[Misc] Covid excuses for lame, slow, crap customer service

Icy Gull · Mar 23, 2021

I am trying to make a transfer to my wife’s account online and have been asked to phone the bank before they’ll authorise it and have been told that the wait time is 40 minutes. Our accounts are in credit and haven’t ever had a problem with the accounts in the past.

I have now been on hold for 15 mins and am FUMING.

This is just totally unacceptable but seems to be the norm for so many companies these days

Lloyds Bank BTW

As I sit here listening to annoying placating messages every 30 seconds, cheer me up with your whinges about Covid excuses :smile:

sydney · Mar 23, 2021

they are too many to mention, it's a pathetic excuse for mediocrity to become the norm.

Icy Gull · Mar 23, 2021

Just me and Sydney then :down:

37 mins and still waiting

studio150 · Mar 23, 2021

Just wait until you get through and they tell you it's a transaction that should have been completed online and they don't understand why you have called.

portslade seagull · Mar 23, 2021

Icy Gull said:
Just me and Sydney then

37 mins and still waiting

Don't forget that by closing all the branches they now offer a quicker efficient service

bhafc99 · Mar 23, 2021

No, I’m with you too. One year into this, and a lot of companies still acting as if there’s nothing they can do about it.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Psychobilly freakout · Mar 23, 2021

Icy Gull said:
I am trying to make a transfer to my wife’s account online and have been asked to phone the bank before they’ll authorise it and have been told that the wait time is 40 minutes. Our accounts are in credit and haven’t ever had a problem with the accounts in the past.

I have now been on hold for 15 mins and am FUMING.

This is just totally unacceptable but seems to be the norm for so many companies these days

Lloyds Bank BTW

As I sit here listening to annoying placating messages every 30 seconds, cheer me up with your whinges about Covid excuses

I'm so sorry for the frustration you feel, during this pandemic for the slow service you are receiving at this time from your bank.
I am at a loose end for an hour, just PM both your account details, address, copy of your passport and all personal information and I will transfer the money for you.

Happy to help

Badger · Mar 23, 2021

I had to phone up HMRC last week. It went something like this:

"We're very busy and you may need to wait longer than usual"
3 minutes of pre-recorded messages.
1 minute of voice options to get you to the right person.
"Sorry, all our agents are busy. Please call back at a quieter time"
Hang up

So, you have to go through about 4 minutes of bulls**t before being told they're hanging up on you. Every time. I couldn't find a way of skipping it.
I tried using their online chat system instead. You get to a screen which keeps refreshing until it tells you there's an agent available. By the time you click the link and enter your message it comes up saying they're all busy again.
How do these systems get approved? The most basic of testing would highlight how bad the user experience is in both cases.

Worthing exile · Mar 23, 2021

In my organisation we have to 'buy' support services in house. They are not reducing the cost for 20/21 but have clearly over-furloughed to make money because the support is bloody dire.

zefarelly · Mar 23, 2021

HSBC have been superb for me this last year . . . . online insurance companieds are utterly useless, have failed to close and get any refund for 2 car policies, keep getting cut off after waiting, or crackling lines, no joy online as they have no direct contact points. useless.

then this morning I had 4 quotes declined ( all the same underwriter) because Mrs Zef got hit in her car by someone else 2 years ago . . . . . . . Its a sharks business anyway insurance, scaremongering and legalised organised crime in my book.

Coach_Carter_92 · Mar 23, 2021

Moved to a new place in Shoreham a month ago, booked an engineer to sort out the Internet who was meant to arrive 2 weeks ago.
Was told that they would arrive between 8 and 1, phoned EE at half 2 as I hadn't heard anything. Was told that there was an issue with the openreach system, and that although the system said it allocated us an engineer, no one had physically told them to come to us. Told they would phone the next day to arrange a new visit. No phone call but got a message saying they would phone again the next day.
Once again no phone call but a message saying they would try again next Wednesday (tomorrow).

Frustrating.

maltaseagull · Mar 23, 2021

Icy Gull said:
I am trying to make a transfer to my wife’s account online and have been asked to phone the bank before they’ll authorise it and have been told that the wait time is 40 minutes. Our accounts are in credit and haven’t ever had a problem with the accounts in the past.

I have now been on hold for 15 mins and am FUMING.

This is just totally unacceptable but seems to be the norm for so many companies these days

Lloyds Bank BTW

As I sit here listening to annoying placating messages every 30 seconds, cheer me up with your whinges about Covid excuses

Your call is very important to us ?

Is there an option to move the account?
That might, possibly, get a faster response

bhafc99 · Mar 23, 2021

Badger said:
”We're very busy and you may need to wait longer than usual".

The crux of this being, of course, that there never is a time when they’re not “busier than usual”. It’s just reeled off as a lame excuse.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Tom Hark Preston Park · Mar 23, 2021

Icy Gull said:
I am trying to make a transfer to my wife’s account online and have been asked to phone the bank before they’ll authorise it and have been told that the wait time is 40 minutes. Our accounts are in credit and haven’t ever had a problem with the accounts in the past.

I have now been on hold for 15 mins and am FUMING.

This is just totally unacceptable but seems to be the norm for so many companies these days

Lloyds Bank BTW

As I sit here listening to annoying placating messages every 30 seconds, cheer me up with your whinges about Covid excuses

Friend of mine had to put her and her fiance's life and mortgage application on hold til last week because Nat West made a big error. Months of letters did nothing whatsoever to progress matters. She posted ONE rant to the official Natwest Facebook page and the issue got resolved overnight. Literally. Very sad that it should now come down to who shouts the loudest most publicly, but seems like them's the new rules. Shameful

maltaseagull · Mar 23, 2021

Badger said:
I had to phone up HMRC last week. It went something like this:

"We're very busy and you may need to wait longer than usual"
3 minutes of pre-recorded messages.
1 minute of voice options to get you to the right person.
"Sorry, all our agents are busy. Please call back at a quieter time"
Hang up

So, you have to go through about 4 minutes of bulls**t before being told they're hanging up on you. Every time. I couldn't find a way of skipping it.
I tried using their online chat system instead. You get to a screen which keeps refreshing until it tells you there's an agent available. By the time you click the link and enter your message it comes up saying they're all busy again.
How do these systems get approved? The most basic of testing would highlight how bad the user experience is in both cases.

Oddly enough, i posted on the thread about name and shame poor service about how good they were last week.
Superb, friendly and efficient and not a long wait.

dazzer6666 · Mar 23, 2021

Tom Hark said:
Friend of mine had to put her and her fiance's life and mortgage application on hold til last week because Nat West made a big error. Months of letters did nothing whatsoever to progress matters. She posted ONE rant to the official Natwest Facebook page and the issue got resolved overnight. Literally. Very sad that it should now come down to who shouts the loudest most publicly, but seems like them's the new rules. Shameful

Yep...use Twitter. Failing that, find the official complaints mechanism and use/threaten that - it costs the banks a fortune to deal with formal complaints so they’ll avoid at all costs if they can.

The big banks haven’t furloughed staff and have sorted homeworking very effectively - really no excuse for it.

Badger · Mar 23, 2021

maltaseagull said:
Oddly enough, i posted on the thread about name and shame poor service about how good they were last week.
Superb, friendly and efficient and not a long wait.

When I did finally get through the guy was great. He was very friendly and sorted things out in no time.

It's the system I take issue with. I did eventually discover a different number for international callers. It still had the automated messages but I didn't have to go through the options and it put me through to someone on the second attempt.

Kinky Gerbil · Mar 23, 2021

bhafc99 said:
No, I’m with you too. One year into this, and a lot of companies still acting as if there’s nothing they can do about it.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Most contact centres have furloughed lots of staff, unsurprisingly.

Till it’s back to a normalish way of living that won’t change

Weststander · Mar 23, 2021

Icy Gull said:
I am trying to make a transfer to my wife’s account online and have been asked to phone the bank before they’ll authorise it and have been told that the wait time is 40 minutes. Our accounts are in credit and haven’t ever had a problem with the accounts in the past.

I have now been on hold for 15 mins and am FUMING.

This is just totally unacceptable but seems to be the norm for so many companies these days

Lloyds Bank BTW

As I sit here listening to annoying placating messages every 30 seconds, cheer me up with your whinges about Covid excuses

Mods and [MENTION=19]Icy Gull[/MENTION] .... happy to merge this with:

https://www.northstandchat.com/show...e-terrible-customer-service&highlight=service

Icy Gull · Mar 23, 2021

Weststander said:
Mods and [MENTION=19]Icy Gull[/MENTION] .... happy to merge this with:

https://www.northstandchat.com/show...e-terrible-customer-service&highlight=service

NO!

This thread is about companies actually using Covid as an excuse for being so slow in answering their phones, getting things done, keeping you hanging on for ages or not being able to do something. Not answering calls at all or switching straight to an answerphone and then not responding to the message left :smile:

Crap customer service is not exclusively because of Covid is it? Or maybe it is these days :shrug:

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[Misc] Covid excuses for lame, slow, crap customer service

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