Customer Service Woes

In my world, anyways.

I'll start with Bell. I canceled my internet service with Bell at the beginning of July. Or so I thought. When I called, I was given no trouble about canceling my service, which I thought was strange. But hey, I don't work for Bell, and I figured maybe they'd decided to start treating their customers properly. I was wrong.

When I got back from NYC, I checked my bank statements, and found out that Bell DID NOT cancel my account. They continued to withdraw a monthly fee from me over the summer. I called on Friday, September 5th to cancel AGAIN, and boy, was I livid. The women I spoke with then gave me a cancellation confirmation number, and I figured things were finally settled. I take a look at my statements again on Wednesday the 10th, and they've withdrawn ANOTHER $40 out of my account the day before.

I called back and gave them an earful. They're refunding me the money they owe me, but WTF?!? Do they seriously think that ignoring their customer's requests are going to make them more money?? What's even worse... they tell me the "cheque is in the mail". Who the hell sends cheques in the mail anymore?? They told me it'll take 6-8 weeks for it to arrive. WHAT??!? No fuckin' way. I told them I wanted that refund cheque in my mailbox in five business days. Or else.

The second customer service debacle happened at Lenscrafters. When I was in New York, my glasses busted in half. I had no choice but to visit a Lenscrafters there and purchase new frames and lenses. They were extremely nice, very helpful, and I got a beautiful pair of Donna Karin frames for what I think is a fair price ($289.99 USD). They assured me the warranty was valid in Canada, and that if I had any problems with them in the next 30 days, I can bring them back to get them redone. Well, after wearing them for a few days, my eyes didn't adjust. Things were blurry, especially along the bottom edge of my vision.

I tried to bring them back to the Lenscrafters in the Eaton Centre. The women there told me they just needed to be adjusted, so I had them adjusted. I gave it a few more days... I know it takes time for the eye to adjust to a new pair of glasses. But things weren't any clearer after a week and a half with them. So I brought them back again. The customer service rep I spoke with had no idea what she was doing, so I asked to speak with her supervisor.

The retail manager came out, and convinced me that I should get an eye exam done. "That way, we won't have any choice but to replace the lenses." I made an appointment with the eye doctor for the next day, and asked Carlos (the manager) if he would be in at that time. He said no, but he'd make a note in my file, and he said he spoke with his boss, and she knew of the situation.

So, I go to my appointment the next day and get a new prescription. The doctor even said the astigmatism strength of the new glasses was too strong, and that's why things were blurry along the bottom edge of my vision. I bring the new scrip back to Lenscrafters, and the supervisor (a different one) refuses to replace the lenses under the warranty. She talks to the boss, and the boss says she knows nothing about it. What??!? Ugh. I explained the entire situation to her again, and she just keeps saying, "That's interesting." I wanted to pull her hair. But I did not. I said I'd be back tomorrow, when I knew Carlos (her boss) would be there. She said she could give me a 20% discount on new lenses, and I said that is NOT acceptable. Man! I went back the next day, and Carlos replaced the lenses with no more questions. Why couldn't that have happened the day before??

What's happening to our customer service level??!? Is the age of online shopping and the self-serve checkout making customer service training at retail stores obsolete? And Bell... well- that's just Bell. They suck. I urge everyone looking for any type of internet/phone/satellite service to STEER CLEAR OF BELL, if you want to save yourself a lot of hassle and frustration.

Labels: bell, customer service, lenscrafters, rant

posted by Unknown @ 2:41 p.m.