Mark quickly called to switch to a less expensive plan. But he was still left footing the bill he'd already received. He felt that the company should credit him for the time he spent paying for the unannounced price hike. He's a good customer who spends more than $300 a month and who feels a price hike should come in his bill and be clearly marked. And it's not as if anyone was talking about a lot of money. Sure, it was enough cash to make him angry but not so much that a reasonable company should consider losing a good customer for it. In all, getting his money back was a reasonable request.
But Qwest "steadfastly refused to credit us for the price hike," he says. "Even on threat of moving to Cox Communications for voice, data, and cable, they wouldn't budge. I called Qwest several times and each time I mentioned how upset I was at not being properly notified of the price increase. Each time the outcome was the same -- no credit."
But even as his patience was flagging, Mark made one more call. "Brock, the last Qwest rep I spoke with," he says, "came up with a creative solution. He couldn't credit the extra we paid for the cellular for about five weeks, but he could offer us a break on our landlines -- a break that more than offset the extra we had paid for cellular. He also noted that we were qualified for some additional Qwest bundle discounts. Brock made a $3,600/year Qwest customer happy for about $75 and some innovative thinking. Too bad the previous three reps weren't looking at the big picture, but all's well that ends well."
A lot of people would have simply given up, telling themselves that the money is not worth the suffering and that consumers are helpless against big companies. But Mark was persistent, steadfast, and sure about what felt right to him. He finally got someone who agreed with him and had the power and skills to help solve his problem.
This is a story I hear over and over.
Of course, if you don't like the game -- and that sweet feeling of winning that belongs to Mark now -- you could just write to me. This is a game I love to play.
Got gripes? Send them to christina_tynan-wood@infoworld.com.
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