Like many Americans, Judy Sharum had a customer service meltdown last year. Fed up with overpaying for a landline phone and Internet service from AT&T, Sharum signed up for the company's U-Verse triple-play package. It seemed like a great deal. The package also included cable TV and the price was better.
But just after a crew installed the equipment and left her Rockford, Michigan, home, she discovered that none of the services worked. The reason? U-Verse was not yet available in Sharum's neighborhood.
For two weeks, the 64-year-old retired accountant implored representatives to "flip the switch" and restore her previous services. "I went on the warpath," she said, taking to the company's Facebook page and "letting AT&T have it in all caps." Eventually, she coaxed a representative to call in a favor from a technician to do the deed. But with all that bad history, Sharum soon cut ties with AT&T.
That wasn't the end of the story, however. Sharum's ordeal and Facebook rant caught the eye of AT&T's assistant to the president, who phoned her to right the wrong.
"Too late," Sharum groused, who received an apology and a refund check for a month's service for her trouble.
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Sharum's odyssey isn't unique. Nearly 90 percent of Americans have dealt with customer service for one reason or another during the past year, according to a recent survey by Consumer Reports National Research Center, and the experience is often frustrating. Half of those surveyed reported leaving a store within the past year without making their intended purchase because of poor service; 57 percent were so steamed that they hung up the phone while talking to a customer service representative without a resolution. Women were more annoyed than men, as were those under age 45.
Issue |
Percentage of Respondents |
Can't get a human on the phone |
75 |
Salesperson is rude or condescending |
75* |
Disconnected |
74 |
Disconnected and unable to reach same rep |
71 |
Transferred to representative who can't help or is wrong |
70 |
Company doesn't provide—or hides—customer service phone number |
68 |
Long wait on hold |
66 |
Many phone steps needed |
66 |
Repeatedly asked for same information |
66 |
Proposed solution was useless |
65 |
Salesperson ignored me |
64 |
Unsure whether on hold or disconnected |
62 |
Can't speak with a supervisor |
62 |
Phone menu doesn't offer needed option |
61 |
Voice-recognition system works poorly |
61 |
Sales pitch for unrelated goods or services |
60 |
Salesperson is too pushy |
60 |
*For in-store experiences, rudeness was highly annoying to 71 percent of respondents.
Consumers have more tools than ever to cut through customer-service clutter. Technology has given people a powerful voice, allowing their customer service complaints to be heard. Internet forums can turn one person's headache into a corporate nightmare. Companies actively patrol social-networking venues such as Facebook and YouTube to monitor what's being said about them—and often respond to customer service complaints before they go viral. Twitter has become the go-to brand for support. There's even an app called GripeO that will take your complaint right to a company's doorstep. Other tips:
—Tod Marks
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