Warning: Rant ahead.
The grocery manager at my locally owned, independent market will attest to the fact I’m a soldier when it comes to brand loyalty. Not only have I stuck with them for twenty-four years, but numerous brands found on their shelves have retained Must Have Status in my every day life.
This spring, the laundry detergent I’ve used for delicate loads for 15 years suddenly disappeared from the shelves. He searched high and low—including at competing stores—but couldn’t locate it anywhere.
Two months ago, my favorite oatmeal vaporized. He got on the horn with the distributor, learned the manufacturer had discontinued the item…then inquired about possible substitutes.
When things go south, he finds solutions. When an item’s forever gone, he suggests alternatives. When he sees me sauntering up the aisle, he greets me with a smile, aware there’s a 50/50 chance we’re about to embark on another exploration.
Solutions and smiles solidify long term loyalty. He gets it.
Throughout my life, there have been a number of brands that remained by my side, from the grocer to the ice cream shop to the florist to toilet paper to window cleaner to canned corn. Two particular brands stand out as oddities, due to a single point of head-to-head competition: Apple and Verizon.
The former has been part of my daily life since 1984, thanks to a sweet Mac 512k, the first computer in my world. Since then, it’s been a love affair of expansive proportions, as demonstrated by an inordinate number of Apple branded items in my possession.
The latter of the two entered my life in 1990 under a now-outdated name, complete with a cell phone the size (and weight) of a brick. Eventually both the brick and the company evolved through technological leaps, mergers, and corporate acquisitions into the Verizon we’re familiar with today.
But here’s the rub. Verizon doesn’t support Apple’s iPhone. AT&T supports the iPhone. I want the iPhone. But I also want Verizon.
Or at least I did until 5:43 yesterday afternoon, when Verizon made it clear my two decades’ worth of loyalty and the shunning of my first love (Apple) was only worth $25 to them.
And thus begins the rant.
June 16, 2010 (4:35 p.m.)
Upon returning home from a two week speaking tour in northern California, I received the following text message from Verizon (still on my phone as proof):
Ur on track 2 exceed ur Anytime mins and may incur overage chgs.Chg calling plans w/ no renewal by calling us at 866-612-9387. Free VZW msg. 2stop msgs reply X.
Had one quick call to make, then headed to the laptop to see just how close I was to hitting the max. Imagine my shock upon finding I’d actually crossed into overage minutes eight days earlier, to the tune of more than $50. I immediately shut the phone off, then called Verizon from my landline to see what options were available. Was issued an apology, promised a credit, and told that if, in the future, I headed into overage land, I could change my plan then backdate it to cover the excess minutes. Good to know.
June 21 (2:20 p.m.)
The $50+ credit was still M.I.A. on the account, so I dialed up customer service. Was given the usual runaround script, but was assured the credit would be added to my account, within 3-4 business days.
July 15 (10:31 a.m.)
Still no credit on the account, so I got back on the phone with Verizon. According to their records, I never called about the June overages. According to their notes, well…there were no notes. (Thank God that fourteen years of retail ownership taught me to write down everything, since that’s all I had to go on.) According to them, I was making up both conversations.
Seriously.
After four people (one of which told me she was a supervisor, then later admitted she wasn’t) and nearly three hours’ worth of cumulative telephone chatter, they said they’d credit half the $50+ in overages (note: I was not asking them to credit the one call I made after receiving the text warning). Their arguement—and trust me, you’ll find this astonishing—was that “Ur on track 2 exceed ur” minutes is written in past tense.
Yeah. Told you it was astonishing. At least it is to those of us who passed second grade English.
They insisted I pay the other $25+ because I “misunderstood” their text message.
August 21 (4:00 p.m.)
Having just returned home from another two week road stretch, this time in the northeast, it seemed prudent to check my minutes usage, aware the things might be getting close. I logged into the Verizon site and was, yet again, astonished. Again, I’d maxed out my minutes, several days earlier, but this time, no warning text was sent. This time, I was on my own, but….this time, I could do something about it. According to Verizon customer service during our June 16th conversation, I could upgrade my plan retroactively to wipe out the overage charges. (Made sense to do it anyway, given the fact my usuage was ramping up with no indication of slowing down.)
After a painful hour-long and miserably over-scripted LiveCHAT “conversation” with a Verizon agent, then a follow up phone call with another agent to ask why services I’d opted out of were still showing up on my account, three things had been acommplished: I’d (a) upgraded my plan, doubling the allotted monthly minutes; (b) retroactively absorbed the August overages; and (c) received a $15 credit for an overcharge I caught on the bill. At last, back on safe turf.
Or so I thought.
August 30 (3:45 p.m.)
End of the month, time to pay bills. Upon logging into the Verizon website, I perused my statement which included the correct, increased monthly rate…no $15 credit…and (insert: drum roll) every single overage call in August, to the tune of $45.45 in penalty minutes, plus taxes and fees.
Here we go again.
Brandy, the pleasant agent who answered the phone when I called Verizon customer service for what felt like the four hundredth time, admitted that not only was August messed up, but that I really shouldn’t have to pay the $25 in remaining overages from June. She put me on hold, determined to find a solution, then :::poof!::: she was gone. After ten minutes of on hold recordings pattering on in my ear, the line went dead from her end. Great. But at least I’d learned my lesson the past few months, and remembered to get her extension number.
