This is something I've experienced several times, and recently it happened again. I was buying a few items at a local store and when the cashier said the amount, it didn't sound right. I had a 4.00 item, bottle of water and a pack of cookies. By my reckoning it should have been about 6.00 total, but the cashier said "seven dollars and three cents please."
I asked her what I was paying for, because my items didn't come to that much. She said, "Yes, you've got yada yada yada and it's seven dollars and three cents." So I took each item and asked the price. She finally realized it wasn't right, and said, "Oh (insert little giggle here), I guess you don't want to pay for my daughter's Slurpee, huh?" Her teenaged daughter, standing close by, looked mortified.
Now folks, maybe this was an innocent mistake. But it's happened to me too many times, almost always in convenience stores. Often when I pay with a debit card, I don't necessarily look closely at the items on the receipt, just at the total.
I know convenience store and fast food places can be very hectic places to work, and people make mistakes. It's bound to happen. But this particular mistake happens too often for me to think it's always accidental. Candy bar? Ring it up and let the next customer pay for it? Coke? Let the distracted guy with the debit card pay for it. It makes me wonder how often I've been hit and not noticed the overcharge.
So how often do you just hand over money, or sign a receipt, without really checking your items against what you paid? I am wondering if this is just something that happens to me, or if it is more widespread. Since my incidents are not always local, I think it must be a little trick that is pulled fairly often in many places.
What's your experience? Has this ever happened to you?
Showing posts with label poor service. Show all posts
Showing posts with label poor service. Show all posts
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Hughesnet Woes
I thought it was a great idea. Get satellite internet service and my s-l-o-o-o-w dial-up problems would be over.
Boy was I wrong.
Not only am I paying four times as much for the satellite access as I was for dial-up, the speeds are not nearly what was promised by the company that installed the system, and there is little help available, apparently, from the company.
Downloading--email, internet browsing, etc--is better, I admit that. But uploading? Oh my! It's MUCH worse--how about a speedy 8 kbps tonight?
It's so bad that I cannot upload even one photo. This morning's speed was better (48 kbps) but nowhere near the 200 promised by the website. As a matter of fact, I ran speed tests three times a day for the past three days and the fastest speed was this morning's 48 kbps.
The problem, according to India ("Sam" his name was; the last two with distinctively Indian accents were "Peter" and "Allen") is the weather. That's right. Snow on the dish makes it slow. I can kinda sorta buy that extremely bad weather will impact the system. It makes sense that dense cloud cover and heavy rain or snow can create enough of an obstruction to impact service.
But this morning the sun was shining and there was no snow anywhere. So given the logic presented to me, I should have been experiencing peak speeds. But I was getting only a quarter of that. Go figure.
I think the real problem is that Hughesnet has oversubscribed its service. Too many people on the system slow it down, no matter the weather. The company istelf acknowledges that many users during a 24-hour period impact speeds for all--they instituted a "Fair Use" policy that restricts the amount one user can download in 24 hours. What happens if you download more than your fair share? Slow speeds, service interruptions, just like what I've been experiencing.
The thing is, I haven't used anything like 'at peak' amounts, except for a few instances when grandkids were visiting and madly uploading to their MySpace pages (a good reason to stay away from MySpace--the number of preteens who have pages there. Although the site rules say you must be 18, there is no way to enforce the age limit, so children as young as 8 and 9 have sites. Scary).
Meanwhile, Hughesnet tells me they are investigating, and I should clear the snow from my dish and check the speed when the sun is shining! But the sun rarely shines in February, and I'm not home when it does.
So if you're considering satellite internet, be warned that it will not be all that the sales people tell you. It will be far, far less and you will be sadly disappointed, as I have been, to find that you are paying 4 times the price for service that is only minimally better than dial-up.
Boy was I wrong.
Not only am I paying four times as much for the satellite access as I was for dial-up, the speeds are not nearly what was promised by the company that installed the system, and there is little help available, apparently, from the company.
Downloading--email, internet browsing, etc--is better, I admit that. But uploading? Oh my! It's MUCH worse--how about a speedy 8 kbps tonight?
It's so bad that I cannot upload even one photo. This morning's speed was better (48 kbps) but nowhere near the 200 promised by the website. As a matter of fact, I ran speed tests three times a day for the past three days and the fastest speed was this morning's 48 kbps.
The problem, according to India ("Sam" his name was; the last two with distinctively Indian accents were "Peter" and "Allen") is the weather. That's right. Snow on the dish makes it slow. I can kinda sorta buy that extremely bad weather will impact the system. It makes sense that dense cloud cover and heavy rain or snow can create enough of an obstruction to impact service.
But this morning the sun was shining and there was no snow anywhere. So given the logic presented to me, I should have been experiencing peak speeds. But I was getting only a quarter of that. Go figure.
