rude customer service.

Post by **godpikachu** » 19 Dec 2008, 20:13

eeeh!, back when i was a postie (i got made redundant in 2003, after 4 years service), we used to bend over backwards to provide a decent service, but after what happenned yesterday i can honestly say that royal mails current idea of good customer service is a bit lacklustre.

on the 8th of december i bought some items online, and paid for special delivery, the place where i bought them from confirmed they had been sent 9/12/08 and gave me the special delivery reference number. i called royal mails 0845 "customer service" number, and, after spending nearly 15 minutes on hold i finally managed to speak to a human being.

after id explained the situation to him, i asked why they were showing as still being held at lincoln sorting office, when by all rights they should be in my hand, the call centre moneky (named tony) just kept saying that they obviously werent posted through royal mail (?!?), and there was nothing he could do.
i asked to speak to his supervisor and he told me to f*ck off.
after calling back to try to speak to someone else and to make a complaint about this muppet, i gets put through to a guy called "stuart" who said that royal mail wasnt responsible for lost packages that werent posted through them.....erm...so royal mail special delivery, where the item was posted at prestwich post office, and has found its way as far as lincoln sorting office, isnt royal mails responsibility???.

i asked to speak to a manger and the muppet hung up on me.

awful service, and i dont know why they dont just admit someones half inched my parcel and get it over with.

DGP1 · Post by **DGP1** » 19 Dec 2008, 20:44

Royal Mail tracking http://postcode.royalmail.com/portal/rm ... d=22700601 here, just put in the reference number you have and that should tell you where the package is.

Post by **godpikachu** » 19 Dec 2008, 21:07

disgruntledpostie1 wrote:Royal Mail tracking http://postcode.royalmail.com/portal/rm ... d=22700601 here, just put in the reference number you have and that should tell you where the package is.

yeah, thats what ive used, according to the readout, its currently at lincoln sorting office, and has been there for a week.
i live in doncaster and as yet there hasnt been any kind of explanation as to why it hasnt been sent to doncaster sorting office or indeed delivered to me, which leads me to believe its been lost or stolen.

its mainly the attitude of the customer service staff that has p*ssed me off in this matter, as quite clearly the 2 people i spoke to couldnt be bothered to sort out my enquiry, instead sticking to the scripted reply of "youll have to wait 15 days before you can complain"...im sorry, but next day special delivery was paid for, so its not unreasonable to expect that the parcel should have been delivered by 1pm on 10/12/08.

DGP1 · Post by **DGP1** » 19 Dec 2008, 21:38

What you need to do now is to contact the company who sent the package and have them send it out again, let them fight it out with RM

. As for the customer service, there was someone on here recently from RMCS so it may be worthwhile PMing him to see what he says is the proper procedure.

DGP1 · Post by **DGP1** » 19 Dec 2008, 21:41

http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... cs#p135560

Post by **godpikachu** » 19 Dec 2008, 22:56

well, ive emailed the guy and told him about the situation, hes very kindly refunded my money (inc postage) via paypal, who should i complain to about the CSRs attitude?

Post by **magicbeard** » 20 Dec 2008, 11:48

the RMCS is just there to provide a front of incompetence for the customer on the hope they will get so frustrated they will loose interest and drop their complaint.

RMCS staff are only able to answer and deal with issues specified on their list of Q&A’s. If you issue is not on the list, you have zero chance of getting it resolved as they are incapable of thinking for themselves.

the best option is to dig deep and find a direct communication route to someone behind the RMCS front. generally you will get to a member of staff who is able to think and actually does give a damn about your issue. this forum is a go place to get that help

k979aaa · Post by **k979aaa** » 20 Dec 2008, 18:48

magicbeard wrote:the RMCS is just there to provide a front of incompetence for the customer on the hope they will get so frustrated they will loose interest and drop their complaint.

RMCS staff are only able to answer and deal with issues specified on their list of Q&A’s. If you issue is not on the list, you have zero chance of getting it resolved as they are incapable of thinking for themselves.

the best option is to dig deep and find a direct communication route to someone behind the RMCS front. generally you will get to a member of staff who is able to think and actually does give a damn about your issue. this forum is a go place to get that help

Well said as RMCS is just a front too let the customer think they care year's ago we hand local people who handled all customer complaint's and enquires and did really care!. Sorry if it sound's harsh but it is worse to work for them than to be an occasional customer!. SORRY FOR YOUR BAD EXPIERANCE WITH R/M.

Post by **godpikachu** » 20 Dec 2008, 23:33

yeah, its like when i used to work for RM, if a customer had any complaint, all they had to do was call in to or ring up their local post office and the post master would deal with it for them.

all the RMCS "service" is is just a crappy premium rate phone number (see:- revenue generation), staffed by barely trained monkies who are just told to read from scripts. due to their poor training, and poor wages, thats why whenever you deviate them from their script they dont know what to do and simply respond with swearing and insults, its pathetic really.

