This site, when it all comes down to it, features the CSR as protagonist. Sometimes he’s the hero, bending company bureaucracy, flouting his own training because he feels sympathy. More often, he’s the anti-hero, speaking in circles and thwarting any attempt to get satisfaction from a customer. But it’s all about the CSR.
call centers
Penny Arcade Tries to Cancel Unwanted Toaster Protection Racket
By 8.8.06
Penny Arcade called up to cancel the Sears “payment protection plan” they never ordered.
EXCLUSIVE: AOL’s John Not Paid Hush Money
By 8.8.06
Remember John? He was the other man on the phone in the AOL cancellation call heard round the world. Despite his voice being played, without his permission, over the internet, on radio and nightly news, no one’s heard a peep from him.
Calculate Your AOL Retention Bonus!
By 8.7.06
An exciting add-on for the World of AOL Retention game, The Bonus Calculator!
The Hatchet Man of AOL Retention
By 8.3.06
Here’s a little ditty about an AOL hatchet man who took a perverse pleasure in firing retention consultants.
TimeWarner Dissolves AOL Retention Centers
By 8.3.06
TimeWarner announced yesterday an AOL makeover ot make more money with less subscribers. The profit hinged on $1 billion in cost cuts mainly coming from, “the company’s extensive marketing effort to attract new customers and retain old ones,” NYT reports.
AOL Still Retaining Like A MoFugger
By 8.3.06
AOL may be free, but that didn’t stop them from calling up Matt W. in Chicago, begging him to come back. The rep offered Matt a “new” version of AOL called, “Security Edition.” After an initial “trial period,” Matt could continue using AOL for $9.95/month.
Further Confessions of Former AOL Retainers
By 8.2.06
In light of today’s news that America Online’s content and services are going free, let’s glance at a polaroid of those halcyon days and Monte Carlo nights of yesteryear.
AOL Goes Free
By 8.2.06
Confirming rumors that it itself spread, America Online formally announced plans to give away email and other previously subscriber-only service for free at AOL.com.
NONUPDATE: Cingular Wants to Yank Docs
By 8.2.06
Since Cingular legal counsel sent us a note Friday demanding we call and take down some internal documents, nothing has happened. They told us to call. We didn’t call. Instead, we insulted their note. Other sites picked up and popularized the story. Nary a further Cingular peep. Not even a full cease and desist. Sigh. We feel a little left at the altar.
Command Amazon Customer Service To Call You
By 8.1.06
Don’t call us, we’ll… Lifehacker’s got a snazzy tip for quick Amazon customer service. If you can’t find 1-800-201-7575 to call, or you just plum dig the power trip, have them call you. [More]
Cingular Wants Us To Take Their Documents Down
By 7.28.06
We just received a note from Cingular’s legal department.
AOL Exec Chimes In About “The Call”
By 7.27.06
The Washington Post asked Jason Calacanis, an AOL exec and headmaster of Weblogs Inc, what he thought of the infamous AOL call. Here’s our responses, in brevis, to what he blogged.
T-Mobile Forbids You From Recording Customer Service Calls
By 7.25.06
We can record you but you can’t record us, T-mobile told reader Jeff today.
Dell’s Low Call Time Kills Customer Service
By 7.24.06
Beyond mere armchair bubble-piping on Dell’s eroding market share blah blah blah, a former Dell tech support rep lays out plain-spoken evidence for Dell’s declining concern for their customers. It’s got numbers, too.
Former Elite AOL Retainer Interviewed
By 7.24.06
Tricks an AOL retainer used to keep people from cancelling:
