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

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  • Registered Users Posts: 13,765 ✭✭✭✭Potential-Monke


    I rang bus eireann to complain a bus one day, the person who answered first of all snorted at me, and thehn said that if i didn't have the bus number there was nothing they could do and hung up... Didn't even give me a chance to give the bus number... Usless tw@s


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 7,129 ✭✭✭Nightwish


    Iarnród Eireann - I made numerous complaints about late trains, no room, drunk and abusive passengers, and I once got assaulted on a train, and I only ever got 1 response, which was a free one way ticket to Dublin.

    Dell - Impossible to get someone who speaks English, and who I can understand. A total rip off for residuals.

    Beacon Hotel - Rude unresponsive staff when I complained about noise in the hotel. So rude in fact myself and my boyfriend drove home at 2am.

    Pretty much all government departments.


  • Registered Users Posts: 296 ✭✭BeansMeansHynes


    EIRCOM - Without a shadow of a doubt the worst customer service ever. I think eircom deserves a thread of its own. I have had so many problems with them. The make my blood boil. I would rather stick needles in my eyes than ring eircom. Thank God I do not have to deal with them any more.

    Followed closely by Chorus..


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,356 ✭✭✭jaggiebunnet


    Chorus and BT Ireland are miles ahead of anyone else I have had to deal with.

    Funnily enough I never ever had a problem with Eircom and was even considering going back because BT Ireland are so bad.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 323 ✭✭High&Low


    NTL - I happily went 2/3 weeks without tv while waiting for sky, when I moved house a couple of years ago. I actually removed the NTL cable from my house.

    Eircom... but its pretty difficult to contact BT also, so probably makes fck all difference moving.

    Irish Broadband... If you have a problem with them, (and if you have IBB you will have a problem) don't expect it to get fixed.

    If customer service is bad and there is an alternative, move...


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  • Registered Users Posts: 21,611 ✭✭✭✭Sam Vimes


    Senna wrote: »
    Forgot about Microsoft, they are just a bunch of tossers. Have you tried their 'live chat with a support professional', obviously some poor cnut trying to talk to 20 people at the same time. treats you live a complete moron, 'did you try pressing escape, that the small button at the top left of your keyboard with Ecs on it', REALLY i thought that was the Electric Super Charger button.

    to be fair, they have to treat you like a moron because they don't know who you are and the chances are the person they're talking to is a moron and they can't assume you know anything
    luckat wrote: »
    Maplins - lovely when you buy stuff; the other side of the coin if you return it as faulty. I bought a 50-DVD stack the last time I dealt with them, some years ago now (used to go in there a lot before this) and when they didn't work on my Mac I brought them back. They claimed they worked on a staffer's Mac, therefore weren't faulty, and refused to give me my €30 back! (The stack had cost €50; I was not asking to be repaid for the coasters already made.)
    they can't give you half a refund. the price is on the till and they can't change it. if you bought any faulty product and returned it you'd be required to have all the bits.

    luckat wrote: »
    Mad policy, though, not returning styli and expansion cards and even covers belonging to customers! They mustn't want customers!
    this is true. i worked there. i don't know what the other stores are like but the manager in my one is a nut job

    MOH wrote: »
    Carphone Warehouse.
    what happened to you there?


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,688 ✭✭✭kerash


    BT IRELAND :mad:The worst customer service i've ever experienced. I thought eircom were bad until i swiched to bt last November, I NEVER received a correct bill, i was overcharged every time, i changed back to eircom! and it's still not resolved, over a year later, they are only out to rip customers off, any one who signs up with them is asking for trouble.

    Also i had a problem with my PC, sent it back to MEDION, who couldnt get a motherboard for 3 months, and wouldnt send my pc back to me. When they finally agree, i wait a week and it still has not arrived, i call them only to find out they had gotten the part the day after i called and it was fixed. They assured all my data was still on the machine. Guess what, when i get it back, its restored to factory settings and all data is wiped. What a fantastic service........


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,181 ✭✭✭Davidth88


    The coffee place in Manor Mills Maynooth.

