Chase (or the decline of customer service)

by Eric Friedman on October 27, 2008 • Permalink

Posted in Brands, Consumers, Marketing, Technology

Tonight I canceled my Chase credit card. I have been a member for about a decade. I canceled my account because of a terrible experience I had with customer service.

My isssue;

I have been using online bill pay for years to pay my Chase card. This month I used the same online bill pay service, and an error somewhere along the way created a situation where “Chase was told by my bank that my account could not be located”. Payment was not rendered and I suffered a late charge. Since the “error” was not on the Chase side they declined to refund my late charge. I explained that my bank account was still active, I have made multiple payments before, never been late, etc… all to a indifferent supervisor reading from a script… At the end of the call I asked to cancel my card – to which the supervisor had no problem doing. Although I should not complain at the ease at which he canceled, there was not a hint of customer retention other than scripted “thanks for being a customer” lines. Since I feel the need to share my disdain I even went so far as to explain to the supervisor that my impression of Chase was ruined and I could not believe the lack of service. He was again indifferent as his script did not have a flowchart for him to work with.

Why share my story? (or why you may think it is silly to blog about this)

I wanted to share my story here to highlight a growing trend of indifference of customer service agents and the discontent I have heard from others (and as promised want to share here) I have found a larger number of companies and customer service agents unwilling to break from scripts and flow charts of problem solving to really understand the needs of customers. This year especially I have been exposed to a higher number of customer service lines due to a number of factors and consider myself an expert at getting things done. Whether it is a wireless company, local utility, mortgage company, service provider, or your average credit card – I have talked to them all. I wonder if the parent companies are at fault, the training facilities, or just the lack of leadership at the call center. Regardless of who is to blame, this is a growing problem.

Since the problem is growing and we continue to enter a period of economic slowdown – I wonder what trends we will see come out of this. The toleration for poor service continues to decline, while the expectation for immediate service is on the rise. Many people share my feelings (another reason to share all this here) and there is no end in site. As a platform for my thoughts this writing served its purpose. The sad part is that I am not looking to gain anything from this post, as my card is in fact canceled, but hopefully this is a warning to others.

Posted by Eric Friedman on October 27, 2008

http://www.ericgfriedman.com/2008/10/27/chase-or-the-decline-of-customer-service/

http://rblb.wordpress.com/ Barry Vucsko

Eric,
I've gone through exactly the same thing with many companies–most notably Chase. I didn't end up canceling my card, but i did threaten it to no avail. A big part of the problem simply has to do with the centralization of customer service. Large corporations clearly fall prey to this more so than smaller ones, as the function is so large they fear granting any control to the purveyors, and don't want to lose the time it would take to move your case up the ladder.
It's sad. But worse, it's dangerous for companies who are going to be spending the next 1-3 years attempting to hold on to their customers.
Good luck with your next card.
Cheers
Barry
PS–nice blog. I'd like to add it to my blog links. Check out mine when you get a chance. Right Brain/Left Brain Marketing
http://rblb.wordpress.com/
http://rblb.wordpress.com/ Barry Vucsko

Eric,
I've gone through exactly the same thing with many companies–most notably Chase. I didn't end up canceling my card, but i did threaten it to no avail. A big part of the problem simply has to do with the centralization of customer service. Large corporations clearly fall prey to this more so than smaller ones, as the function is so large they fear granting any control to the purveyors, and don't want to lose the time it would take to move your case up the ladder.
It's sad. But worse, it's dangerous for companies who are going to be spending the next 1-3 years attempting to hold on to their customers.
Good luck with your next card.
Cheers
Barry
PS–nice blog. I'd like to add it to my blog links. Check out mine when you get a chance. Right Brain/Left Brain Marketing
http://rblb.wordpress.com/
http://thefuturebuzz.com Adam Singer

Yeah that's really annoying – there's no reason they shouldn't have made good with you, it's not like your some irresponsible person who racks up huge amounts of debt. You were definitely correct in posting this (and canceling with them).

