We're sorry....

Posts: 67 · Full Forum Member Joined: Jul 08, 2005 Posts: 67

"But Vonage is unable to take any phone calls right now. Rebooting the phone adapter doesn't work, and there's nothing wrong with the Internet connection. You're really saving money now...you're not talking on the phone at all. Please try your call again later."

Folks, this is exactly the kind of nonsense that makes Vonage look more and more like a hobbyist's toy and less and less like a landline replacement....

Posts: 143 · Vonage Forum Senior Joined: Dec 22, 2005 Posts: 143

Realize some things:

1. This server is very cheap and you get many features that would cost you nearly 80.00 a month with land lines

2. If you have service trouble, try to fix it yourself if you can't call in and talk to Vonage NICELY. They will work with you and many agents are VERY smart there. Belive me there is nothing that they haven't heard.

3. Being irate makes the situation worse. Because if you are the phone moaning about everything you are WASTING your time and the agents time becaus all you are doing is moaning, just say the problem and do what the agent says.

4. Don't try to be a tech, you are calling for help. If you were a tech you wouldn't call. Don't tell the agent what he should do, this only delays it more.

Posts: 605 · Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2005 9:52 am Post subject:

Although what you say may be correct in most cases, calling with a loud authorative voice and using colorful language usually will get the job done too. I have worked at customer service/helpdesk jobs and find the yellers are most amusing Smile

It is fun to try to get them as pissed off as possible. Keep placing them on hold while you say your going to research their account. Then go take a crap or grab something from the vending machine. Rile em up some more and then place on hold again and go talk to a co-worker. After 30 minutes of playing around fix their problem and get them off the phone. Wink

Posts: 76 · Vonage Forum Senior Joined: May 18, 2005 Posts: 76

ZipZilla wrote:

"But Vonage is unable to take any phone calls right now. Rebooting the phone adapter doesn't work, and there's nothing wrong with the Internet connection. You're really saving money now...you're not talking on the phone at all. Please try your call again later."

Folks, this is exactly the kind of nonsense that makes Vonage look more and more like a hobbyist's toy and less and less like a landline replacement....

If Vonage is not to your liking or not "professional" enough, go try another service. But when they also experience problems (which will inevitably happen when you are dealing with anything that requires the internet to function), are you going to make the same snide comments to the other service's tech support as well?

If you're concerned that Vonage can't reliably replace your landlines, then don't replace your land lines. End of story. Wait till the technology is better and then switch.

Posts: 423 · Vonage Forum Evangelist Joined: Oct 03, 2005 Posts: 423

1. Vonage is having basically every kind of problem imaginable right now. We know. Don't bother calling us. They are trying to fix it. I don't know how long it will take.

2. Kevin you are giving away our best secrets! People should realize that the person you are screaming at, belittling, and insulting is the guy who can fix your problem, get it escalated, or screw it up so bad you will be wishing for tin cans and string.

Posts: 122 · Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2005 6:50 pm Post subject:

Trinijoy,

You keep mentioning in your posts for people who call up Vonage to be NICE and just say what the problem is. Here's the problem with your philosophy. People wouldn't be calling up complaining and yelling and screaming if: #1 - They could get a hold of someone and speak to someone without there being a language barrier and #2 - If their problem could be resolved by the person they're speaking to and #3 - The person on the other end wouldn't treat everyone like mindless, lame-brains, who don't know how to spell CPU.

I have been very fortunate and don't have any major complaints about Vonage. I can think of several improvements (both in Customer Service and in product features), however, for what I'm paying and what I'm getting each month -- I really can't complain.

Last thing, I don't know how long you've been working in the Customer Service business. I've been working with customers and providing a service to them for the past 20 years. One thing I learned very early on was the customer is always right. That slogan comes from my old days as a retail salesman. Secondly, back then and even right now, whenever I have an irate customer approach me or call me on the phone or in person, I do whatever I can to listen to their complaint and take care of their needs. Having someone call you up and scream and hollar at you over something that's broken or not working the way it's supposed to is well, part of the job, especially in the Customer Service front-lines.

Don't get me wrong, I thing you're doing a really great thing and you're in a profession where we need more folks who take care of their customers (BTW, that's what makes a business great), but folks in your line of work have a higher responsibility to take care of their customers' needs and take the high road at the same time. Just keep in mind, folks wouldn't be calling up screaming and hollaring and making all kinds of threats if they weren't having problems.

Posts: 33 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: Apr 25, 2005 Posts: 33

ColdGin wrote:

1. Vonage is having basically every kind of problem imaginable right now. We know. Don't bother calling us. They are trying to fix it. I don't know how long it will take.

ColdGin - Are the root causes known? I mean, is it a question of just fixing the already-identified problem(s), or have the problem(s) not yet been identified?