Same day (4:10 p.m.)
Broke down and called Verizon again, assuming that if Brandy hadn’t called me back by then, she wasn’t going to. I gave Patricia (the agent who answered this call) Brandy’s extension number. Patricia could see Brandy’s notes on my account, but couldn’t tell if they were in the same call center. She sent an email to Brandy, complete with my landline phone number, so Brandy could call me back.
While waiting, I cruised over to the Verizon website to pay the portion of the bill I actually owed (new plan, sans overage minutes, plus taxes and fees which obviously exceeded what was truly owed, since they were based on the higher numbers).
Same day (5:25 p.m.)
Still no call back. I tried again, this time getting Don in Arizona. He said he could see Patricia’s note on my account, but there were no notes by anyone named Brandy. (That’s right. Another example of a helpful person’s notes disappearing from my account—especially odd, since there were there an hour and fifteen minutes ago, when Patricia used them to email Brandy.)
He admits they screwed up the August bill, then corrected the mistake. Good.
He then jumped into “company script mode,” telling me the June text message was just a “courtesy,” and they don’t have a legal obligation to tell a customer when they exceed their plan limits.
I carefully pointed out that a “courtesy” would involve telling someone they were about to do something when they were about to do something—not eight days and $50 after the fact.
He admited the June text message should not have come eight days late, and that he’d love to help me out with the additional $25+ credit, but…if he did, it would go through a supervisor. When a supervisor saw the original partial (half) credit was issued by a fellow supervisor, they’d deny the new claim. Just the way they roll—regardless of whether or not a previous supervisor made a good or bad decision, they’d stand by it, in lockstep.
Which begged the inevitable question:
“Don, are you telling me that Verizon is willing to walk a customer who’s been with them for twenty years, has a usage pattern that’s ramping up, and is counting the days until her New Every Two plan allows her to purchase a Droid that will necessitate a larger data plan?”
(Pregnant pause)
(More pause)
(Yet more pause)
“Yes,” came the quiet voice from the other end of the phone.
I could tell this guy was dying to fix things, but recognized the company he worked for would reverse whatever he did. He “gets” why customer retention is important, which, apparently, Verizon does not.
Decision made
In spite of stubborn determination to remain loyal through thick and through thin (a quality solidified during my days as an independent retailer when survival hinged on customer glee), well…I’m outta here.
Am I sad to be leaving? Yes. Verizon is a company I’ve stuck with for two decades. I hung in there through three? four? company name changes. I’ve stood my ground when friends whipped out their iPhones and showed off their apps. I’ve bugged my entire family for years in hopes they’d move from Altel to Verizon. And I leaped for joy when Verizon bought Altel and all ten of us (finally) lived on the same network. If there’s a bigger cheerleader for the V Club, well…I can’t imagine who it is.
Which raises a litany of questions: In today’s marketplace, jammed with competition and short on loyalty, what business—large or small—can afford to throw aside long term, paying customers? What business prevents employees from retaining those customers? What business allows middle management to stonewall in unison if someone makes a bad call? And what business finds it acceptable to tell a customer they’ve imagined phone conversations and don’t understand English?
Does yours?
Consider this a teaching moment
As difficult as it is for a typically Type A small business owner to do, it may be time for each of us to look in the mirror.
A fair amount of on-the-fly decision making is critical for front line employees to retain long term customers (remember, the person in direct contact with an unhappy customer is the one with the greatest power to retain them). They need the freedom to make decisions. To factor in reality. To admit when the business makes a mistake, then do everything possible to make things right. They need to be comfortable coming to you with requests to revisit earlier decisions.
They need the ability to save your business.
As easy as an iPhone will be to incorporate into my life (simple backups! easy sync! contacts, calendars, and emails will magically match my laptop!), AT&T’s a second string player. It’s not where I want to be; it’s what I’m stuck with. Feels like I’ve gone to the dance, been brushed off by my date, then pawned off to the lonely buddy willing to give me a lift home.
But hey, who am I to quibble? At the end of my AT&T contract, I might jump ship again to whatever is better, faster, and more fun. Why stick with a cell service long term when you can leapfrog from one company to another, based on who has the latest cool toy? Consumer loyalty toward mobile communication providers disappeared sometime between phone number portability and the launch of the iPhone.
Which pretty much makes me a dinosaur.
As for this dinosaur’s badge of wireless brand loyalty, well, it’s been sold to another company…
…for the bargain basement price of $25.00.
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
AMEN! Verizon knew your contract was up which meant you can jump ship at anytime. Rather than retain you, they decided to err on the fact that you probably WOULD abandon them. The loyalty runs in two directions and customers are playing the capitalism card to its fullest extent- as they should. In turn, companies are doing little to provide A+ customer service since most people will patron the lowest bidder.
What a story! I too was a long-time loyal Verizon customer who I switched to ATT for an iPhone. I hope your experience with ATT is better but expect to experience the same runaround.
