I’ve been a mostly-happy DirecTV customer since 2001. In those 11 years, I’ve only had to call tech support three times, and the first two times were flawlessly executed. Those two times were a few years ago, and I was on the phone with them for less than 5 minutes before getting my problem solved.
That was then.
Yesterday, my wife turned on the TV in our bedroom, and got nothing but snow. It had worked the night before, and still had lights on it, so I first tried turning it off and on again. Nothing changed. I then pressed the red reset button. All the lights on the box went out and… nothing.
Then I pulled the power cord out of the back, waited about 20 seconds, and then plugged it back in. I could hear the fan inside the box come on, but still no lights on the box. I tried the buttons and the power button(s) on the remote, but still nothing. I let it sit for a couple of hours to see if it would magically come back on, but it never did. I resigned myself to a call to tech support.
It took me a couple of minutes to get through the phone tree and get a human. I explained the problem, including all of the troubleshooting I’d already done. In my opinion, I had done everything to prove that the unit had died. DirecTV didn’t share that opinion.
The first thing she had me do was turn on the TV and tell her what I saw: snow. Then she had me press the reset button: nothing. Then she said to pull the power cable out of the back of the unit and from the outlet. I told her that I had pulled the cord from the back of the unit, but that I could not unplug it from the outlet, because I would need to move a large armoir to do so. She then said that we could not continue the troubleshooting if I would not unplug it. This is when I started to get annoyed. I tried to reason this out with her, by saying, “Um, OK. Wouldn’t you agree that the fact that the fans are on inside the unit shows that power is getting to the unit?” She agreed. Then I said, “Which means that the outlet is good. There’s no reason to pull the plug from the outlet.” She then re-read me the script.
Now I’m getting pissed. I went through my thought experiment with her again, and again she agreed that it proved that power was getting to the unit. But she wouldn’t budge. I asked for her supervisor. The supervisor came on, and apart from saying, “I understand…” multiple times, she was no better than her subordinate.
At this point, I pretty much lost it. She said that if I “refused” to unplug the unit, then the only thing that could be done was for them to dispatch a technician to investigate. I then said to her, “Do you realize that if I had just lied to the first technician, we wouldn’t be having this conversation? This is absurd. I have proven that power is getting in to the unit. I would agree with you if the fan didn’t come on, but it does. That means the outlet is good.” She then re-read her script.
At this point, I blew a gasket. I told her how utterly absurd this was, but that since I apparently had no freaking choice, I would go move the damn furniture, unplug the cord, and call them back. After moving the furniture, and moving the plug, guess what happend. Nothing! That’s right, it worked exactly like it did the first time.
So I called them back, got a third person to talk to, and had her read the notes on the case. The supervisor had helpfully indicated that I had “refused” to complete the troubleshooting… grrrr…. I then told this person that I had moved the plug, and it still did the same thing: fans, but no lights or picture. She then had me check that the power cable was fully seated in the back of the unit, which it was, and then she wanted me to try plugging the other end into a different outlet, and plug something else into this one. Having learned my lesson, and having already done what she was now asking, I fiddled around with the cables, making some noise without actually doing anything, and then said, “Nope, same thing.”
She then authorized a free replacement unit, which I should have by Wednesday.
I understand that companies need tech support scripts. But when someone calls and clearly explains the problem, and has worked through all the scenarios, you have to allow your people to make judgments and go off-script to keep your customers happy. While on the phone with the first two people, I seriously considered telling them to cancel the service, and that I would get my TV elsewhere.
Heh. It’s a white lie. Everyone is happier, including the poor script readers. They’re probably *forbidden* to be smart.
I understand that those trouble shooting processes and scripts are there to save customers money in the end. Following those steps help the agent eliminate common problems and keep unnecessary returns and replacements down to a minimum. This keeps the company from sending out costly equipment or repair visits when they are not needed. That definitely does not eliminate the need for good customer service and good common sense. As a DISH Network subscriber and employee I have had to call or chat in for issues every now and then. The agents are always polite, professional and most importantly, knowledgeable. My concerns are heard and my issues are addressed quickly. If I state that I have completed a trouble shooting step we are able to move on without issue. I have never had to call back on the same issue twice!