I have a couple of observations to share with you this week. Today’s involves our alarm company. The ADT alarm system was in place when we bought our house 19 years ago. The other night, during the opening ceremony of the Olympics, it went off – a high pitched and fast pulsing. When I went to the keypad I saw that the system battery was low. Turned off the alarm and called ADT.
Both of the techs that I spoke to were polite and as helpful as they could be, but there was a problem. Usually when a battery is low and needs to replaced – as in a movement sensor, for example – you can put in a code that will stop the alarm until you can replace the battery. It took ages for the tech to finally tell me this, but apparently you can’t do that with the system battery. It was about 10 pm and I had no idea where the transformer was – nor did they. I couldn’t believe they didn’t have some record of where they installed it, but they didn’t. Is it plugged into a socket? No, I said. I would know if a transformer was plugged into one of our sockets. Finally, we figured out it must be in the basement near the circuit breakers and I was not about to go down there late at night. (You remember that we have to enter our basement from outside the house.)
I was not happy that we would have to hear the alarm go off for the several days it would take for a new battery to be delivered. When I asked if we could book a service technician to install it, it also became clear that we were expected to do the work ourselves. And, unlike other visits from the service tech in the past, we would have to pay a lot of money for a visit.
To get to my point: Even though we pay a sizable amount of money to ADT yearly, what would have been a routine, no-charge visit in the past now costs a chunk of money. And now, though I have no idea how to do it, I will have to consult lots of diagrams online to figure out how to install the new battery.
In other words, we have to do the work. But, as Don says, we don’t work for ADT.
Just like I don’t work for our neighborhood market, or Lowes, or CVS, but I have to do my own checkout.
And one more, I don’t work for Amazon, but in order to return a book, I have to drive 20 miles to a Staples store that takes Amazon returns, instead of putting it in the mail. I did this yesterday and when I got there, I found out their connection to Amazon wasn’t working, so I drove a total of 40 miles for nothing. Need I say it? I don’t work for Amazon, either.
What I would refer to as “routine customer service” is increasingly rare. It’s going the way of the dinosaur. And it really pisses me off.
I made that clear to them on the phone the other night and asked that management call me. They called Don yesterday and said we would soon be getting a small discount on our bills because we’ve been with them almost 20 years. Okay, but it doesn’t address the real problem.
My response will always be: I don’t work for _____ and until I’m on your payroll, service, maintenance, and checkout is your job. Not mine.
But they know that rather than pay them $150.00 to do their job, I will end up installing the battery (which I’m being billed for) myself. And that’s how this crap slowly gets accepted.
Anyway, that’s my mini rant for today. True customer service is rare these days. I miss the days when it was a no-brainer.
Let me add that I worked Customer Service for 7 years when I was just out of college. I know how it is to be on the receiving end of a angry call. I always make sure to let that person know that my complaint isn’t with them, but with the company policy. And, if they have been patient, I always thank them.
To end on a cute note:
Pip and Derek.
Stay safe.
Happy Wednesday.
i am sorry you had that experience, one that’s especially unnerving, scary for being an alarm. also, i sure wouldn’t want to go outside at night to fix something, either! hoping and praying for the installation/fix to be quick and easier than it sounds (to me). you are very tech-smart so that should help.
very much agree with you about the lack of customer service in so many places. had problems with things for my parents’ townhome … cable tv signal (took 90 calls and a dozen tech appointments over six months last year to get it fixed, and to not have daily signal loss that sometimes lasted for days) and a screen/storm door, new last january but arrived with scratches and loose, rattling glass, only got replaced last week (after many, many calls and in-store conversations). i can deal with that okay for myself, but mess with my family? beware!
also, while i don’t want stores to take away jobs due to self-serve cashiering, i appreciate when i can still do that at grocery stores. it takes me a while to sort a cart-full of things into separate purchases for three households and i don’t want to slow anyone else down (when there are other self-service and cashiered lanes for them to use).
i know self-checkouts increased a lot when covid started and i understand and supported that choice when so much was unknown and very scary, but things are generally better (not gone, but improving) so those checkouts aren’t needed so much, while jobs are. am sure stores like saving on payroll, but it is a bad look, to say the least, for them to drop that customer service.
your post today made me think about all the jobs i’ve had, especially as a teenager and college-grad school student, how things, like customer service, were very different then. not all change is progress.
what a world.
thanks for naming pip today. i think i know most of your girls’ names when i see them, but couldn’t today. pip and derek look very cute and surely are headed for an adventure.
hope you, don and everyone else have a great day. stay safe.
kathy
I worked customer service for 7 years, so I know how it is. I always – unless the person I’m speaking to is rude – make sure they know my complaint isn’t about them, but rather, the company policy. And I thank them. I’ve been on the other end, so I understand.
The problem with self-checkouts around here, is the fact that there is usually only one checkout with a real human being open. Happened at Target yesterday, it routinely is the case at Lowes, and at our supermarket. A lot of those checkers (at our supermarket) were people we saw and spoke to regularly and I wonder if they lost their jobs.
