BRACE YOURSELVES! THIS IS ONE WILD RIDE!
Setting up our summer retreat should’ve been a breeze, right? We thought we’d be bringing our fav shows under the sun in the blink of an eye. The telecom company guaranteed to set up our internet and TV in no time. Guess again! Despite their big promises of a 3-day setup, the tech guy strolls in like he’s on vacation, tool-less, slaps on the internet and bounces, telling us to call again for the TV setup. One whole month later? No TV channels we’ve already paid for. Bravo!
Now, this telecom company has the audacity to flaunt their “next gen” app and “revolutionary” WhatsApp chat. Yet, our internet? Cut off. Why? Their glitchy app didn’t process our payment. I endured a 55-minute (call) digital torture of horrendous hold music and a robot that sounds like it’s stuck in a loop, only to be connected to an agent in “Absurdistan” who then shoves me back to another bot. Result? No internet for our crucial online meeting that evening. Hubby, being the champ he is, pays the same bill “again”, but this time with old-school methods, directly through the bank, and we’re promised net back in two hours. And the TV? Well, you can guess.
Frustrated, I dived into their “innovative” WhatsApp service. But nope! Got bombarded by a bot drowning me in useless video links and numeric options. My desperate cries for an actual, breathing human? Utterly ignored. Spoiler alert: TV? still a no-show.
And, good Lord, most banks, airlines, insurance – It’s like the Terminator took over customer service nowadays. When did robots become the go-to “experts” for our services?
Why are these behemoth corporations pushing us loyal, paying customers into a digital wasteland? Can someone remind them that humans deserve human service? At least in certain fields. Where is “the” service? Why waste customers’ time? We are obviously just a transaction to these companies. Is it because we are hooked up in a yearly contract, so we simply get locked-up into this labyrinth with T-800?
This is not what we signed up for. We deserve better!
Am Lola. Join me in this open debate and share your experience and opinion. If you work in any of such organizations, please tell us the business point of view.
I totally feel your pain! We had a similar nightmare experience with a telecom company here in San Francisco last February. It took them ages to set up our internet, and their app was a disaster. And don’t get me started on the bots! It’s seriously high time these companies prioritize customer service over gimmicky technology. I recall, my wife was heavily pregnant and was very frustrated with them that I had to hang up after being on hold for 68 minutes!
Oh, I know exactly which telecom company you’re talking about. They seem to have a reputation for such terrible service here in the Bay Area as well. It’s frustrating how they prioritize their fancy apps and bots over actually helping their customers. Hope Wify and baby were fine though
Hehe all good man thanks!
I had a similar experience with Ziggo telecom in Amsterdam. They promised fast internet and TV setup but ended up dragging it for weeks. It’s unbelievable how most businesses nowadays rely on bots and apps for everything now. Bring back the days of real customer service!
Ja! Same here with O2 in Munich. These telecom giants need a reality check. It’s not about being “next gen” if it leaves us without services for weeks. They need to remember that we’re paying customers, not just numbers on a screen.
I’ve had my share of similar experiences with tech companies, especially when it comes to online payments in the GCC. It’s like they intentionally make it difficult for customers or what? Paying my internet/TV bills was a monthly pain in the brain. Imagine that the company’s “human” customer service agents were located in some foreign country with no minimal English requirements or basic communication skills. Customer service has definitely went down the drain, I tell you that.
Banks are no exception to this trend. I recently had an issue with my American Express. A chatbot forwarded me to a 73 minutes of waiting on the line regarding a very urgent financial problem before I hung up and decided to cancel my card. Do you think they care? Of course not! Nobody bothered to call back or apologize. No human spoke to me to identify the issue or try fixing it.
Nowadays, even governmental organizations are shifting to chatbots instead of human customer service. It is becoming a nightmare all around.
Airlines are just as guilty. I had a flight cancellation with Transavia, and the only option they gave me was to interact with a chatbot. It’s maddening! We need a better balance between technology and human support in these industries. Am not against technology, but only when it works for the benefit of the humans, specifically customers.