I think the real problem is that Hughesnet has oversubscribed its service. Too many people on the system slow it down, no matter the weather. The company istelf acknowledges that many users during a 24-hour period impact speeds for all--they instituted a "Fair Use" policy that restricts the amount one user can download in 24 hours. What happens if you download more than your fair share? Slow speeds, service interruptions, just like what I've been experiencing.
The thing is, I haven't used anything like 'at peak' amounts, except for a few instances when grandkids were visiting and madly uploading to their MySpace pages (a good reason to stay away from MySpace--the number of preteens who have pages there. Although the site rules say you must be 18, there is no way to enforce the age limit, so children as young as 8 and 9 have sites. Scary).
Meanwhile, Hughesnet tells me they are investigating, and I should clear the snow from my dish and check the speed when the sun is shining! But the sun rarely shines in February, and I'm not home when it does.
So if you're considering satellite internet, be warned that it will not be all that the sales people tell you. It will be far, far less and you will be sadly disappointed, as I have been, to find that you are paying 4 times the price for service that is only minimally better than dial-up.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Thumbs Down to Nextel (Sprint)
I've been a customer for years. Since 2000, I think. My son used to work for Nextel, so most of the family had Nextel phones. After all these years, I am one unhappy customer.
Last summer, Larry lost his cell phone. I called to let them know, and to see about another phone. Well. Seems they can turn your phone off, no problem. BUT to get a replacement meant either a)pay 199.00, or b)renew the contract for another 2 years.
I didn't want to renew at that point. I wanted to look at other options because I think my plan is more expensive, and Nextel/Sprint's coverage in West Virginia is much inferior to other companies. So why would I pay $200 for a phone when I might not be using that company and phone in 4 months?
I had the phone turned off, but I had to pay out the contract until December or pay $200 for early termination of the contract. Either way, Nextel/Sprint wanted to get their $200 from me.
In December I called to cancel the phone as soon as the contract expired. "No problem," the phone rep told me, "I've got it in the computer and it won't be on your next bill."
Next bill comes, there's the phone still listed. I'm still being charged. I called. "You can't do that through Customer Service," I'm told, although that is the only number listed on my bill. "You have to talk to Account Services. They're closed." Great.
Now, I'm gone from home from 7am to 7pm every day. In the time left to me I have to pay bills, make phone calls, write, clean house, do laundry, grocery shopping--everything. I can't do stuff like this at work, because each time I call Nextel I'm on the phone 20 minutes or more. Lunch? I seldom if ever take my lunch break. I realize I should have called back, but I thought, hey they've got it in their records that I called and what the problem was. My mistake.
So today I'm off work, and I call back to get it straightened out.
"You'll have to pay for it," I'm told. "You didn't call back." I explained the whole story, how I was told it was taken care of. The operator was unmoved.
"I wasn't present at that call," she said. "I don't know what he told you."
"But I was present!" I told her. "And I'm telling you what he said."
"Sorry. I have to go by what's in my records. And you didn't call back."
"So you'd rather lose someone who's been a customer for 8 years instead of clearing $78.00 in contested fees?" I asked.
Yep. They would. And so they will. And I will post this to my blog and tell everyone I know just how Nextel/Sprint treats its long-term customers.
It's a shame, really. Shame on them.
Last summer, Larry lost his cell phone. I called to let them know, and to see about another phone. Well. Seems they can turn your phone off, no problem. BUT to get a replacement meant either a)pay 199.00, or b)renew the contract for another 2 years.
I didn't want to renew at that point. I wanted to look at other options because I think my plan is more expensive, and Nextel/Sprint's coverage in West Virginia is much inferior to other companies. So why would I pay $200 for a phone when I might not be using that company and phone in 4 months?
I had the phone turned off, but I had to pay out the contract until December or pay $200 for early termination of the contract. Either way, Nextel/Sprint wanted to get their $200 from me.
In December I called to cancel the phone as soon as the contract expired. "No problem," the phone rep told me, "I've got it in the computer and it won't be on your next bill."
Next bill comes, there's the phone still listed. I'm still being charged. I called. "You can't do that through Customer Service," I'm told, although that is the only number listed on my bill. "You have to talk to Account Services. They're closed." Great.
Now, I'm gone from home from 7am to 7pm every day. In the time left to me I have to pay bills, make phone calls, write, clean house, do laundry, grocery shopping--everything. I can't do stuff like this at work, because each time I call Nextel I'm on the phone 20 minutes or more. Lunch? I seldom if ever take my lunch break. I realize I should have called back, but I thought, hey they've got it in their records that I called and what the problem was. My mistake.
So today I'm off work, and I call back to get it straightened out.
"You'll have to pay for it," I'm told. "You didn't call back." I explained the whole story, how I was told it was taken care of. The operator was unmoved.
