An curious snippet of (so far unconfirmed) news dropped into the inbox overnight, concerning heavyweight Korean tech and household manufacturers Samsung:

Just dropping you a line to let you know that all of Samsung UK’s customer service were being told at close of business today that they were being made redundant at the end of the month. All support will now be handled overseas. This totally came out of the blue as they were still recruiting even this morning offering a couple of people jobs.

We’ve tried contacting Samsung – their head office number in Chertsey has a 1-800 number on the website, and the number for customer support – which should have opened at 8am – is currently out of service. Obviously the information sent to us remains unconfirmed – if you know any more, let us know.

UPDATE – we’ve contacted a member of Samsung’s customer support team; while they couldn’t confirm timescales, they did confirm that customer support in the UK is being closed down, and all operations moved to Cairo.

Just saying.

Spare a thought, as this is what the poor customer service agents on the other end of the phone have to put up with all day long.

From one of our HotUKDeals Of The Day – series one of Modern Toss on DVD for only £2.95.

WARNING: This clip is NSFW and contains rude swearwords.

Our recent post on cancelling your Orange mobile contract was so popular we had to post a troubleshooting guide for dealing with Orange’s customer service department. But why were customers having so many problems with a department that exists to assist them? Read through the comments and you’ll find dozens of accounts of dropped calls, rude and aggressive operators and far less service than you might expect.

We’ve been contacted by a member of staff at Orange who claims the reason is the bonuses for customer service operators aren’t based on whether any given customer query is successfully resolved, but on the average call lengths and average customer satisfaction ratings:

I think that Orange as a whole is taking a turn for the worst – the area I work in has been told it needs to make a saving of £1.8 million over the next 12 months in light of the current financial situation.

I also feel many Orange staff don’t do the job they should simply because of the current bonus culture that’s been introduced. We constantly have customers saying they were promised resolutions to situations and were fobbed off by staff members. These operators know that as long as their call handling time and average customer satisfaction scores are at a certain level they’ll get a bonus. However, when the customers call back a week or a month later because nothing has been done, there’s no way of tracing the agent the customer spoke, so the next operator loses out when they do the job properly and get a result for the customer.

A lot of staff that have been with the company for over five years have seen this happening and become progressively worse, but the powers that be seen to just brush us and our feedback under the carpet. As long as the business is saving money they don’t really seem to care.

In other words, it’s seemingly very easy for plenty of operators to do absolutely nothing to help you and still receive their bonuses. By promising you the world or simply hanging up on your call, an agent can help ensure there’s extra cash in next month’s paypacket.

UPDATE 12/08: Orange has now scrapped the ToS change following consumer upset and cancellations. Read full update and official statement here.

UPDATE 08/08/09: Comments as of late Friday indicate Orange are now refusing to cancel contracts if you did not go over contract allowance in the last 3 months. We will be contacting Ofcom and taking legal advice Monday and will post a response. More here.

So the good news is Orange have given you the perfect excuse to cancel your Orange contract – they’re increasing the charges for minutes used beyond your allowance and other services from mid-September. The better news is that, judging by your comments, plenty of you are managing to do so without too much bother. The bad news is that for others, Orange customer services are telling outright lies and refusing to help.

Remember that you’re not attempting to scam Orange; contracts are there to protect both parties concerned, not just the bigger of the two. If the terms and conditions allow you to cancel, Orange have no right to prevent you from doing so

Below is a troubleshooting guide for dealing with customer services, to help you through some of the scenarios you may find yourself in when attempting to cancel:

You’re told the changes won’t effect you because you don’t currently exceed your monthly allowance of minutes
It doesn’t matter whether you currently exceed your allowance or not, because the contract you agreed with Orange doesn’t consider changes causing material detriment to you – i.e. whether it will increase your average bill. What your Orange contract actually says is:

4.3 You may also terminate your Contract if we vary its terms, resulting in an excessive increase in the Charges or changes that alter your rights under this Contract to your detriment.

In other words, it is your right to go over your allowance of minutes without paying more than you previously agreed to. Like voting and free speech, whether you choose to exercise this right is up to you, but Orange have agreed they cannot make changes that affect your rights without your agreement.

Action to take

Tell the operator that while you may not currently exceed your allowance, it’s your right to do so, and that this is clearly stated in your Orange contract. Read the clause to the operator if you need to.

“Just cancelled my contact with 13months to go. no fees. operator did try the “but you don’t use all your allowance so it doesn’t effect you.” I gave the stock reply of “but i might want to go over my allowance in the future.” Her reply was “No problem, when would you like the contact to finish?” Result and I get to keep the phone.” Ed-209

You’re told you can only cancel if you’ve received a text message informing you of the changes – if you haven’t, you can’t

From what we can tell, the changes in charges are for all pay monthly contracts that commenced sometime after the end of May. A text message has been sent to some (but seemingly not all) customers informing them of the changes. Some customers are being told that if they haven’t received the text then either a) they can’t cancel, or b) they aren’t eligible to cancel, or c) they will have to wait until they receive a text.

