Worst tech support/customer service helpline?

08-05-2008 12:19PM

Unreal the amount of complaints about NTL. I use them myself but haven't needed to ring them yet. O the horror if I do. Someone should e-mail this thread onto them.

MOH · 08-05-2008 12:47PM

NTL +1
And Bord Gais. Bought a house, moved in on A Friday, rang first thing Monday morning to say we've moved in, we want to change the account to our name and to get the meter read, is there anything else we need to do?
- No, that's fine, I'll change the names and and there's a guy coming out tomorrow to read the meter.

Arrive home next evening, no heat, no cooker, ring again. Confirm that there's a problem
- OK, I'll log a fault, there'll be someone out within 24 hours.
There was a guy coming out to read the meter today, there's no chance he cut it off for some reason is there?
- Oh no, definitely not, must be a fault, someone will be out tomorrow.

Ring back about lunchtime the next day to see is there any update.
- Oh, sure that service was disconnected on Monday
But I was told it wasn't.
- Oh no, it's standard practice when someone new moves in, we have to send someone in to check all the appliances
But if you'd told me this on Monday I could have been there on Tuesday morning.
- Oh well, you should have been told.
So can I get it reconnected then
- Certainly. We'll send someone out to do an inspection .. Friday evening
But it's October. I've no heat, no hot water, no cooking facilities.
- Sorry, that's the earliest we have anyone available.

So four days of shivering and living on takeways because the idiot in the first place didn't tell us what she should have.

steps_3314 · 08-05-2008 12:48PM

Sky can be woeful. Not always though.

AIB and O2 are pretty good though IMO.

Ross_Mahon · 08-05-2008 01:19PM

Dell has horrible help support, their help services are in India!

They were trying to charge me for them recovery discs, after 12 phone calls i eventually got them sent for free.

Lawless_Samurai · 08-05-2008 01:24PM

KaG1888 wrote: »

Unreal the amount of complaints about NTL. I use them myself but haven't needed to ring them yet. O the horror if I do. Someone should e-mail this thread onto them.

Your lucky, been with them only a couple of weeks and two seperate incidents didn't inspire any confidance whatsoever

MOH wrote: »

NTL +1

+100

Geff · 08-05-2008 02:25PM

Eircom. I was on 45 minutes hold before at 7pm. Shouldn't be that busy that late.

_feedback_ · 08-05-2008 02:27PM

Geff wrote: »

7pm. Shouldn't be that busy that late.

Would have thought the opposite. People ringing them after work?

chopperbyrne · 08-05-2008 02:32PM

elviscostello wrote: »

Would have thought the opposite. People ringing them after work?

Yep, between six and eight are their busiest periods.

cowan · 08-05-2008 02:41PM

Ross_Mahon wrote: »

Dell has horrible help support, their help services are in India! They were trying to charge me for them recovery discs, after 12 phone calls i eventually got them sent for free.

+1 tbh

Was fixing an ex's computer before, and got these error codes on a fresh reinstall of xp. Dell error codes, not MS. So rang their premium number of the ex's phone, on hold for ageees. Seriously. I had grown a beard by the time I talked to someone. Then I was talking to some Indian fella, who tbh could NOT speak a word of English. Got passed around "different departments" for ages, but again tbh, I think it was the same fella, then lost the plot, and actually, rudely asked to speak to someone who could speak English, got put through to the "manager" who then told me they had no idea what the Dell error codes meant. Even though the Dell error messages said to ring this place.

Lets just say i mildly nudged the ex's computer with my right hoof, and the bloody thing worked! lol.

javaboy · 08-05-2008 02:52PM

I can't believe I forgot to mention Irish Broadband. The lies they fed me when we were having problems were just so blatant. I think they took on customers too fast without supporting the ones they already had.

Me: My ripwave broadband's not working. It's powered and connected ok to the PC but it suddenly stopped working 2 days ago.

CSR: We'll probably need to replace your dish.

Me: I have ripwave so no dish.

CSR: Usually if it's not a problem with the PC, it's a problem with the dish.

Me: Do you mean the wireless modem that I have sitting on my windowsill to receive the signal.

CSR: No the dish fitted to your roof/wall.

Me: Can I speak to someone who knows what Ripwave is please?

Cancelling the service took months too. It took a lot of agro to get the direct debits back for the months they had charged us after cancelling.

Overheal · 08-05-2008 07:12PM

Microsoft was pleasant to talk to when they had a big recall on Xbox power cables.

But paying $60 for Live One Care to get Anywhere with them about their computers, irks me.

But the undisputed winner of this contest, is America Online (AOL)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmpDSBAh6RY

from what i gather its still about as difficult today to cancel as it was then.

javaboy · 08-05-2008 08:07PM

Overheal wrote: »

But the undisputed winner of this contest, is America Online (AOL)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmpDSBAh6RY

from what i gather its still about as difficult today to cancel as it was then.

