm suing you people!

Customer B: The 80 mile hour wind knocked the power out, and I heard a big boom. The power has been out for 2 hours now, are you people going to credit my account?

Customer C: It is snowing hard, and my power has been out for 12 hours, and I just saw your guys sitting in their trucks eating and talking around noon, why the fuck aren't they working to get my power back on?

Customer D: It is 40 degrees outside, I'm going to freeze to death, and my babies are going to die if you don't get the power back on right now!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Comments on power off due to weather or equipment failure scenarios...

Customer A...I'm 99.99999% certain that if your mother is actually on an oxygen machine (or even in the same state for that matter), that the medical supply company has provided you with back up gigantic and travel size oxygen tanks...

Customer B...If your meter is not running, you don't have power, and we charge by kilowatt hour used, what exactly am I crediting your account for?

Customer C...My guys and gals have been working on restoring your power in freezing weather, through the night, sometimes not even able to spend holidays with their families, risking life and limb to repair electric lines and poles...I'm pretty fucking sure I don't feel bad about them stopping to have a sandwich in their trucks with the heat on. You should be ashamed of yourself, and appreciate that you have shelter.

Customer D...When your power has been restored, a quick search of the internet may lead you to this

. Prior to that, humans lived for millions of years without electricity. It was a little uncomfortable, yes, but they lived, and they didn't have a Walmart to go buy a blanket at. In more recent human history, they even survived in the deserts of Arizona at temperatures over 117 degrees, and survived in temperatures well below zero...all without electricity...40 degrees? Put on an extra sweater and an extra pair of socks, you'll live...I'm just sayin'....

And one last thing....

No one at the electric company can turn your power back on first because of your particular situation. If the power is off for one home in your area, it is off for all. You are not special, you have to wait while our guys and gals work their asses off, regardless of current weather situations, to restore your power, just like everyone else. You are not more important, and you are not the only person in the world.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

End transmission. :CLICK:

