cancel the account
Look,
Comcast, when you take back someone's equipment and give them a receipt confirming that their account has no balance, it's not unreasonable for them to think that their account is canceled. Don't keep billing them for service and
equipment rentals, and don't tell them that you "can keep [the account] active and [bill] indefinitely until [you] decide to disconnect it." Because if you do, they're going to call their state Attorney General's office. At least that's how Paul convinced Comcast to finally cancel his account.
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vonage
If you cancel your Vonage service before the end of the first year, you're going to need to pay $70 for Vonage's proprietary router on top of a $29.95 cancellation fee. Don't even try to return the soon-to-be useless router because that's simply not an option.
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credit cards
Be wary of Arcot, a credit card security company that's devoid of customer service.
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cellphones
Retentions representatives are the cellphone company's last line of defense between you and freedom. One brave retentions representative has come forward to teach us how to craft a direct, earnest request that will lead retention reps to do your bidding. Rivaled in effectiveness only by executive customer support, retentions reps are empowered to strike down nuisance fees and bargain liberally, all to keep you as a customer. If you were ever tempted to threaten your cellphone company with cancellation, this one is a must read.
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irony
What part of "CANCEL THE MONTHLY LEASED LICENSE NOW" did customer service solutions provider Kayako misunderstand? Reader Chance's request wasn't unexpected. He tried to cancel his account three times and switched service providers before Kayako decided to renew his lease and issue a new bill. The full debacle, inside.
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fees
A DirecTV CSR claimed that reader Mark changed his installation by following troubleshooting instructions to unplug and reconnect his box, and now owed $79.95. Mark, who paid $6 per month for DirecTV's protection plan, refused to pay the fee and asked to cancel to his service.
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complaints
Charter accused Kevin of failing to pay for unreturned equipment, even though Kevin paid his final bill in full and has a receipt for a returned cable box. Charter customer service representatives were happy to play whack-a-mole whenever the bogus charges for the equipment appeared on Kevin's bill, but Charter eventually tired of the infuriatingly unwinnable game and sent Kevin's account to collections.
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whoops
T-Mobile sent reader Ivan's account to collections after he twice cancelled his service. He first cancelled in August, but T-Mobile mysteriously lost the cancellation letter. Ivan faxed over a second cancellation letter while a CSR waited on the phone to confirm receipt. Having switched to Verizon, Ivan didn't care when in September, someone stepped on the T-Mobile phone lying in his car, breaking the screen. T-Mobile is now demanding that Ivan pay a bill that lists only a reinstatement fee. Ivan writes:
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customer service
Reader Tony was called a coward by a Vonage customer service representative for
canceling out of fear that Verizon's unstoppable legal onslaught would result in service disruptions. Tony canceled only after Vonage was unable to explain their contingency plans for handling an interruption. One Vonage CSR didn't realize that Tony was exactly the sort of customer that might return to Vonage if ever they prevail against Verizon's team of
ber-lawyers. The CSR explained as he typed that he was listing Tony's reason for canceling as: "Customer... lacks... the... courage... to... stay... with... us... due... to... litigation." Tony's letter to Vonage, after the jump:
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complaints
A TiVo CSR insisted that Jerry explain why he was
canceling his account, so Jerry said he was moving to the moon, an explanation that might earn sympathy from a company whose logo is a martian. The CSR was not amused, and did not cancel Jerry's account. Instead, taking him for an astronaut, the CSR gave him free service for three months, which Jerry discovered only when he presciently called the next day to verify that his account had been canceled. Jerry writes:
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telephony
Mark tried to cancel his Vonage service outside of normal business hours, but Vonage wouldn't let him go unless he called back to speak with the customer retention department. Mark had tried to call the previous day during business hours, but Vonage's computers were down. How convenient.
Vonage: Why are you canceling the account.
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disney
In today's installment, Disney shows us the classy way to bid a customer farewell. Mike called to cancel several Toontown accounts his kids were no longer using. Mike is an Operations Manager for a call center, and knows and expects "every trick in the book." Mike didn't realize Disney has their own book collection.
Disney: "May I ask why you're canceling?"
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top
The
AOL customer service rep who tried so very hard to prevent Vincent Ferrai from cancelling his service has been fired.
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customer retention
A reader well versed in customer service shares with us this following anecdote about how much
AOL cares about servicing your dead relatives. David writes:
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