'Don't mess with Tech Support/Customer Service during the holidays': Call center rep agrees to help customer with false claim of damaged equipment

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Dec 10, 2023 11:00 AM EST

This person decided to try their luck with a customer service rep, and they picked the wrong person to trifle with. 

As with many customer service calls, the customer called in and was already pretty upset with the circumstances. This dude requested a technician be sent ASAP, stating that he was having trouble doing business. As a business owner, no doubt that was a stressful scenario. We all know that that customers don't care why his business is being extra slow that day. All they know is that they'll take their cold hard cash elsewhere. 

Scroll down to check out this great tale of malicious compliance (and a good reminder to treat your call center reps with respect and kindness). 

Next up, this worker was seriously giving their manager a side-eye after the manager insisted they change all the dates in a massive and very important file. 

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  • 01
    Don't mess with Tech Support/Customer Service during the holidays L OC So, after lurking for a bit I realized I actually do have a story I'd like to share with you all. I will try to be concise and explain the rules while still keeping some of the official company information vague. Unfortunately, it is a long one :)
    via u/Reilith
  • 02
    Set up: I work for a call center company and my team services a retail company that has multiple stores. Our company is not located in the same country as the customer. During holidays everything is hectic, work is overloading, we are all tired and on the phones from the moment we step into the building to the moment we log out 8hrs later. The workload is seriously crazy, and that is just a part of it, beyond dealing with whack and out of touch customers that pop up more often than not. This eve
    via u/Reilith
  • 03
    I am sitting at my assigned spot, half way through my night shift, almost ready to take my lunch break when I see a bunch of incidents popping up for one of the stores. Like, an alarming amount of incidents. I inform my manager and they assign me personally to check in and ring the store, to get the information needed to resolved the incidents. All the reports we have received initially had half-filled in info and issues stated as vaguely as possible, which is always a dead giveaway that the per
    via u/Reilith
  • 04
    care and/or know the issues, and is just blindly reporting. 50% of the time the issues are entirely different or non existent when we make a call. People that mostly make these sort of reports just want to have a tech on site to work on the issues and refuse to speak with us/are /hang up, which is a bummer as our company policy mandates that we have to gather specific information by asking questions and logging it all into the report, and also trying to troubleshoot over the phone before anyone
    via u/Reilith
  • 05
    they will be billed for the technician as they did not comply with the mandatory troubleshooting, but that will also leave a stain on my monthly report as it is not a good stat to have stores that refuse to comply. Otherwise, the technicians go out to replace damaged equipment which is somewhat more favorable for the monthly report, as damaged is damaged and can't be fixed over the
    via u/Reilith
  • 06
    phone. Replacement is also billed to the customer, which is something they usually aren't aware of, and can get them into trouble if they falsely reported damaged equipment when the issue was easily solvable over the phone.
    via u/Reilith
  • 07
    So I gather all the incidents, sort them, write up all the equipment reported and the associated reference numbers for it and make the call. After around 10 minutes on hold I reach the exact person that has put in the reports. The conversation went something like this:
    via u/Reilith
  • 08
    Me: Hello, this is Reilith, I am calling from Technical Support for the reports we've received for your equipment. I see you were the one that submitted them? Customer: Yes, I have. I will need a technician sent immediately. More than half of my equipment is down and we aren't able to run business properly and it is very busy.
    via u/Reilith
  • 09
    Me (knowing there is no chance he knows the answer to this): Alright Sir, I will need to log all the issues, exactly as they are happening on the equipment. Can you please list them off for me?
    via u/Reilith
  • 10
    Customer: I don't know. There are issues with this and this and this and this... (continues listing random issues that don't even match his own reports) Me (after he finished): Thank you Sir, I will just need to... Customer: I need a tech to fix this!
    via u/Reilith
  • 11
    Me (continuing without skipping a beat): ...ask you a few more questions. Customer: Okay, what do you need? I proceed to ask very detailed questions about each piece of equipment (over 30 pieces of individual equipment) and he resignedly says that he will check. I spend the next 20 minutes on hold, noticing my lunch break time has passed in the meantime. Thinking how I will
    via u/Reilith
  • 12
    have to spend another hour or two filing in reports and sending requests for a technician (as the customers that report this amount of issues notoriously refuse to troubleshoot) I lament my empty stomach. Finally, the is back on the line.
    via u/Reilith
  • 13
    He starts giving me information about the equipment, yet again missing out on half of the stuff I asked for. At this point I am already hangry and I just want this over and done with. And that is when he makes a critical mistake. Me: I am sorry Sir, but this isn't all the info I asked, and it is very important for us to log the reports properly.
    via u/Reilith
  • 14
    Customer: I have given you all the info I have! Why does it matter when you are sending a tech to replace it anyway? Me (who never agreed to sending the tech in the first place, as it is not by company policy): Actually Sir, company policy says we have to troubleshoot on the phone with you after logging the information, and that the technicians are immediately dispatched only for physically damaged equipment. Customer: Well, it is.
    via u/Reilith
  • 15
    Me (not sure if I heard correctly): I am sorry Sir, did you say the equipment was damaged? Customer (proudly): Yes! Me (one more time, with a grin on my face): You are saying Sir, that all of the reported equipment is physically damaged?
    via u/Reilith
  • 16
    Customer: Yes, all of it is damaged! Me (calmly, politely): Alright Sir, I will then log that into our report and issue a dispatch notice. Customer: Thank you!! *drops the line rudely*
    via u/Reilith
  • 17
    I stand up and go talk to my manager, arranging for a prolonged lunch break after I am done with all the reports. They are very accommodating considering the gargantuan pile of reports I need to rework and then dispatch. I also inform them that the customer stated that all the equipment is damaged. My manager gets the same J grin as I did while on the line.
    via u/Reilith
  • 18
    I proceed to work on the reports for yet another hour and a half and then take a much deserved lunch break for double the time than usual.
    via u/Reilith
  • 19
    Explanation: Considering the large amount of issues reported and all of the issues being filed as *damaged*, if the customer falsely reported it (which I am 99% sure he did) they will be charged and since all the reports have his name written on them, I do wonder how the conversation with his manager went after that month when our company issued the billing report.
    via u/Reilith
  • 20
    The billing would have had the same outcome if he had refused to work with me on the line, but this way it looks better on my monthly report, considering it is filed as damaged and not non-compliant.
    via u/Reilith
  • 21
    Edit: If the customer had complied with the contract and troubleshot with me, we could have still sent a tech out if it didn't work, and they wouldn't have had to pay a thing.
    via u/Reilith
  • 22
    TLDR : Customer was , had no information and falsely reported a ton of damaged equipment, forcing me, the tech girl to dispatch for replacement - which is all charged directly to the customer's company, probably prompting a nasty conversation with his manager about wasting company money and resources.
    via u/Reilith
  • 23
    silkie_smooth Nicely done! I have such a big grin now too. I needed this today, thank you for sharing! Reply Share 35 Reilith OP Glad to have made you smile!
    via u/Reilith

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