Dec 23, 2010

Bad customer service puts you on Hold at eBay

Time Magazine has a report titled, On Hold at eBay: What happened to Customer Service.

Computer giant Dell suffered heavy criticism when it outsourced much of its customer support phone service overseas a number of years ago.

But what happens when companies go a step further — when customer phone service is not just offshore, but off the horizon? In other words, a customer rep will be with you ... um ... maybe never.

eBay recently disconnected some of its toll-free customer service lines.

Reminds us of the TV commercials where a Russian man in a tiny cluttered shack answers the phone saying, "hello, my name Peggy" as shown in the photo aat right.

Even though eBay says the service is getting better, callers often hear a recorded message informing them, "The number you have reached is no longer available," and directs customers to visit its website for help.

Some callers to eBay don't even get the "hello, my name Peggy" response.

Did PacBell repossess half their phone lines?

Link