Why I'm Boycotting Companies with Subpar Customer Service
I have a new rule. I will stop spending money with companies who believe good customer service is having an excuse for why I am receiving bad customer service.
This is happening far too often to me. Maybe it is generational. Maybe it is cultural. Maybe I’ve gotten old and crotchety. Maybe I am simply choosing to spend my money with the wrong companies. But in any case, I have a choice to leave and spend my money elsewhere.
Here is my latest experience which prompted this blog post. By the way, I've written something on this subject in the past but never published it. I don't like to go negative, but I reached my limit on this change in customer service. I've noticed this trend over the last five years, and it is accelerating.
What was the straw that broke the camel's back? What pushed me to write and publish this article?
My State Farm agent, with whom I had a 30-year relationship, retired. My account was transferred to a new agency. It's been a couple of years now. An admin called me to set up an annual planning call with the guy who owns the agency. We set a date and time a couple of weeks out.
On the day of the call, I received a confirmation email telling me I would speak to someone else. I called their office to find out who this new guy was.
An automated attendant answered the phone. I received four options to choose from for help. I chose the one closest to my problem, and then the phone rang off the hook.
I replied to the confirmation email saying, "Please call me now. I am not satisfied with the service from your office." She did. She asked me what was wrong.
"I had a call set with Robert. Your email told me I would be hearing from Tom. I don't want to talk to Tom. I set the appointment with Robert."
She said, "He is the man you talked to last year at this time. So we scheduled him again to talk to you instead."
I explained, "I didn't talk to Tom last year. He stood me up. Here is what I propose. I will have someone from my wealth management firm who knows my situation and insurance needs call your office. They will set an appointment to include the three of us on the call. Who should she call to set the appointment?"
She said, "Just have her call the main number."
I said, "That is the number that gives options to customers and then rings off the hook."
She said, "That only happened because we were so busy at the time." (The excuse)
Excuses in lieu of good customer service don't work for me. I hung up. She didn't call back. I emailed the person advising me on my insurance coverage to find me a new agent.
Is this happening in your business?
An excuse for bad customer service does not constitute good customer service.
A response that would have worked for me is this: "I am sorry you couldn't get through, and I apologize for my mistake in setting the appointment with the wrong agent. Please give me the number of your advisor, and I'll set the appointment with Robert, you, and your advisor right away."
I would consider that good customer service.
Listen to the customer’s issue or complaint.
Apologize.
Propose a solution.
Take action.
As I wrote earlier, I am unsure why I am experiencing this flavor of customer service more frequently. Keep your eyes and ears open. It is happening to you, too!
Sorry for the rant, but thanks for listening.
Have you ever reached a breaking point with a company’s customer service, where excuses replaced genuine solutions? Share your 'last straw' experience and how you think companies should handle customer complaints. Do you think this trend of poor service is increasing, and why?
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