    I have given up going there because the staff are downright rude TBH. It happened to me on a number of occasions

    ( and no I don't go back there ever )


  • Registered Users Posts: 646 ✭✭✭ChuckProphet


    NTL, EIRCOM. D.I.D. :eek:


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,449 ✭✭✭Blisterman


    Sky.
    I signed up for broadband, along with my TV. They installed the TV, but as the modem hadn't arrived, not the broadband.
    I never got the modem, and the broadband was never installed. When I called up, and they tried to reorder me a modem, and arrange the broadband, their system wouldn't let them.
    I kept getting transferred from department to department. I had to explain the situation to everyon, each time. I kept getting cut off. At one point they said they'd call me back, and they never did.
    When i finally got through to a person, who knew what the hell they were doing, and knew that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the account, the system still wouldn't let them order it, and there was no way to override it.

    I spent months trying to get this broadband connected. Eventually, I just gave up, and ordered broadband from a different provider.
    And throughout all of this, I was being billed for the broadband, they wouldn't connect for me.
    So, yes, stay the hell away from Sky Broadband.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 29 snowydot


    Imagine - Been waiting 10 months for a refund which they agree they owe me. If its still not sorted after Christmas I'm going to submit a claim to the small claims court. Their product ie broadband and phone isn't bad but the customer service is awful.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 9,821 ✭✭✭RxQueen


    vodafone.. ignorant fcuks


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20,373 ✭✭✭✭foggy_lad


    sky spin you around on the phone from department to another until your dizzy and they offer introduce a friend which is impossible to claim!

    carphone warehouse seems staffed by people who dont want you in store unless you are buying a phone and earning them commission if you have any problem or are entitled to a refund they turn ignorant and argumentative


  • Registered Users Posts: 25 Adagiodiva


    Newbridge Silverware- my mom bought me a beautiful necklace and bracelet from one of thier recent collections- in their showrooms in Newbridge- 3 months later the stones fall out of the pieces (these were €100 and €60 respectively) I brought the pieces back to their factory where they were kept for 4 weeks without any contact (being checked by quality control) before I finally got to talk to someone who told me that I would need proof that they were bought in that store as they didn't deal with jewellery bought from Newbridge Silverware stockists- hello!! I live in Newbridge!! I'm not going to go to Dublin to buy the jewellery. (my poor mom is going through her credit card receipts and statements to try and get the details) PLUS I wasn't even looking for a refund just someone who could fix the pieces- asked to speak to a supervisor- and got no response and then requested to talk to the MD and was told by his PA that he would not be dealing with the issue. A joke!!

    Iaranroid Eireann- don't get me started on them. late trains, employees laughing at you, cancelled trains, the crazy pricing of tickets (it's dearer to go to Newbridge than it is to go to Carlow???) - absolutely no accountability, I'm glad I stopped commuting this year.

    ESB- OMG!! bought a new apartment and was trying to get the electicity account activated and turned on when they informed me that my apartment didn't exist?? Five very long calls later (and I was nice and very patient to everyone) I got a nice guy on the phone who was very helpful and we finally got me sorted but I mean it took...hours!

    MBNA- tried to cancel my payment protection- a complete waste of money and was passed around to higher and higher persons who threatened what would happen if I did get rid of the protection...what if I got fired?? What if I became ill??? PAyment protection covers you for the minimum payment something like once.....I just had to keep repeating...I want to cancel my payment protection until 40 mins later it was done. I know that they work on comimssion so they try to sell you loans, more credit and payment protections when they get you on the phone an extremely wreckless attitude which could see alot of people get themselves into severe financial difficulty very easily.

    Anyhow...there's my 2 cents...


  • Registered Users Posts: 938 ✭✭✭blah


    Hello Thread,
    You're just what I'm looking for.
    I've moved into a shared house which means me taking over a couple of bills (BT and Sky). Also the boiler broke down so that means dealing with British Gas.

    Defendant#1: Sky :mad:
    Wanted to take over responsibility for the bill, call centre was ok, not too long of a wait, but the bill needed to be paid, as we were overdue and our packages had been deactived (Movies etc). Unfortunately, the act of paying over the phone, while reactiving the TV packages, managed to kill out Sky Broadband connection. 3 calls and 2 days later and they're fobbing me off with "wait until midnight".
    Verdict: Guilty of Crimes against Internet Access
    Sentence: 10 Years watching Sky Movies, where the only thing on is "Batman & Robin".