So one 21 minute phone call got his account cancelled? Frustrating but at least it got done. Most of the time the problem is that they tell you it's cancelled but then you get a bill the next month. Repeat ad nauseam.

I wonder do you have to ask permission/notify when recording a conversation in the USA? I doubt Mr. Ferrari did.

xOxSinéadxOx · 08-05-2008 09:25PM

those scottish sky people!:mad:

meteor are always really nice and friendly

ven0m · 08-05-2008 10:24PM

Dinter wrote: »

NTL / UPC.

I sent this email to them after weeks of being blanked. Gives some idea of how frustrating they are to deal with.

Dear Sirs,

I am contacting you in relation to your phone in Customer Disservice Department. I must congratulate you on the length of time you are available to deal with complaints. In the days of companies relocating their call centres abroad or shortening their opening hours, it is refreshing to speak to people who can understand my query before deciding to do nothing about it. While I wait, on hold, tiredly listening to a robotic voice apologising for the delay, I can take comfort in the fact that in around thirty minutes I'll be put through to a person who will politely take my details before balling them up and throwing them away. It is wonderful that your company has been able to do away with the messy business of having to actually solve a customer's complaint. I would guess this novel approach must be an industry first and I believe you need to advertise it more. However take heart from the fact that despite your company's endearing bashfulness, this customer is going to do his level best to advertise it for you. In the eight weeks since you 'installed' my broadband I have told and retold my tales of dissatisfaction and disappointment. Believe my I'll continue to try my hardest (which is a lot more effective than your hardest) to spread the word so that you know that you're getting the recognition you deserve.

If I may I would like to point out one small oversight in your, obviously extremely detailed, training programme. This would be the issue of making outgoing telephone calls. Although I think you deserve the plaudits for having done away with any semblance of customer service I still think it might be nice if you could phone your customers back, even if it's just to brag about your novel approach. I have phoned your Customer Disservice hotline at least eight times at this stage and despite being assured on every occasion that you would get back to me you've never managed it. Now I don't want to sound like a lonely spinster sitting at home, hoping for a marketing cold call just so a human voice will break the monotony of my day but it would be helpful if you could even try reaching the targets you set yourself. I understand that returning a call might be a lofty ambition for your cack, sorry I mean crack, team of Customer Disservice Agents but perhaps they could be taught not to be frightened of the phone. Instead they could embrace the possibilities that the little dust covered box on their desks represents. It might be a challenge but perhaps, eventually, instead of sitting around all day playing cards and fobbing off customers like they do at the moment they might just be capable of making an outgoing phone call. I mean circuses can train monkeys to dance so anything is possible.

Also on the issue of my bills, or recyclables, as I like to call them. I have no intention whatsoever of paying money to you for my broadband. I had already spoken to one of your Customer Disservice Agents and assured him that the only time he was going to get money from me was when your company had managed to provide said service. I also stated that I was not going to pay my cable subscriptions until you sent me an invoice that dealt with them separately. Of course looking back now there's a pretty good chance he forgot what I said in the time it took for him to hang up the phone, distracted while basking in the glow of a job well done.

Anyway perhaps I should tell you what this issue is about so that you may, once again, ooze into action and ignore it. Basically I got my broadband installed on, or around, the 6th October. However your installation agent being another member of the famed UPC carnival show neglected to bring the router with him. No problem you might think. Surely the agent raced back to your storeroom to collect the missing router post haste. Em, not quite. As near as I can tell he instead decided to go missing for eight weeks. Least this is what your Customer Disservice Agents say when I enquire about it. Are you not worried about him? I mean what sort of employer are you that you can just loose staff like that? Did he fall down a hole or was he kidnapped by another irate customer? Is someone holding him hostage in exchange for a router? Is he worth that sort of ransom? I don't understand why his presence is so integral to you giving me my router. Does he own them or something? Does he have the only key to the storeroom? Perhaps you could let me know just to assuage my own curiosity.

Being the gracious, generous person I was at the beginning of our misadventure together I offered to come and collect the router from you even though as far as I was concerned the contract we had entered into meant you had to supply it. This offer was refused, as was every attempt of mine to resolve this issue since. How difficult is this to sort out? Just post it to me or something.

Well I hope this brief idea of how frustrating my dealings have been with your company so far might possibly lead to some sort of resolution but I won't hold my breath. For the benefit of all customers that come after me and are also caught up in interminable disputes with yourselves it might be worthwhile introducing a new rule of thumb into your customer services handbook. Whenever an issue arises take the time to study it, think long and hard about what procedures you think are fitting, what is the most appropriate action in this situation. Then do exactly the opposite. Believe me it cannot be any worse.

