Your best and worst customer service experiences [rant & praise]

As I stand here in PC World-Currys I am stunned at the level of poor service. A couple if years ago I paid €250 for the 'Health Check' annual screening. I have used it before with good results. This year it has been nothing but a pain in the neck. First off when I drop in my lap top I was advised there was a two week back log because the engineer went on holidays. Ok....A big company like this only has one engineer and when he goes away all work stops....right. A couple of days later I realised nobody asked why I was dropping in my computer so I phone the number on the website (1890 number of course) and speak to a lovely English gentleman who agrees this is odd so he tries to ring the Jervis St branch where my laptop is. After a few minutes this man explains how nobody answered but he was going to send an email in my behalf. The next day I get a phone call from the Engineer about my email. His comment is he would have phoned me - fair enough but how was I to know this. I explain I have a couple if viruses on my computer. We then have an argument about setting the laptop back to factory settings. I tell him this doesn't need to be done (I have very knowledgeable IT friends plus I found instructions on the net on how to get rid of the viruses but never succeeded). He then says that he won't be taking off one of the viruses because it isn't covered. I point out to him this is the first I had heard of this 3 years into a 5 year plan plus this is not the first time I have used this service. So later that day I get a call telling me my laptop is ready and I have come in to collect it. Today since there is no sign about where the customer service desk is I go to the drop off and collect queue only to find out 15 min later I am in the wrong line so I try and figure out where I have to go but there are no signs so I have to ask for help. Finally I get my laptop back and then the poor staff member has to go on the hunt for a pen so I can sign the documents. Unbelievable. The one positive was I forgot my docket but since I had photo ID I could still get my laptop so that was great. Still this isn't good enough for a company this size.

Sounds like you're looking for a reason to be outraged.

cobblerusa wrote: »

As I stand here in PC World-Currys I am stunned at the level of poor service. A couple if years ago I paid €250 for the 'Health Check' annual screening. I have used it before with good results. This year it has been nothing but a pain in the neck. First off when I drop in my lap top I was advised there was a two week back log because the engineer went on holidays. Ok....A big company like this only has one engineer and when he goes away all work stops....right. A couple of days later I realised nobody asked why I was dropping in my computer so I phone the number on the website (1890 number of course) and speak to a lovely English gentleman who agrees this is odd so he tries to ring the Jervis St branch where my laptop is. After a few minutes this man explains how nobody answered but he was going to send an email in my behalf. The next day I get a phone call from the Engineer about my email. His comment is he would have phoned me - fair enough but how was I to know this. I explain I have a couple if viruses on my computer. We then have an argument about setting the laptop back to factory settings. I tell him this doesn't need to be done (I have very knowledgeable IT friends plus I found instructions on the net on how to get rid of the viruses but never succeeded). He then says that he won't be taking off one of the viruses because it isn't covered. I point out to him this is the first I had heard of this 3 years into a 5 year plan plus this is not the first time I have used this service. So later that day I get a call telling me my laptop is ready and I have come in to collect it. Today since there is no sign about where the customer service desk is I go to the drop off and collect queue only to find out 15 min later I am in the wrong line so I try and figure out where I have to go but there are no signs so I have to ask for help. Finally I get my laptop back and then the poor staff member has to go on the hunt for a pen so I can sign the documents. Unbelievable. The one positive was I forgot my docket but since I had photo ID I could still get my laptop so that was great. Still this isn't good enough for a company this size.

According to PC World's website, virus removal is covered but you should check your own specific contract.
http://www.knowhow.com/ie/support-pillar/computer-healthcheck.aspx?country=ie
However, you said he won't remove one of the viruses. That suggests that he did remove all the other viruses.
In some cases it's just not practical to remove stubborn or destructive malware without reinstalling the operating system. As you had already refused to allow a reinstall there was probably nothing further he could do and it would be unreasonable for him to spend an excessive amount of time on the issue especially if there is little prospect of a satisfactory solution. I can understand if that level of effort is not covered.

Merged into the Best/Worst Customer Service thread.

dudara

Moved to Your best and worst customer service experiences [rant & praise]

After another episode of loss of my business email service from Digiweb, I decided to move and realize now I should have moved long ago. How can any service provider think its OK to leave customers without their business email for over a week and not ever answer their helpdesk phone lines? Digiweb do.

