All about bad customer service

Markham · Aug 18, 2013

SunStar's Melanie Lim has recently written about two separate examples of bad-bordering-on-nonexistent customer service she's endured. Although she writes about Cebu, her experiences will be shared by many throughout the country.

Firstly, PLDT:

LAST Tuesday (8/6/2013), in the “Tell It To Sun.star” section, I wrote about my PLDT woes. Well, after almost a month of intermittent and practically non-existent Internet service, my Internet service is miraculously back.

Still, who knows for how long? It’s too early to celebrate. Last week, just as I was about to rejoice after three straight days of Internet connectivity, it was gone again.

I think this is what hinders progress in our country. Low standards. I, myself, was reduced to such low standards when three straight days of Internet connectivity became cause for great joy to me. Foreigners would go berserk over this standard of service.

And I couldn’t blame them.

Efficient service means service that works ALL THE TIME not just SOMETIMES. We should raise the bar if we truly want to be a global hub for business or tourism.

The Internet is not just an essential part of business; it is an integral part of people’s lives. Today, we don’t only go online to email, tweet, chat, post, do homework, upload photos, watch videos, listen to music, research or surf for news. We also go online to bank, purchase merchandise and services, transact business, pay bills. Internet disruption brings havoc to people’s lives.

I can understand occasional service interruptions throughout the year but operational problems should not last as long as three weeks—long enough to hamper the daily lives of subscribers.

For three weeks, I experienced days upon days of zero or spotty Internet service. My life was reduced to desperate days of just watching and waiting for Internet connection to be restored for an hour or two so I could quickly go online and do what needed to be done.

What greatly aggravated the situation were the replies of PLDT customer care service personnel, many of whom annoyed me with their incompetent and inane answers, none of which served to alleviate the inconvenience I suffered and the dissatisfaction I felt.

Most times, I felt that the IQ levels of the people talking to me were way below acceptable levels. The robotic spiels of standard answers did not help. And at other times, they simply did not have the capacity to articulate the answers if indeed they were in possession of them.

After talking to several people (all PLDT subscribers) about my problem, I found I was not alone in my frustrations. It’s time the country’s Telecom Service Provider of the Year stepped up to the plate to do something to deserve the awards conferred them.

PLDT should deliver STABLE, RELIABLE & FAST (as advertised) Internet connection as well as offer automatic rebates for service interruptions. This is the very least PLDT can do to stop cheating their subscribers of their monthly dues (mine at more than P2,500 per month).

I speak not only for myself but for the many others inconvenienced by the inferior service of PLDT and the indifference of its management to the daily woes experienced by its subscribers. Until the day you can deliver to the public as promised, you cannot hold your head up high and receive these awards in good conscience.
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And Ford:

I’VE written about poor Customer Service and some lessons businesses need to learn. Today, let me concretize the concepts I have spoken of previously.

Last Monday, Aug. 12, Mr. Dennis Sanchez of Ford Cebu called to let me know that our Ford Escape which had been sent in for repairs was ready for pick-up. He dictated the billing amount to me. I immediately jotted it down. I repeated the amount to Mr. Sanchez for confirmation and asked for the payee name.

An hour later, I get a call from our driver at Ford Cebu. To my surprise, he told me that we had the wrong amount on the check. The bill was P12,926 not P11,926. I asked to speak to Mr. Sanchez and proceeded to tell him that the amount he dictated to me over the phone was P11, 926 and that I was reasonably certain of this because I immediately wrote it down. In fact, I reminded him that I had repeated the amount over the phone and he had confirmed.

I expected Mr. Sanchez to apologize for the miscommunication and the inconvenience. I was shocked to hear instead his dogged insistence that he “could not have been wrong.” He repeatedly told me that he had dictated the right amount until I got so pissed that I asked if he had a recording of our conversation to prove his point.

I know these things happen. But how could he INSIST that he could NOT HAVE BEEN WRONG? Lesson No. 1: The customer is always right.

He could simply have apologized and I would have let it go. But not a word of apology passed his lips.

Lesson No. 2: Right or wrong, always apologize to the customer for the inconvenience caused.

At this point in time, I was incensed. I gave Mr. Sanchez an ultimatum. I demanded that he admit to his mistake and apologize to me or I would report him to his superiors. He quickly apologized. My driver, however, reported to me later that Mr. Sanchez threw the Service Invoice at him.

Lesson No. 3: Do not antagonize the customer.

A few minutes later, I called Ford Cebu and asked to speak to the manager to file a complaint. After a long wait, several transfers and excuses, Ms. Mary Claire Jessica Soriano took my call. I asked what her designation was and she said, DCR Assistant. Lesson No. 4: Never use jargon with customers. Was I expected to know that DCR meant Dealer Customer Relations?

After listening to my experience, she said she would make a report, investigate the matter and have the Technical Services Manager, Mr. Frederico Bilbao call me WITHIN the day. I reiterated my name. And she asked, “Mrs., right?” Lesson No. 5: Never assume that all women are married.

As of this writing, I haven’t heard a peep from Ford Cebu. No callback about my complaint. Is everyone at Ford Cebu dead? Or brain-dead? Mistake No. 6: Do not make promises you can’t keep. I specifically told Ms. Soriano that if the matter was not resolved, the problem would escalate. Lesson No. 6: Take every complaint seriously.

Ford Cebu, I gave you a chance. You denied me access to redress and refused to act on my complaint thus forcing me to go public.

Lesson No. 7: Never ignore a customer.

Ford Cebu, you asked for this. Lesson No. 8: Bad service spreads like wildfire.
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All about bad customer service

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