Complaint about Customer Service

Posts: 4 · New Forum Member Joined: May 20, 2005 Posts: 4

I sent the above a few days ago to Vonage "Customer Care":

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I have been a Vonage customer for almost two years. Back at the start, your excellent, intelligent, responsive technical support was what kept me with you through the times of dubious technology.

Now you are about to lose a customer unless I get some satisfaction regarding the experience I have just had, which is the worst customer service experience I have had in at least a decade, with ANY company.

Last Friday, one of my two Vonage lines stopped working - basically, no dial tone; my phone display indicated "line in use". The other line worked fine, as did all of my computer-internet connections. I tried all of the diagnostics your web site suggested - rebooting everything, trying a single phone plugged right into the adapter, verifying that I could call the number and leave a voice-mail that i could receive via e-mail even though the phone never rang. I concluded that the problem must be a failure of one of the ports in the (almost two-year-old) Vonage Cisco adapter.

So I called 1-VONAGE-HELP. After making my way through your 4-level, 3-minute menu hierarchy, I finally got to a human being. He took my identifying info, listened to my story, and said he had to refer me to someone in service. After some more wait time, the next person asked me the same identifying and diagnostic questions. Then he said he was new on the job and didn't know about Cisco adapters, and referred me to a third person. I waited a while longer, and realized the line had been dropped. So I called once again, went through all of the above again, but this time the line was dropped on the first hand-off.

So I went to the web site and sent you an e-mail, again reciting the whole story. I waited the rest of the day and received no response - not even an automated acknowledgement, let alone any solution. (Since your web e-mail form provides no way for me to send a copy of my message to myself, of course, I can't confirm that my e-mail was even successfully sent to you, thought your site said it was.)

So this morning I tried calling again. This time I was handed off a total of FIVE times (mostly over bad connections to people who barely understood English, and each time having to recite all my info again) before reaching someone who was willing to do something other than just hand me off again. After about 15 minutes of repeatedly asking me the same diagnostic questions and twice trying to call the broken line, he told me to hang up so he could try calling me on BOTH lines. (I had told him already that I was calling him on the functional Vonage line, but I guess he had to prove it to himself.) When he called me back, apparently that was finally enough; he announced the conclusion that I have a failed adapter port, and so he would put in an order to have a new adapter sent to me. I was relieved that it took no battle (and no further hand-offs) to get it sent overnight (though we'll have to see when it actually arrives). The final outrage came when he told me that I would be charged $99 for the new adapter, and that amount would be refunded only when you received back the broken adapter, which it was my responsibility to send to you. This last outrage was just confirmed by e-mails I received from you, which compounded it by saying that the returns "must include the original manufacturer's packaging, manuals and cables or any applicable credit will be reduced." Words fail me.

So, let's see. I figure this has cost me about four hours of my time, at least five days of no phone service, and whatever hassle and expense it will take to mail the piece of electronic junk back to you with all the trappings.

I see at the top of this web form it says "Giving you the assistance you need when you need it is our priority."

I await your response.

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A day or so later, I received the following response:

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Thank you for contacting Customer Care.

In response to your email, I do apologize and empathize with you in
regards to our customer service. We are undergoing a rapid growing pace and maybe some important services are being overlooked. We know that you may not have the original shipping cartons and cables so please just package the device up the best you can and look forward to a full refund. Now did you receive an RA number and return shipping labels?

Please let me know if you need these items and again my deepest
apologies for any inconveniences.

Please do not hesitate to contact Customer Care if further assistance is required.

Sincerely,
Troy Mitchell
Customer Care Associate

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I am interested in hearing from Vonage management and customers as to whether this experience reflects Vonage's current policy towards its existing customers. And if it doesn't, how can a customer get a response from Vonage that provides more than just "deepest apologies"?

Posts: 2251

kwint wrote:

...I am interested in hearing from Vonage management and customers...