    Defendant #2: British Gas :mad: :mad:
    We need a part for the boiler. The engineer insisted that the office would send out a printed quote in the post. The Call centre insisted that engineers carried printers with them and printed off quotes on the spot. They sent the engineer back to us. He told us the call centre was wrong. Rang call centre. Call centre told us engineer was wrong. Eventually gave out stink to the call centre, got put through to someone more senior who wanted to send out an engineer, I told them to make sure it was a different guy. When this guy arrived, he had the printed quote in his hand. Finally.
    Verdict:Guilty of "Infinite Customer Service Loop"
    Sentence: Life Imprisonment in a freezing cold cell with a broken boiler and no hot water.

    Defendant #3: BT :mad: :mad: :mad:
    Rang 6 weeks ago, to take over the BT bill. They needed to disconnect the old customer and create a new account and new connection for me, as a new customer. Half way through the questions for the credit check, I get cut off. Ring again, wait, they say they have to start the whole process over again. When that's done I wait, and get 3 calls over the course of the week, where they ask me my address, again and again and again, for the credit check. After that I hear nothing for a month. So I ring them, (and this is where is starts getting painful) For an hour (and for £10 mobile call charges) they pass me around, keep me on hold and finally call me back to tell me I need an engineer to come out, so I tell them to forget it. Call back the next day wait/get transferred/cut off twice/wait some more, for 2 hours, it turns out they've connected the account to the wrong apartment, I don't need an engineer and it will be connected to the correct apartment the today (I'm not holding my breath). I'm not even angry any more. I've lost my will to care. Every time they transfer you to a new department you have to explain your story to them from the beginning. And you've been on hold so long you can't remember why you were transferred there. :confused: Or what department you were transferred from? :confused: The worst company I have ever dealt with. Ever. A soul destroying experience.
    Verdict: Guilty of making a man wish he could pull his own eyelids off with a glowing white hot pliers rather than call BT again.
    Sentence: An eternity spent navigating the BT call centre menus and talking to an infinite number of departments and operators who are forever polite but never do anything but listen to your tale of woe and transfer you to another deparment. :(

    That feels so much better to let that all out.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 480 ✭✭Barlow07


    Cabaal wrote: »
    In order of amount of hassel I had
    BT - Awful billing problems, quickly got them sorted by e-mailing directors (twice!) :)
    Eircom - ASwful billing issues, couldn't get the install/billing address right for a line
    Sky - Billing issues, useless support
    Local Hotel who couldn't even get the year right for a wedding despite being told it 5 times!

    maybe you where just un-lucky, but to have a problem with three companys and all billing issue's, Are you sure your not fault for even one? :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,393 ✭✭✭Dinarius


    Have to add my tuppence worth re Air France.

    Went with them to London City this weekend.

    They lost our bag. Then found it. Then said it would be on the next flight to London on Friday. It wasn't.

    They then said it would be on the first flight on Saturday morning. Actually, it was extremely helpful DAA baggage people that told us that.

    When we called Air France on Saturday to see where the bag was they told us they didn't know. So, my wife called DAA Baggage and they said that the Air France captain wouldn't allow the bag on the plane.

    As a result, my wife, who had intended travelling onwards by train to Brussels had to fly back to Dublin with me. Our bag was with DAA Baggage when we returned, not with Air France needless to say.

    Throughout our dealings with them on the phone, the arrogance and insouciance was classic French. Basically, they didn't give a damn. Like most of that country, they're on the industrial scale social welfare gravy train, so why bother?

    Sarkozy has his work cut out. I don't envy him one bit.

    D.

    ps. I have to say though that the flight is flying as it used to be. Free newspapers, free tea/coffee/mineral water and free cakes and biscuits. Plus, you get to land in London's best airport. But, erm, City Jet are running the service for them. So, that explains it then...........


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,267 ✭✭✭opr


    Eircom. Its beyond belief how rude and ignorant they get away with being.

    Opr


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,763 ✭✭✭Fenster


    Esat Clear: I was one of those who got a "spirit of service" letter.

    Eircom: They initially refused to allow me to subscribe to their broadband service as I was a "noted heavy user." It took legal threats on my part before they relented.

    NTL: I had consistent quality of service issues that they refused to investigate.

    Las Vegas Locksmiths: When my wife and I needed car keys cut they charged us double the quoted price, did irreparable damage to the car, immediately threatened to sue us when they discovered our bad review of their company, and maintained that the only way to resolve the issue was for us to pay them - even after they agreed that they had acted inappropriately and had agreed to take the key back from us.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,169 ✭✭✭Grawns


    Blisterman wrote: »
    Sky.
    I signed up for broadband, along with my TV. They installed the TV, but as the modem hadn't arrived, not the broadband.
    I never got the modem, and the broadband was never installed. When I called up, and they tried to reorder me a modem, and arrange the broadband, their system wouldn't let them.
    I kept getting transferred from department to department. I had to explain the situation to everyon, each time. I kept getting cut off. At one point they said they'd call me back, and they never did.
    When i finally got through to a person, who knew what the hell they were doing, and knew that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the account, the system still wouldn't let them order it, and there was no way to override it.