Yours faithfully,

Why os this story nearly always the same for anyone's complaints about NTL/Chorus? UPC like to brag about how many millions they spent on a CRM system, yet no-one in there uses it to log calls, or complaints & every time you have to re-tell your story & when you ask is it being noted, you're assured it is - only to ring back & find it wasn't .........

Oh, the consumer affairs people are useless also - I went to them on the Newtalk monday night show about a problem with NTL, I was on air with Dermot Jewel, was promised on air he'd personally take it up .... emailed him the details (after I had to ring back to get his email - since the producer never gave it tome & cut me off after!!!) - his office did nothing to resolve it.

Want to know how I resolved my problems with NTL? Told them I'd cut down the wire going across my house & they could explain to my entire street why they all had no TV service if this was the only thing that would get them to resolve the problems theeir equipment were causing & their staff in their call centres were escalating & causing.

:::: ven0mous ::::

Ross_Mahon · 08-05-2008 10:51PM

cowan wrote: »

+1 tbh

Was fixing an ex's computer before, and got these error codes on a fresh reinstall of xp. Dell error codes, not MS. So rang their premium number of the ex's phone, on hold for ageees. Seriously. I had grown a beard by the time I talked to someone. Then I was talking to some Indian fella, who tbh could NOT speak a word of English. Got passed around "different departments" for ages, but again tbh, I think it was the same fella, then lost the plot, and actually, rudely asked to speak to someone who could speak English, got put through to the "manager" who then told me they had no idea what the Dell error codes meant. Even though the Dell error messages said to ring this place.

Lets just say i mildly nudged the ex's computer with my right hoof, and the bloody thing worked! lol.

They put me through loads of different steps, preforming different tests and moving me on just like they did to you. And tried to charge me for over the phone technical help?

cowan · 08-05-2008 11:21PM

At least they had steps for you buddy. I got put on a travellator stuck on rotate.

nkay1985 · 09-05-2008 07:51AM

Overheal wrote: »

Microsoft was pleasant to talk to when they had a big recall on Xbox power cables.

But paying $60 for Live One Care to get Anywhere with them about their computers, irks me.

But the undisputed winner of this contest, is America Online (AOL)

from what i gather its still about as difficult today to cancel as it was then.

LMFAO!!!

That brings back memories. AOL Uk's main customer support center is here in Waterford adn, like 80% of the teen/college population, I worked there. Did it for two summers.

My first summer was in what they call the Membersave department, which is the department the guy in this video was talking to.
I think the name gives away what it's all about; Membersave!
Your job is to stop people who ring up looking to cancel their account from doing so.
You check the usage - if there's a lot you get it out of them what they use it for, and find a few ways they could improve it. Or else, find a price plan that suits them better.
If they haven't used it, you find out why - and it's generally that the PC has broken or something like that. At which point you can offer them a free month or something like that.

I was working through an agency so I had a fixed wage but the guys there work on a terrible basic wage and get their money in commission - so the more people you save, the more money you get.

So that video is essentially what I did for three months of my life. Although that rep was a bit excessive. With that customer I would've realised that there was nothing you could do and just accept it.

Fun times

ven0m · 09-05-2008 10:12AM

chopperbyrne wrote: »

Irish Broadband are pretty bad too.

I know someone who quit because he couldn't take another week of lying to people for eights hours a day.

Not suprising - having experienced the inards of that place, it is inept management who don't seem to understand they are a communications provider who fail at communication with its staff & its customers. There's nothing wrong with their products or services, it's really piss poor communication that lets them down - hopefully Sean Bolger will improve that aspect of their business given Imagine's recent aquisition of IBB.

galah · 09-05-2008 11:51AM

NTL - biggest bunch of muppets!

I've been trying to cancel (!) my broadband for the past 3 weeks - they can't get their act together.

First I was waiting for a callback from the disconnection team (promised within 3 days of complaint), that never happend, complained again, was told I had to pay for 30 days 'notice' to cancel my broadband despite having no broadband cause their line was f*cked, complained about that, asked to speak to a manager, was told that their managers 'don't take phone calls' (WTF?), complained again.

Finally got a callback from disconnection (after 2 weeks), and was told I had to put my complaint and cancellation request in writing!!! Which I could have been told when I first complained, saving me a lot of hassle.

Anyway...Somehow, amidst all these problems, complaints, and issues, they always manage to tell their sales team to give me a shout (they truly don't seem to have a company-wide customer record system) - trying to get me to upgrade my broadband...or switch to their phone lines.

Which is just not fair on the poor sales agents, cause the last thing I want when I try to cancel my broadband is to upgrade it, and I make that quite clear every time. They also don't seem to take my request not to be pestered with sales calls seriously...****.

Eircom is a close second, although I must say that once you get everything set-up, it works, so no need to ring them after that. Getting the stuff setup is an entirely different matter though...(their sales people have no effing clue about their own products...).

Worst tech support/customer service helpline?

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