Of Curses and Hanging Up

This was a phone conversation of a MyDSL customer and a CSR. The complaint started well until curses were said, followed by hysterics, then ended in the hanging up of the phone. Listen to it or download it here. (Links taken here.)

I have encountered a similar situation a few weeks ago with an AIG CSR. There were no curses that transpired in our conversation but there were definitely arguments and hanging up. That CSR named Jo was so rude that I had to report her. Unfortunately, when I have spoken directly to an AIG representative, they couldn't tracked her, so they said. I have tried to dismiss it on my mind since I am not claming no fault on my part. Yet it still irritates me a lot especially when I heard the phone talk above. It was like I've heard myself and that girl named Jo speaking again.

Again, I admit that I have raised my voice in one part of the conversation but still, do call centers train their representatives that way during these times? Whatever happened to "customer is always right" idea? (Yeah, that saying is quite a bull but heck, we, customers, are paying customers who happen to be the reason why they are at work.) Do these CC companies tell their agents to be patient with their consumers no matter what? (Yeah, yeah, yeah. Tao rin lang sila. Marunong masaktan. Marunong lumaban. Etc. Etc.) The thing is, what that certain Catherine above did and the ass named Jo to me was very rude and ill-mannered. I, too, is in the retail business and as much as possible, I deal with customers in the most gracious manner. In case they are difficult to relate to, I'd vent out afterwards with whomever I could vent out with. Not in front of their faces. Dealing with jackasses should be part of their training and they should retain their composure all the time, if necessary.

However, Biboy heard that retaliating to a credit card customer who are way past their deadlines are part of the CSR's traning. Could it really be true? Than-than also encountered rude Citbank CSRs even if he was calmly talking to him. The agents even threatened to sue him and told him how irresponsible he was when his payment just got delayed for a month! Is this the attitude of CSRs today? OR, they only act that way whenever they are talking to Filipino customers? It feels that way. When they speak to foreigners, they are all smiles and decent. Why is that so?

Read this experience below that I got from Doni Santos. It somehow supports my idea that Pinoys are super duper hospitable with foreigners rather than with their fellow Pinoys:

I was in PLDT a few weeks back, and I was talking to this moron of a receptionist who was annoyed at me disrupting her blissful afternoon of trimming her nails.

"Ano'ng kailangan mo, ha?"

I was a customer that she is getting her salary from, and she talks to me like I am a stray cat.

"Ano, ano na ang gusto mo? Busy kami dito." I was aware of that, as I saw the acetone and nail trimmings on her desk.

I looked at her, pretending to be confused. Faking an American accent, I said "Sorry poh, kontilang allam kong Taggallog. Can you help me find this person?"

She immediately got up, and said, "Oh, sorry, sorry, sorry, Sir. Please ask our security guard for assistance."

"Oh, great. Sallamaht."

"Thank you for coming over, Sir!"

To embarrass her to pieces, I shouted to her on my way out, "Salamat talaga, ha! Naku, malaking tulong yung tinuro mo sa akin. Buti na lang nandiyan ka. At saka sana mabait ka rin sa mga Pilipino kapag kinakausap ka nila, kasi sa kanila galing ang pinangma-manicure mo."

Take note: the incident above happened at PLDT. The phone conversation happened with a PLDT MyDSL CSR. Is that the way you treat your customers, PLDT? Bastusan na kung bastusan?! Or is it a nationwide phenomenon? Bumababa na ba talaga ang kalidad ng serbisyo nating mga Pinoy sa kapwa natin Pinoy? How sad, if this is the case.