Customer Service Helplines

[bileduct]

How f**king annoying are customer service help lines getting these days with automated bullshit designed to reduce real human staff?

Foxtel would have to be the worst of them all.

I have a dead Foxtel IQ unit that after months of progressive failure (hard drive occasionally not coming out of power saving mode, not being able to use live record, not being able to view recorded programs, etc.) the unit finally gave up and will not even power on anymore. All I get is a very soft clicking noise coming from the unit when connected to power.

So I call up Foxtel to get it replaced and I go through 10-15 minutes of automated bullshit before finally getting a chance to talk to a human.

Then I get bounced around three different departments, having to verify my identity to all three of them as well as answer the same dumb questions over and over. Yes I have disconnected it from power for 30 seconds, yes I have tried a different power source, yes I do own my home, no I do not have a thin roof, yes I have prayed to the Foxtel gods today, no I do not have cancer.

40 minutes spent on the phone just to get an appointment to replace a dead Foxtel unit.

 

[Bulldog Force]

Yes, very annoying. Not just specific to Foxtel either. I remember one time when I answered 3 or so questions, and then they transfer me to someone else, and then, same 3 questions again. It's so frustrating, that sometimes I say "I already answered that question, why should I answer it again?"

What you need to do is threaten to cancel your subscription - that usually gets them going, because that strike will be against their name, and that's the last thing they want.

 

[bileduct]

I would dearly love to cancel my Foxtel subscription.

If it wasn't for the NRL coverage I wouldn't have it at all, and unfortunately my internet service is not nearly reliable enough for live streaming games.

 

[Dogs Of War]

I hate when you get that run around, and then suddenly they transfer you to dead space, or hang up. I'm not so nice the second time, that said, having done some front line customer service via phone previously, I understand not to be angry at the person on the phone, I'm just demanding a manager immediately so I can get to where I want to be straight away (and grabbing names along the way!)

 

[Dogs Of War]

I would dearly love to cancel my Foxtel subscription.

If it wasn't for the NRL coverage I wouldn't have it at all, and unfortunately my internet service is not nearly reliable enough for live streaming games.

Just buy a telstra SIM as NRL games aren't counted in the data quota. Then you can just stream from that internet connection if you have it in a phone that will allow you to share it.

 

[Pierced Soul]

i started reading this post and just thought of my recent foxtel interaction and lo and behold thats what bile is talking about! i think after a few questions i said "for f**ks sake" and i cant remember whether they then put me through to someone or made me re-answer the questions again

i guess the only saving grace is that when you do speak to someone they're in australia...

 

[Twizzle]

40 minutes is not bad compared to Telstra

 

[retch]

I sent them an email last time I had trouble and they rang me back.

Took about a day as I remember.

 

[bileduct]

I sent them an email last time I had trouble and they rang me back.

Took about a day as I remember.

Cheers, I will remember that when this inevitably happens in the future. This is the third time I have had to have an IQ1 unit replaced because of the same type of failure. No such problems with the IQ2 box.

The thing that pissed me off the most was during the automated assistance they send a restart signal to your Foxtel boxes which you have no control over. I had forgotten about this and was in the middle of recording something when the signal was sent.

I'd much prefer to just bang out an email and wait for a human to call me instead of going through their bullshit.

 

[bileduct]

i guess the only saving grace is that when you do speak to someone they're in australia...

I dunno about that. The first guy I spoke to had a very thick Indian accent and the third guy sounded like he was from the Philippines.

The second person was Australian. When the first guy told me he could arrange for the unit to be replaced I asked what would be involved in getting it upgraded to an IQ2 unit. He just immediately transferred me to another department, which I suspect was sales, and then I had to repeat the entire tale of woe again to someone else.

When I told her I wasn't interested in paying $100 for an IQ2 install I got palmed off again to the third guy.

My assumption is that basic technical support (where the guys just follow a script) has been outsourced overseas and sales is still in Australia.

I could barely understand a word the first guy was saying. I had to ask him to repeat what he had said a few times before he spoke slowly, saying "Sir, I am happy to be helping you with this problem today."

That was how the conversation started.

 

[Danish]

The foxtel phone line is particularly bad. Our IQ box had the same problem as yours and it was a complete nightmare to get it replaced.

They kept threatening me with potential charges for a tech visit if the unit turned out to not be faulty. I wouldn't be so annoyed if I was giving them symptoms of some unknown and dumb sounding problem, but if you google it the IQ1 boxes power source failing (thats the problem apparently) is a well known fault that seemingly happens to a lot of customers.

The email thing is definitely the go. They still take a day to get back to you but at least you aren't sitting on your arse listening to the same looped hold music over and over.

Telstra can be bad occasionally, although to be honest I've found most of the carriers reasonable these days. Unless of course you are calling to cancel your service of course, then you will get the complete runaround for ages until finally getting through to some sales wanker who'll try to offer you a free phone or something to stay with them :roll:

Banks are the worst though. They are terrible at all times

 

[bileduct]

I've attempted to cancel Foxtel in the past.

