Customer Phone Service Rant

My recent dealings on the phone this week have really sent me a message:  Customer service is really going down the toilet.  This is just a vent.  You don’t have to read this…please, spare yourself now when you can! 

 

I need to get passports done for me and my three children for this summer.  I went into the phone book and realized that all local post offices in my area all have the same 800 #.  I called it, and spoke to one person on the phone who told me that my neighborhood post office did passport services every Saturday with an appointment.  I immediately called the post office, and was told that NO, they don’t do passport services at that post office, and that I needed to contact another post office in the city.  This person gave me the “secret” unlisted number.  I called that office, and was immediately contacted to a virtual operator that told me: “System is down.  Please call later.” 

 

Unfortunately, I left the “secret” number at work, and I had to call the 800# again to get the information again.  After a five minute wait on the phone I was connected to customer service agent who became quite annoyed with me immediately when I told her that I knew about the forms needed for passports already-I just needed the number for a particular post office.  She told me, “They don’t do passports there.  Who told you this?”  Then she corrected herself afterwards, and said that they did do passport services there, Monday through Friday only.  I didn’t believe her though.  I still asked for the number anyway.  “Here’s the number, but..I’m telling you they don’t do Saturday appointments!”  I said thank you, and dialed the number.  I immediately spoke to a nice man who informed me that they DID have Saturday services for passports, and appointments were not needed.  THANK YOU. 

 

The other morning, I was greeted with my mother who had a worried look on her face, holding a medical bill in front of me.  It was a pretty sizable bill, but no where on the statement could I find where they actually billed her insurance.  I called the clinic who told me immediately, “Oh, we have to fix this!  We didn’t bill her insurance!”  Okay.  Why would they send a BILL to someone demanding payment upon receipt when they didn’t even bill insurance yet is beyond me.  The lady on the phone told me to call back with her insurance information.  I did call a few hours later, and was switched to a man who apparently did not know how to use the phone.  I could hear him, but he couldn’t hear me.  All I heard was.. “Hello?  (SIGH)  Is anyone there…?”  I’m on the other end almost shouting… “HELLO!!!  I’m here!!”  Still he couldn’t hear me.  After another call and 5 minutes on hold I’m switched to another billing representative who refused to talk to me because I was not authorized by my mother to speak to anyone in regards to her bill.  Um..  I’m just trying to give information so you can get paid!  Hello!!  But no.  I guess I could have changed my voice and pretended to be my mother?  “You can call for her and have her speak to us on the phone, and tell us that it’s okay for us to talk to you about your bill.”  Oh brother.  I simply wrote all of her information on her bill and told them to bill the insurance.  I put it in the mail.  If they want to send another bill; let them.  We are not paying it.  Crazy I tell you, just crazy!!!  I am sure somewhere there is an older person out there that will not even question the bill, and pay it without their insurance companies even knowing.  It’s a sad reality. 

 

Two years after my father passed away, one of his doctors sent him a bill.  Apparently, they “forgot” to bill his insurance when he was alive for his last procedure.  I called them back immediately and informed them that my father had full coverage when he WAS ALIVE and how dare they try to bill my mother for a cost that they forgot to bill him when he was still insured.  They “ate up” the bill.  Of course, it took them about two  months of sending my mother bills, and phone calls from me until they “gave up” with a lame “we’re sorry”.