Customer service...again.

[alexpgp]

Called the folks who do (did) my most recent 401(k), after trying - unsuccessfully - to log into their web site.

The person at customer service took pains to tell me that I needed a different customer service, and gave the appropriate number to call.

Call number two is answered by a person who tells me he knows exactly what my problem is, but doesn't have access to the appropriate database, and would I please wait a bit while he transfers me to the right people?

Breathing a sigh of relief at not having to call yet a third number, I assent and soon, am listening to an automated voice telling me that, if I am interested in something I am completely not interested in, that I should hang up and call the following number, but that if I am interested in what I am interested in, I should leave a message with my name, company, social security number, date of birth, a brief description of my problem, the maiden name of my third grade teacher's mother (just checking to see if you get this far :^), and someone will get back to me within ... 24 hours!

Before the tone sounds however, the voice goes on to repeat that, if I am interested in that first thing that they spoke about, that I should hang up and call the following number, whereupon they repeat it.

Presumably, everyone who wanted to call that number had already hung up about a minute ago, had redialed and were being mishandled elsewhere in their so-called "customer service" department, so I have no idea what - besides some kind of panic reaction - possessed them to keep people in need of help hanging on the line even longer before leaving a message. Ye gods.

The company I am dealing with is, by the way, the outfit that claimed at one time to earn their money the old fashioned way, by earning it. It's unfortunate to see that they've now decided to "earn" their money by cutting down on frivolous expenses, such as competent customer service.

Cheers...

Comments

[bandicoot.livejournal.com]

Whenever I hear that slogan, I hear it in my mind as, "We make money the old-fashioned way. We steal it."

[catgirl.livejournal.com]

I work for a financial planning firm, so I have to deal with these investment companies on the phone regularly. I swear there's at least one company that had me on such a huge run around that I eventually ended up back at the starting menu somehow. Several of these companies give that "press so&so for a human" crap, only to send me to yet another menu. I only know of one investment company we do business through that actually has humans answering the phone. Even our parent company sends us to voice mail 9 out of 10 times so that person will have to return our calls later.