Consumerist
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good news
Robocalls Banned!
Today the FTC banned pretty much all telemarketing-based robocalls starting Tuesday, September 1st, 2009. At that point, "violators will face penalties up to $16,000 per call," notes the Los Angeles Times. More » -
directory assistance
AT&T: Sorry Your Finger Slipped, We're Still Charging You $1.99
Hey, AT&T customers: be very, very careful when dialing three-digit numbers. If you're trying to dial, say, 211 or 311 (local government information), 611 (AT&T Wireless customer service) or 711 (TTY relay), and you dial 411 for directory assistance by mistake, you'll be charged for it even if you realize the mistake and hang up immediately. And you'll need to live with the consequences of your error, since, according to reader Stephen, AT&T will not refund these charges. More » -
not taking it too seriously
Crazy CSR Loves Spam, You, Hanging Up Abruptly
Megan sent us this transcript of a recent phone conversation she had with someone from a mysteriously generic "cardholder services" that called her.
More »CSR: Hi, how may I help you Ms. [redacted]?
Me: Please take my number off your list.
CSR: I love you.
Me: Um.
CSR: Do you like spam?
Me: No…
CSR: I love spam, fried up all crispy with maybe a little mayo.
Me: What is this?
CSR: *click* -
warnings
Wave Of Fake Debt Collectors Hints At Possible Data Breach
The Better Business Bureau has released a warning to be aware of scammers calling to threaten people with arrest "within the hour" for defaulting on payday loans. What makes them stand out from normal debt collecting scammers is these callers have huge amounts of personal info on their victims, including Social Security and drivers license numbers; old bank account numbers; names of employers, relatives, and friends; and home addresses. More » -
If you're an E*TRADE customer who lives in California, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, or Washington, you may be eligible for a class action settlement regarding the undisclosed recording of phone calls. The deadline to file your claim form is September 25, 2009. [Settlement site]
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collection agencies
NY Attorney General Shuts Down Abusive Debt Collection Operation, Puts Owner's Rap Career On Hold
The New York Attorney General shut down a network of debt collection agencies today that were run by convicted felon Tobias Boyland, who along with his colleagues impersonated police officers, threatened debtors with arrest, and told them they were being sued in civil court. Boyland is also an author and a musician, and he has an awesome website, bagsofmoney.us, which—warning—launches into a street-friendly rap song as soon as it loads. More » -
contests
This Subway Shop In Virginia Promotes Timeshares
Tim thought he was entering an innocent giveaway at his local Subway in Warrenton, Virginia earlier this month. Nope. It was just timeshare bait. We wish the Subway would have known better than to allow the dropbox in their store to begin with, but after reading Tim's story you'll know what to watch out for should you run into a similar contest. More » -
annoyances
"Sprint Won't Stop Calling Me To Make Sure I Am Happy With Them"
One of our readers can't get Sprint to stop calling him. He's happy with the service, and they just want to make sure he's happy. Repeatedly. To the point that they're starting to get on his nerves. More » -
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telemarketing
Tired Of Telemarketers? Try Suing Them
In yesterday's post on rude telemarketers and the people who hang up on them, reader/advice giver Amy Alkon said she just successfully sued a telemarketer in Santa Monica Small Claims Court—and won! If you're one of those unlucky people who can't get the calls to stop, here's how she did it. More » -
telemarketers
Angry Telemarketer Calls Back, Chews You Out For Hanging Up
This telemarketer has had it up to here with all of you people at home hanging up on her every time she needs to sell you something! Randall Whited in Austin, Texas, received an earful recently, when he answered the phone shortly after hanging up on the unnamed telemarketer. More » -
telemarketing
FTC Listens To Your Complaints, (Mostly) Bans Telemarketer Robocalls
After reviewing the more than 14,000 comments left by living human beings, the FTC yesterday amended its Telemarketing Sales Rule to ban most types of robotic telemarketing calls. By this December, any recorded calls will have to lead off with an automated opt-out option; by September 2009, telemarketers will need prior written permission to contact someone—simply being a recent customer won't cut it.
