Sunday, September 14, 2008

What's the point?

What's the point of companies having your phone number if they aren't going to call? No, I don't want to have conversations about nothing with people I don't know. I don't even like talking about nothing on the phone with people I do know. I would like them to call when there is a problem though.

Let's take credit card companies. I moved a couple of months before my card expired and received the bills with that yellow address change thing on it, cool. When my card was a week from expiring and I didn't have the new one I called and was told that it was returned because it was sent to the old address. Good thing I made that call, and didn't use the card that much any ways. Every month my phone number is on the bill so they know what it is. Hey companies, make a call to see why important mail is returned to you. 

This brings us to the most recent calling problem. My Xbox broke, yes, the dreaded Red Ring of Death, and so I called the repair number. That was a huge hassle and I should have known that things were going to not go right. Especially since she never got my address right. 

About two weeks after I make the call I get one on my voice mail asking me if I had returned the console yet. I called back and was told that the box wasn't even sent because my address couldn't be verified. Why wasn't I called, or even emailed when they figured that out. So we got into the whole "We can't find your address so we can't help you" deal. 
"I cannot verify your address so we cannot send the shipping box to you."
"Uh, what do you mean you can't verify?"
"Our search does not show that address."
I pull my house up on Google Earth.
"What are you searching with?"
"USPS.com, I cannot find it on that, but I can on Google."
"And that's not good enough?"
"No, ok, when I put in the four numbers of the extension I found it. We can either send you the box in three to five days or we can email you the shipping label and you will have it by tomorrow."
"Just email me the label."
"What is your address?"
I gave him my work address and it was still emailed to my Hotmail account. But it is out getting fixed now and I no longer have to deal with those people in whatever country I call when I have a problem with it. 

I doubt that I will be any kind of nice about not getting a phone call when something is wrong next time. 

And, why have reference numbers if the people on the phone, in whatever country you call, don't ask you for them and just give you a new one anyways?