True tales of terrible customer service

In a recent post, I asked whether anyone had been pushed to their tipping point by a customer service experience, and Gripe Line readers did not disappoint. Each war story was appalling, and all were richly told. Moreover, the letters underscored my central point: Companies stand to suffer huge losses in good will and brand name when they push customers beyond this precipice to a place where not being a customer becomes a fervent mission.

These clashes with customer service called to mind a primal human impulse: the need to tell epic tales of battle. Though no swords were mentioned, readers’ tales included weaponry familiar to the front lines of today’s customer service battlefields, including cell phones, automated voice response systems, email messages, and online chat. It is this very impulse to share the tale that puts so many companies at risk of great loss when they tick off their customers.

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Or as Gripe Line reader Will put it, “Joe Girard (who was in the Guinness Book for having sold more Chevys than anyone else) used to say, ‘If someone had a good transaction, they tended to talk about it for 18 months or so. But if they had a bad one, they talked about it for 18 years — or more.'”

In this era of social media, the human impulse to share war stories has given companies the opportunity to watch word of its transgressions spread quickly, affecting public opinion. I’m a strong believer in contributing to the information stream that makes this possible. According to the ClickFox survey I cited in my original post, 51.8 percent of irked customers spread their tales of woe to friends and family, but only 20 percent took to social media to air their grievances. I’m on a personal mission to raise that number.

Here are a few lessons companies can learn when it comes to earning the respect of their customers.

Stop harassing grieving fathers for the price of a pizza

After a torturous struggle, neo-natal intensive care, and extended stays in the hospital, Reece’s 19-month-old daughter died. Devastated and exhausted, he and his wife had yet to deal with funeral arrangements, purchase a burial plot, pick a grave marker, cancel medical appointments, review insurance records, deal with their grief — and pay the telephone bill. “Guess which one slipped?” he asks. It wasn’t the only bill that slipped during this ordeal.

“About a month after our daughter’s death,” says Reece. “I was able to gather enough of my wits together to deal with the bills. All the vendors had assessed interest, late fees, and various other penalties. One by one, I called and explained the situation. Every single one of them graciously reversed the additional charges — except AT&T! The amount involved was less than the price of a pizza and I admit the company was under no legal or moral obligation to reverse the charges. And their actions were wholly authorized under the terms of service. But it left a bad taste in my mouth.

“As a result of its callous response, I will continue to exact my revenge little-by-little by taking whatever action is possible to make life more costly (and hopefully miserable) for AT&T for as long as I live.”

Don’t tell loyal customers in good standing that their credit is no good

“I reached the tipping point with Sprint PCS almost ten years ago,” writes Chris, “and my withdrawal from them is probably a lifetime situation. I was a Sprint customer starting in 1997. For a while, they gave me great service and I paid my bill on time. When I wanted to add a third line in 2005, the store and phone support told me I was eligible for five lines. But a so-called ‘credit team’ nixed it, saying my credit would only allow two. When I threatened to leave for another provider, this credit team — some secret entity in a back room somewhere — told me, ‘Don’t bother seeking another carrier. They all use the same credit guidelines.’ I moved to Cingular, who gladly gave me three lines and told me I could have five. I paid $150 termination fee to leave Sprint behind.”

Don’t fake tech support

“Ten years ago, I had a problem with an HP tape backup unit,” says Terry. “I spent quite a bit of time researching the issue on HP’s website and, among other things, downloaded and installed a firmware upgrade. I still had my problem after the upgrade. So I gathered all my information and added a question to HP’s tech support problem list, including a description of the firmware upgrade. When the HP rep edited the question for public viewing, he/she/it removed my description of the firmware upgrade and included in his/her/its response: I needed to do the firmware upgrade. I have not bought an HP product since.”

Got gripes? Send them to christina_tynan-wood@infoworld.com.

This story, “True tales of terrible customer service,” was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Read more of Christina Tynan-Wood’s Gripe Line blog at InfoWorld.com.