Make sure to add a no-follow to the chase link in your post if you didn't, they don't deserve the free link.
http://www.marketing.fm EricFriedman

Ha – always thinking about the SEO implications. Good idea.
CCjudy

Eric thank you
I had an unpleasant to say the least experience with Plaxo discovered from a friend in my Plaxo pulse network that they send her frequent updates on my delicious.com bookmarks! I couldnt call Plaxo by phone – found one number relegated to Privacy issues and the message I got was This mailbox is full.
I wrote to them. I tried to adjust settings to Privacy
My friend continued to get the updates
I cancelled my account deleted it with all the contacts
I began to write to them and there were about six emails from Plaxo – they never addressed my issue how they got access to my bookmarks, how they freely distributed them. Each response was the same that my account was deleted so they would not send out my bookmarks.
I finally gave up
I need a sounding board to communicate this to plaxo members

from Judy
http://www.marketing.fm EricFriedman

Sorry to hear that. Sometimes all you need is somebody to say “hey, that sucks and I would be mad too. Let me help you fix it”. Sadly, that rarely happens. I hope you got the issue resolved – if not, keep emailing support.
http://www.marketing.fm EricFriedman

I am actually happy to hear from the other side on this issue. I tried to point out that fault may be with the management of the company – and my hope is that people recognize that this type cycle does nobody any good. CS reps are mad at bosses, customers are mad, and bosses have higher churn… The cycle has to stop somewhere.
http://thefuturebuzz.com AdamSinger

Yeah that's really annoying – there's no reason they shouldn't have made good with you, it's not like your some irresponsible person who racks up huge amounts of debt. You were definitely correct in posting this (and canceling with them).

Make sure to add a no-follow to the chase link in your post if you didn't, they don't deserve the free link.
http://www.marketing.fm EricFriedman

Ha – always thinking about the SEO implications. Good idea.
http://www.adriliavpedersen.com Adrilia

Thanks for your openness and for sharing your experience. This is one of the main issues I deal with when developing customer service training. Companies are afraid and they want things r-e-a-l-l-y scripted. But, scripts rarely allow for human interaction, EMPATHY, and common sense good service. The trick is to train the reps on empathy, good manners and communication and THEN provide them with a script. A good rep will be able to get the scripted work done while discerning what's at stake (a long-term relationship) and what takes precedence here — making the customer feel respected and well taken care of. It isn't rocket science and it has such a strong impact on everyone's day!
http://www.marketing.fm EricFriedman

Exactly. That is the human element I was trying to convey here – but
missing from the CS rep.
CCjudy

Eric thank you
I had an unpleasant to say the least experience with Plaxo discovered from a friend in my Plaxo pulse network that they send her frequent updates on my delicious.com bookmarks! I couldnt call Plaxo by phone – found one number relegated to Privacy issues and the message I got was This mailbox is full.
I wrote to them. I tried to adjust settings to Privacy
My friend continued to get the updates
I cancelled my account deleted it with all the contacts
I began to write to them and there were about six emails from Plaxo – they never addressed my issue how they got access to my bookmarks, how they freely distributed them. Each response was the same that my account was deleted so they would not send out my bookmarks.
I finally gave up
I need a sounding board to communicate this to plaxo members

from Judy
http://thefuturebuzz.com Adam Singer

I remembered you had told me to link to the Talbot Hotel in my post praising them, so it makes sense for you *not* to link to someone if they weren't satisfactory. Same deal, just reversed
RWA

Whilst I sympathise with the way that you were treated. I have worked in a call centre in the past here in the United Kingdom, albeit not for a credit card company.

However our calls were recorded and when we have 1 to 1 meetings to discuss how we are doing, a random call is picked and then marked and then it is played back to us afterwards we were asked how we thought the call was handled. Then the supervisor would go through the how he marked the call and if we happened to deviate from our script it was frowned upon and we would loose points, if it was mark was bad enough we'd be in trouble.