Let’s take a quick look at two points in the contract:

4.3 In such cases [of wishing to terminate your contract] you would need to give us at least 14 days written notice prior to your Billing Date (and within one month of us telling you about the changes).

16.1 We regard you as having been given any information if it is either:
a) included in a mailing addressed to you
b) by voicemail, email text or other form of electronic message sent by us to your Device
c) communicated directly by any means.

What this means is that if changes are been made that affect your contract, then you don’t need to receive a text – an operator communicating the changes directly over the phone is sufficient.

Action to take

If you’ve been told that you can only cancel if you’ve received a text, then politely ask: “Will the increases in call charges affect me?”

If the answer is no, then ask why not. Get a specific reason – it may be addressed by another point in this guide. You might be told you don’t exceed your minute allowance, for example – in which case, see above.

If the answer is yes, then point out clause 16.1 of your Orange contract states that you can be informed of the changes by any agreed method, which includes direct communication with Orange. You’ve just been informed of the changes over the phone, and so you don’t need to receive a text.

However, some comments have suggested that Orange are deliberately staggering the texts, which means there may be a valid reason as to why you haven’t received one yet. If the operator still refuses and requests you wait until a text is sent, ask for a specific date when the text will be sent. It has to be before mid-August so you have 30 days to give notice. Agree that if you don’t receive it on this date, that you can call back and cancel. Take the operator’s full name and then ask for a note to be put on your account. If you have to call back again, point out that Orange are already in breach of contract by refusing to let you cancel.

“Spoke to CS and quoted the price increase saying that I’d heard it from a friend. They confirmed that the increase would affect me BUT, I had to wait until I had received a text as they have a “system” in place which means that those who have received the text will be able to cancel without the danger of still being charged the rest of the contract. I didn’t believe this and told her so but she was insistent that I had to wait for a text.” Theo

You’re told you can only cancel your contract after the changes come into effect

This is just plain wrong. It is a lie, full stop. The contract states:

15.1 If you do not give notice within one month of our notifying you of any change(s), you will be taken to have accepted the change(s).

Therefore, if Orange do not accept your notice of cancellation and you wait until after the changes occur, you have no right to cancel.

Action to take

If you are told this, read clause 15.1 to the operator. Tell them you wish to give notice now, and by making you wait until after the changes occur they are in breach on contract.

You’re told you can cancel, but you have to return your handset

Again, utter bollocks:

14.1 your Device is not a part of your Contract
Your Device and Accessories are acquired by you outside the terms of your Contract.

It’s as simple as that, really.

Action to take

If you are told this, read clause 14.1 to the operator.

You’re told you can cancel, but you can’t have your PAC code

Orange don’t want your business going elsewhere and so are deliberately putting obstacles in your way. This includes planting the seed that you might lose your current mobile number – after all, you may have used that number for years.

Judging by the comments from Bitterwallet readers, Orange are telling plenty of customers they can’t have their PAC code (allowing them to transfer your number to another network). This is another lie. Unless there are complex issues with an account, Orange are required to transfer a customer’s number within 2 business days of being asked to.

Action to take

Point out that Ofcom guidelines state that Orange are required to transfer your number – if you don’t currently have another service provider, then this means they must provide a PAC code for you to give to your next provider.

If they still refuse, point out they are in breach of Ofcom guidelines and you’ll be making a complaint. Or suggest they call an Ofcom specialist advisor on 0300 123 3333.

The Orange operator is rude and refuses to help

If your operator isn’t interested in listening and becomes increasingly rude, politely thank them for their time and end the call. The reality is that some agents are courteous and helpful, while others don’t care much for you or what you may have read on the internet, and will treat you like rebel scum.

Action to take

It’s a lottery who’ll take your call – there are dozens of operators, and they don’t get to choose which calls they take – so if at first you don’t succeed, try again.

“Got mine cancelled this morning but it took 3 calls. The first rep went through my call records and checked whether I’d gone over my inclusive minutes in the last 3 months – I hadn’t so she said I wasn’t eligible to cancel. The second asked me for the ref number of the text I got – I didn’t have it to hand so I hung up and checked back -the only number on the text was 2472 so I made a note.

“The third rep was very friendly, put me on hold for a few minutes, came back and told me I could cancel and asked me if I wanted a PAC number. I did so had to take a months notice (no probs with that – gives me time to find a better deal). Then got asked how I heard about charges changes – said I got text – was asked what number text came from. Also got asked when I got the text. All was fine; expecting PAC in post at weekend.