Well, they won't be getting my money anymore.

Kristopherus wrote: »

Hopefully there will be a huge improvement when Three transfer their CS dept to Limerick, to the O2 centre.Thats due to happen over the next few months. Some of the Mumbai centre staff are very good, but there are a lot of muppets there.

Yeah i cancelled my dayghters phone ( the bill is in my name ) 2 months later im still getting a bill. Eventually they helpfully cancelled the bills but my daughter was held up transferring her number to emibile. Very frustrating.

my3cents wrote: »

Yes, but if you have a problem then try the Talk to Three forum and if they can't help next stop is comreg.

Ill try that but honestly they had me on the phone they could have sorted me out then

dudara wrote: »

Not a specific Consumer Issue, so merged into the Best/Worst Customer Service thread.

Personal view: I've been a customer of 3 for over four years. Overall, no issues with them and I find their call centre to be no worse/no better than other organisations. I generally find that your experience of call centres is shaped by how you treat/interact with the staff.

I just tried to ask a question on the three forum. It doesnt work. LOL. just like everything they do. Any way yeah no problems till i tried to switch to another phone company Then the problems begin.

Ive dealt with lots of customer service over the years. Ive never been inspired to start a thread on Boards before i dealt with three.

I got a delivery today from Amazon, the box was flattened and the items inside were damaged. I sent them an email, because understandably I was fairly p*ssed off. To my surprise less than an hour later I got a reply saying that a replacement order would be placed and sent 1st class. In addition to this I don't have to go to the bother of sending back the damaged items. I'm really pleased that it was so entirely hassle-free to get the issue resolved

I don't usually like to complain, and after a number of years working in a restaurant, I am firmly in the belief that there are most definitely cases where the customer is not always right. About a month and a half ago, I dropped my iPod in Dublin. Because I've had it four+ years, and because the crack occurred in such a way that the glass was flaking off, I decided to bring it to Electronic Partner Ltd for a repair.

Because I'm now in Dublin, and the EP I was familiar with was in Galway, I gave it to my boyfriend to get it done. And a week later, when I was back in Galway for a night, I picked up my lovely repaired ipod and shelled out the €60 for what I assumed was a job well done. Less than 24 hours later as I was sitting in College, listening to music I picked up the iPod and suspected it to be bulging out around the middle of the screen. Busy, I put it to the side and thought nothing of it until it chimed with an email and I picked it up again. As it was in my hand, I heard a snapping sound and watched as the crack in the image appeared. Horrified and mildly pissed, I got straight in touch with my bf and had the ipod brought down to him asap so he could bring it back in.

At this point, he was told by the staff at EP that clearly it was a physical break and as such it was not their fault. On top of that, to get their mistake fixed I would only get €10 off the original price. Obviously, I refused.

Doing the logical thing, I complained online as best as I could (EP does not offer a feedback section on their webpage, merely a 'contact us' portal that does not include a feedback/complaint section either - I had to enter my complaint as a sales support issue). I was merely asked to bring the iPod back in and see what they could do, without so much as an apology.

Today, I finally got the opportunity to return to EP again. This time around, I was told that since they see so many types of damage that it couldn't be proved that the fault was theirs. And the best offer for ANOTHER replacement would be €25. I was told I was speaking to the owner, and when I pressed him he said that if there was damage to the internal structures or the pixelation of the screen then maybe the issue was theirs, when I said there was shadowing happening under the crack, he started to backtrack and again imply I had 'probably dropped it down a stairs or something'. At this point having already paid out €60, I refused his offer of spending another €25. €85 as a final figure for a screen replacement, without so much as an apology for their attitude or possible mistake on top of the consistent reference to the idea that I most likely DROPPED the iPod and it was all my fault, is just not good enough. Having used EP multiple times and trusted their customer service and general repairs, I am both angry and disappointed and genuinely would suggest people look elsewhere before giving these guys custom again.

shels_m wrote: »

... he started to backtrack and again imply I had 'probably dropped it down a stairs or something'.

Imagine saying that to someone! That's ridiculous of them to suggest it like that.

Apple support are fantastic
Got my phone replaced with no hassle at all.
Their chat support is excellent, the couple of issues I had were resolved each time