I’m sorry you had to go through so many hassles at your parents’ home. Really inexcusable!
Thank you for the photos, Kathy. Just got them yesterday!
Stay safe.
agree about the checkouts. hope those people all have jobs they love.
and thanks, claudia.
i do the same … let the rep know that my irritation is not with them (unless they are being rude), but with the policy or the delay or whatever the problem is … because i’ve worked service jobs, too, know how hard they are and because it’s the right thing to do. unfortunately the problem with the screen/storm door at my parents’ home has been in communication from the staff and especially the department manager. most recently, when i finally found her at the store, i asked why she had not returned my calls and in-store messages; she became very angry … threatened to cancel the order (for the replacement, leaving us with a damaged new door), walked away from me and yelled from a couple aisles (maybe 25 or 30 feet, so she was loud) over at me, after telling me that i was rude for “questioning how she does her job” and that “no one does that”. well, i had left at least four phone messages and three in-store messages for her and waited over two months without hearing back from her. i’d say she wasn’t doing her job. i stopped by the customer service desk that day, asked to speak with the store manager, was told to send that person an e-mail and was handed her e-mail address on a piece of paper. i’ve sent two e-mails to that address for the store manager, been waiting three weeks and no answer back from the store manager, either. i try to be forgiving (haven’t got there yet in this situation), but will never shop at that big-box store again. the rest of my family feels the same way. glad that there are alternatives. ugh.
thanks for listening. again. :)
hope you and don have a great weekend and don’t get storms tonight especially.
xo,
kathy
Maybe a letter to Corporate?
xo
sadly, but for sure.
xo,
kathy
xo
I’m with you Claudia (I also might add I wish an actual person would answer a phone) and I must say Pip is looking a bit perplexed about it as well.
It seems to be a trend, or the ‘new normal.’
I always take pains to tell the person I’m speaking to in customer service that my complaint isn’t about them, but about the company policy. I used to work Customer Service and I know it’s hard work.
Stay safe, Susan.
I just looked up how to replace the battery and it looks really quite simply. I’m sure between you and Don, you will have no problem. I know customer service has become a bit of a problem and I know a lot of people do not like having to do their own check outs at the various stores, but some people do like them, and I think it’s acceptable as long as they still provide “live” check out personnel. My husband does like them because the fewer people he has to deal with, the better. He has no choice but to deal with people issues at his job, so a break is appreciated by him.
We now live in a smaller community, and I have been trying to settle my dad’s estate, such as it is. (He passed away in June) I have been blessed with an enormous amount of great customer service, whether it be by phone, text or email. I thank God every day for the guidance he has provided me and the communication that I have been blessed with. These types of situations are never fun or easy, but I have, undoubtedly, had the best and the kindest people who have been very helpful and I do not take any of them for granted. Most have been local but there have been some contacts with offices in the metro and I’ve had the same good fortune there as well.
I do hope you find the battery replacement to be a lot easier than you are anticipating.
I looked it up, too, and it’s not all that simple. May require special tools, which I don’t have.
But the point is, I shouldn’t have to do it. And ADT used to do it free-of-charge.
Glad your experience locally is a good one.
Stay safe.
Can you cancel ADT? Just be done with it? Sounds like a lot of money and a hassle. Is your area unsafe?
I try to minimize my hassle and finances as much as possible so I would have told them to cancel on the phone! lol.
I have no desire to cancel. We live in an area where the nearest neighbors are not on top of us, which means, especially when one of us is alone here, we like the security of an alarm. It’s really invaluable.
Stay safe.
Claudia, that sounds really frustrating on different levels. I completely agree, customer service is not what it should be. I’m the least tech-savvy person I know and I hate when I have a problem, as I’m having now with my email….just frustrating. Hope your alarm is taken care of soon. Darling picture of Pip and Derek!
I’m sorry about your email problem, Barrie. I hope it gets resolved soon!
Stay safe.
Sadly, you are so right Claudia, customer service is fading fast and if you complain, you are labeled a “Karen”.
Took car in to schedule appointment and go over details at the local dealership. A week later, no one has called me to schedule. I call them and finally head of service sets appointment for this morning. I show up, she is not working and no one seems to know anything about appointment or details for which I had left paperwork and contact info etc. with them the previous week. I suppose the garage cat ate it. They will call me to reschedule.
In May I was a new patient at a specialist’s office. Waiting on bills & getting EOBs which typically its always the EOBs holding things up. I am told it is my responsibility to call the 3rd-party billing company for a bill. Who knew? How was I to know this or even the fact they use a 3rd-party billing company?
We have learned the hard way that when we need to stop our mail delivery due to travel, we have to stop the mail at least one day earlier than necessary because they never get it right. You all noticed the latest increase to postage this month?
I could go on but you all have your own instances of lacking customer service or no customer service. I spend more time policing things in retirement, some days it feels like a full-time job. Oy.
