Corporate Call Centers

I think communicating with corporate call centers is a waste of time. There is about a 50-50 chance that a problem gets solved whenever I am required to ask for assistance via a call center. I would like to share my recent experiences.

* You may have read last week's editorial about my problems with Charter Communications and my inability to utilize a wireless router to access the Internet. After two long telephone calls with the Charter service center and two personal visits to the Charter headquarters in Altoona, I finally resolved the issue. However, during my discussions with Charter call center representatives, I also scheduled an appointment to have the 300 feet of cable that is lying above ground be buried so I could mow my lawn without having any obstruction.

I was told that it may take up to 10 business days to get the cable dropped
. After seven business days (this past Tuesday), I called Charter to confirm the scheduled appointment. Fortunately, there is a record of my request, but the problem was not going to be resolved in the aforementioned time period. I will be visiting the Charter office in Altoona for the fourth time in two weeks so I can be assured of receiving the service that was promised.

* I am one of the few hundred individuals in the Chippewa Valley that have been selected to be a Nielsen television ratings customer. A few weeks ago, I was asked to record my viewing habits. I agreed, since I thought it would be a fun task. I was also rewarded with five, one dollar bills for my effort.

I received the allotted number of ratings books based on the number of televisions I watch in my home at least once a day (5) and began to fill out the logs listing the TV shows I view on a regular basis. I became a bit perturbed with the process, though, when I started to receive at least two phone calls a day from Nielsen asking if I have any questions about how to fill out the ratings book. On more than one occasion, I hung up on the Nielsen caller since I was too busy watching television and trying to fill out all of the required paperwork to do the job that was asked of me. If I had any questions about how to complete the viewing log, I would have called them.

* Lastly, many of you may recall my editorial a few weeks ago about my problems with the Sears credit card department. Six months ago, I purchased kitchen appliances through a program that guaranteed 24 months of no interest and no payments. By the seventh month, I was being charged about $1,000 for interest and late fees. After a few phone calls, I finally spoke to a credit card supervisor to correct the problem. The supervisor asked me if I had called the credit card department earlier in the day. I had not, so she provided me with the phone number of a previous caller who confirmed that I did indeed have 24 months of no interest and no payments. Even though the local Sears store does not receive The Bottom Line, apparently someone learned about my problem and corrected the issue for me.

Meanwhile, I still need a long extension cord buried so I can mow my lawn and I am wondering if it is worth five bucks to fill out the Nielsen ratings book. Overall, I figure if I get two out of three problems solved dealing with call centers, it is worth the effort.