That is why you get many customer service agents sticking to their scripts no matter what and trust me most the agents are frustrated at this, they feel as if their hands are tied behind their backs.
http://www.marketing.fm EricFriedman

Sorry to hear that. Sometimes all you need is somebody to say “hey, that sucks and I would be mad too. Let me help you fix it”. Sadly, that rarely happens. I hope you got the issue resolved – if not, keep emailing support.
http://www.marketing.fm EricFriedman

I am actually happy to hear from the other side on this issue. I tried to point out that fault may be with the management of the company – and my hope is that people recognize that this type cycle does nobody any good. CS reps are mad at bosses, customers are mad, and bosses have higher churn… The cycle has to stop somewhere.
http://www.adriliavpedersen.com Adrilia

Thanks for your openness and for sharing your experience. This is one of the main issues I deal with when developing customer service training. Companies are afraid and they want things r-e-a-l-l-y scripted. But, scripts rarely allow for human interaction, EMPATHY, and common sense good service. The trick is to train the reps on empathy, good manners and communication and THEN provide them with a script. A good rep will be able to get the scripted work done while discerning what's at stake (a long-term relationship) and what takes precedence here — making the customer feel respected and well taken care of. It isn't rocket science and it has such a strong impact on everyone's day!
http://www.marketing.fm EricFriedman

Exactly. That is the human element I was trying to convey here – but
missing from the CS rep.
http://thefuturebuzz.com AdamSinger

I remembered you had told me to link to the Talbot Hotel in my post praising them, so it makes sense for you *not* to link to someone if they weren't satisfactory. Same deal, just reversed
Pingback: Customer Service Gaffes: U.S. and Japan « Right Brain/Left Brain Marketing
steffani

Oh my god. I am so mad now I could spontaneously combust. This is a CANCER in the American marketplace today! The odds that you will ever actually get to speak to anyone who has any powers of deductive reasoning and independent decision making is slim to none, and the lack of alternatives is SICKENING. I am finding myself furious more and more when dealing with monopolizers like WalMart, our electric company, my credit card company, the list goes on and on. These idiots with their scripts and flow charts are incapable of independent thought and they claim there is no option to speak to anyone who does! It makes me want to go completely off the grid.
steffani

Oh my god. I am so mad now I could spontaneously combust. This is a CANCER in the American marketplace today! The odds that you will ever actually get to speak to anyone who has any powers of deductive reasoning and independent decision making is slim to none, and the lack of alternatives is SICKENING. I am finding myself furious more and more when dealing with monopolizers like WalMart, our electric company, my credit card company, the list goes on and on. These idiots with their scripts and flow charts are incapable of independent thought and they claim there is no option to speak to anyone who does! It makes me want to go completely off the grid.
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http://mostplays.com games

This article I so true, keep on writing like this, enjoyment to read 529
http://mobiletimes.in Indian Smartphones

You are right Eric..Very sorry to hear this..Some companies are not care of their customers..
reverse mortgage lender
http://mobiletimes.in Indian Smartphones

You are right Eric..Very sorry to hear this..Some companies are not care of their customers..
reverse mortgage lender
http://mobiletimes.in Indian Smartphones Blog

Yes some times the firms not care about their customers..This is such a bad thing..Sorry for this Eric..U did a great job by posting this..
reverse mortgages
Greg

Greetings;
I have had a Chase card since 1991. In the early-mid 90s Chase had the BEST CSR's in the world–friendly–efficient–even cultured. Fast forward to 2009, I shudder when I think about calling with a problem…..they are not helpful, often blame the customer, and don't give a darn if you close your account. It's more than Chase–it's a breakdown in society.
http://www.marketing.fm EricFriedman

It seems that customers agree, but companies do not.
Greg

Greetings;
I have had a Chase card since 1991. In the early-mid 90s Chase had the BEST CSR's in the world–friendly–efficient–even cultured. Fast forward to 2009, I shudder when I think about calling with a problem…..they are not helpful, often blame the customer, and don't give a darn if you close your account. It's more than Chase–it's a breakdown in society.
http://www.marketing.fm EricFriedman

It seems that customers agree, but companies do not.
http://www.marketing.fm Anonymous

Sorry to hear that happened!