And I am interested in hearing what your issue is and that you have a genuine desire to resolve it, because that is what we are about on this forum.

Posts: 4 · New Forum Member Joined: May 20, 2005 Posts: 4

Let me quote from my original message:

"So, let's see. I figure this has cost me about four hours of my time, at least five days of no phone service, and whatever hassle and expense it will take to mail the piece of electronic junk back to you with all the trappings. "

First please note that the only substantive item in Vonage's response was that I don't have to worry about "all the trappings". If you want some specific "issues" to "resolve", how about:

1. Some kind of compensation for the four hours of my time,
2. Not billing me for the (as it turned out) seven days when I had no phone service, and
3. Dropping the demand that I send back the failed piece of hardware - or if you really want it, sending me a postage-paid mailer.
4. A straight answer from Vonage management - that is, someone who actually sets policy - about whether this incident is representative of what Vonage's customers should now expect when they need "customer care".

Posts: 2251 · Posted: Fri May 20, 2005 6:06 pm Post subject:

Do you have a service issue?

Posts: 4 · New Forum Member Joined: May 20, 2005 Posts: 4

Yes; I have the four service issues I just stated. What part of them do you not understand?

Posts: 2251 · Posted: Fri May 20, 2005 9:42 pm Post subject:

kwint wrote:

Yes; I have the four service issues I just stated. What part of them do you not understand?

The part you have failed to describe.

Quote:

Last Friday, one of my two Vonage lines stopped working - basically, no dial tone; my phone display indicated "line in use".

This is a user forum, if you would like some help with your SERVICE issue, by me, by one of the 11k+ members or the dozen or so Vonage CS Reps that hang out here, please describe in full detail your service issue.

From Forum Rules:
"If you are looking for help, we are here to help. If you are looking to rant and only rant, please look elsewhere."

Posts: 28 · Vonage Forum Junior Joined: May 10, 2005 Posts: 28

I think Vonage customer service stinks!

I signed up, and although the actual phone service REALLY IS GREAT, I was in customer service hell for a few hours.

The website system wouldnt take my credit card information, and after a hang up on me from Vonage customer service, and calls to a manager - I was finally dealing with a manager in SALES who really seemed to care. He promised me that this time my call will be returned by the appropiate department, and that they won't hang up on me. And he stressed won't.

Guess what? NO ONE EVER CALLED !!! And this is 3 weeks later.

So I tried the credit card thing again, and this time I omitted my extra 4 digits in my 9 digit zip code and voila I was finally registered.

So, the service is OUTSTANDING and certainly revolutionary, but customer service S T I N K S ! ! !

Posts: 3 · New Forum Member Joined: May 21, 2005 Posts: 3

I have to concur...overall, the Vonage service is great, but customer service ****!!!

What irritates me more and more though, is that the "Site Admin" member with the user id of DCONNOR seems to ALWAYS go on the defensive whenever a negative comment is expressed against Vonage!

Why is this Mr. DCONNOR? Instead of making derogatory remarks or criticizing other members for their lack of experience with this wonderful tool of technology, be cordial and willing to help! That is what Customer Service is! Better yet, if you have ANY pull with the Vonage Heirarchy, convince them to resolve these issues QUICKLY!

Now that I've gotten that off my chest, I suppose this particular message will either lead to more FLAMING responses...or will be totally deleted!

PEACE!

Posts: 2251 · Posted: Sat May 21, 2005 7:24 am Post subject:

tink_48044 wrote:

Instead of making derogatory remarks or criticizing other members for their lack of experience...

Provide me with one link where I have done this, please.

Posts: 76 · Vonage Forum Senior Joined: Dec 22, 2004 Posts: 76

tink_48044 wrote:

What irritates me more and more though, is that the "Site Admin" member with the user id of DCONNOR seems to ALWAYS go on the defensive whenever a negative comment is expressed against Vonage!

this is a Vonage help forum, not a rant forum.