KidSilverhair
Well-Known Member
Benjamin Franklin Plumbing must hate getting all the marketing calls intended for you.
The worst customer service you've ever received
- Thread starter Mr Janny
- Start date
Benjamin Franklin Plumbing must hate getting all the marketing calls intended for you.
Another vote for DirecTV. I have now called 3 times to request a box to ship back my old received. Have been told each time that it was delayed by the 4th of July and to expect it soon, but service is cancelled and no bill is due.
Checked my account this morning and sure enough, a regular monthly charge. Somebody is going to have a rough call when I get home from work this afternoon...
Checked my account this morning and sure enough, a regular monthly charge. Somebody is going to have a rough call when I get home from work this afternoon...
You bet your but we did.....
Edit: We recently received a class action suit settlement for having an improper/illegal foreclosure during this period. It didn't come close to covering what we had to spend to save the house, though.
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I worked on the OCC investigation into a certain large servicer of mortgages. I'll say that I am not surprised at your situation. Not in the slightest. Whether it was incompetence, bad faith or old fashioned error.....we found it all and a lot of it. This servicer settled with the government and saved themselves a lot of money and bad press. The volume of issues was totally shocking to me.
Oh dear... I'm transferring my Comcast service to the new house. Started with 100% battery, down to 39%. Holding on speaker.
The irritating part is that I called in (at their request) and had to answer all the same questions I already filled out online. Waste of time... Now I've been on hold for about 40 min while they schedule the appointment (apparently it's difficult as the service at the current address is still active and has not yet scheduled a disconnect)... So I guess I'm being penalized for being proactive. How do they not have easy contingencies set up for this that don't take an hour to put into effect?
The irritating part is that I called in (at their request) and had to answer all the same questions I already filled out online. Waste of time... Now I've been on hold for about 40 min while they schedule the appointment (apparently it's difficult as the service at the current address is still active and has not yet scheduled a disconnect)... So I guess I'm being penalized for being proactive. How do they not have easy contingencies set up for this that don't take an hour to put into effect?
Several years ago I was just about to refinance my house, and the process got delayed by three days. The payment with Citibank was due a day after the initial closing date, and two days before my final closing date when it was rescheduled. Someone from Citibank called and asked about the "missed" payment the day after it was due, and I explained to them that my refinance had moved back and the loan would be paid in full on the next day. She proceeded to demand the payment immediately, and threatened to hold up my closing if I didn't do it. I told her that was the stupidest ******* thing I have ever heard, and hung up on her.
I just did this with Time Warner and it took like 10 phone calls to get them to shut off the service at my old house. And then they screwed up the order at my new house. I really enjoyed calling them to cancel when I switched to UVerse.
I'm glad this thread came back to the top. It reminded me to call the plumber who has now been here three times to install a new pump on my bathtub/spa in my master. They were here the first time on June 30th. Came back two weeks later to put in the new pump but the fittings on the new one were different from the old. Baffling since they had the old pump with them. Plumber tried to wrench it on even though the thread pattern was clearly different. It went hand tight after 1/2 turn. Of course it leaked; he said he would "put it on tighter". No dice, take it off, it clearly doesn't fit.
It is a home warranty replacement so now they're telling me I have to pay to put the new fittings on because they're not covered. Ummm...I had a pump (which is covered) that simply didn't work. They brought a pump with different fittings and now I'm supposed to pay to have new fittings and joins installed in my lines?
Not that it matters because they keep promising to call me back....and never doing it. It shouldn't take a month to replace a pump.
This is a generalization but I've had really crummy customer service all around in Phoenix. Slow, half-***ed, job not done right, numerous return trips for something that could be done in one shot. I had a guy out here to work on my dishwasher (also under home warranty) and he brought some replacement parts. He finished and it stopped leaking. I then asked him about the fact that the door "popped" when you closed it because the plastic housing was bent out too far. He said, straight-faced: "what do you want me to do about it?" Huh what? I didn't ask you for advice on my dental fillings, I asked you about my dishwasher. You're an appliance repairman. Never mind. Had a guy do a bunch of drywall repair and replace a subfloor from a leaky toilet. Asked him to quote me some window replacements. He vanished....multiple calls and texts, never heard from him again. And I paid him in cash.