It seems that companies have more difficulty now than ever to address problems and which makes loyal customers walk.
I loved this!! Way to go! I sure hope you will enjoy your new iPhone! For now I will (out of necessity) still have to stick to my “old People” phone. We have fought for years like this with Verizon!
Wow! I went through almost the same thing with At&t over my land line about 6 months ago…I switched to cable and received *slightly* better service. I’m not sure what is up with these big giants; my customers would never allow me to behave this way. I think we’ve been conditioned to think this is norm from big business.
Cinda,
I have been a loyal AT&T customer for many years. My personal experience is that their customer service department is second to none. I hope you have the same experience with them as I have had. I always tell their reps that AT&T should have a national customer service school so as teach other businesses how to treat customers. All the best. We loved having you in Oxford, Michigan.
Anna Taylor
Pink & Charlie
Oxford, MI
(The Pink Cupcake Necklace)
Editor’s note: I loved being in Oxford too! Thanks for being such a top notch example of a really great retailer!
So many good points leading right up to the “Does Yours” hip-check. Totaly made me think about the service I get at my own small businesses from the great service at my fav show shop (Click) to the owner-who-ignores-you-to-chat-on-the-phone-with-a-friend florist that I stopped going to (name deleted).
And of course, I hope those folks over at Verison read this post.
Editor’s note: The name of the florist was deleted since it’s one thing if I say something and get myself into hot water…it’s a different story if someone says something but I still get into hot water because it’s my blog. Sorry….
Yup, I jumped ship from Verizon myself recently. Their customer service is ATROCIOUS, and even after I threatened to leave, it did not improve. This company simply doesn’t care about it’s customers.
On the flip side, I’ve got some serious loyalty to T-Mobile. When my family was going through a tough time (my sister was getting a liver transplant), we overshot our minutes. When we called the company, the representative volunteered to retroactively change our account. Since then, they’ve continued to demonstrate really superior customer service.
I recently jumped ship from Verizon also, for much the same reason. It/They have been my only cell provider, but over 6 months ago my service developed a serous glitch, and I randomly couldn’t receive calls. REPEATED calls to customer service yielded the same response from different reps, with no lasting results. If the problem couldn’t be easily fix, it wasn’t worth dealing with. So I have a new phone, new plan with a new company. Ramped up both phone and plan – wonder how many of us have to leave for Verizon to notice?
I have 3 things to say about this: 1. I wish more consumers put their money where their mouth is when mistreated by a business; 2. If you were mistreated by a business, don’t take it out on the next business; and 3, I think a lot of big businesses are taking advantage of customers AND small businesses, and if we don’t exercise our freedom of choice, then someday we won’t even have a choice!
This story makes my experience with DirecTV seem like a glistening fairy tale with a happy ending! Be very careful with Directv. I do see similar traits in marketing and surreal methods of reasoning.
Too many errors to mention but they kept saying they would fix it if we would sign up with them. They hold you hostage and customer service does not really exist. I called Clark Howard’s help line and they said try to find a real executive level person to call at corporate. I did find names but no emails or numbers. I am going through the Attorney General’s office and Better Business Bureau instead. My hours of calls were not logged on my account and corrections for charges where never given. They even billed over $700.00 on a credit card that we have no idea how they acquired the number. We had signed up for a bundle package with QWEST that included DirecTV. We never signed with Directv, it was in a bundle. They did not send a statement for the $700.00, they just took it and we had no idea. We were able to get Am Ex to reverse it while we appeal. You will not see a change until class action suits begin, just like what happened to Sprint in the 90′s. I can not believe you went 20 years without a nightmare billing problem with Verizon. Consider yourself lucky! Thanks for writing.
Verizon has done the same BS to me!! I hate to say this but at least I’m not alone. I’ve been with them for 10yrs. I’ve called a few times with issues on my bill; charges that shouldn’t be there. Sometimes they say I’ll get a credit, which I rarely actually receive. When I call back about it or about some other charge I’ve been told if I didn’t like it I can change companies. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!? It doesn’t matter to them but I will have to pay high amounts to cancel my plans. Some employees say sorry and that they wish they could fix it because I was right about the charge but there’s nothing they can do because the computer system won’t accept it or will reverse it. Never mind the times I call but there’s no record in their system, even though they can check my bill with their company since I called from the phone I have with them!! After awhile you feel like you are going crazy. I know I called, what was said, and even the name of the person I talk to (of course they can’t figure out who that person is or which call center it was with). I’ve had one rep tell me I had no clue or that I was lying because their records never lie or are wrong!! GIVE ME A BREAK!!! Why would I lie about a 1.99 song or if I really had that game/app before!? My calls have been sent over seas and the person can’t really speak English. I ask for someone who can since I have no clue what they are saying. I’m told they are speaking English and I must not be able to!! WHAT!!? I was born and raised in the US and never have even left the country on a trip! If you ask where is this call being received, you are told they can’t tell you for security reason (I guess they assume all Americans have access to long-range missiles or something). I asked for the country they were in not their exact city. I’ve tried to even find out if they are in the US or somewhere else in the entire world. Again they can’t tell me!! I’m ready to jump ship and find another cell provider…its not like they care or anything!!