    I spent months trying to get this broadband connected. Eventually, I just gave up, and ordered broadband from a different provider.
    And throughout all of this, I was being billed for the broadband, they wouldn't connect for me.
    So, yes, stay the hell away from Sky Broadband.

    SKY are the biggest douches in the universe. I spent 6 months on the phone to them over billing problems. I also sent emails, faxes, registered letters. The customer service people ( some poor twats in India mostly) are not empowered to do squat. They keep you on hold and sometimes just cut you off cause they can't deal with your problem. I've been promised callbacks that never happened and everytime I thought I was getting somewhere I wouId arrive back at the beginning.

    In the end we went our seperate ways. Trouble is I miss Sky plus


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 688 ✭✭✭skye


    Adagiodiva wrote: »
    ESB- OMG!! bought a new apartment and was trying to get the electicity account activated and turned on when they informed me that my apartment didn't exist?? Five very long calls later (and I was nice and very patient to everyone) I got a nice guy on the phone who was very helpful and we finally got me sorted but I mean it took...hours!

    You think that's bad.....it took me 2 years - yes 2 YEARS - to sort mine. Kept telling me the estate was nonexistent, then said the bill was being paid by Mr X and couldn't be told that this was not us. Constant calls, having to explain from scratch each time...bloody nightmare:mad:


  • Registered Users, Subscribers Posts: 47,247 ✭✭✭✭Zaph


    My current trials and tribulations with Virgin Megastores. I'd never bought anything online from them before, and I never will be again:


    5/11 Pre-ordered Entourage Season 3 – release date 26/11

    4/12 Order showing as “in progress” – e-mail querying when DVDs would be dispatched sent

    6/12 Reply received – form response “possibly identifying what my problem may be” and advising what to do in the event of non-delivery – twice

    6/12 E-mail sent advising that the problem isn’t that I haven’t received my DVDs but rather that they haven’t been sent over a week after the release date

    6/12 Second e-mail sent requesting Virgin to cancel order. When viewing my order it now appears as Entourage Season 3 – Part 1, which is clearly not what I ordered and I do not want as the original pre-order confirmation quite clearly makes no reference to the box set being only part of the series.

    10/12 Reply received – form response “possibly identifying what my problem may be” and explaining how I can cancel my order by clicking on the “On order” status.

    10/12 Reply sent advising Virgin that as my order status is “In progress” I can’t access the cancellation feature and requesting that they cancel the order at their end.

    19/12 E-mail received confirming order has been dispatched.

    19/12 E-mail sent to Virgin enquiring as to why my cancellation request had not been carried out.

    20/12 Reply received – form response “possibly identifying what my problem may be” and explaining how I can cancel my order by clicking on the “On order” status.

    Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,743 ✭✭✭kleefarr


    PAYPAL!!! :mad:

    You won't find anyone like them!


  • Registered Users Posts: 549 ✭✭✭BurnsCarpenter


    Chorus. Had the misfortune of dealing with them recently.

    Apartment was broken into about a month ago and the box was swiped.
    Called them up to find out what we needed to do to get it replaced.
    The girl told us we needed to send in a copy of the garda report.
    After a week we called and asked where we should send it.
    This girl said you don't need a copy of the report - chorus will send out a form which we get signed by the gardai.
    After waiting two weeks for this form we called again, and were told that we didn't need anything from the guards. They would send somebody out to replace the box and we pay 100 euro for the box.
    2 days ago someone from chorus calls out and replaces the box. He tells us it will start working in a few minutes and legs it.
    Lo and behold it doesn't work. I called the helpline and they tell us they can send out an engineer to investigate on new years eve.
    Morons.
    Luckily there was one decent soul who happened to be in the neighbourhood yesterday. He saw we were on the list for repairs, called in on his own time and set it up. The first guy just hadn't bothered installing it properly.
    Was seriously considering moving to Sky, but judging by this thread it's more of the same.
    :(