I rarely had trouble with a home visit from a repairman in the Midwest, and I almost always called them back the next time I needed someone.
I have even asked the plumber for a quote on a water softener where they would make some real money as opposed to the crappy home warranty stuff where they make very little. Asked three times, still haven't gotten one. Won't remind them again, I'll go somewhere else. I've been in this house for four months and I'm already on my third plumber. They've all been easy jobs and it is their first time at my house. Make an effort and maybe I'll call you again.
It is a home warranty replacement so now they're telling me I have to pay to put the new fittings on because they're not covered. Ummm...I had a pump (which is covered) that simply didn't work. They brought a pump with different fittings and now I'm supposed to pay to have new fittings and joins installed in my lines?
Not that it matters because they keep promising to call me back....and never doing it. It shouldn't take a month to replace a pump.
This is a generalization but I've had really crummy customer service all around in Phoenix. Slow, half-***ed, job not done right, numerous return trips for something that could be done in one shot. I had a guy out here to work on my dishwasher (also under home warranty) and he brought some replacement parts. He finished and it stopped leaking. I then asked him about the fact that the door "popped" when you closed it because the plastic housing was bent out too far. He said, straight-faced: "what do you want me to do about it?" Huh what? I didn't ask you for advice on my dental fillings, I asked you about my dishwasher. You're an appliance repairman. Never mind. Had a guy do a bunch of drywall repair and replace a subfloor from a leaky toilet. Asked him to quote me some window replacements. He vanished....multiple calls and texts, never heard from him again. And I paid him in cash.
I rarely had trouble with a home visit from a repairman in the Midwest, and I almost always called them back the next time I needed someone.
I have even asked the plumber for a quote on a water softener where they would make some real money as opposed to the crappy home warranty stuff where they make very little. Asked three times, still haven't gotten one. Won't remind them again, I'll go somewhere else. I've been in this house for four months and I'm already on my third plumber. They've all been easy jobs and it is their first time at my house. Make an effort and maybe I'll call you again.
I've always wondered how stores handle this. I understand they ID everyone when you have young adults who are with teenagers, but what about parents buying themselves a case of beer or a bottle of wine and their kids are with them? Do you have to make separate runs or is it legal if they're your kids?
- Jun 20, 2006
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I don't see the difference.... both situations a person of legal age is attempting to buy alcohol.
The difference is the assumption that young adults with underage people will probably be supplying their friends while parents buying will be for themselves. Furthermore, alcohol consumption by minors is legal in a private residence with that minor's guardian present with their consent.
My daughter is only nine months and obviously not an issue when she's with me at Hy-Vee buying some beer, however I'm curious to what age that will be a problem.
It's like WalMart doesn't even care that they are the reason you drink in the first place.
US Cellular and Mediacom are 2 companies I cut ties with long ago because I got fed up with the service I got from them. I even gave Mediacom a chance to offer me a deal to retain my account and they refused to offer me anything multiple times while I told them of the dish and internet offers I was considering. It wasn't until the call I made to terminate service and only then did they act like they cared they were losing my business and was willing to make an offer and by then I was already fed up with the issues I had with the stability of their service and the ridiculous pricing that came with it.
Dell usually is pretty good for me but the other month I spent nearly an hour on the phone trying to get a warranty claim on a 3 month old monitor. The biggest issue was just getting a claim started because the person kept telling me without an express service code she couldn't process the request. Well right from Dell's website about finding your express service code: http://www.dell.com/support/content...ebase/locate-service-tag/Peripherals-Mobility
Told her what it said right on their own website, gave her the serial number on the back and she spent forever trying to find it and when she did she told me it was coming up manufactured in 2003 and is out of warranty. I even took a picture of it that showed clearly on the label manufacture date March 2014 and the serial number and emailed to her after going round and round on this for a good 30 minutes I bet. FINALLY got the warranty call processed and bet I was on hold a good 20 minutes with mostly dead silence on the line while she was "processing" it. To make matters even worse when the replacement arrived it was a refurb that had issues that I discovered while plugging it in and had to call back in and request another be sent out.
