Customer Services - How Can This Be?

[terrierjohn]

9 minutes ago, Ardennais said:

I think that 35 minutes IS a long wait. You don’t mind Zapp because you have the time, not so easy when you’re still working. 

After a 35 minute wait I would have lost all interest in life, never mind P&O.

[Ardennais]

8 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

After a 35 minute wait I would have lost all interest in life, never mind P&O.

Quite right! I work from home (something I began doing pre-Covid when I stopped teaching), but even so, I have found it so difficult to contact some companies. I might think, well I’ve got 40 minutes until my next virtual meeting so I’ll phone so and so and find myself waiting for 30 minutes and then hanging up as I’m getting close to my scheduled meeting. It’s beyond a joke. 

[zap99]

1 hour ago, Ardennais said:

I think that 35 minutes IS a long wait. You don’t mind Zapp because you have the time, not so easy when you’re still working. 

Very true. I just put the phone on speaker and get on with stuff. Thinking about it, the only complaint is that awful music. They should have something decent..perhaps that nice Jenkins Lady.,🤣

[yorkshirephil]

5 minutes ago, zap99 said:

Very true. I just put the phone on speaker and get on with stuff. Thinking about it, the only complaint is that awful music. They should have something decent..perhaps that nice Jenkins Lady.,🤣

Plus they keep interrupting the music to tell you they are getting an unpresidented number of calls, and that your call is important to them.

[zap99]

1 minute ago, yorkshirephil said:

Plus they keep interrupting the music to tell you they are getting an unpresidented number of calls, and that your call is important to them.

At least our doctors tell you that there are only 476 people in front of you.🤣

[paulatsea]

Phone lines open at 0900.

Phone at 0900 dead on …..

 

we are experiencing an unusually high number of calls at the moment - but your call is important to us ….. blah blah blah

 

 

 

 

[Eddie99]

There must be a lot of pot-luck

I phoned at 2 today, not expecting much and got through straight away after making my choice from the options menu.  I was amazed!

[paulatsea]

9 minutes ago, Eddie99 said:

There must be a lot of pot-luck

I phoned at 2 today, not expecting much and got through straight away after making my choice from the options menu.  I was amazed!

Ok - I’ll try 2 pm next time then ! 

[Eglesbrech]

1 hour ago, Ardennais said:

I think that 35 minutes IS a long wait. You don’t mind Zapp because you have the time, not so easy when you’re still working. 

In my recent experience several of the cruise companies I deal with along with a variety of other types of service providers have dreadful customer service.

 

Companies used to employ mystery shoppers to test their call responsiveness and the expected pick up time was within 30 second’s. Now people seem happy if it’s 30 minutes!

 

Government departments are no better eg passport, DVLA, OPG etc.

 

Customers can’t avoid the government agencies as we are a captive audience but I think holiday companies and other places where spend is purely discretionary need to be aware that customers will take so much and no more.

 

At the moment any cruise line who could gear up to answer calls consistently quickly would probably poach business from the others.😀

[Megabear2]

1 hour ago, yorkshirephil said:

Plus they keep interrupting the music to tell you they are getting an unpresidented number of calls, and that your call is important to them.

I think that's me after 2 hours 45 minutes of holding for Celebrity customer service yesterday! When the telephone finally answered it was by someone in the US who couldn't help with recommended testing companies in the UK and directed me to the UK government website for a list. 

 

Having changed their testing requirements for Italian sailings twice in 48 hours Celebrity are scurrying to the bottom of my service list.  I'm now using information from P&O to apply for proctored tests as Celebrity have been so useless. 

[Eglesbrech]

14 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

I think that's me after 2 hours 45 minutes of holding for Celebrity customer service yesterday! When the telephone finally answered it was by someone in the US who couldn't help with recommended testing companies in the UK and directed me to the UK government website for a list. 

 

Having changed their testing requirements for Italian sailings twice in 48 hours Celebrity are scurrying to the bottom of my service list.  I'm now using information from P&O to apply for proctored tests as Celebrity have been so useless. 

Yes we got punted to an American call handler by Celebrity who knew precisely nothing about European / U.K. cruises.

 

Princess can however beat that with an incoming call in the middle of the night to check we were “all set” with the medallion. I thought it was a prank call but no, it was genuine. Obviously no one told them there was a time difference!  Credit where it is due they called us to check we were coping with the technology which would have been appreciated by some (but not the timing of the call).