“Keep trying but don’t bother trying to argue it, just politely leave the call, you just need to get the right person.” Grunthos

During their recent annual shareholder meeting, BT announced it would be moving a significant number of customer service roles back to the UK from India. The news was met by a standing ovation – BT has hardly been the poster boy for customer care in recent times.

The roles aren’t expected to be repatriated until next year, but in the meantime if you’re struggling to get anywhere with your complaints, you can turn to Twitter. According to BT employees who have spoken to Bitterwallet, the company dipped a toe in the waters of Twitter with a single employee answering customer queries and ensuring they were dealt with. That was so successful that BT have now put together a team of ten staff at their Enniskillen customer service centre for dealing with residential customer complaints.

Not only do they answer queries put to them directly on Twitter, but the team are continuously sifting through all the Twitter messages looking for individuals complaining about BT and offering to help them resolve the issue. According to our contacts, the probability of having your complaint successfully dealt with is astronomically higher through Twitter than by calling Customer Services.

Smart. You’ll find BT on Twitter at @btcare – let us know if you try them out and how you get on.

Since DSGi stopped turning over their own businesses, closed their staff blog to prying eyes and waving goodbye to senior members of staff, we haven’t had much cause to mention your least-favourite retail park conglomerate.

But behind the scenes, there’s still all sorts of baloney going down, but this time it could really be a good deal for the customer. No, seriously. One of our moles has emailed to tell us the DSGi call centres based in Sheffield and Nottingham are being taken back into ownership after being outsourced to Capita for several years. We tried reading up about Capita’s success to date, but the link for their DSGi Sheffield centre case study no longer exists.

DSGi are expected to retain all staff that work across the two sites; some 2,000 people were employed in the call centres when Capita won the original contracts. DSGi Chief Executive John Browett has stated on his internal blog that having control of the call centres will enable the company to provide a better customer experience for the likes of PC World and Currys, in-line with their “customer at the heart” strategy.

But the really interesting development is that, according to our source, DSGi has also put together a crack-commando team called “Save The Customer” who will be called in to resolve any issue that takes over one hour to be resolved by the regular call centre staff. What exactly can they do in these situations? “They have the authority to do pretty much anything to ensure that the issue is fixed for the customer,” says our mole.

It’ll still be a thoroughly vexing situation if if takes over an hour on the phone to resolve a problem, but at least there’s a glimmer of hope that DSGi are acknowledging their flaws and attempting to fix them. How successful will they be? You’ll have to let us know.

Ah, PayPal. Your uncanny ability to seemingly piss off the planet without your double charging, questionable terms & conditions and miserable customer services knows no bounds, yet everyone still uses you day in, day out.

Those with a grudge regarding your handling of problems do have a point, though – it’s not as if you pay a great deal of attention to them, now is it?

[Consumerist]

That’s a smartcard reader, that is. Conveniently delivered in a box over 100 times its size:

[TwitPic] via @thisismattball on Twitter

While you’re welcome to get in touch with Bitterwallet with any consumer gripes you have, time and time again our inbox is rammed to the rim with rants about Play.com. Specifically, their less-than-professional packaging methods. There may be other online companies sending out orders wrapped in bricks and spittle, but Play.com keeps getting all your lovin’.

HUKD forum member Blender ordered an Xbox 360 entertainment pack from Play.com. To be fair the contents were already boxed, but it’s not unreasonable to expect the box to arrive in pristine shape since it may have been ordered as a gift. So when the XBox turned up looking like this…

…it wasn’t entirely surprising, because the packaging amounted to this:

A plastic bag. No padding, no bracing, no second box to protect the item. Says Blender:

“Now I don’t know if they were trying to save money or some guy in the warehouse was just having a laugh, but I feel it’s common knowledge that a cardboard box won’t arrive in good condition if it’s sent in a bag.

Luckily enough the item wasn’t a present or gift otherwise play.com would have yielded to my wrath.”

Have any of your deliveries suffered terminal packaging FAIL? If you complained, what was the response? Send us your tales and your photos to mail@bitterwallet.com.

There’s absolutely no excuse for companies dispatching gifts and goods in half-arsed packaging; cast your mind back to December, and you’ll recall that Play.com were seemingly incapable of delivering goods in the intended number of pieces. There were those DVDRs for example, packed with a single sheet of paper in a cardboard box. And then there was the hard drive, inexplicably placed in a box, which was then placed inside a second, much larger box, both enjoying minimalist padding.

No more excuses; a Japanese firm has created a packaging that molds itself to the shape of the item and the container. All you seemingly need is some magic foam and a watering can:

Despite the fact the company representative is accompanied by a translator, neither one of them is speaking English, which makes the exact procedure a complete mystery. You don’t need to know how they do it, you just need to hope that Play.com and the rest pull their collective fingers out before December and try it.