  • Registered Users Posts: 543 ✭✭✭Jeapy


    emo!! wrote: »
    vodafone.. ignorant fcuks

    +1. when i attempted to move to meteor, they wouldnt unlock my phone. I had to ring them 7-8 times and the problem was never sorted...and i was charged 30c per call for the pleasure. Had to borrow a 2nd hand phone from a friend. Love Meteor! ;)

    Without a doubt, the worst ever is flyglobespan. Was abandoned in JFK for hours without any information. Eventually got out of there on a plane the size of a Ryanair one (737 or whatever) to fly transatlantic and were told we "should make it" without having to refuel. I emailed and posted numerous complaints. Got my first response 3 months later saying they were happy to have been able to offer us a hotel :mad: (bullsh1t, we were left sitting on the floor overnight without so much as a blanket). They got a very strongly worded email back. About a month ago (flight was in June), I got a letter saying they were sorry for any inconvenience caused but i was entitled to no further compensation (apparently the bottle of water and slice of pizza at 3am was enough!) and the matter was now closed. NEVER fly with them!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,070 ✭✭✭ScouseMouse


    Standing in the despatch area of Brennans Bakery in Walkinstown on St Stephens day trying to get bread for my shop while a tosser on the desk said he didnt have any. I pointed out I could see it and he replied I should not have got in the front gate and that they were closed.

    So my customers got no bread yesterday.


  • Registered Users Posts: 890 ✭✭✭rejkin


    Sub-city in Dublin city centre - last time i went in there,which was a year ago,they laughed at me when i said they had a misleading sign up in their store about prices of back issues of comics and kept saying I was wrong even though it was obvious they had the wrong prices up. Said Id never shop in there again and I havent, Its not like theres no other comic shops in town so they shouldnt be so rude to their customers,hopefully for other customers sakes they have got better staff in now but i doubt it.:mad:


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,158 ✭✭✭Stepherunie


    Play.com
    Had a problem with trying to order something - never ever got a reply from them.

    Not Irish But Chase Bank in the states - they froze my bank account for weeks and kept changing the standards about what documentation they wanted. Absolute nightmare, nearly ended up in tears over the issues they caused.

    Aircoach

    Around Peak time they can be some of the worst people to deal with, a lot of the drivers can be very rude in general, some in fairness are amazing - others are disgraceful.


    Security in Gatwick Airport -
    They were some of the rudest most unhelpful people ever. One of my friends asked them a question as she had drink that she'd bought in Malta sealed and she was literally screamed at by the Customs guy. She ended up in tears because at this point we'd been going for 24 hours straight and having a 6 foot rugby player built guy scream at her for asking a very simple question was definately not what was needed.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,207 ✭✭✭Rashers72


    Poor
    Waited 30 minutes for a seat-no issue. They advised this is in advance. (Had tried to pre-book, but were only taking walk in's)
    1st child's main course was served within 5 minutes of ordering. Great
    2nd childs main course (plate of plain pasta as ordered) arrived 40 minutes later. Looked like rubber (i.e. was probably ready 30 minutes before, but was forgotten, and then reheated). 2nd time it arrived, the fresh pasta was fine (but a complete rip-off at EUR5 - was EUR2.50 in TGI's Blanchardstown).
    Adult starter arrived 40 minutes after ordering. Had to ask a 2nd time for it.
    Main courses were fine.
    Ordered 2 glasses of water at start. Never arrived. Ordered from a different server. Never arrived. Ordered from original server. Never arrived. 4th time ordering, guy said he had filled the glass on the 3rd order, and he could not believe he never brought it over.
    Worst of all. They automatically included a service charge for 2 adults and 2 kids.
    Paid, but complained on way out to the girl looking after seating. While she apologised and sympathised, she offered no explanation. The times in her system (i.e. arrival, seating, bill pay) would clearly indicate issues.
    Never again. While it was day after St Stephens day, and it was their busy time, they really should have got it better. Or at least made some effort to compensate us i.e. voucher for 2 free kids meals/free soft drinks next time. Would have cost them EUR5/10, but they could have made a bad situation better. Instead they chose to do nothing....:mad:
    Captain America's next time!


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  • Registered Users Posts: 3,322 ✭✭✭Hitchhiker's Guide to...


    NTL

    1. Refused to acknowledge my address existed for the first 3-months
    2. Made me take a half-day off work and then turned up with the wrong equipment to install the line
    3. Crap quality

    PC World

    *shudder*


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