Oh no! This lack of care and consistency is inexcusable – I’m so sorry, Chris.
Yes, it does seem like a full-time job, doesn’t it?
Stay safe.
I agree with you about poor customer service these days. My pet peeve is self-checkout. The store I shop at put in more self-checkouts and then they revamped the manned checkouts. One person used to check you out and bag. The bags were on a carousel in their easy reach. They took that out and designed things for a bagger at the end of the lane. How nice, right? But they are always short staffed and if lucky there is one bagger for several lanes. The cashier only has a bag stand for 1 bag. So it’s harder for the cashier, and customers are ending up helping her bag. Maybe that was their ultimate plan…to get the customer to do it.
Anyway, I hope changing that battery goes well.
Take care
Yes, get the customer to do it anyway so they can eventually stop doing it.
Sigh.
Stay safe, Marilyn.
We had a similar problem with ADT and their ridiculous nonsense. Decided that after the many years we’ve paid them $$$$ and never needed them (until we needed them) that we would fire them and get a ring camera and alarm. Easy to install. The bonus is I can see what are wildlife are visiting me at night! With my cell phone app!
Good luck !
Hmmmm…might consider that, Betsy.
Stay safe.
I believe customer service is declining because there aren’t enough people to fill the positions. So, companies are forced to keep crappy help or have low staffing issues. I see it all the time in my area. Way too many hand outs so why work.
I don’t think that is the reason. I think large companies are always looking for ways to save money. It’s corporate-think.
I can’t speak for your region, Darlene, or the realities there, but I do cringe a bit when I hear ‘too many handouts.’ Most people who need help, truly need it. As someone who has had to rely on unemployment a couple of times in my life (so has Don) I appreciate programs that are there for us when we need them. We have no idea what someone else is going through.
Stay safe.
I don’t want to sound horrible, but I know sooooo many people not working or working part-time. How are they doing it? I was NEVER able to not be working or I couldn’t pay the bills. We own a small irrigation business and can’t find help. It’s a general theme in our area. I too have been on assistance so I’m not totally heartless. ha ha PLEASE young people apply at our business!!!
Corporations are always looking to cut spending. I wish our government would do the same. Our deficient is out of control.
Love your point of view!
Hey everyone, Darlene needs some healthy young people to work for her business!
I’m sorry it’s so hard to get applicants, Darlene. That can’t be easy!
(We have to work also, but opportunities for coaching seem to be fading – at least for me.)
Best of luck!
When I had unauthorized purchases on my VISA card I called them immediately. As soon as I described my problem I was put through to someone in their fraud department. They removed the charges, cancelled my card, issued a new one and told me my account had been “throughly sanitized”. This was all done in less than 15 minutes. Great customer service. Bell Canada – not so great. We recently had fibre installed and have had to have service men come back twice more to make things right. Perhaps not so much a customer service problem but a quality work problem. Good luck getting that new battery installed. You deserved better after being a 20 year customer. Pip and Derek are so adorable. Hugs, Elaine
Yes, the credit card companies act quickly, thank goodness! Sorry about Bell Canada.
Stay safe, Elaine.
Some of the big box stores here are cutting back on the self checkouts and having more that are staffed because of losses due to theft. I refuse to use self checkouts, they’re above my pay grade.
We have never had an alarm system, do have a Ring, but it’s not been installed. Our daughter has a Ring and loves it. She also has interior cameras so she can check on her ailing cat while she’s at work, all through her phone.
The interior cameras are such a good idea! I would have loved that when we had elderly dogs.
Stay safe, Margaret.
I’ve done customer service too — and one of the best things a company can do is have excellent, polite, complete customer service that does all they can do to complete the job. I, too, get frustrated by how things have changed in recent years. You nailed it when you wrote this: “But they know that rather than pay them $150.00 to do their job, I will end up installing the battery (which I’m being billed for) myself. And that’s how this crap slowly gets accepted.”
Thank you so much, Jeanie.
Stay safe.
We too have ADT and had an alarm battery problem – always in the middle of the night for us! We did need a technician to come out and he told us ADT had been sold and they are no longer “supporting ” our system which was installed in 2015. They will keep replace batteries but if a sensor has a problem, they no longer have those products to replace the broken part.
We did not have to pay for this service call and we got a $10 credit on our bill because this was not the first call for this particular battery issue. (Our outside siren unit was the actual problem draining it’s battery in days). They removed the unit. And yup, ADT is very expensive.
It’s not like it should be in stores anymore. Customer service is nonexistent . Oh well, hope you and Don have a pleasant August! Keep cool!
Thank you so much, Ellen.
Stay safe.
Claudia, I know about alarm systems. I took care of an old house downtown for many years. Nothing like a pain. And that shrill sound it makes when it goes off. Batteries going dead. And I always had to explain who I was to adt. The police cominging out, the alarm people fixing it (the front door was always settling). So glad their new house doesn’t have an alarm system! Shoot.
Love your dollie. Take care
Thanks so much, Irene.
Stay safe.