 

[Guest ccpm]

2 hours ago, zap99 said:

At least our doctors tell you that there are only 476 people in front of you.🤣

To be honest after 1.5 hours yesterday I would have willingly strangled the bleddy doctors. Had blood tests all results well above my gawd you need help levels. The surgery sent a text to say it was urgent that i made a telephone appointment to discuss. That would have been fine but it took over 2 hours to get through and then the earliest appt was 7.6 2022. Lets just add in that my job was as a management partner for a large group of multiple GP practices before I moved here on retirement. I try at all times not to get stroppy but I literally had to resort to poor behaviours just to get them to give me the readings. They then reiterated over and over again I needed to speak to the GP urgently - appt 7.6.2022. Yep I know that 7.6.2022 is dangerous to be left with those readings. £276 later I have seen the private GP got follow up tests scheduled and a private script (£294) for the new medication I need. Fine what happens to Joe Bloggs man in the street. I truly despair.

[Harry Peterson]

1 hour ago, ccpm said:

To be honest after 1.5 hours yesterday I would have willingly strangled the bleddy doctors. Had blood tests all results well above my gawd you need help levels. The surgery sent a text to say it was urgent that i made a telephone appointment to discuss. That would have been fine but it took over 2 hours to get through and then the earliest appt was 7.6 2022. Lets just add in that my job was as a management partner for a large group of multiple GP practices before I moved here on retirement. I try at all times not to get stroppy but I literally had to resort to poor behaviours just to get them to give me the readings. They then reiterated over and over again I needed to speak to the GP urgently - appt 7.6.2022. Yep I know that 7.6.2022 is dangerous to be left with those readings. £276 later I have seen the private GP got follow up tests scheduled and a private script (£294) for the new medication I need. Fine what happens to Joe Bloggs man in the street. I truly despair.

That’s not good, and I can only sympathise with your situation. All surgeries are under enormous pressure, but I’m surprised you had to resort to seeing a private GP.

 

The situation seems to vary a lot. I have regular blood tests, but they’re always reviewed within 24 hours and the outcome viewable online. In your situation I’d get an appointment within a couple of days, but it’s a very well managed practice making full use of nurses, nurse practitioners etc. Always had excellent ratings, a stable staff, and I guess they don’t struggle to recruit quite as much as some practices.

[zap99]

1 hour ago, ccpm said:

To be honest after 1.5 hours yesterday I would have willingly strangled the bleddy doctors. Had blood tests all results well above my gawd you need help levels. The surgery sent a text to say it was urgent that i made a telephone appointment to discuss. That would have been fine but it took over 2 hours to get through and then the earliest appt was 7.6 2022. Lets just add in that my job was as a management partner for a large group of multiple GP practices before I moved here on retirement. I try at all times not to get stroppy but I literally had to resort to poor behaviours just to get them to give me the readings. They then reiterated over and over again I needed to speak to the GP urgently - appt 7.6.2022. Yep I know that 7.6.2022 is dangerous to be left with those readings. £276 later I have seen the private GP got follow up tests scheduled and a private script (£294) for the new medication I need. Fine what happens to Joe Bloggs man in the street. I truly despair.

Luckily some folk have the wherewithal to deal with those things. DW had an eye problem. 2 month wait to see somebody at the hospital ( pun not intended ), she was on their list. 2 days and £200 later the specialist at the Nuffield had it all under control. Ironically that  specialist that is on the NHS team at our hospital. As you say despair. Hope your meds have the desired effect.

[purplesea]

I had a phone consultation with my consultant as he wasn't happy with the MRI I had in July and wanted me to have another in three months time - I had it in February.

[Ardennais]

5 hours ago, zap99 said:

Very true. I just put the phone on speaker and get on with stuff. Thinking about it, the only complaint is that awful music. They should have something decent..perhaps that nice Jenkins Lady.,🤣

Ha ha! As long as she sings in English or even Double Dutch!

[jeanlyon]

32 minutes ago, Ardennais said:

Ha ha! As long as she sings in English or even Double Dutch!

If I had to listen to K Jenkins, I would have to put the phone down.

[majortom10]

9 hours ago, zap99 said:

Perhaps the receive so few complaints that they don't know what to do. Do you remember the old Carlsberg advert?.

Or more likely they are swamped with that many complaints.