How I use kindness and Twitter to resolve most of my retail problems.
Don't even try to disagree with me on this - I know that you hate customer service call centers. There's something distinctly annoying about using 30 minutes of your precious time to sit on the phone listening to elevator jazz (or worse, company facts), getting transferred from department to department, mishearing query options, or having to hang up if you get a bad connection or need to check something on your phone or computer before continuing. There is nothing more disheartening than spending a huge chunk of time towards something that is never resolved. ENTER... my most recent favorite way to resolve issues.
Most companies have verified Twitter accounts. Many companies have verified customer service twitter accounts. Tweet them during the waking hours & ask them if they wouldn't mind looking into your issue. Support Twitters tend to be very responsive.
I've had clothing orders and electronic orders confirmed via twitter, accidental user errors reversed, and I actually had a year's supply of prescription medicine cleared by my healthcare company once when they tried to cancel my plan's coverage of that specific formula at the last minute.
I also Tweeted Netflix once to tell them that they should add an option to skip show intros (for super unhealthy binge-watchers like myself).. and I'm not saying that they took my advice................................... but Netflix offers that option now.
So how to we message companies on Twitter? 1. MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE THAT THE COMPANY YOU'RE MESSAGING IS VERIFIED - or they could be scammers taking advantage of you.
2. NEVER EVER SHARE PERSONAL DETAILS SUCH AS SSN, CREDIT / DEBIT CARD NUMBERS, OR ANYTHING THAT COULD JEOPARDIZE YOUR MONEY, SAFETY, IDENTITY OR LOCATION. Order number, name & email will usually suffice.
3. Don't be a dick. See below:
KINDNESS
People my age know this, but older folks tend to miss the point on this one. Most of the time, people in customer service positions are just regular folks trying to earn a living by problem-solving for people. They are not out to get you, and 100% of the time, the issue you are experiencing is not their fault. At all. Company oversight is. Or, user error. Sorry.
So be kind. Be patient. Be understanding. There is a tendency to snap at people when you feel like your time is being wasted -- ignore that urge. Your customer service rep will not only feel like you're treating them like PERSON, but also will probably be more inclined to go the extra mile to fix whatever issue you've encountered.
XO hope this helps.