Frustrations of online support systems. Really?
Dealing with faceless individuals via call centres is frustrating, but the advent of online company, organisational and institutional online contact centres is proving even more of a frustration. For quite some time now, I have been paying my power bills online. When I checked my account in late September, I noticed my power account was much higher than it really should be at around 86 rials. I thought, “Strange though, I usually pay every salary day.”
I went online and found I had made two payments of 30 and 40 rials which did not appear to have been credited to my account. I wrote down the bank transaction reference numbers, and the next day, left work early and went to the nearby electricity company offices.
After three people told me it “wasn’t their job,” an Omani customer assisted me to find the appropriate person. He printed out my statement of account, the same as that I held in my hand, and told me, “Pay this,” and drawing a big circle around the amount showing as outstanding, 86 rials, and asked me if I would “pay all now?”
Again, using the well-spoken Omani customer, I explained that the two payments had not been credited to my account, so, no, I would not be paying any of the outstanding amount. I looked on as the two Omanis then launched into a quite long dialogue, at the end of which the electricity company employee, said “Aaaaaaah,” in a long sigh of recognition, or awareness.
The customer turned to me and said, “He understands now, everything will be okay.” Buoyed by what I had seen, the frustration I had felt washed off in a moment, and I turned towards the younger employee.
He, in turn, was writing furiously on a scrap of paper, which he thrust at me as he guided me towards the door saying, “Call this number. This electric company. Now closing time.”
It was indeed after 3 pm, and resigning myself to the obvious, I slunk home, while he puffed his cheeks out in relief at my disappearance.
That evening I called the number, and was met with yet another, different company, where I spoke to a young man. He listened attentively, asked questions, I thought, in all the right places, and also said Aaaaaaah when I had finished.
He gave me a number too. I thought, “There’s a pattern emerging here,” as I wrote down the Whatsapp number he gave. “Please send the transaction confirmations, along with my name, and we will fix everything.” So, sort of reassured, I slept well that night.
The next day, I sent the confirmations. Four days later, with no response, I returned to the local office and was told, “Mister. Not my problem. Your problem.” How’s that for service?
Then, without any other communication from anyone, I was sent 11 days later, on Whatsapp, a statement that showed the 30 rials’ payment was credited to my account, but still no news on the 40 rials’ payment, which of course I questioned by return. The same day, I received a message asking, “Do you have a receipt sir?” I responded in the affirmative, and that I had sent it 12 days earlier, but I resent it anyway.
On November 1, I advised that I had not had a response, and again on November 6. I then sent a message advising that their company could find itself the subject of a newspaper article, and asked if they had any comment for publication, with again, no response.
PS: I reported the issue to my bank and received a complaint number. After three weeks, I still have no response from them either. Why am I not surprised?