[Gizmodo]

For how many minutes of our fleeting lives do we speak slowly into a telephone, as if ordering a main course in a foreign restaurant? How many seconds do we weep tears of frustration? For how long do we bang our head relentlessly off the desktop in the hope it will cause some seismic shift in the fundamental workings of the universe?

If you really want to know, then collectively it’s about 5.8 billion hours a year. Yes, that’s how much time UK consumers spend dealing with customer service staff. Put another away, every week we kiss goodbye to 136 minutes of our precious existence that we’ll never see again. If only goods and services actually worked properly, then maybe we could put that time to more productive use, like avoiding mass recession.

Interestingly, the  DHL Express survey of more than 1200 British adults shows over one in four of us consider customer services before making a purchasing decision; if we’re going to commit our scant income to a particular item or service, we need to feel reassured that somebody will help if it all goes tits up. Women are more concerned about customer service compared to men, which is obvious because all men are heartless bastards, at least according to a recent survey conducted by me of one ex-girlfriend.

What conclusions do you take from the survey? That UK business is geared towards providing the best possible service for consumers? Or that everything is broken and never works the way it says it will on the box?

So what’s the key to great customer services? And what makes the experience so abysmal you’d rather chew your own face off than pick up the phone? Research by Nuance Communications reveals the top two complaints are agents that are difficult to understand due to language barriers, and that it takes too long to speak to a live agent.

Outrageous! And true! It’s…. truly outrageous! And there’s no doubt whatsoever that many of you will agree with these top line findings. However, before you write to the Daily Mail in your thousands, it’s worth bearing in mind that Nuance Communications are in the business of selling speech recognition software. Ahhhhh. Such a company releasing a press release criticising the two areas of customer services that its products can improve – that’d be known round these parts as “a conflict of interest”. Suddenly, any credibility the survey enjoys trickles away like hot butter down your shirt.

So what did Nuance find wrong with existing customer services? Well, just about everything they have a product for, curiously. (more…)

Hey you! Yes, you! Are you looking at me or into next Tuesday? Well, you must have boss eyes or some similar visual impediment, in which case you need Ultralase – they’re the chaps that blast your wonky goggles with lazer beams.

Not only do they want to help restore your sight regardless of its current condition, but they want to do it NOW. Bitterwallet reader Anna recalls the joy of dealing with their passive-aggressive customers services department.

A few days ago, I got a direct mail letter from Ultralase. I can’t remember how I signed up to it in the first place. I called the freephone number in the letter, and asked “Adam” to remove me from the mailing list. He sounded pretty depressed about it, but went ahead and did it for me. Or so I thought.

Today, a pretty thick A4 envelope arrived on my mat, again, from Ultralase. The letter read:

“Thank your for enquiring about Ultralase vision correction, I am delighted to enclose your information pack…”

It included an offer letter, a price listing, a question sheet and a booklet all about them.

Once again, I called the freephone number, and asked “John” why I had been sent more information in the post when I specifically requested to be taken off the mailing list list. His reply?

“Oh… the buttons on the screen are very close together.”

What buttons would those be, then? DELETE FROM MAILING LIST or SEND AN ENVELOPE OF UNWANTED SHIT IMMEDIATELY? If it was a case of hitting the wrong button, we’re not sure how that’d automatically dispatch a catalogue. Maybe Ultralase should be offering staff free treatment or at the very least, eye tests.

By sharing this, I’m probably going to get my teeth kicked out before I reach check-in. See, I’ve been enjoying an email ding-dong with customer services at Virgin Atlantic, after booking a return flight to New York two weeks ago. My gripe is that I booked my flight in a 24 hour window between Virgin announcing a reduction in flight surcharges and the reductions been implemented, hence I paid the full price rather than the reduced price. In my third email, I thought I’d explained my views in a simple and polite manner:

My point is that the price decreases were announced the day before I booked, but were not implemented until the day after I booked. There was a 24 hour window in which prices were due to be lowered but weren’t.

Would it not be in the interest of the customer for operators to mention that the airline has announced imminent price cuts when booking, especially when contacting the airline in this 24 hour window?

I constantly go out my way to fly Virgin (it’s cheaper and easier for me to travel to Manchester and fly Delta), so I thought that asking for a voucher covering the difference wasn’t unreasonable.

Whether or not you think I’m entitled to renumeration isn’t the point here, I’m not trying to garner support for a personal issue. What I wanted to share was the response from Virgin Atlantic to the above email. I asked a reasonable, uncomplicated question. After several days of hoping I’d go away, the customer service representative seemingly couldn’t be bothered to entertain my complaint any longer. Cue the most impenetrable, least consumer-friendly email I’ve ever received: (more…)