Post by **magicbeard** » 21 Dec 2008, 18:42

godpikachu wrote:yeah, its like when i used to work for RM, if a customer had any complaint, all they had to do was call in to or ring up their local post office and the post master would deal with it for them.

all the RMCS "service" is is just a crappy premium rate phone number (see:- revenue generation), staffed by barely trained monkies who are just told to read from scripts. due to their poor training, and poor wages, thats why whenever you deviate them from their script they dont know what to do and simply respond with swearing and insults, its pathetic really.

indeed, another point in case highlighting the failings of a poorly conceived call centre, why do companies still use them ?????

Post by **97gaz** » 21 Dec 2008, 19:02

Collar your local postie and get him to give you the number of your local delivery office. I have no idea whether I'm supposed to give it out but I do all the time.Also if i get a customer complaining about late delivery etc, I don't argue the toss. I just give them the managers name and direct number and tell them to moan at him. It's his bloody job and he gets very well paid for it.

Post by **fmrPOSTIE** » 21 Dec 2008, 21:47

97gaz wrote:Collar your local postie and get him to give you the number of your local delivery office. I have no idea whether I'm supposed to give it out but I do all the time.Also if i get a customer complaining about late delivery etc, I don't argue the toss. I just give them the managers name and direct number and tell them to moan at him. It's his bloody job and he gets very well paid for it.

the local DO phone number never gets answered though...lol.

Post by **flettie** » 22 Dec 2008, 11:14

Mark

Many thanks for your package – unfortunately it was mashed beyond recognition. Despite the fact that you included extra weight in packing materials and the package was absolutely appropriate, your DVD is probably being kicked around some sorting office floor as I write. I received what was left of the package in an outer plastic wrapper with a number on it to call in cases like this. I knew in my heart of hearts that ringing this number could only lead to turning irritation into anger...I was not wrong. The number 08457 470470 laughingly called the customer service centre was designed so that you never got to speak to anyone in the royal mail. In fact one soon became so lost in several levels of IVR that one soon recognises that it is an object lesson in futility.

As was expected there was no direct email address to send your complaint to, save the webmail response. There is a complaints procedure that puts all the activities on the complainant IE “you must do this...you must do that etc which quite frankly leaves me incandescent with rage. I guess I could go down to the sorting office and bang on the desk but it’s unfair to bully the spotty Herbert on the desk who is probably on minimum wage and has less inclination to serve a customer than I am to support saving the Royal Mail from extinction. I don’t blame them as individuals but as a corporate entity they have the cancer of most public sector workers that of hopelessly trying to maintain creaking antique working practises in today’s competitive world.

So nice try Mark and thanks for the thought - but I’m afraid careful and responsible handling of customers property does not feature in the job description of your average postie!

Because the Royal Mail hide behind an electronic wall, I have decided to post this on the employees forum so when they start to wonder why the public has lost confidence in them they at least have a customer’s perception of the problems.

Have a great Christmas

MF

not me · Post by **not me** » 22 Dec 2008, 14:48

flettie wrote:Mark

Many thanks for your package – unfortunately it was mashed beyond recognition. Despite the fact that you included extra weight in packing materials and the package was absolutely appropriate, your DVD is probably being kicked around some sorting office floor as I write. I received what was left of the package in an outer plastic wrapper with a number on it to call in cases like this. I knew in my heart of hearts that ringing this number could only lead to turning irritation into anger...I was not wrong. The number 08457 470470 laughingly called the customer service centre was designed so that you never got to speak to anyone in the royal mail. In fact one soon became so lost in several levels of IVR that one soon recognises that it is an object lesson in futility.

As was expected there was no direct email address to send your complaint to, save the webmail response. There is a complaints procedure that puts all the activities on the complainant IE “you must do this...you must do that etc which quite frankly leaves me incandescent with rage. I guess I could go down to the sorting office and bang on the desk but it’s unfair to bully the spotty Herbert on the desk who is probably on minimum wage and has less inclination to serve a customer than I am to support saving the Royal Mail from extinction. I don’t blame them as individuals but as a corporate entity they have the cancer of most public sector workers that of hopelessly trying to maintain creaking antique working practises in today’s competitive world.

So nice try Mark and thanks for the thought - but I’m afraid careful and responsible handling of customers property does not feature in the job description of your average postie!

Because the Royal Mail hide behind an electronic wall, I have decided to post this on the employees forum so when they start to wonder why the public has lost confidence in them they at least have a customer’s perception of the problems.

Have a great Christmas

MF

what exactly are you telling us?
i think you should read the thread from the start

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 22 Dec 2008, 15:11

Flettie - You posted the same message twice in 2 different threads - I have deleted one.