Funny thing about bad customer service reps

[JoeyC]

Two weeks ago or so, I called a book to open a baseball account.

I will not name this book, but I'll relay the story.

The reason I selected this book is they don't have a reputation for kicking out steam players, they have a reputation for taking a decent size ( 3 dimes + ) bet, they aren't on the screen, they pay and of course deal dime bases.

I got one of the customer reps on the phone, gave her my name etc.

I asked her was was their phone and internet limits sides and totals. She didn't have a clue as to what I was talking about.

I thought, maybe I'm talking too fast or the phone connection was bad.

Slowly, I asked her again, how big of a bet could I make on the internet and by phone.

She said ..I don't know.

So, I figured she must be a new clerk. I asked her how long she had been working at this shop, and she politely answered about 3 years.

I asked her again about limits, she said she was looking for a supervisor, but none was around at that time.

I politely told her that she was blessed, and she wanted to know why I said that. Because I said, you should have been fired 33 months ago, and the phone line went dead.

I could not get over the fact that a respected store would have someone working in customer service that was that poorly trained.

Any customer service people who may read this post should be aware that what people perceive on the phone about you is what they will probably perceive about your employer.

You guys want raises and a bonus etc., then you should do the best job you possibly can with customers, so your store can have the chance to prosper.

This is a true story.

JC

 

[wilheim]

The only logical answer is you called at a slow time (lunch maybe) when CS was unmanned and the girl who ansewered just picked up a ringing phone. I have seen this happen first hand, people with no business on the phone trying to handle something they know nothing about. Offshore its kind of an ego thing, no one wants to admit to fellow employees they are ignorant of anything. I hope you called back and got the right information. Either that or the book is really screwed up, in which case I would hesitate to play there.

IMHO.wil.

 

[Intruder]

Interesting read, I left a well respected book a few years ago because of rude clerks, I am a small player and they acted like taking play from me was the biggest bother of the day for them.

 

[JoeyC]

Wil:

I been in a lot of offices and seen a lot of clerks. Some are good and others "ain't worth spit", as the saying goes.

The girl claimed she worked there for 3 years.


Intruder, I told the girl I wanted to post up 5 figs, that I knew my money was safe there, and I wasn't interested in their Bonus Bet promo. I just wanted to know what their limits were.

If nobody answered their phone, it would have been a big improvement, over the clerk that answered the phone.

 

[PatrickMcIrish]

Good post Joey and exactly right. The first contact a player has with a book will often leave lasting impressions. Books hustle clerks out to the phones like cattle without proper training and then wonder what's going wrong. Take the time to train them right and it will pay off in the long run. Not knowing the limits of the place she works at is just ridiculous.

 

[JoeyC]

Patrick:

The truly sad part was I know my way around town so to speak, and really wanted to open with the book, for all the reasons I cited earlier.

But I just couldn't take the stupidity any longer, said what I had to say, and hung up and went elsewhere.

JC

 

[PatrickMcIrish]

Don't blame you. I had a similar situation that baffled me. A book here made a generous gesture on a contest. This was a couple years back when I was just a poster. There were several of us contacting the book for the first time and to say they were confused would be an understatement.

Maybe it's because I'm cheap to begin with but I want some return on my investment. If I am shelling out some bucks for a contest I want the players to have an impressive first contact with my place of business. It was a nightmare in this case trying to get set up to play there. In fact I didn't even take my share of the prize. After 3 phone calls and they still hadn't worked it out no way was I sending a quarter to this joint. Never played there since either.

 

[TheGeneral+]

Thanks for sharing Joey. That is not acceptable IMO either.

 

[SDSmanager]

Gentlemen..Mr. McIrish says its all..the first contact a new customer has is usually with a customer service rep..
There is a expression..
You cannot make a favorable first impression a second time..In most businesses you get one good chance..WE MUST MAKE THE MOST OF IT..
"I AM NOT SAYIN, I AM JUST SAYIN"

 

[BallRash]

JC,

c-mon dude say the books name please

 

[JoeyC]

Ball Rash:

I won't name the book because as I have much respect for them, even though I don't play there.

They are located in Central America, but that's it.

 

[BallRash]

aight I hear ya JC,

Funny response you gave her man

 

[JoeyC]

Ball Rash:

The point I was trying to make here is this:

Even the best books can look like a shit book if their customer service people are poorly trained.

I called them knowing they are a quality shop.

The average joe who may not know what I know, and called to sign up, most probably would think they were a second rate operation.

So while I have a knock on the customer service rep I spoke with, it shouldn't be a knock on this book.

It was NOT a CR book....

 

[BallRash]

I get your point JC