I had to laugh at the fortune Ryan pulled out of his fortune cookie last night.
"Put up with small annoyances to gain great results."
Earlier in the day I spent the better part of an hour on the phone with the customer support department of a discount online pharmacy where we had previously ordered my medicine.
I placed a refill order on November 3rd and promptly received notification that they had received my order and processed my credit card. I checked with my credit card and made sure that the card was in fact charged.
By November 9th, I had not received any shipping notice (they promise 1-2 days processing time before shipping) and when I logged into the site there was no order history under my customer information.
I called customer support to check on my order.... and had the most frustrating experience of my life (maybe just of the day, it seems I have had a lot of frustrating experiences lately, so it's probably just me).
It went something like this (CS means Customer Support Rep):
CS: Thank you for calling ______ Online Pharmacy, how may I help you?
Lisa: Hi, my name is Lisa Harper. I'm calling to inquire about a refill order that I placed on November 3rd. Would you like the order number that I received in my confirmation email?
"Put up with small annoyances to gain great results."
Earlier in the day I spent the better part of an hour on the phone with the customer support department of a discount online pharmacy where we had previously ordered my medicine.
I placed a refill order on November 3rd and promptly received notification that they had received my order and processed my credit card. I checked with my credit card and made sure that the card was in fact charged.
By November 9th, I had not received any shipping notice (they promise 1-2 days processing time before shipping) and when I logged into the site there was no order history under my customer information.
I called customer support to check on my order.... and had the most frustrating experience of my life (maybe just of the day, it seems I have had a lot of frustrating experiences lately, so it's probably just me).
It went something like this (CS means Customer Support Rep):
CS: Thank you for calling ______ Online Pharmacy, how may I help you?
Lisa: Hi, my name is Lisa Harper. I'm calling to inquire about a refill order that I placed on November 3rd. Would you like the order number that I received in my confirmation email?
CS: Can you please give me your phone number?
Lisa: Sure. It is ___________.
CS: And who am I speaking with?
Lisa: Lisa Harper.
CS: Thank you. And this order was for Lovenox?
Lisa: Yes.
CS: One moment please. (On hold for 2-3 minutes.) Thank you for waiting patiently. Yes, we show that it was shipped in September.
Lisa: Yes, that was my first order. I have received it.
CS: I thought you were calling about the Lovenox?
Lisa: Yes, I'm calling about a refill order for Lovenox that I just placed last week. I received a confirmation email and my credit card has been charged. Would you like the order number?
CS: Um, no, thank you. One moment please. (On hold for 4-5 minutes.) Thank you for waiting patiently. We show that your order was shipped on September 14th.
Lisa: I realize that my first order was shipped then. I am asking about my refill order that I placed on November 3rd. I have an order number, can I please give it to you?
CS: Can you please tell me the date that you ordered that?
Lisa: November 3rd.
CS: One moment please. (On hold for 2-3 minutes.) I'm sorry, we have no record of that order.
Lisa: I have a confirmation email in front of me. It says that my credit card transaction was successful. I have an order number, will that help?
CS: Yes, thank you.
Lisa: The order number is ____________.
CS: I need to verify with my supervisor.
Lisa: Can I please speak to your supervisor?
Lisa: I have a confirmation email in front of me. It says that my credit card transaction was successful. I have an order number, will that help?
CS: Yes, thank you.
Lisa: The order number is ____________.
CS: I need to verify with my supervisor.
Lisa: Can I please speak to your supervisor?
CS: Let me check with my supervisor. One moment please. (On hold for another 4-5 minutes.)
Thank you for waiting patiently. Who am I speaking to?
Lisa: Lisa Harper.
CS: When I pull up the phone number that you gave me I get that it belongs to Lisa Harper.
Lisa: This is Lisa Harper. That's what I just said my name is.
CS: Oh, yes. The order number you gave me shows the name Davis [something or other].
Lisa: Well, there is obviously a problem with your system. Can I please speak to someone that can fix this?
CS: Um, well, I need to inform my supervisor.
Lisa: Can I please speak to your supervisor?
CS: One moment please. (On hold 4-5 minutes.) Thank you for waiting patiently. I just need to verify that your credit card has been charged.
Lisa: I already told you, I have received the charge on my credit card. I also have a confirmation email from your pharmacy stating that my credit card transaction processed successfully. I want to speak to your supervisor.
Lisa: Lisa Harper.
CS: When I pull up the phone number that you gave me I get that it belongs to Lisa Harper.
Lisa: This is Lisa Harper. That's what I just said my name is.
CS: Oh, yes. The order number you gave me shows the name Davis [something or other].
Lisa: Well, there is obviously a problem with your system. Can I please speak to someone that can fix this?
CS: Um, well, I need to inform my supervisor.
Lisa: Can I please speak to your supervisor?
CS: One moment please. (On hold 4-5 minutes.) Thank you for waiting patiently. I just need to verify that your credit card has been charged.
Lisa: I already told you, I have received the charge on my credit card. I also have a confirmation email from your pharmacy stating that my credit card transaction processed successfully. I want to speak to your supervisor.
CS: My supervisor told me that I need to get your card information and verify that it was charged.
Lisa: No, this is ridiculous. I want to speak to your supervisor.
CS: I'm sorry, he told me I need to check this.
CS: I'll have to put you on hold then. One moment please. (On hold 4-5 minutes).
Finally, the supervisor gets on the phone.
Supervisor: Thank you for patiently waiting.
I tell him what has happened including that I had received a confirmation email from them stating that there was a successful credit card transaction.
Sup: ...and did you receive any type of confirmation email from us?
Lisa: Yes, can I forward it to you?
Sup: I'll need you to forward that.
Done.
Supervisor: We need to verify that your card was charged.
Several hours later, he called:
Supervisor: We deeply apologize for the inconvenience. It appears there was a glitch in our system (no, really?!?) when you placed your online order. We have confirmed that your credit card was in fact charged. We are now sending you the four boxes of Lovenox you ordered on November 3rd.
Hallelujah!
Referring back to Ryan's fortune--Small annoyance? Nope--GRAND annoyance in my book... but the great result--somewhat affordable medication delivered to my door--HAS to be worth it... right?
Most days, I feel like I'm a reasonable person. I even go out of my way to be nice. After that whole exchange, I'm not so sure... if I could have reached through the phone to knock a couple of heads, I would have gladly done it. Thank goodness they are located far, far away. And today, somewhere, that customer service rep is writing her own blog post about the idiot customer she helped yesterday.
3 comments:
Oh my goodness, I was getting SO frustrated just reading that. Ugh, glad you got it figured out!
That was the most hilarious dialogue to read. I alternated laughing out loud with feeling a strong sense of sympathy for you. I am impressed that you didn't lose your cool during all of that. And I am glad you are finally getting your medicine. Hang in there....
I totally loved that little dialogue. Not loved it because it was funny, but because it seemed so true to life. I can't believe you hung on that long. You are a saint!! :) May you not have to have another CS phone call again this pregnancy! Ugh!
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