How do you deal with non-responsive "customer service" at e-businesses?

[jdsmith]

I understand, of course, that "customer service" is an Orwellian term--that there was no such phrase in the language till there arose a need to disguise ineptitude behind a mask of deeply, DEEPLY caring about one's customers. Still, double-speak aside, I thought I'd play their game and ask your advice.

Before bothering customer service, I tried using the business's help page to solve my problem on my own. I tried a couple of possible fixes, but to no avail. So I emailed customer service about my problem on July 4. That, of course, was a holiday, so I was reasonable and did not expect a response within the time frame, 24 hours, promised in the automatic reply emails. But when there was no response after 72 hours, I sent another, and then another, request for service. At last I tried: (1) an "online chat" with an expert who (of course) simply cut and pasted the same fixes I had tried earlier and logged off without success; and (2) telephoning customer service. The latter was interesting. When I started describing my problem, the rep immediately finished my sentences for me. It turns out that she, and maybe a whole bunch of other people, knew about the exact problem and how to resolve it, but, I gather, that the same info has not gone out to the Help page or to the "online chat" techies. (Of course, she promised to mail me a fix, and has not done so yet, seven days later, but gosh she was so nice.)

So today--twelve days after my first request for service--I get an answer. Of course, it suggests that I do exactly what I found on the Help page, exactly what I keep telling them doesn't work. And as a followup I get another email: "In our effort to continually improve customer service, we would appreciate hearing how well we responded to your recent question. Please take a moment to complete our survey by clicking on the link below. . . ."

That's a long and venting prologue to these questions: How do you get service if no one bothers to respond? How do you complain when there's no one to complain to??

[lectrobyte]

1. persistence, I usually keep calling and going for the "broken record"

approach: keep saying "I already tried that and it doesn't work, is there something else I can try?". I like the phone because it is too easy to ignore an e-mail, assuming you are not on long-distance hold for hours on end. Eventually you will get the one real person who knows enough about the problem in question to really help.

[Susang]

2. From someone who works in e-commerce

Call their asses and keep doing it until you get an answer. This is absolutely inexcusable.

I have limits in what I am able to do for my customers, but there are always people above me that I direct them to if I cannot help them. The fact that they've not done this for you leads me to believe that their policy it to pass these problems around until they just go away. Don't let them get away with it.

BTW, what is the product you are complaining about?

[jdsmith]

3. I'd rather not say for the moment

Oh, all right. Audible.com.