Tuesday, November 27, 2007
You have new Picture Mail!
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Followup on DirecTV
Following up on the DirecTV post from Sunday:
The installer showed up at noon precisely, was extremely competent and professional, not only installed the new HD dish and HD-DVR but stuck around a few minutes to give me the basics on using the new unit, and petted Watson. D* ftw!
'Absolutely,' she says, 'I'll set up that free installation and the included HD dish for you right now.' Yes! 'I can schedule your installation for Tuesday afternoon between noon and 4, will that work?' Yes! Done and done.
The installer showed up at noon precisely, was extremely competent and professional, not only installed the new HD dish and HD-DVR but stuck around a few minutes to give me the basics on using the new unit, and petted Watson. D* ftw!
Labels: customer service, DirecTV, raves
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Combined Customer Service experiences post
Today's Unbelievably Bad and Triumphantly Excellent Customer Service posts are combined because they are both from the same company and occured within minutes of each other.
A little background: I've been a very happy DirecTV subscriber for ten years. We currently have a Philips DSR704 DirecTV-TiVo receiver in the upstairs guest room, and we're buying a new TV for the living room. Tonight, I bought a new DirecTV Plus HD-DVR at Best Buy and called DirecTV --right from the Best Buy parking lot--to schedule installation, because I want it done before Thursday (Thanksgiving) so we can watch the National Dog Show in glorious HD.
First, the Unbelievably Bad: I say "schedule installation" to the phone-bot and am connected to Chase or possibly Jason--I can't tell because he mumbled. We establish who I am and my account details and then I tell him why I'm calling: to schedule installation of the HD-DVR I just picked up. He pauses and then goes off into several minutes of telling my why my purchase was a bad idea--buying it at Best Buy instead of ordering directly from him--because now I'll have to pay for installation plus pay for the special HD dish; if I'd ordered from him, he says, installation and the dish would be free. I ask him if this is standard for everyone who buys DirecTV equipment from Best Buy and he says no, it's because I'm an existing DirecTV subscriber. Most people who buy receivers or DVRs are new subscribers and installation is free for new subscribers. I take a minute to process this and then remind him (politely) that I've been a loyal customer for ten years including two moves, and can he waive the installation fee for me? Absolutely not, he says, citing some contractual obligation between DirecTV and Best Buy that I don't care about. Around now he also tells me there's no chance of installation for at least two weeks. I tell him I'll consider what he's told me and call them back, and hang up.
I sat and thought for a few minutes. I was sure Chase/Jason was wrong about having to pay for installation. After all, DirecTV isn't even selling their boxes anymore; the boxes are now on semi-permanent "lease", subject to recall/replacement at any time, and remain DirecTV's property. This means that I'm now paying for a service, like cable TV or DSL, which always have free installation. I was also doubtful about the installation date estimate. So, I tried a little Call Center Roulette, and that's where the Triumphantly Excellent experience happened.
This time I am connected to Brigitte--cheerful and clear-spoken--and we go through the same information about what I bought and that I need to have it installed. "Absolutely," she says, "I'll set up that free installation and the included HD dish for you right now." Yes! "I can schedule your installation for Tuesday afternoon between noon and 4, will that work?" Yes! Done and done. "Anything else I can help you with?" I tell her I'd like to talk to her supervisor to pass on what a great experience this call was. Back when I was doing software tech support over the phone, this happened once in a while, where happy customers wanted to compliment me to my boss. Most times, the only time the supervisor is called in is to hear complaints, so this time I am careful to let her (Shannon) know what a terrific CSR she has in Brigitte and that everything worked out perfectly. I don't mention Chase/Jason because at this point it would only depress me. Shannon says it's a pleasure to hear a compliment once in a while and I tell her it was a pleasure for me to be able to give it.
I think the lesson to be learned here is the importance of Call Center Roulette--if you don't like what the CSR is telling you, and especially if it seems unreasonable or illogical, thank them politely, hang up, and call again hoping for a different CSR. The way the call-forwarding systems work, the person you just talked to should get another call right away, so if you wait a minute or two you should be assured of getting someone else. This time, it worked.
A little background: I've been a very happy DirecTV subscriber for ten years. We currently have a Philips DSR704 DirecTV-TiVo receiver in the upstairs guest room, and we're buying a new TV for the living room. Tonight, I bought a new DirecTV Plus HD-DVR at Best Buy and called DirecTV --right from the Best Buy parking lot--to schedule installation, because I want it done before Thursday (Thanksgiving) so we can watch the National Dog Show in glorious HD.
