Customer Service Tip: How to Really Speak to a Supervisor
April 19, 2008 by Deborah Ng
Filed under Consumer Information
Any regular reader of The Consumerist knows there are really no supervisors standing around waiting for angry customer calls. If you’re not getting proper customer care and ask to speak to a supervisor, your call can be turned over to anyone from Joe in the cube next door to the pizza delivery guy. 9 times out of 10 you’re not speaking with an actual supervisor.
A few years ago when my husband bought me a new laptop for Christmas it wasn’t working properly. We called in several geek friends to take a look, and indeed the product was inferior. Mind you, this was no $200 laptop. It was a good, top of the line machine made by one of the best in the business. It received excellent reviews and we were willing to pay a lot for a trustworthy model. After all, it’s my livelihood.
We called customer service dozens of times. Each time a different person told us to do the same thing. We tried explaining this stupid procedure wouldn’t work, to no avail. The customer service people were in a different country, couldn’t speak English enough to stray from their script, and weren’t allowed to put us through to the same people we spoke with before. We soon realized the supervisors would be of no help and figured they probably weren’t even supervisors anyway.
In anger, my husband called the main office of the computer company and asked to speak to a certain executive. Of course he didn’t get through but he left a rather detailed complaint. The next day, the executive called us back, apologizing profusely and sent us an brand new computer with a major, major upgrade.
Now, it’s very rare I have to speak to a supervisor, but when I do you can be sure I’m going to get a real supervisor and not the pizza guy.
Great point! I was wasting my time on a similar issue this week. Thanks for the tip.
FYI – they have books at the library w/lists of company executives. We found it very helpful to have actual names like your husband did! Glad to hear you are actually getting some good service =)
Does that company’s name rhyme with Bell? I hate that they outsource their calls to foreign countries. I can never understand what they are saying. And they can’t understand me either.
Fyi – we had problems w/the laptop company too – if you repeatedly demand to speak to someone who’s first language is English, they will transfer you. It took my dad 4 tries and he finally got someone! I know it’s not the best suggestion, but it might help!
Fax a letter to the office of the CEO (look online) or to the public relations department. Don’t abuse this tactic – save it for when you are really being mistreated over a serious issue. But many major corporations have a special corps of customer service reps who work for the CEO’s office – and they CAN take care of you.