Dell usually is pretty good for me but the other month I spent nearly an hour on the phone trying to get a warranty claim on a 3 month old monitor. The biggest issue was just getting a claim started because the person kept telling me without an express service code she couldn't process the request. Well right from Dell's website about finding your express service code: http://www.dell.com/support/content...ebase/locate-service-tag/Peripherals-Mobility
Told her what it said right on their own website, gave her the serial number on the back and she spent forever trying to find it and when she did she told me it was coming up manufactured in 2003 and is out of warranty. I even took a picture of it that showed clearly on the label manufacture date March 2014 and the serial number and emailed to her after going round and round on this for a good 30 minutes I bet. FINALLY got the warranty call processed and bet I was on hold a good 20 minutes with mostly dead silence on the line while she was "processing" it. To make matters even worse when the replacement arrived it was a refurb that had issues that I discovered while plugging it in and had to call back in and request another be sent out.
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I had this happen with Mediacom and a week ago with Direct TV. Both times I went to their retention, told them of the deals I was considering, even citing other's deals to keep my business. Mediacom wanted me to switch to a lower package or bundle with a landline phone which we didn't have. I signed up with Direct TV and then they had offers for me, however they were too late since the contract was signed.
Recently I called Direct TV, asked for retentions (don't believe they transferred me), asked for a deal and a free hardware upgrade to their Genie to keep me for a few years. I was offered the free hardware upgrade, however told that would increase my monthly fee by $9/mo, and no discount. After citing a friend's deal, I got nothing out of them, so we signed up for Dish and canceled. Of course then retentions had all of these deals, trying to get my wife to stay and she had to keep telling them it was too late as the contract was signed.
What boggles my mind is that Direct TV is considered one of the top two tv packages with Dish, yet they have the same poor business practice of retention deals after you quit and sign with another company.
When I bought my house, the seller provided me a 1-year home warranty, but the above is why I didn't bother to renew it. I got repairs under the home warranty several times, and each time the repair person sent out by the warranty company was sub-par. When I wanted to use my own repair people, the warranty company refused to pay.
In a large metro area, IMO your best bet is to talk to as many friends and colleagues as you can, and compile a list of competent contractors for plumbing, electrical, carpentry, HVAC, etc. It's taken a few years, but I've finally got a list of contractors I can trust.
Oh I have all kinds of stories that go with this! Luckily I now have guys for all those things you mentioned so not as big of a frustration anymore. Latest incident though was we bought a new high efficiency front loading washer/dry set late last year. A few days before our 1st child was born our washer started to act up and would not stop filling the tub with water or go to the next cycle . Had to go through Whirlpool to get it fixed under warranty and of course they pick who comes out.
It took the guy 3 trips and some misordered parts later to finally get it fixed. Had he diagnosed it right the first time it would have been fixed a long as it would have taken to get a new hose in but of course he apparently missed the problem on the first trip he was out and ordered a new board that took 3 days to come in. Then came back and found out it was the wrong part which really ticked me off because now we were home with the newborn and laundry was piling up.
After he told me it would be a few more days for the right part to come in I got irritated and wanted to talk to someone because they should be able to overnight the part they knew was at a parts depot in another state and not have to wait 2-3 days for it. Didn't get very far with that demand and he starts checking over the washer more knowing I am not pretty upset over the situation and finally discovers a misrouted pressure hose that had been rubbing and had a hole in it.
He had another hose in the truck that would work till he got the right part in but the whole experience was frustrating because we were basically running loads of laundry back and forth between my parents house 30 minutes away and my wife's sister across town when they had enough time to let us use theirs for a few loads.
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I haven't been here long and don't know many people so getting a list of competent contractors has been hard. The companies that do warranty work have been awful, but unless I want to pay full boat for everything they're what I'm stuck with. It also doesn't help that I got a lemon of a house with a million issues that were buried. I've been declined for as many repairs as I've had completed, and I have spent a pile of money either paying to fix something or fixing it myself over the last four months. It is has been brutal - I've nearly cracked up a couple of times. Four months and we haven't hung a single picture yet. Still boxes of stuff I haven't even opened...haven't had time.
I just talked to the plumbing company again and I'm not sure how many more times I can give them my name, complete address and phone number prior to diving into the issue. I have an order number and they've already been here multiple times...what is the problem? On my second call today, the woman said "so and so hasn't called you back yet?" No, she hasn't...and she didn't call back Monday, and you didn't pick up the phone at 2pm on Friday, and it was busy on Thursday, and you said you'd call me back on Wednesday.....
This is getting tiresome.