First, the Unbelievably Bad: I say "schedule installation" to the phone-bot and am connected to Chase or possibly Jason--I can't tell because he mumbled. We establish who I am and my account details and then I tell him why I'm calling: to schedule installation of the HD-DVR I just picked up. He pauses and then goes off into several minutes of telling my why my purchase was a bad idea--buying it at Best Buy instead of ordering directly from him--because now I'll have to pay for installation plus pay for the special HD dish; if I'd ordered from him, he says, installation and the dish would be free. I ask him if this is standard for everyone who buys DirecTV equipment from Best Buy and he says no, it's because I'm an existing DirecTV subscriber. Most people who buy receivers or DVRs are new subscribers and installation is free for new subscribers. I take a minute to process this and then remind him (politely) that I've been a loyal customer for ten years including two moves, and can he waive the installation fee for me? Absolutely not, he says, citing some contractual obligation between DirecTV and Best Buy that I don't care about. Around now he also tells me there's no chance of installation for at least two weeks. I tell him I'll consider what he's told me and call them back, and hang up.
I sat and thought for a few minutes. I was sure Chase/Jason was wrong about having to pay for installation. After all, DirecTV isn't even selling their boxes anymore; the boxes are now on semi-permanent "lease", subject to recall/replacement at any time, and remain DirecTV's property. This means that I'm now paying for a service, like cable TV or DSL, which always have free installation. I was also doubtful about the installation date estimate. So, I tried a little Call Center Roulette, and that's where the Triumphantly Excellent experience happened.
This time I am connected to Brigitte--cheerful and clear-spoken--and we go through the same information about what I bought and that I need to have it installed. "Absolutely," she says, "I'll set up that free installation and the included HD dish for you right now." Yes! "I can schedule your installation for Tuesday afternoon between noon and 4, will that work?" Yes! Done and done. "Anything else I can help you with?" I tell her I'd like to talk to her supervisor to pass on what a great experience this call was. Back when I was doing software tech support over the phone, this happened once in a while, where happy customers wanted to compliment me to my boss. Most times, the only time the supervisor is called in is to hear complaints, so this time I am careful to let her (Shannon) know what a terrific CSR she has in Brigitte and that everything worked out perfectly. I don't mention Chase/Jason because at this point it would only depress me. Shannon says it's a pleasure to hear a compliment once in a while and I tell her it was a pleasure for me to be able to give it.
I think the lesson to be learned here is the importance of Call Center Roulette--if you don't like what the CSR is telling you, and especially if it seems unreasonable or illogical, thank them politely, hang up, and call again hoping for a different CSR. The way the call-forwarding systems work, the person you just talked to should get another call right away, so if you wait a minute or two you should be assured of getting someone else. This time, it worked.
Labels: customer service, DirecTV, rants, raves
Friday, November 16, 2007
Remembering the IBM PC
The Register's continuing "This Old Box" series this week looks back at the IBM Personal Computer:
The original IBM Personal Computer came with a version of Microsoft BASIC in ROM. The system was offered with either a CGA or MDA graphic card. The CGA graphics card could plug into a standard television, while the MDA plugged into a monochrome display.My heavily-modified IBM PC is currently in my garage, waiting for the day when it will once again come to life in glorious CGA, 640KB RAM, MS-DOS 6.22, 32GB expansion HD.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
More Restaurant Reviews
Four more Restaurant Reviews: Napa Rose Lounge, Mimi's Cafe (Anaheim), Jeffrey's Hamburgers, Scott's Seafood Grill & Bar.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
An Open Letter to Rachel Maddow and Air America Radio
Dear Rachel,
I understand your request to patronize Air America's advertisers as a way to keep AAR on the air. However, AAR's advertisers, quite frankly, suck. A slimy collection of ineffective and probably poisonous diet drugs, credit repair scams, tax debt scams, mortgage scams, on and on and on. Oh, and Bob Barker pushing a Ft. Lauderdale restaurant to a national audience.
As a loyal RMS listener I would be happy to give my business to AAR's advertisers, but I'm not going to have anything to do with the current crop.
Sincerely,
Andrew Rich
I understand your request to patronize Air America's advertisers as a way to keep AAR on the air. However, AAR's advertisers, quite frankly, suck. A slimy collection of ineffective and probably poisonous diet drugs, credit repair scams, tax debt scams, mortgage scams, on and on and on. Oh, and Bob Barker pushing a Ft. Lauderdale restaurant to a national audience.
As a loyal RMS listener I would be happy to give my business to AAR's advertisers, but I'm not going to have anything to do with the current crop.
Sincerely,
Andrew Rich
This perfectly captures a guy I once worked for
Monday, November 12, 2007
New Restaurant Reviews
I'm catching up on my backlog and have posted seven new Restaurant Reviews: California Pizza Kitchen, The Fish Hopper, Jeffrey's Hamburgers, Mimi's Cafe, Plaza Inn, Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen and Robin's Restaurant. This brings me up to October 1st, with 22 more reviews to go. I know!
