Lessons from a Dead Parrot...
Sep. 14th, 2007 03:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
puckrobinThe last line of the Dead Parrot Sketch (well, one version of it) is "If you want something done in this country, you have to complain until you're blue in the mouth". It's true.
Wednesday night, I came home to find out my phone wasn't working. I called Bell, and they said they'd send someone out but if it was my problem, I'd have to pay $72 -- the call centre in India's script didn't seem to address the situation of apartment buildings.
I decided to talk to the assistant superintendant instead, a woman who is warm and pleasant (the super doesn't work off hours and always seems cold to me). I found out that it wasn't just me, and that calls had been made.
Thursday night, still no phone. And no signs anywhere in the building to let tenants know about the problem and that it was being taken care of. I dread to think of how many people were bugging the supers. Listening to the rumours, I found that apparently the whole east side of the building from floors 1 to 12 (and someone on floor 14) had lost phone service. And that the cause was some vandal broke into the unguarded, unlocked, uncovered wire box for the building's phones and just started pulling cables.
Of course, I learned in the same rumour market that all structural engineers believe that 9/11 was engineered from the US government, so I probably should take what I hear in my building's lobby with a grain of salt.
This morning, still no phone. Apparently someone came and went and did little. Apparently the vandal really did a number on the wires. My assistant super suggested that we all call Bell individually.
A few more calls to technical service, and it appeared that they could not deviate from their prepared script. You'd think that 60-odd angry customers might make them throw out the script and escalate the call. Nope.
I made an anonymous call to the property management company and suggested they might want to show us some love and tell us what's going on. (Some of the people in the halls were planning an insurrection against the property company and Bell.)
When I got to work, I called the Bell Residential Services president's office (Kevin Crull's phone and email is easy to find if you google his name) and someone from the executive office who I talked to the last time Bell screwed me over.
That got some action. Apparently the executive office realizes that dozens of angry customers is not a good thing. I got calls back assuring me that several repair crews were at the building right now, that they were personally dispatched by the president's office, and that Bell really wanted my business.
When I worked the phones for a sleazy phone company, I always found that forwarding it up would benefit the client. No one at the top wants to deal with crap.
Hopefully my phone will be back tonight.
Allen
Wednesday night, I came home to find out my phone wasn't working. I called Bell, and they said they'd send someone out but if it was my problem, I'd have to pay $72 -- the call centre in India's script didn't seem to address the situation of apartment buildings.
I decided to talk to the assistant superintendant instead, a woman who is warm and pleasant (the super doesn't work off hours and always seems cold to me). I found out that it wasn't just me, and that calls had been made.
Thursday night, still no phone. And no signs anywhere in the building to let tenants know about the problem and that it was being taken care of. I dread to think of how many people were bugging the supers. Listening to the rumours, I found that apparently the whole east side of the building from floors 1 to 12 (and someone on floor 14) had lost phone service. And that the cause was some vandal broke into the unguarded, unlocked, uncovered wire box for the building's phones and just started pulling cables.
Of course, I learned in the same rumour market that all structural engineers believe that 9/11 was engineered from the US government, so I probably should take what I hear in my building's lobby with a grain of salt.
This morning, still no phone. Apparently someone came and went and did little. Apparently the vandal really did a number on the wires. My assistant super suggested that we all call Bell individually.
A few more calls to technical service, and it appeared that they could not deviate from their prepared script. You'd think that 60-odd angry customers might make them throw out the script and escalate the call. Nope.
I made an anonymous call to the property management company and suggested they might want to show us some love and tell us what's going on. (Some of the people in the halls were planning an insurrection against the property company and Bell.)
When I got to work, I called the Bell Residential Services president's office (Kevin Crull's phone and email is easy to find if you google his name) and someone from the executive office who I talked to the last time Bell screwed me over.
That got some action. Apparently the executive office realizes that dozens of angry customers is not a good thing. I got calls back assuring me that several repair crews were at the building right now, that they were personally dispatched by the president's office, and that Bell really wanted my business.
When I worked the phones for a sleazy phone company, I always found that forwarding it up would benefit the client. No one at the top wants to deal with crap.
Hopefully my phone will be back tonight.
Allen
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no subject
Date: 2007-09-14 07:56 pm (UTC)I hope your phone is back up tonight. Maybe the executive office's epiphany about angry customers got some definite action. Stupid Bell. You would think it would be in their best interest to send out repair crews to your building when so many people lost service due to that vandal. Of course, like Canada Post, Bell's first instinct seems to be to blame the customer first.
no subject
Date: 2007-09-14 08:04 pm (UTC)I recently had a problem where I was overcharged $370 by Bell, and that happened the day before my holiday. They resolved the immediate problem -- the overcharges -- quickly enough, but it landed my account into hot water, and no department seemed to retain a record of my conversations with other departments. (That's when I first contacted the executive office.)
Just curious, but are unemployed Canadians morally opposed to Bell Call Centres? Is that why they are based abroad?
Allen
no subject
Date: 2007-09-14 08:28 pm (UTC)That's about my 5th courtesy call from Bell since I complained a few hours ago. I'm not used to this level of obsequiousness from Bell.
Allen
no subject
Date: 2007-09-15 03:50 am (UTC)atleast you have your mobile.. small comfort I know, but atleast you still have some sort of telco leash still working
no subject
Date: 2007-09-15 01:19 pm (UTC)I'm typing this from the Runnymede Library. Still no phone, but there was a Bell truck at my apartment building until about 8pm last night, and they just arrived again about 20 minutes ago. So, at least Bell is doing something. I gather my phone call caused the executive office to put pressure on the repair crews.
It still amazes me that there was no security around the Bell box to begin with. I know we have a security guard in the building, but I've come and gone pretty late at night, and rarely have I run into him.
Allen
no subject
Date: 2007-09-15 05:07 pm (UTC)I suspect that WJ Properties is keeping very mum because of the major security breach here. Sure, they'll have hot dog parties and produce newsletters saying they love us. But when it comes to really important stuff, like oh... security flaws or having quasi-legal rent increases that make a mockery of rent controls, then tenants twist in the wind. But I suppose every property company is like that.
Allen