I just love the way so-called “customer support” folks in telephone companies still think “It isn’t possible” is a legitimate excuse for bad customer service.
I rang 3 today to try to get them to merge the two data plans I have with my two devices (my mobile phone and my laptop card). I had a flat rate plan on the laptop card for 200mb a month and yet they were charging me $3/mb for data on my phone. I just wanted them to say “Hey, these are both Cameron Reilly using date on our network, it should all just be wrapped up under his data plan.”
But oh no. Too hard. Can’t do it. Not possible. I spent 30 minutes on the phone to two separate support people (who were, I suspect, in Bangladesh) telling me “it isn’t possible”.
“Why not?” was my monotonous reply.
To which they would answer “You can have data plans on one, the other or both. You can’t have one data plan which covers both devices.”
“Why not?”
“It isn’t possible.”
“Why not?”
“You can have data plans on one, the other or both. You can’t have one data plan which covers both devices.”
And repeat.
So finally I decided to sign up for a flat rate data plan on my mobile account, cancel my laptop card and, if I need to use it, pull the SIM card out of my mobile and stick it in the laptop. A pain in the ass but better than paying for two separate plans.
But the point is “not possible” should NOT be in the vocabulary of any customer support person. I actually argues with the guy at one stage, saying “well it’s 2007 my friend, I know a little about pooters and the innernet, I’m pretty sure it is POSSIBLE, but what you’re saying is Three just can’t be bothered to do it. Am I right?”
He agreed.
This wouldn’t have happened if Shane Williamson was still running 3. He may be a Christian but he p0wns customer support. 🙂
Speaking of Michael J Fox… I just uploaded a new episode of The Movie Show where I review the 1985 classic “Back To The Future”.
well we did warn you that 3 has shocking customer service!
youch. if only internode did something like 3. you would be able to have a plan crafted to every whim you have at a slight cost 🙂 if only you lived in Adelaide
http://www.cine.net.au/network.html
I don’t imagine the Customer service guy knew why…or even cared why. They just read off of scripts from a book, they don’t have any actual knowledge.
I called my ISP once when I found out they dropped the price of the monthly service and yet they were still charging me the old rate. I asked the fellow why, if they price has dropped, that I am still paying $10 more… and he went into a canned response. I told him that I wanted the new rate and he said something like “can’t be done.” What? You expect me to pay $10 more per month for the same service? I asked “Does it say on your little screen how long I’ve been a customer?” The reply was “Yes” … I said “How about I just cancel my account?” Oh, well…that’s different.
Now I play a flat yearly rate for my Internet access, and I was a little miffed when they renewed my account in September without even asking me… No contact, just a charge to my credit card. Sure, I probably would’ve renewed, but I would’ve appreciated some sort of email or a polite phone call asking me. I guess that’s what happens when you have the same ISP for 10 years, they get a bit complacent…
I also think my ISP is trying to get rid of their dial-up customers, because dial-up access is getting progressively worse and slower. Every call to the Tech Support line comes back “it must be your modem” or “it must be your phone line”.
Yes…I’m still using dial-up… I’m too cheap to lay out $50 a month for cable Internet when I have a perfectly nice T3 at work for downloading large files.