Sunday, November 11, 2007
GOOD customer service example of the day
And the winner is: REI in the new Charleston Road shopping center in Mountain View. I'd purchased a Freestyle Tracer pedometer before the ToT race so I could measure my pace through the course; at home, the treadmill tells me how fast I'm going and how far I've gone, so I wanted something similar. The pedometer did its job, but the plastic clip broke off halfway through the race and I ended up having to hold it in my hand the rest of the way. I wanted to exchange it, but of course, I'd lost the receipt. However, I had joined the REI Co-op around the time I'd bought the pedometer so I hoped that the purchase would be recorded somewhere.
When we entered the store, I looked around for the "customer service" desk, usually one solitary register manned by the one person in the store who can accept returns or do exchanges. Not the case at REI; every register can do returns and every employee can process exchanges. The transaction was indeed linked to my Co-op membership and the only wait involved was the cashier waiting for me to grab a new pedometer from the rack for an instant exchange. Well done!
When we entered the store, I looked around for the "customer service" desk, usually one solitary register manned by the one person in the store who can accept returns or do exchanges. Not the case at REI; every register can do returns and every employee can process exchanges. The transaction was indeed linked to my Co-op membership and the only wait involved was the cashier waiting for me to grab a new pedometer from the rack for an instant exchange. Well done!
Labels: customer service, raves, REI
Poor customer service example of the day
And the winner is: Longs Drugs in the Town & Country shopping center at Embarcadero and El Camino Real in Palo Alto. I popped in to pick up a couple of cold drinks while Jen was using the facilities--diet Coke for me and a Lipton green tea for Jen--and when I got up to the checkout line there was one (1) lane open and several people in line. Across the aisle at the photo counter, another employee and a manager were chatting with a customer. It didn't appear to be about where to find maxi-pads or anything like that, just random non-Longs-related conversation. Meanwhile the one (1) checkout line is getting longer and longer, and of course the cashier seems to be the extra slow one.
Finally the people at the photo counter conclude their chat and the other employee came over to open another lane. By this time I had reached the register and would have been next, but the second guy picked up my two bottles and walked over to the other register. He rang up the diet Coke but had trouble with the green tea, saying "uh, this wasn't supposed to be sold as a single."
"It was in the cooler case with a lot of others," I said.
He just stood there for a minute with a blank look, starting talking to the first cashier about something totally unrelated, and then punched in an override or something to ring up the tea, finally allowing me to pay and leave.
In reality the whole episode, from entering the store to paying and leaving, probably took no more than ten minutes. However, it was at least seven minutes more than it should have been.
Finally the people at the photo counter conclude their chat and the other employee came over to open another lane. By this time I had reached the register and would have been next, but the second guy picked up my two bottles and walked over to the other register. He rang up the diet Coke but had trouble with the green tea, saying "uh, this wasn't supposed to be sold as a single."
"It was in the cooler case with a lot of others," I said.
He just stood there for a minute with a blank look, starting talking to the first cashier about something totally unrelated, and then punched in an override or something to ring up the tea, finally allowing me to pay and leave.
In reality the whole episode, from entering the store to paying and leaving, probably took no more than ten minutes. However, it was at least seven minutes more than it should have been.
Labels: customer service, Longs, rants
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Running in the Zone
As I said in the last post, Jennifer and I along with several MousePlanet friends journeyed to Walt Disney World the weekend of October 27th for the Tower of Terror 13th Anniversary 13K/6.5K Race. Stephanie Wien and I collaborated on an article discussing the event and the many problems that ensued, and it's now up on MousePlanet: Running in the Zone. Enjoy!
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Post 10^3
Since the last post on September 26, and in no particular order:
- We did Mickey's Halloween Treat at DCA on October 12. I was The Waffler (from Good Eats episode "The Waffle Truth") and Jennifer was the Mother of Culinary Invention (from Good Eats episode "Tortillas Again"). Yes, we're Food Network geeks. The costumes were very successful and we had a great time with a group of friends that night.
- MouseAdventure was October 14, and it was, of course, the Biggest Event Ever. It was also the Best Event Ever, at least according to feedback from players.
- My grandmother, Sylvia Berson, passed away on October 11 from lung cancer. This was not unexpected but it was sad, but we miss her.
- I turned 38 on October 8.
- We flew to Florida/Walt Disney World for the Tower of Terror 13th Anniversary Race and ran the 6.5K on October 27. We also went to Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom the night before, again in our Food Network costumes. You can read a complete trip report here on MousePad.
- My company is about to be acquired. This is a very good thing. I can't say anything else about it.
- Today, November 7, 2007, is our ninth anniversary. Somehow Jennifer has put up with me for nine years and somehow I haven't screwed it up. We're going out to dinner tonight to celebrate.
- Speaking of dinner, I have about fifty restaurant reviews to do. I haven't done one since summer, but I've saved all the receipts.
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