It was when the IQ service was initially launched but they were only giving free installation to new customers and as an existing customer they wanted me to pay $400 for two IQ1 units.

I told them I only used Foxtel for NRL and since the season had just finished I would cancel the service until I needed it. I got passed from person to person and finally ended up with some guy who told me he would do free installations and give me all channels at the basic package cost for 6 months if I stayed with them.

 

[woodyk2]

Had o ring the ATO helpline today and was pleasantly surprised.

 

[retch]

Cheers, I will remember that when this inevitably happens in the future. This is the third time I have had to have an IQ1 unit replaced because of the same type of failure. No such problems with the IQ2 box.

The thing that pissed me off the most was during the automated assistance they send a restart signal to your Foxtel boxes which you have no control over. I had forgotten about this and was in the middle of recording something when the signal was sent.

edit ti say if anyone has tweeted Foxtel to complain about problems and did that work.

edit to say if anyone has tweeted Foxtel with their problems and did that work.

I'd much prefer to just bang out an email and wait for a human to call me instead of going through their bullshit.

I just remembered I get my Foxtel through Telstra so I would have emailed them.

We had a storm here on a Sunday and a big lightning strike somewhere close took out a whole heap of stuff...air con power boards ... wireless router...Foxtel...

Router still worked on cable so I sent an email on Sunday with my ID number off my account and my phone number and they rang me on Monday...I recall Foxtel was back on by Monday night. I don't know what the trouble was.

edit to say if anyone has tweeted Foxtel with complaints and did that work.

 

[veggiepatch1959]

Just wondering if you could get a better response using the Foxtel sales reps they have in shopping centres. Can they access their own organisation quicker than me and you?

Whoever mentioned the ATO, I've had nothing but great service from their call centre over the years. I would say it would be impossible to outsource their services (as with any government service) overseas. Thankfully!!

 

[canberra_raiders2k2]

ATO good? Not with me.

I had contacted them on average twice a week for 6 months. .every time I'd have to update my address. Every time I'd complain about doing it weekly and they would just give me the same response "it's okay. It's now been updated".

After 2 months without contacting them I find out they have been sending my letters to my old address. I call up to complain about how ridiculous it is considering I've told them my current address on a daily basis and I get told it wasn't updated and asked whether I even notified them. ...just thinking about them makes me angry.

Also Vodafone is shit house. I could barely get a signal and when I called to complain about my service I was told to purchase a telstra prepaid and use it at home and then use my Vodafone service everywhere besides at home.

yep I told them to get stuffed and canceled my service.

TPG billed me for 3 months..despite the fact that my Internet service had been canceled for that entire period. They said they never received my cancelation. Odd considering I'd churned my service to internode

 

[Diesel]

Origin energy is a pain in the arse, waiting close to an hour to music that wasn't calming me, but, I got an Australian.

Brisbane City Council is good too, answered within a few seconds.

 

[TheFrog]

How f**king annoying are customer service help lines getting these days with automated bullshit designed to reduce real human staff?

Foxtel would have to be the worst of them all.

I have a dead Foxtel IQ unit that after months of progressive failure (hard drive occasionally not coming out of power saving mode, not being able to use live record, not being able to view recorded programs, etc.) the unit finally gave up and will not even power on anymore. All I get is a very soft clicking noise coming from the unit when connected to power.

So I call up Foxtel to get it replaced and I go through 10-15 minutes of automated bullshit before finally getting a chance to talk to a human.

Then I get bounced around three different departments, having to verify my identity to all three of them as well as answer the same dumb questions over and over. Yes I have disconnected it from power for 30 seconds, yes I have tried a different power source, yes I do own my home, no I do not have a thin roof, yes I have prayed to the Foxtel gods today, no I do not have cancer.

40 minutes spent on the phone just to get an appointment to replace a dead Foxtel unit.

Foxtel have also got rid of their pick-up staff, so should you decide to disconnect from their service, they'll post you a plastic bag which you must take to a Post Office containing their control box and card. If you fail to do this they charge you $300, although the legality of this $300 charge would be doubtful at best.

Funny though they can still afford sales people knocking at your door at the most inconvenient of times.

 

[Twizzle]

I think you'll find the door knockers are commission only

 

[bileduct]

They kept threatening me with potential charges for a tech visit if the unit turned out to not be faulty. I wouldn't be so annoyed if I was giving them symptoms of some unknown and dumb sounding problem, but if you google it the IQ1 boxes power source failing (thats the problem apparently) is a well known fault that seemingly happens to a lot of customers.

The sub-contractor replaced it today and said there were two IQ1 models.

The first model has an extremely high power supply failure rate, with some boxes only lasting three to six months, which was my experience.

The second model is still known to fail in the same way, but seems to last longer.