As both my girlfriend and mother will tell you, I don’t enjoy talking on the phone.
So I was particularly excited to have these two events transpire today:
The iPhone Upgrade
ATT finally got their act together and enabled their premier site to allow online upgrades to the 3GS. Fantastic, thank you AT&T, you were only a couple of days late. Anyway, I placed the order, goes great, no problems. But then 2 minutes later I get an email:
Thank you for your recent purchase on the AT&T Premier Online Store. We’re pleased that you chose AT&T as your wireless service provider.
Unfortunately, we cannot validate your credit card number. Please call us at your earliest convenience with a different credit or debit card number so we can complete your order: 1-866-499-8008, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern Time.
Oh great, 3 cheers for online ordering. Well I still want my phone so 2 minutes later I’m on hold listening to the same 8 bars of crappy jazz music playing over and over, interspersed with messages about how much they appreciate my business. Finally, after a full 10 minutes of hold I get to talk to a real person. Of course I have to tell them my phone number, again, I’ll never understand what the automated system does with the phone number I gave them earlier. She starts looking for orders and can’t find me.
“Sorry, it says you’re still elegible for an upgrade, so the order must have come through yet. Can you call back again in about an hour?”
Somehow I feel better sending this email reply the no doubt automated email address:
I just called, but they couldn’t find the order.
This is really poor customer service. I order stuff online all the
time, why don’t other companies have this hard of time. I’m trying to give you money!!
The Amp Assembly
My JBL Amp Assembly blew up a few weeks ago. Thankfully, I can buy a replacement part for only $120. So I called up the parts department today, part number in hand, excited to watch Jurrasic Park again and rattle the windows.
“Let me place that order for you…….Oh, sorry sir, my computer just crashed”
“Hmm ok, that sucks.
60 seconds later
“Sorry sir, I don’t think this coming back anytime soon. Can I call you back ?”
Why is this commerce stuff so hard!?!