Of course, there are still exceptions. More »
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customer service
Preemptively Praise Customer Service Reps And They Will Do Your Bidding
Before asking customer service representatives to tackle thorny issues, win them over by first offering to praise them at the end of the call. According to Psychology Today, the offer establishes a reciprocal relationship that CSRs will try to honor, even if solving your problem takes, ugh, work. More » -
att
AT&T Calls 9 Times In 12 Days Trying To Sell DSL
Would you buy DSL service from a company that either doesn't care about Do Not Call lists or doesn't know how they work? A man in Missouri was harassed to the point where he considered calling the police, because no matter what he did, AT&T wouldn't stop calling. Every time he tried contacting AT&T to get it to stop, he ended up in automated phone systems with recorded messages, busy signals, and disconnections—but never a live person. Only after he wrote to a local consumer advocacy columnist did AT&T pay attention and turn off the telemarketing fire hose. AT&T didn't, however, explain why they were targeting this person, or whether anyone else is facing the same barrage of calls. More » -
bad customer service
Target Employee Says Whatever She Feels Like At The Time
Abbey is annoyed with a woman who works at the new Target store in Washington, D.C., because the woman lied to her and wasted her time:
More »One of my roommates just got a Wii, so I decided to go to Target and get "Wario Ware: Smooth Moves." Before hitting the store, though, I gave their electronics department a call to see if they had the game in stock. A woman in electronics picked up the phone and when I asked her if she had the game, she quickly said, "Yeah, we've got that in stock." So I got up off my couch and walked over to the Target to buy my game.
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recordings
T Mobile: Listen To The Most Pointless Customer Service Call Ever
Kapil's brand new Blackberry arrived with a battery that won't charge. He wants T-Mobile to exchange it, but he says T-Mobile wants to replace it with a refurbished Blackberry instead of a new model. Kapil is fighting back, but even at the executive support level all he's found are rude, uncooperative T-Mobile employees who keep saying there's a process, and that someone will call him back—which never happens. Kapil refused to hang up on the fourth day and demanded to know what happens next after nobody calls back, which seemed to confuse and anger the T-Mobile rep he was speaking with. And for those of you who can't listen in, we've transcribed some of the juiciest parts. More » -
bizarre
Holiday Stress Drives Tim To Shout "Fuck Off!" At Customer
Here's the strange, sad tale of Short-Tempered Tim at New World Video Direct in Brooklyn, NY. When Nicholas called NWVDirect a week or so ago with questions about an extended warranty for his new plasma TV, he got terse answers from a generally unhelpful man on the other end. The call was abruptly disconnected. Undaunted, Nicholas called back and got the same man, so he asked to speak to a supervisor, which is when things started to spiral out of control at the NWVDirect call center. More » -
audio
Pranking US Airways Exec In Charge Of In-Flight Credit Card Pushing
Annoyed by getting pitched credit cards in the middle of his US Airways flight, John Hargave of Zug.com calls up the VP of marketing at 5 in the morning to try to sell him a credit card. Site contains audio recording of the call. Harvgave also called up the US Airways executive office number and tried to sell a credit card to the gal there:
UA: You know what? I really need to go, because I have work to wrap up before the end of my workweek.
The obvious next evolution is that customers can opt to sit in a part of plane that doesn't have hear the credit card offers, provided they pay a small additional fee.
JH: And this is annoying, isn't it?
UA: Yeah, it is annoying. But you know what? I'm able to tune stuff out that I don't really want to hear.
JH: You know why? Because you're not captive on a plane. -
roundups
Recorded Customer Service Call Roundup
Recording customer service calls is fun! And if you submit them to our contest, we can provide value-added services (like mocking them) and you can win fabulous prizes! Let's look back at some of the customer service calls we posted in the past to help us get in the spirit. More »
phone calls
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Mon Nov 23
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