British Gas! Can I Really Have Used £500 a Month???

[adridude]

HAHAH!!!

 

I sid something similar to Southern Water lol I got a water bill for a 4 bedroom house for the 1 bedroom flat I live in (it didnt say that)... So I called them up and I asked the person who answered 'is your director of custom services on drugs'... lol, the guy was quiet for like 10 seconds lol

[quailpower]

HAHAH!!!

 

I sid something similar to Southern Water lol I got a water bill for a 4 bedroom house for the 1 bedroom flat I live in (it didnt say that)... So I called them up and I asked the person who answered 'is your director of custom services on drugs'... lol, the guy was quiet for like 10 seconds lol

 

Love it, although I shouldnt.

 

I used to work for UU on the phones to deal with usage and billing queries, and later on the DCA line. Ive had more than my fair share of "oh god someone has messed up and Im going to get b!!!!!!!d"

[adridude]

This is why I document all of my accounts down to even the comms I have on the phone and by mail I have every nicely set into a several year old database which I've been developing. That way I get to usually bollock the DCA's from two angles. Once by me, and the other time by their manager xD Mind you, There's still big holes in it from years gone by when I wasn't doing so well with admin work.

 

its funny how DCA's dont like to be told when they're wrong when you have all of the facts in front of you, including phone calls (either transcribed or recorded), scanned letters in and out and text messages. I love how they start to panic that they're under scrutiny. I guess those micromanagement courses paid off in the end Its a bugger and a lengthy process to keep it all in shape, but sure saves you high blood pressure and bitchy DCA's getting away with it on the phone

[quailpower]

This is why I document all of my accounts down to even the comms I have on the phone and by mail I have every nicely set into a several year old database which I've been developing. That way I get to usually bollock the DCA's from two angles. Once by me, and the other time by their manager xD Mind you, There's still big holes in it from years gone by when I wasn't doing so well with admin work.

 

its funny how DCA's dont like to be told when they're wrong when you have all of the facts in front of you, including phone calls (either transcribed or recorded), scanned letters in and out and text messages. I love how they start to panic that they're under scrutiny. I guess those micromanagement courses paid off in the end Its a bugger and a lengthy process to keep it all in shape, but sure saves you high blood pressure and bitchy DCA's getting away with it on the phone

 

I know what you mean, I'm not as vigilant but I do keep records of all comms. There is nothing better than that moment of silence when an over-eager dca has rattled off the company spiel and then seen the note to back up what you have said and theyre trying to think the best way to not admit they are wrong.

 

I just dont understand why most people you talk to are so arsey over the phone! I always took the view that if there was a problem it was probably my companies fault, because it usuually was! Except from those random calls that would be absolute raving loonies.

[adridude]

People in call centres generally have a ****ty job. They spend the day getting shouted at and that's it. Maybe a mere 10% of calls are related to commendations or other good topics. So their aim generally is to get people off the phone and do as little as possible. Also, I've found that alot of them are jobs worths. Literally they will go out of their way to avoid doing anything which 'isnt in their contract'.

 

They need to rethink this and put that energy they use in evasion and arguments into something positive like going that extra mile and being friendly. Generally this is why I only really speak to senior staff i.e. executive teams. They're the positive ones which filtered through the low level jobs and worked their way up through hard work and excellence.

 

Before I worked for myself, I was the senior engineer at a local IT firm. Often enough I used to give customers my personal numbers if it hit 5pm and the lines were shut off. I never asked for overtime for this, neither did I ask for any positive feedback. Either way I got it, and after a few months of doing this, I was pulled up for misconduct because I didn't bill the clients accordingly. When I answered it with a timesheet that I kept of the dates and times people called (I'ma bit of a list maker lol), and on top of that coupled it with a demand for overtime, I got another formal warning for claiming unapproved overtime :-/ Just goes to show how people work eh :-/ In the end I wound up getting ACAS involved as I chose to do this personally and never asked for a penny from the clients. lol as a response I got an offer of 6 months worth of salary for a mutual redundancy What made me laugh even more is I used that money to open up an IT company myself and the majority of those customers followed me HAHA

 

I did send them a thankyou card and a bottle of wine for the foot up with the money and clients. Needless to say I never got a reply from them xD

[quailpower]

People in call centres generally have a ****ty job. They spend the day getting shouted at and that's it. Maybe a mere 10% of calls are related to commendations or other good topics. So their aim generally is to get people off the phone and do as little as possible. Also, I've found that alot of them are jobs worths. Literally they will go out of their way to avoid doing anything which 'isnt in their contract'.

 

They need to rethink this and put that energy they use in evasion and arguments into something positive like going that extra mile and being friendly. Generally this is why I only really speak to senior staff i.e. executive teams. They're the positive ones which filtered through the low level jobs and worked their way up through hard work and excellence.

 

Before I worked for myself, I was the senior engineer at a local IT firm. Often enough I used to give customers my personal numbers if it hit 5pm and the lines were shut off. I never asked for overtime for this, neither did I ask for any positive feedback. Either way I got it, and after a few months of doing this, I was pulled up for misconduct because I didn't bill the clients accordingly. When I answered it with a timesheet that I kept of the dates and times people called (I'ma bit of a list maker lol), and on top of that coupled it with a demand for overtime, I got another formal warning for claiming unapproved overtime :-/ Just goes to show how people work eh :-/ In the end I wound up getting ACAS involved as I chose to do this personally and never asked for a penny from the clients. lol as a response I got an offer of 6 months worth of salary for a mutual redundancy What made me laugh even more is I used that money to open up an IT company myself and the majority of those customers followed me HAHA

 

I did send them a thankyou card and a bottle of wine for the foot up with the money and clients. Needless to say I never got a reply from them xD

 

I thought working in a call centre was a really fun job! But then I have always been odd. Nothing more satisfying that getting someone so angry they cant even swear coherently and sending them away happy! I think most call centre staff just take it too personally. The person on the phone isnt angry at the call centre agent, theyre angry at the company and faceless employees that have messed up their little world.

 

 

Legend getting ACAS involved btw, Ive only had to whisper their name and got the redundancy pay I wanted from my previous job because it was dodgey as hell!

[adridude]

you haven't dealt with the likes of Vanquis Bank in the past then. I live in Sittingbourne, the city just up the road from Chatham, where they Call Crt is. One day they called up, I answered, went through the Data Protection and heard the girls accent was from Chatham (or Medway towns). So I said 'ah, so you're from Chatham huh'... her reply was 'well that rich coming from you living in Sittingbourne'. I was like 'WTF'... Mind you, I'm the kind of person that makes call center agents want to quit their jobs

 

Yeah ACAS are a handy bunch and companies fear them Luckily I just work for myself now and the last of the staff left. I refuse to have any more staff and will only use self employed contractors from now on.

[quailpower]

Both me and the OH have a Credit Card with Vanquis, but because only use it for credit building Ive never had to phone them! I just buy my shopping on the friday and pay the balance in full on the monday. I didnt know they had a bad rep O.o Dreading every having to phone them now!!