"I wasn't present at that call," she said. "I don't know what he told you."
"But I was present!" I told her. "And I'm telling you what he said."
"Sorry. I have to go by what's in my records. And you didn't call back."
"So you'd rather lose someone who's been a customer for 8 years instead of clearing $78.00 in contested fees?" I asked.
Yep. They would. And so they will. And I will post this to my blog and tell everyone I know just how Nextel/Sprint treats its long-term customers.
It's a shame, really. Shame on them.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
The Hughesnet Saga Continues
..with so many phone calls yesterday evening that the battery on my telephone went dead.
Here's the story so far:
August 30--I called the repair number to report my satellite being out of service, probably due to an electrical storm that day. After an hour with people I could barely understand on the telephone, it was decided the modem was bad. I had to pay for a new one--$200. They would ship it and I would receive it in 3-5 days. (all reps in India)
September 10, no modem had arrived. I called again and was given a tracking number and told it was being shipped USPS not FedEx as I had been told originally. Another 20 minutes on the phone. (India again)
September 11, I called USPS to check on the tracking number. No such number exists. Maybe it's too soon and the number isn't in the system.
September 13, I call USPS to check on the tracking number. No such number is listed. I call Hughesnet again. I am sent to a customer service rep who tells me that is not a tracking number, it's a receipt number. The shipping department would have the tracking number but he can't forward me to them. There is, he says, no way to get the tracking number. I am dumbfounded. Another 15 minutes on the phone. (No idea where this guy was, but he was obviously American and obviously couldn't care less)
September 13, evening, the package has arrived. I do not try to install it because I am home very late. And I don't have my PC back yet anyway.
September 14, the PC arrives from HP (only a few days to get it back from them, and all my data still there--yay!) I attempt the installation of the modem. It's not an easy thing! After trying to decipher the pages of instructions, I call Support again (India).
I spend a good 20 minutes or more with the first rep, who sends me to Advanced Support (in Ft. Lauderdale). Another long interval on the telephone, and he determines that it's the satellite itself that is the problem. He gives me a telephone number to schedule an installer. Not to worry, I'm under warranty, he says.
September 17, I call to schedule the installer. (Germantown MD this time). She sets it up for the next day--amazing!
September 18, the installer arrives early. As he is attempting to adjust the satellite settings on my computer, the new modem starts to smoke and smell. He disconnects it, calls his support number to see what to do. Busy signal for the first 15 minutes. He finally gets through, explains that he is the installer, and that the Factory Rebuilt Unit is apparently defective, and can he use a unit he has on his truck. Nope, has to call another number. He calls, gets India, and after a 20 miute confusing conversation, ends up hanging up on the idiot on the other end (I even tried to talk to this guy, and got nowhere).
Installer calls another number, his own support number. I learn in the course of all this that Hugesnet contracts with a company called Ten something or something Ten for repair/install calls. I also learn that the original installer did a terrible job of installing my system, so bad that my installer was advised to take pictures of it. No ground box was installed at all. I also learn that there is yet another company involved--a supplier?--called Guardian. My installer has to call them. The installer, I learn is a self-employed subcontractor.
This last call--I'm not sure if it was Guardian or the "Ten" company--tells the installer he cannot install a new modem because it will cost them $450. I can't believe my ears. I'm paying for the service, I have an installer at my house, and he can't put the unit in because it will cost them money. No concern at all expressed for a customer who has waited almost 3 weeks, no concern that I have been supplied with a bad rebuilt modem. Nothing. They can't do anything for me. (We have been on the telephone since just after 4pm, it's now 6:20pm.)
So what's my next step, I ask? He gave me the number for corporate headquarters. That's all he can do. He was amazed that I had been mailed a modem, he said he can't get them and that there's a 3-week backlog. He said that Hughesnet doesn't send him the supplies he needs, and he can't help me.
I give the installer $20 because he's been at my house now for so long, almost 4 hours, trying to get some answer as to what he can do to fix my system. He leaves.
I call the corporate number. Of course, by then it's 6:30 and they're gone. I forward to Tech Support. Another tech tells me to plug the faulty modem back in. I can't believe my ears! Plug it in when it was smoking and burning? Is this call being recorded, I ask? Because I want it on record that you're asking me to do this. It could damage something else in my home! He insists, I have to plug it in. He sounds desperate. I plug it in, still not believing he asked me to do it.
Of course, he can't do anything with it, so once again I am forwarded to Advanced Technical Support. By this time I've been on the telephone a long time, and the installer had been on the phone a long time, and the battery goes dead. I find the corded phone, get it plugged in, and call back. Another round with the first techie before I can get to Advanced Support again.
The advanced tech is disbelieving--he can't believe the other guy told me to plug it in. Tells me he is forwarding my "case" to Corporate Headquarters and I should be hearing from them the next morning. I tell him I'll be at work, they won't be able to reach me. Not to worry he said, they'll leave a message. Great. That should really help--a little phone tag.
