Tech Support:
"Welcome to [manufacturer] tech support. Can I get your customer number or serial please?"
Operator:
"I'm the operator, and I have a lady on the line. She's got some really bad trouble, and she's crying and needs help."
Um. What kind of problem could this be if the operator is getting involved? Tech Support:
"Uh, ok."
The operator puts the customer through. She didn't sound the least bit hysterical or sound like she'd been crying. Customer:
"My husband called here yesterday becuase we had a problem with the hard drive. He was told to order a new hard drive, and now it doesn't work."
Tech Support:
"The hard drive failed, and the new one is bad? Did you get the new hard drive from us?"
Customer:
"No, you don't understand. We haven't ordered a new hard drive yet. The system's out of warranty by only a couple days, and I want you to replace it for free."
Tech Support:
"I'll need to get your customer number. If it's only a few days, it's possible, but I'll still have to talk to my supervisor to get it approved."
Customer:
"I don't want you to talk to your supervisor. I want to talk to your supervisor. When I had my refrigerator repaired, it was out of warranty by three months, and I didn't have to pay a cent. I want my hard drive replaced."
After lots of ranting, I finally got her serial number. I discovered that the system was four months out of warranty, not just a couple days. Furthermore her system was trouble-free until yesterday. I told her that my supervisor was on the phone and asked if I could have him call her back. She reluctantly gave me her last name (only) and her phone number.
I approached my supervisor and told him the story. He loves bursting the bubbles of this kind of customer. He said he'd wait an hour and call her back.
I checked the customer notes forty-five minutes later, and she'd called back complaining to customer service about me. It made its way up the food chain until the director of customer service ended up promising to call her back.
Finally, my supervisor called her back, telling her exactly what I told her (and what all the customer service reps told her). No out of warranty pro bono replacement of her hard drive. I overheard a piece of the conversation he had with her: My Supervisor:
"...No, ma'am, we do not sell microwave ovens or refrigerators. We sell computers, and the warranty has expired. You will not get a new hard drive for free."
When I quit the company in July I checked back and discovered that the director of customer service had never called her back.
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