Screaming into the Void
So this is gonna be a little PSA re: Customer Service.
And while this is based completely off a work experience tonight, this isn’t the first time I’ve had this sort of call. So. It’s time for the Bitch Session. from hel
So. You look at your bill one day and realize Hey, that’s high, wtf?? and then call into CS. “Hey, I got this thing, and I dunno I ought to be paying that much? You say.
“Sure, let’s look into it!” (We all will say some variation of it. We do.)
Now, there’s a variation of answers that come from this. Some are “No, those are real charges” Some are “well, that was a billin glitch, and we’re fixing it, that will get auto-credited” Other may include variations of “We’ll work with you on that” or “Let’s check into it further.”
Ok. So. See how I highlighted that one? Pay Attention. So. If you get this answer, and “Hey, I’ll call you back in x many days re: situation” Please, for the love of all things respected and holy, give us that time. Sometimes things have to be bounced up supervisor chains, or sent to alt departments, and then we have to get an answer back. So give us a few days.
Don’t. DON’T. Wait for five months. Just Don’t. “But it’s not my fault!!” I hear. “I was waiting to hear back from someone” or “I was busy, do you know how many meetings I ran that month??” (THIS ONE IS PRICELESS. YES. I GET YOU’RE BUSY. THAT’S WHY GRUNTS EXIST. MAKE SURE THEY HAVE ACCESS AND AUTHORIZATION TO ASK QUESTIONS ON YOUR BEHALF.)
Because once your account gets written off? Good luck. Once it gets kicked out to a collector?? Good gods. We can’t touch that. No, we can’t credit half that back. Yes, I get half of it was unresolved charges. NO. WE CANNOT WORK WRITTEN OFF ACCOUNTS.Â
LET ME REPEAT THAT. WRITTEN OFF ACCOUNTS HANDED TO THIRD PARTY COLLECTORS CANNOT BE CREDITED, QUOTED, OR WORKED ON EXCEPT BY THE COLLECTOR IT’S BEEN HANDED OFF TO.
If you have an active account, we might - might, MIGHT be able to credit you something back to that active account. We cannot honor that until the closed, written off account has been brought to a $0 balance. Sorry. It’s policy and protocol and sheer money-handling expectations. Can’t credit for something that hasn’t been paid yet. (Not in this sort of situation, at least.)
So. To keep this from turning into a massive rant-bitch-fest. Keep an eye on your bills. If you have a low month, talk to us. Lots of companies have a Financial department that will work out payment arrangements with you. Might not be the payment arrangement that’s completely ideal, but they exist. If you have something being worked on, give it a couple days. Calling in on Monday after turning in a request on Friday doesn’t count. Seriously. But don’t let the bill drag off into the wayside. Not over a “I was waiting a call”. Call back. if someone says 2-3 days, give us that much time. If we say it may take a week to process, well, give us that week. Don’t wait 3, 4, 5 months. Very, very, very few exceptions take that long. Nearly never with the “Let’s check into that further”.Â
And for the love of all things. Don’t scream at the CS reps taking your call. We’re here to serve, and to help, and to give our best, but we aren’t made of magic. And demanding to talk to a supervisor when “I’m sorry, but your account doesn’t qualify; the sale/ promotion is no longer open; the system (literally) will not let us” - come on. yes, they have higher negotiating pull when it comes to certain things, but literal, nearly physical cannot things?? Ah, no? Srsly??Â