September 19--I get not one but two emails from Hughesnet, asking what I think about their Advanced Technical Support! Do you think they really want me to tell them?
And so the saga continues...
Here's the story so far:
August 30--I called the repair number to report my satellite being out of service, probably due to an electrical storm that day. After an hour with people I could barely understand on the telephone, it was decided the modem was bad. I had to pay for a new one--$200. They would ship it and I would receive it in 3-5 days. (all reps in India)
September 10, no modem had arrived. I called again and was given a tracking number and told it was being shipped USPS not FedEx as I had been told originally. Another 20 minutes on the phone. (India again)
September 11, I called USPS to check on the tracking number. No such number exists. Maybe it's too soon and the number isn't in the system.
September 13, I call USPS to check on the tracking number. No such number is listed. I call Hughesnet again. I am sent to a customer service rep who tells me that is not a tracking number, it's a receipt number. The shipping department would have the tracking number but he can't forward me to them. There is, he says, no way to get the tracking number. I am dumbfounded. Another 15 minutes on the phone. (No idea where this guy was, but he was obviously American and obviously couldn't care less)
September 13, evening, the package has arrived. I do not try to install it because I am home very late. And I don't have my PC back yet anyway.
September 14, the PC arrives from HP (only a few days to get it back from them, and all my data still there--yay!) I attempt the installation of the modem. It's not an easy thing! After trying to decipher the pages of instructions, I call Support again (India).
I spend a good 20 minutes or more with the first rep, who sends me to Advanced Support (in Ft. Lauderdale). Another long interval on the telephone, and he determines that it's the satellite itself that is the problem. He gives me a telephone number to schedule an installer. Not to worry, I'm under warranty, he says.
September 17, I call to schedule the installer. (Germantown MD this time). She sets it up for the next day--amazing!
September 18, the installer arrives early. As he is attempting to adjust the satellite settings on my computer, the new modem starts to smoke and smell. He disconnects it, calls his support number to see what to do. Busy signal for the first 15 minutes. He finally gets through, explains that he is the installer, and that the Factory Rebuilt Unit is apparently defective, and can he use a unit he has on his truck. Nope, has to call another number. He calls, gets India, and after a 20 miute confusing conversation, ends up hanging up on the idiot on the other end (I even tried to talk to this guy, and got nowhere).
Installer calls another number, his own support number. I learn in the course of all this that Hugesnet contracts with a company called Ten something or something Ten for repair/install calls. I also learn that the original installer did a terrible job of installing my system, so bad that my installer was advised to take pictures of it. No ground box was installed at all. I also learn that there is yet another company involved--a supplier?--called Guardian. My installer has to call them. The installer, I learn is a self-employed subcontractor.
This last call--I'm not sure if it was Guardian or the "Ten" company--tells the installer he cannot install a new modem because it will cost them $450. I can't believe my ears. I'm paying for the service, I have an installer at my house, and he can't put the unit in because it will cost them money. No concern at all expressed for a customer who has waited almost 3 weeks, no concern that I have been supplied with a bad rebuilt modem. Nothing. They can't do anything for me. (We have been on the telephone since just after 4pm, it's now 6:20pm.)
So what's my next step, I ask? He gave me the number for corporate headquarters. That's all he can do. He was amazed that I had been mailed a modem, he said he can't get them and that there's a 3-week backlog. He said that Hughesnet doesn't send him the supplies he needs, and he can't help me.
I give the installer $20 because he's been at my house now for so long, almost 4 hours, trying to get some answer as to what he can do to fix my system. He leaves.
I call the corporate number. Of course, by then it's 6:30 and they're gone. I forward to Tech Support. Another tech tells me to plug the faulty modem back in. I can't believe my ears! Plug it in when it was smoking and burning? Is this call being recorded, I ask? Because I want it on record that you're asking me to do this. It could damage something else in my home! He insists, I have to plug it in. He sounds desperate. I plug it in, still not believing he asked me to do it.
Of course, he can't do anything with it, so once again I am forwarded to Advanced Technical Support. By this time I've been on the telephone a long time, and the installer had been on the phone a long time, and the battery goes dead. I find the corded phone, get it plugged in, and call back. Another round with the first techie before I can get to Advanced Support again.
The advanced tech is disbelieving--he can't believe the other guy told me to plug it in. Tells me he is forwarding my "case" to Corporate Headquarters and I should be hearing from them the next morning. I tell him I'll be at work, they won't be able to reach me. Not to worry he said, they'll leave a message. Great. That should really help--a little phone tag.
September 19--I get not one but two emails from Hughesnet, asking what I think about their Advanced Technical Support! Do you think they really want me to tell them?
And so the saga continues...
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