Over the past couple of weeks, I have had some unfortunate run-ins with some companies who have some less-than ethical standards of practice.
First was the TD Insurance debacle. I had to go through several different channels to have them reverse a transaction on my account which should never have been charged in the first place.
Then, I had a tear-inducing situation with Rogers, when they decided they would renew my contract without my consent. In fact, they had even told me they wouldn’t require a contract extension when I changed something minor on my account.
After talking to one awesome customer service rep, and then another rude representative, they escalated the issue to another department (after refusing to allow me to speak to a supervisor or manager). An awesome Rogers rep on Twitter confirmed that they changed it back after hours of being on the phone and almost bursting into tears because I cannot possibly be stuck with that horrid company for an additional three years.
So, needless to say, I got my way for both of these. Because I was in the right. I’m not going to coach you on how to get your way if you want $100 worth of monthly service for free just because that’s what you want and you think you should get what you want. But if a company screws you over, just because they can, here’s how I’d deal with it:
Collect Yourself
Give yourself a couple of hours after the incident so that you don’t panic and call them over something that could be worked out on the website. I’ve done that before and it made me feel pretty dumb.
If you give yourself an hour to cool down, you can then re-read the policy that you think they breached, or recollect a memory of the situation that went wrong so that you can accurately describe it without stuttering or forgetting key details.
Stay Calm
As a bonus of giving yourself time, you will likely calm down and see things with some clarity after a cooling period. If you’re not calm yet, give yourself more time. Your ability to talk calmly with the sales representative will be detrimental to your success of solving the problem.
Have you ever had to deal with an irate or overly emotional person? It’s torture. If you’re calm and agreeable, the person on the other end of the line will want to help you.
Be Nice, but Firm
When you decide to act on the complaint, you can always start by tweeting the company. They are usually very receptive to social media complaints, because everyone else can see them. If you would prefer not to use your phone minutes talking to the company for hours, they will usually call you to solve the problem.
When you do talk to them, you should never start off the conversation on the wrong foot. You are asking this person to help you, and to solve the problem for you. If somebody called you up and was rude to you, would you want to help them? Likely not.
Remember, the person you are talking to is just doing their job. They didn’t create the policy, and they are likely not the person that made the mistake on your account to begin with.
Calmly and nicely explain the situation. I’m not suggesting that you be passive aggressive, because that won’t work either. Be firm.
Ask to Talk to a Supervisor
If the problem is severe enough, ask to talk to a supervisor right away, because explaining the situation to an associate will just deplete your patience and you will likely need to talk to a supervisor anyway.
If the person on the other end won’t help you (and that will happen), ask to talk to a supervisor. The associate usually either freaks out a little and solves your problem right then because they don’t want to bug their superior, or transfers you to the supervisor who will, 80% of the time, solve the problem right then for you.
If All Else Fails
If the supervisor or manager, or sales associate won’t solve the problem for you, but you know you are in the right, file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.
Many people don’t know about this resource, but the BBB is there to capture consumer complaints about companies who are acting unethically – the BBB protects the consumer. Consumers are in a vulnerable position, because our money is on the line. Companies usually take complaints that go to the BBB very seriously, because the BBB rates the companies.
I had to file a complaint with the BBB about the TD Insurance situation, after which they fixed the issue right away. They called me to fix the issue, in fact.
Don’t go filing BBB complaints because you threw your iPhone in the bathtub and Apple won’t replace it for you, or you took a chainsaw to your couch and The Brick tells you that you’re SOL – but if the company is infringing on your rights, and you’ve exhausted all other methods, it’s a great tool to help you out.
I’ve had to deal with some shady companies and using these steps usually help me resolve the issue.
I recently just filed a BBB complaint on a company. They have just been ignoring the BBB’s letters and request for information. What do you do then?
That’s never happened to me – usually companies try thier best to avoid a black mark by the BBB. Contact BBB and find out what you can do, that’s terrible!
Good advice about taking to twitter to resolve some of these problems. When it’s out there for the public to see, you can be sure that they will try to look helpful and resolve your problem. I personally wouldn’t rely on the BBB too much. They’ve been known to give better ratings to companies who pay more. Sometimes calling your credit card company is another option, that is if the payment goes through your credit card.
The BBB has been nothing but helpful to me, but it would depend on the company that’s being dealt with. That woudln’t have helped in my situation – for instance, when Rogers extended my contract. There’s no payment to reverse.
I would also add that you should document everything, every interaction with the company you have, who you’ve talked to and what steps were taken, etc. That way, when you’re not making any headway with someone on the phone you can refer to all the other calls you’ve made regarding the issue. And screen cap tweets! The more info you have the more likely you’ll make progress.
Can I ask who you’re with now for cell service? I have 14 months left on my contract with Telus and I hate them with the fire of a thousand suns, and I was considering switching to Rogers. I know it’s just like picking the lesser of three evils because they all suck on some level, but what made you leave Rogers?
DUDE. Don’t. Please? For your sanity, don’t switch to Rogers. They’re the most evil company. I’ve been with them for 4 years or so and I have had so many issues with them it’s not even funny. They’ve overcharged my card and refused to reverse it; they’ve extended my contract without asking me; thier customer service is horrible and I’m constantly waiting for 30 min + just to talk to somebody; getting through to them is horrid because they transfer you all over the place just to get a straight answer; they charge me roaming fees despite not going anywhere, and require that I call in and fight with them every.single.time it happens (every bill); they’re also ridiculously expensive (the issues aren’t even the tip of the ice berg) Ridiculously. I’m going to go pay-as-you go, or with maybe Koodoo when I finally get out of the grips of the devil. I’m still with Rogers but I’ll be switching as soon as I’m done – literally on the day.
I’ve heard telus sucks, have you considered Bell? Or a smaller company like Koodoo.
Koodo is the “cheap” brand from Telus as Fido is the cheap Rogers brand. I’ve been a Telus customer (clearnet being bought out by Telus) since 1998.
They always treat me well. My next phone upgrade and contract shakeup will no doubt be excellent.
Also, I own stock of Telus. The dividends pay my phone bill (and then some!)
I went to the BBB for an issue and got no love from them but HSBC by the grace of God or love for me gave me back my money from an issue I had with said company. And this all happened after 2 months. How? I have no clue. To this day I still can’t tell.
It’s possible the the BBB was just really slow. Sometimes they take awhile. Or maybe it’s just me – that’s odd – every time I’ve gone through them it’s been so helpful!
I really like what you said about collecting your thoughts and taking some time before making a phone call. I have made calls while still angry and it truly does not help the situation at all…
LOL I used to work in retail and when people would come in angry, it did the opposite – it made me less willing to help them. I think it’s important to treat people with respect, no matter what the situation.
It can be so frustrating dealing with customer service. But you’re right a lot of the time the person you speak with had nothing to do with the problem and may not even have the authority to do anything about it. It always helps to calm down first like you said. -Sydney
You catch more flies with honey than vinnegar 🙂 Or so they say!
I had a bad experience with RBC Visa Avion Travel Rewards last month, but got it resolved after Twitting and Blogging my experience.
I don’t usually include links in comments, but you may be interested to read this:
I’ve had also had issues with Rogers in the past and suspect I will again in the future.