07-21-2012, 11:48 AM	#42
Hollylane Practically Lives Here How Do You Identify?: . Preferred Pronoun?: . Relationship Status: . Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: . Posts: 11,495 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 34,694 Thanked 26,373 Times in 5,877 Posts Rep Power: 21474860	Getting my gripe on, and blowing off a little steam... Okay, I just want to put these things out here in the light of day...I have conversations like these on a daily basis, and I am flummoxed about how, or why they could actually take place multiple times in a day... Hollylane: Thank you for calling ___, may I please have the address or the account number that I can help you with? Customer: I don't know my address...It is at the _____Apartment complex on ____ street. I just need to give the manager an account number, can't you look it up by the cross street? Or.... Hollylane: Thank you for calling ___, may I please have the address or the account number that I can help you with? Customer: My name is Britteny, and I'm really pissed off at you people for charging me so much every month. I am never home. I never use any electricity. Never. My bill last month was $39, there is no way I used that much electricity. I live by myself. Can you see my payment of $26 from last month? How much did I average in 2010, I kicked my ex out back then, and my bill should be lower. I'm really pissed off. I can't pay you that much money every month. I need a payment arrangement. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Apparently, I am expected to have a directory in my head with every address in the Portland and Salem areas emblazoned upon my brain. WTF? And I ask you, if you are calling customer service for assistance with your account, or to start electric service, or to report an outage, why wouldn't you be prepared with at least your address? It is not rocket science. The Britteny customer, oh my days...Diving down the rabbit hole, drilling me with questions, complaining about a miniscule dollar amount, and I'm supposed to help you how? How can I help you when all I have is your name? Let's go back to the beginning and start with that address or account number. Sheesh. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Power off for non-payment scenarios.. Hollylane: Thank you for calling ___, may I please have the address or the account number that I can help you with? Customer: It's too dark in here for me to see my account number, you need to turn my fucking lights back on right now! I made a payment 2 months ago, I can't believe you people turned the lights off! I have babies, I have an elderly mother on oxygen, I have a fish tank, a reptile cage (etc, etc)... and.... Hollylane: Thank you for calling ___, may I please have the address or the account number that I can help you with? Customer: I paid you your fucking money, your reconnection fees, and your deposit 15 minutes ago. Why are my lights not back on? I want them on right now. How long am I going to have to wait? Hollylane: I'm sorry that happened today, we'll restore your power as quickly and safely as possible, but unfortunately, I'm unable to provide a time frame for your reconnection. We do work all of our orders before we leave for the day, so it will be sometime today. Customer: You just turned them off 45 minutes ago, so just turn them back on NOW. I paid my bill. Turn them on NOW. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Comments on reconnection for non-payment scenarios... Is it really necessary to have your lights on to provide me with your address? Why can't people hear me when I say "or"?? How come everyone suddenly has $300(average reconnection amount with 1/2 of a balance + 30 r/c and 1/3 of a deposit) within an hour if their power is interrupted? We inundate our customers with mailed notices and phone calls, work with them extensively to help them keep their electricity on (it is expensive for both our company and the customer to turn them off and back on), and all we ask for is a phone call to make a payment arrangement, and for them to make a payment at least every other month. The customers above do not call until their power is off. Perhaps we should let them wait to have the power back on for as long as we had to wait for a payment, or even a bloody phone call... There are legitimate customers who are truly struggling in today's economy, and they call us every month, talk with us about where they are at, how much they can pay, and are polite even while they are stressed about where the next loaf of bread is coming from. They rarely experience an interruption of service, because they call, and they follow through with their commitments. As far as assigning guilt to your electric service customer service representative, about your mother, your brother, your fish, and your babies... If this is such a concern for you, why did you wait to call me until the power was off? If it were my mother, and I was struggling, I would have been calling every day, I would do everything in my power to not have anything happen that could threaten the health or well being of anyone I love. I don't feel sorry for the person calling, I feel empathy for the people/animals that have to rely on someone so irresponsible, and with so little concern for their welfare. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Power off due to weather or equipment failure scenarios... Hollylane: Thank you for calling ___, may I please have the address that you are reporting a power outage for? Customer A: My mother is on oxygen, you need to turn my power back on right now. If she dies, I'm suing you people! Customer B: The 80 mile hour wind knocked the power out, and I heard a big boom. The power has been out for 2 hours now, are you people going to credit my account? Customer C: It is snowing hard, and my power has been out for 12 hours, and I just saw your guys sitting in their trucks eating and talking around noon, why the fuck aren't they working to get my power back on? Customer D: It is 40 degrees outside, I'm going to freeze to death, and my babies are going to die if you don't get the power back on right now! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Comments on power off due to weather or equipment failure scenarios... Customer A...I'm 99.99999% certain that if your mother is actually on an oxygen machine (or even in the same state for that matter), that the medical supply company has provided you with back up gigantic and travel size oxygen tanks... Customer B...If your meter is not running, you don't have power, and we charge by kilowatt hour used, what exactly am I crediting your account for? Customer C...My guys and gals have been working on restoring your power in freezing weather, through the night, sometimes not even able to spend holidays with their families, risking life and limb to repair electric lines and poles...I'm pretty fucking sure I don't feel bad about them stopping to have a sandwich in their trucks with the heat on. You should be ashamed of yourself, and appreciate that you have shelter. Customer D...When your power has been restored, a quick search of the internet may lead you to this . Prior to that, humans lived for millions of years without electricity. It was a little uncomfortable, yes, but they lived, and they didn't have a Walmart to go buy a blanket at. In more recent human history, they even survived in the deserts of Arizona at temperatures over 117 degrees, and survived in temperatures well below zero...all without electricity...40 degrees? Put on an extra sweater and an extra pair of socks, you'll live...I'm just sayin'.... And one last thing.... No one at the electric company can turn your power back on first because of your particular situation. If the power is off for one home in your area, it is off for all. You are not special, you have to wait while our guys and gals work their asses off, regardless of current weather situations, to restore your power, just like everyone else. You are not more important, and you are not the only person in the world. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ End transmission. :CLICK: