Adventures in Customer Service

Today was the culmination of a wide range of customer service experiences I've had in the past month or so. I'll start with the one from yesterday before sharing the two from today.

Last month I switched to a new plan with AT&T after getting my new phone, a Blackjack II. When I was there we got everything set up, complete with my first ever texting plan. So it was quite a shock when I opened the bill yesterday and discovered I'd been charged a total of $35 (20 cents each) for all of the texts I had accumulated, instead of getting no extra charges since I stayed within my limit.

I really did expect to get the runaround from them and was pleasantly surprised. First of all there were no other customers there, which was nice since the place had been packed last time I was there. The lady at the desk got on the phone with someone and within ten minutes the problem was fixed and they had credited my account $40. +1 point for AT&T.

That was a welcome change from my recent encounters with Dell. On October 3 I ordered a brand new laptop from Dell, which was about the same time I got my new plan with AT&T. After consulting for a while with an online sales rep, I found a laptop I was really pleased with. Unfortunately he told me that it wouldn't ship for three weeks, as it was a very popular model and they all had to be built to specification. I decided that was okay, even though I really wanted it sooner.

So October 24 rolls around, and I get a message on my phone that my order will be delayed for two more weeks. Not only will it be delayed, but now I have to call them back and tell them that I still want the computer. I found this to be an irritating inconvenience at the time, although I later found out that this was actually a federal law. I called and assured them that I did, in fact, want the computer that I had already paid for. (They would have given a refund if I had said no.)

Yesterday, November 7, I get another call from Dell. Are they letting me know my order has shipped? No, they want me to confirm that I'm okay with another delay! This time they say it will ship by November 12. I told the computer operator that I would wait *again* and I also decided that if they delayed it one more time, I'd get my money back. So what happened? Naturally, today (November 8) I get an email that my computer has been shipped. Huh? -2 points for Dell. (Luckily for Dell they've scored a lot of points in the past, all with their outlet store. I hope the laptop itself makes up for the wait... and I hope it actually shows up next week!)

So while I've had a disappointing experience and a mildly surprising one, neither compares with the final one that happened today. I go to check the mail and find a priority mail envelope from the US Government. Could it be? Surely not ... but here it is, my passport that I applied for just EIGHT days ago. Woohoo! The last detail is in place, I can now go to Turkey at the end of December. +10 points for the US Government!