Customer (dis)Service

What’s up with the current lack of customer service?

We’re having problems with two service providers. One, the new landscaping/gutter-cleaning company, failed to cut the lawn on the first promised date, the second promised date, and finally got out here to cut it 10 days later after Geren had to threaten cancellation of the brand-new contract. The gutter-cleaning went pretty much the same way, except that the company kept failing to call to advise him of the scheduled cleaning date, and they didn’t show up until today after — you guessed it — he threatened to cancel said contract again. What’s up with that?

The second problem we’ve had is with the business insurance. We got a policy, paid the year’s premium, and then a few weeks later, a partial refund check showed up in the mail. It seems the policy had been terminated because the underwriter no longer insures businesses run primarily from a home, but instead of hearing about this from our insurance agent, we got the check in the mail and had to CALL the agent to ask what in the world was going on. Now, Geren’s family has despised this particular insurance company for decades (apparently, their agent once put in writing that they were in business “to make money, NOT to pay claims.”) I’ve been staving off a change because I’ve had the same company, and even the same auto insurance policy number, since about 1982. I can no longer stave off insistence that we change, I can’t even tolerate the agent’s behavior. The agency took on a new rep, who has the sickly sweet manner of a used-car salesman who will promise anything in the world to get the victim to drive the car off the lot. I feel like I need a shower every time I talk to the guy on the phone. He was rude from the start. He didn’t prepare the binder even though I told him we’d be by to make the payment, then got huffy with Geren because he wasn’t prepared when Geren showed up with the check. He sent Geren away, then called me to get answers to questions that Geren could have answered while he was standing right there! When the policy came, it was written under the wrong DBA business name. So I called said used-car-salesman to fix it. He said that he would take care of it. So a few weeks later, here comes a check in the mail — a refund for the now-cancelled policy, and made out to the wrong DBA, so I couldn’t even deposit it!!! I called the agency, told one of the office admins that the check needed to be re-issued, and that I had “no desire whatsoever to talk to [agent's name].” So who called me back a few minutes later? USED-CAR AGENT! Anyway, he said he’d fix it — stop payment on the first check and re-issue — but that it would come from the HQ, so there was nothing he could do to speed up the process. (Of course, I want it fast because I need to get another policy established.) I then talk the office admin again, and tell her I want a call-back from the primary agent. Office admin lady calls me Monday a.m. to say that he’s not available, but will call me back in the afternoon. So who calls me back in the afternoon? USED-CAR AGENT…AGAIN! I don’t answer, so he leaves me a voice-mail to please call because he’s got another policy option for me. Did I ever hear from the primary agent? NO.

This morning, I called the agency because the re-issued refund hasn’t shown up yet. Who answers? The primary agent. He knows who I am, remembers the issue, and says he’ll get status on that check and call me right back, which he did. BUT…he NEVER mentions anything like, “hey-I meant to call you last week…” or, even “I’m sorry that happened…” He says nothing except that the check should be in the mailbox soon; it was mailed on 8/23. but nothing more. no apology for poor service. no questions about whether i’m interested in the new policy. NOTHING. zip. zilch. nada. So much for any kind of concern that maybe something had wrong. that maybe THEY shoudl have been the ones to notify me the policy was terminated. I think it’s absurd that I had to find out by getting a check in the mail, and that I’M the one who had to call & ask!

I know our money ain’t gonna’ make anyone rich, but it seems to me that an agent could at least TRY to care, considering we have auto, homeowners, and were trying to add our business policy to their rosters.
I just don’t get it. What ever happened to customer service? The AGENT should have been on top of this. The AGENT should have called me to tell me about the pending termination.

As far as we’re concerned, this agency has done us a major DIS-service.

Add the above recent occurrences to the contact-lens fiasco, and I am just more disgusted at the utter lack of customer service out there.

Here’s the contact-lens fiasco:

I had an appointment for a contact lens fitting, and was given a trial pair. I called the following week to order the lenses (Tuesday, July 25), and was told I would be given a call back with the price. I called on Monday, July 31, to inquire about pricing and order status. I also asked for a copy of the prescription at that time so I could have a back-up plan, since the order was not in yet. I was told simply that the lenses were not in yet and the price was still unknown, and that I should “wait.�

I called again on Wednesday, August 2, to inquire about both the pricing and the order status. I was again told that the lenses were not in yet, and the price was still unknown. I pressed further, and my call was forwarded to a tech. Although I had stated on the 31st that I was approaching the end of my trial two-week disposables, and again repeated to the staff person and to the tech on the 2nd that I was now on the last day, my lenses were becoming uncomfortable and difficult to put in, I sensed no concern from any of the staff members with whom I spoke.

Since no one had been able to tell me when the lenses might arrive, I asked for another pair of trial lenses to hold me over until then. I was told that there were none left, which I find rather hard to believe. The person’s response was immediate, so it was obvious that there was no time during which s/he might have checked my prescription against lens stock.

When I expressed my disappointment in the lack of customer service, instead of receiving a concerned response I was interrogated as to why I had not ordered them earlier, and what I could possibly be disappointed about! I responded that I was disappointed I did not get the call back with the price, no one could tell me when the order might be in, and I could not get another trial pair. In addition, the length of time to order lenses was never mentioned to me – implying that they would be readily or at least quickly available. The tech’s response was that “people are on vacation.â€? It is possible to work around staff shortages when making an appointment to, for example, get the car fixed; it is NOT acceptable to tell a patient they must keep waiting for an unknown length of time to get fresh contact lenses. Eye health ranks pretty far up on my list of priorities!

When I requested the prescription, a customer-minded response would have been, “Yes, I’ll do that for you.â€? Instead, s/he shot back with, “What am I supposed to do with the pair we ordered for you?â€? Truthfully, if no one can tell a customer how much a product costs nor when it might be available, I really don’t consider it my problem to figure out what the vendor is supposed to do with it when – or if – it eventually does show up. I was left with the distinct impression that the place is more concerned about making money than providing adequate customer service — especially since each person from whom I requested the prescription balked at giving it to me.
My disappointments rest in the following:

• I was not given a call-back with the price as initially indicated on the 31st;
• I had to request repeatedly (once on the 31st and three times from two different people on the 2nd) to get the prescription before it was given to me (remember that denying prescriptions is, by the way, not legal);
• It is very clear to me from both conversations that no one in the office shared my concern for getting fresh lenses, and certainly not for providing supportive customer service.

I think they’re interested only in making money, and NOT in keeping their patients’ eyes healthy!