I have already told you about the 12 hours of customer service phone calls and the resulting $2,000 bill. Of course, they refunded the excess charges, bringing the bill to a more managable $133.00. Even though I didn’t think that a customer should have to pay a monthly service charge for what I had been through, AT&T apologized, but didn’t see things from my point of view. Even though I was very unhappy with the service I had received, I realized that I needed to pay the $133.00. I scheduled the bill to be paid through our Mvelopes service.
I am a frequent reader of the Consumerist. One of things they talk about frequently is the Executive Email Carpet Bomb, or EECB. This is where you email some high level executive(s) to see if someone can help rectify your problem. So, I decided to fire off an email. I got the following response today:
First let me tell you that I apologize for your negative experience. I recognize you as a long-term loyal customer. I have been able to review your account and have as a courtesy issued a monthly service credit to your account. Your account balance is now $0.00. Please let me know if this resolves your issue.
Yay! I am now a satisfied, happy customer. Two observations:
- The standard customer service reps at AT&T are not empowered to help the customer. Only at the executive level was I able to receive a high-touch level of service. This was even true of technical support, where the 2nd-tier CSRs were the only ones that could fix my account troubles.
- AT&T must learn how to empower their customers. Even though I am locked in to a two year contract, I have the ability to persuade potential AT&T customers. I am typically an early-adopter of new products and technology. As such, many people have asked me about my iPhone experience. Throughout my ordeal, I have been blogging as well as sharing the details with many friends. Everyone was completely baffled at AT&T’s incompetence, especially when they learned of the $2,000 bill. I even had a couple of friends tell me that they will not go with AT&T simply because I have warned them about their customer service. I recognize that technical and billing problems happen. However, AT&T could have made this a positive experience throughout the entire ordeal. Instead, the only happy part is the ending.
1 Comment
August 15, 2008 at 1:30 pm
I am totally digging the EECB! That one is going in my bag of tricks, thanks!